Recent news on the central coast involved a well known business owner who is facing over $100,000 in wage violations and penalties. Over the past year, there have been other publicized cases against businesses for substantial claims. Do you think this would never be you? Think again! With more than…
For the last year the healthcare bill has been working its way through the law making process. Regardless of your political position on this law, it is a law and as businesses we now need to figure out what to do with this reality. So what’s next? Gather the TroopsThe…
Anthem/Blue Cross recently announced a 39% rate increase on individual policies, which they put on hold after the significant negative firestorm they created. Blue Shield has imposed increases on HSA plans of 20-67% in the last year. Mid-size and large group plans are faring better; however, “better” is somewhat relative…
Imagine tomorrow morning you discover that 40% of your staff is out sick and the missing people are in clusters wiping out entire critical functions within your business for the NEXT 10 DAYS! How would you make sure that your business survives this very real situation? What would you do…
Last year we joked about the grumpy HR Grinch, ready to shut down your rollicking good time this holiday season. You know, the anything goes office party where your employees leave their inhibitions at the door. The celebratory occasion that provides months of post party gossip. This year, more employers…
Having really enjoying Keith McFarland’s last book, The Breakthrough Company, I was looking forward to reading his newest one, Bounce. It’s a very quick read, but tells a strong story. There have been some mixed opinions about McFarland’s choice of style for this book. He uses a fable to tell…
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every workplace operated in a harmonious way? Fortunately, for many companies in our community, this is the case. Organizations with people who work in harmony have capabilities that nurture their capacity for pleasure and work. Ultimately, companies in which people collaborate best will have a…
Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman We’ve all had that employee who we hired with such great expectations. Their resume was impressive, including both experience and education that indicated they could be a star employee, and they generated such confidence during their interviews. However, they failed to engage with other staff,…
Why should management and HR make a dramatic shift and change the dynamic of HR as usual? Given the challenges of this prolonged economic downturn and the crucial need to leverage every available brain cell in our organizations how can we not? The landscape around us has changed and we…
Could this seemingly endless recession claim yet another victim, our creative spirit? As I see my friends, family and coworkers struggling to keep heads above water in an economy stuck in the muck I’m developing a new concern, that our creative spark may get lost. Fear and frustration seem to…
