Employers should not be seduced by flashy graphics when choosing a flex platform, but they must ensure it performs the functions they want efficiently, says Jenny Keefe. A flexible benefits website with sleek looks is easy to fall in love with. But employers need to do a little homework before rushing to sign with a provider, because there is a lot ...

Why do we think of energy in conventional terms? With right approach and motivation, humans can be as charged. At the ripe old age of 81, Lal Krishna Advani of the Bharatiya Janata Party had to travel to several places by air in the summer heat in the previous two months, as he was projected as the prime ministerial candidate by ...

We love it when our interviews and our hard data support each other, and that's just what happened in our recent major study on diversity. If you haven't read it, I recommend my colleague Mary Ann Downey's TrendWatcher from early October, where she writes about the interviews she has done with various diversity practitioners. Now the hard numbers are out, and ...

A reader writes: I work at a small start-up company, and when I accepted the position my boss represented one of the perks as "we can be informal about vacation days." I'm not a slacker and didn't plan on taking advantage of it, but understandably I was happy about the attitude. However, in the seven months since having worked here, I've ...

You know I’ve written about the connection between transparency and social media in the past. Invariably, when I mention transparency, someone asks about handling those situations that go wrong. And, my reply is always the same – even the best companies hit speed bumps. It’s how you deal with them that defines you to your customers. To give an example, let ...

A 360 degree leadership assessment is one of the most effective ways to get feedback from your employees, peers, and managers against a set of pre-defined leadership competencies. Having debriefed these for hundreds of managers, and taken a number of different 360s myself, I’ve discovered some best practices that have worked for me and others. Here are 10 tips for getting ...

NEW YORK - Even though the economy is still suffering and many small businesses won't be hiring for some time, some companies are thinking about taking on more workers. The question for many is, what kind? Some business owners will hire full-time or part-time employees, while others will consider going the independent contractor route. Temps are another option. Each kind of ...

I know my blog has certainly helped me rise up. Other’s blogs have helped them rise up. I am going to an unconference that is going to focus on HR people who are interested in blogging. Someone may ask me if they should start a blog. In the past, my answer was an unhesitant yes. Of course you should. Why shouldn’t ...

A lot has been written about the revolutionary impact of Twitter: how it's changed the way we communicate, how it's connected us to one another and how it's increased transparency in everything we do. But as much as people love Twitter, there's growing concern about other impacts the social networking tool is having, especially when it comes to workplace productivity. ...

Nov. 4--The glass ceiling has been shattered. Now society must pick up the pace to accommodate the needs of the changing family and workplace. Today, half of all workers in the U.S. are women. For the first time, a woman is the primary or co-breadwinner in two-thirds of American families. More women also are single, and their collective power and shifting ...

Whether there will be additional cuts to employee benefits and whether employers will bring back some of the reductions made because of the recession are not clear yet. However, employers are continuing to watch benefits costs - and await health care reform, which may create cost-related scenarios that employers can't yet predict. When they provided their survey responses over the summer, ...

A reader writes: I've worked at a large non-profit for 4 years. I've recently interviewed at another non-profit and expect that they will make a job offer soon. I'm concerned about how I'll resign if offered the new job, and I'd appreciate your advice based on the following: * My manager and vice president constantly say they don't want to be ...

John Stevenson hasn't stopped patronizing the local gym, but after his workout, he is wiping down his machines with spray disinfectant and paper towels. Sales associate Janet Lininger is having customers swipe their own credit cards (she's relieved to have recently shifted from the intimate-apparel section to the far-less-cozy handbag department). In ways both discreet and direct, serious and silly, Americans ...

The media coverage of exRBS chief Sir Fred Goodwin's huge pension pot triggered much debate about the connection between performance and remuneration. But 'Fred the Shred' is far from alone in securing enviable rewards for failure. Research in September 2008 by corporate remuneration consultancy Patterson Associates found that CEOs of under-performing FTSE 100 companies tended to earn more than those delivering ...

Protests, injuries, clashes with police, and one death. These were the chaotic scenes reminiscent of the infamous poll tax clashes of the 1990s, of a besieged London on 1 April 2009. This time it wasn't government policy that sparked the ire of 4,000 protesters. Their fury was directed at a small legion of staff — the greedy City bankers who were ...

A reader writes: Our office is rife with gossip regarding a married man in our office and young single co-worker. The man has a brand new baby at home and knowing that he is having an affair behind his wife's back is rather upsetting to some of us on moral and character grounds, but also it is making us uncomfortable (wife ...

Organized labor contributed nearly $450 million (Greenhouse, 2008) toward the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress, so we can expect labor will have a good run, resulting in much more favorable laws, regulations and administrative outcomes than we have seen in several administrations. Conversely, while there is plenty of business lobbying, there will be far fewer voices within the ...

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), one of the largest mutual life insurance companies and a leading provider of employee benefits to midsize and small companies, offers employees and employers tips for leveraging their employee benefits in one of the worst economic environments since the Great Depression. Guardian's employee benefits experts compiled these ...

A reader writes: I have recently been on two interviews with a company. "When can you start" and "will this salary be acceptable" have been discussed. My issue is that my former employer of 12 years has a strict reference policy that only allows them to confirm dates of employment and salary. I provided additional references at the potential new employer's ...

NEW YORK - It doesn't have to be a downer when the weak economy forces small businesses to scale back their holiday parties from the big catered or restaurant affairs they held in the past. These events can still be opportunities to build teamwork and boost morale. An owner hoping for a great party should include employees in the planning. The ...