Here are this week’s links to a few good stories that we found and selected because we feel they might add valuable insights and perspectives for small to medium size businesses.
• About 25 years ago, employers started to understand and embrace the concept of having a well written employee handbook. Once the Supreme Court (Kolstad v. American Dental Association, 527 U.S. 526- 1999) ruled that quality of an employer’s anti-harassment policy could mitigate potential punitive damages, more business owners took notice. Kristin Oliviera of Hirchfeld Kraemer, LLP writing as part of a series for JD Supra Business Advisor provides more detail in 50 for 50: Five Decades Of The Most Important Discrimination Law Developments – Number 27: Discrimination and Harassment Policies in Handbooks. The short answer – make sure your employee handbook is current and clearly written.
• At some point all of us have been both sellers and buyers, and some of the proposal methods we use or have been forced to endure can be downright painful. Bruna Martinuzzi, writing for Open Forum in 5 Strategies to Hook an Audience in 18 Minutes or Less references the IBI (Interesting But Irrelevant) rule, the PechaKucha method and TED talks. It’s a fascinating read and one that I will reference next time I power up Powerpoint.
• The last time the national unemployment rate was below 6% was in August, 2008. After the US Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 248,000 jobs were added in September, the national unemployment rate dropped to 5.9%. What’s interesting is that mention was made that most of the jobs that grocers added (19,500) was due to the return to work of Market Basket employees in New England. To learn more read September Report Shows Hiring Up, Unemployment Down to 6-Year Low written by John Zappe for TLNT.
For more information, please reach out to Genesis HR Solutions at AskUs@genesishrsolutions.com or 800-367-8367.
Genesis HR Solutions is the premier PEO provider for Massachusetts based businesses.
