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Strategic Planning

Business to hit road in 2014

02/05/2014
Buoyed by an improving economy, U.S. employers plan to spend more on business travel in 2014, reaching levels not seen since 2007.

Is it time to rethink an open-space office?

01/17/2014
You’ve probably heard the argument that if you want to im­­prove employee communication and foster collaboration, tear down the walls and create an open-plan environment. But a new study based on a survey of over 42,000 office workers in 303 office buildings finds those assumptions may not be true.

Trade Secrets

12/06/2013

HR Law 101: There are two important reasons you need to protect your company’s trade secrets: (1) You make it less likely that confidential information will be misappropriated. (2) It will be easier for you to seek relief in court if your secrets are stolen …  

         

Strike down the hidden tyranny of pay for performance

12/05/2013
Rewarding your company’s star employees with the heftiest pay raises might not be enough to keep them from looking to jump ship if you expect them to take up the slack of associates who do the bare minimum.

Should we use arbitration agreements to help resolve employment disputes?

12/03/2013
In California, companies adopting arbitration agreements face a number of difficult decisions in crafting their agreements to ensure that they will be enforceable while also maximizing the benefits of arbitration.

7 questions to ask about your year-end bonus plan

12/03/2013
If your company will hand out holiday bonuses this year, do it with purpose. Here are seven questions to ask before you start writing the checks.

ACA SHOPs postponed one year, HHS urges using brokers instead

12/02/2013
Small business owners won’t be able go online to buy health insurance for their employees until November 2014. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services suggests doing it the old-fashioned way—through a broker.

Accommodating religion in the 21st century workplace

11/27/2013
Employers are often reluctant to raise concerns over the impact of an employee’s religious practices. Those issues generally aren’t considered to be job-related, and the fear is that addressing them might cause a discrimination lawsuit.

Penalties rival incentives as work health tactic

11/27/2013
Employers will use both carrots and sticks to keep workers healthier and stem the tide of higher health care costs, according to the 2013/2014 Towers Watson Staying@Work Survey.

Top 10: The basic rules every HR pro must follow

11/26/2013
While lawsuits may be practically inevitable in today’s litigious society, losing them is not. Ten rules to follow: