Management Training

While some politicians continue to call for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act health care reform law, employers (and HR pros) must proceed as if that won't happen, says a noted health policy expert. Will companies take advantage of a relative lull in reform implementation to plan ahead? Or will they decide to scrap health benefits, banking on reform to insure their employees?

About 11,000 more federal government workers telecommuted in 2009 than in 2008, the federal Office of Personnel Management reports. The increase brings the number of government employees who work at home or at telework centers at least part of the time to 5.72% of the federal workforce.

Which are you more likely to write: “Do not waste energy” or “Conserve energy”? Using positive, self-assured, optimistic language is a better way to promote your ideas. In the above example, “Conserve energy” is more persuasive because it makes readers feel good rather than admonished. Here are 5 examples of negative sentences turned positive:

A fake smile could be bad for your health. According to a study recently published in the Academy of Management Journal, putting on a game face can actually worsen your mood and cause you to withdraw from work.

American workers can access the Internet, email, instant messaging and other forms of electronic communications from anywhere at anytime. While electronic communication helps people do their jobs, it also leaves a trail. A telephone conversation relies on the memory of two participants, but email and IM discussions can be preserved for years to come. And, given the casual way so many people fire off email these days, that can spell legal trouble for employers.

With employees still reeling from workplace budget cuts, now’s a great time for new team building ideas. No, you don’t need an expensive round of paintball to gain the benefits of team building exercises, but you do need to squeeze the most out of them. In this new FREE Special Report from Business Management Daily — 17 Team Building Ideas — we’ll show you how to do that.

Do you aspire to work in the C-suite? You can safely assume that top executives will require a prized package of office skills. But most high-level execs say they also want assistants who have the “X Factor.” Love it or hate it, high-ranking executives want employees who can read minds, anticipate needs and supply that indescribable “something” that propels an executive toward success.

Women turn to blogs nearly twice as often as social networking sites to find information and share opinions, according to PINK magazine. Here’s PINK’s list of the top business blogs for women, based on site traffic and know-how:

In recent years, it’s become clear that companies are slow to adopt flexible workplace practices. Employees at award-winning workplaces continue to lament their lack of flexibility. While 80% of Americans say they want workplace flexibility, only a third report having it. There are big barriers to adopting and sustaining flexible workplace practices within an organization. We need to shift our focus from the “why” to the “how.”

Employees are now three-for-three in Supreme Court employment law cases this term, now that the High Court has ruled that an employee’s Fair Labor Standards Act complaints don’t have to be written to be protected from retaliation by their employers. Here's what happened...