Blogs / 2005 / November

legal uncertainty around cash balance The Cash Balance Conundrum Recently the Government Accountability Office (GAO) advised Congress to among other things, eliminate the legal uncertainty surrounding cash balance pension plan... More...

The Business Case for Online Backup Katrina hit legal firms in Louisiana hard. Almost half of the bar's practicing members are displaced. About 5,000 bar members were in New Orleans Parish and another 3,000 members were in Jefferson and ... More...

Learning professionals are regularly being asked to address the complex and ever-changing needs of the business, while at the same time, deliver effective learning solutions with fewer and fewer resources. To stay one step ahead, many are inves... More...

Excerpted from Texas Employment Law Letter, written by attorneys at the law firm Ford & Harrison LLP It's often the small things that matter. And that's especially true when ending the employment relationship with an employee. Here are some de... More...

A recent National Academy of Sciences study noted that China graduated 500,000 engineers last year, and India 200,000 compared with 70,000 in the U.S. A recent National Academy of Sciences study noted that China graduated 500,000 engineers las... More...

QUESTION: Recognition for Special Projects - Wait and see? Dear Merry, I am a Senior VP of Human Resources in a consulting company. I just finished a big special project on time and against all odds. The successful completion of this p... More...

This makes me think of the role alternative working arrangements such as telecommuting can play. Obviously not all jobs lend themselves towards this type of arrangement, but a significant number do. Does telecommuting reduce work absences (especial... More...

November 1, 2005 (Toronto, ON) - Varicent Software Incorporated, a leader in incentive and sales performance management (SPM) solutions, today announced the release of Varicent SPM v2.0, as well as all Varicent add-on modules. This major release inc... More...

Over the course of 2005, there has been a trend amongst Hong Kong employers to begin offering more flexible benefits packages to their employees. About twenty-five percent of employers now offer flexible benefits packages, a sixty percent increase f... More...

Dear Joan: I am what I guess you could call a low-level manager in my office, a position I attained after starting several years ago at the bottom. I found that as my bosses became more and more confident in me, they asked me, as a lower-rung empl... More...

According to a report published in October 2005 by McKinsey & Company, China is not producing enough well-trained graduates who are suitably qualified to work for global companies. This study involved interviews with eighty-three human reso... More...

The Debate I have followed the recent debate on the appropriateness and effectiveness of apology in mediation with great interest. The points and counterpoints of this dialogue perhaps have been best characterized by two articles recently publishe... More...

"Made in China" just doesn´t mean what it used to. Manual labor from the country´s 1.3 billion citizens was long considered its sole competitive advantage in the global economy. While American business has turned a blind eye, th... More...

Question - "When have you been most motivated?" This question is more than an interview question; it is a question that you should be asking yourself before the interview. When have you been most satisfied in your work? When did you feel like you ... More...

Nine years ago, at exactly this time of year, the eleventh edition of this newsletter cited reasons to be thankful for Generation X. In summary, back in 1996, we were thankful because... Xers didn't expect job security or pension security. ... More...

There is a very interesting show on TV called Holmes on Homes. HGTV carries the show and it´s quite the eye opener. There is a very interesting show on TV called Holmes on Homes. HGTV carries the show and it´s quite the eye opener. ... More...

For those of you who don´t know who Peter F. Drucker is here is a link to his website that gives you some sense as to who this modern day genius was and will be for years to come. For those of you who don´t know who Peter F. Drucker is h... More...

I have a very uncomfortable challenge for you: Cite 10 companies in the current Fortune 500 which have promoted the top human resources officer to CEO. Just give me 10. That´s 2%. Can´t do it, can you? If you investigated, you might fi... More...

The Employee Retirement Security Act (ERSA), passed by the Korean National Assembly in December 2004, will take effect on December 1, 2005. The ERSA provides guidelines for implementing new employer-sponsored pension plans that are externally f... More...

Stick your head out of your office for a moment and look both ways. If you´re like the typical HR executive, here´s what you´re looking at: half of your company´s employees are under age 40, and half are "older worke... More...

The Malaysian government announced in its 2006 budget that it would expedite visas for expatriate professionals in the information and communication technology, high-tech, and financial services sectors. The provisions of the budget, released i... More...

Perplexing for managers has been figuring out how to reconcile giving up authority to core employees with the need to be responsible for results, from Kevin Herring. Please click here to open this .pdf file. More...

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., many of our thoughts will be turning to the positive elements of our lives - those people/conditions or things we feel fortunate to have in our lives. As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in ... More...

Most business leaders would prefer to look ahead rather than look sideways. Â But unfortunately, most business leaders today have no choice but to focus on the healthcare costs now increasingly in their peripheral vision. Most business leaders wou... More...

Assembly-line workers and others who have to make stops in the factory or laboratory for equipment or special clothing for their jobs may be well on the way to getting paid for the time it takes to walk between equipment and work stations. That, at l... More...

Tags

News

The Cash Balance Conundrum

Online Backup Keeps Professional Services in Business

Outsourcing the Learning Function: A Recipe for Successful Transformation

Doing the Separation Cha-cha

Math and Science Skills: A Plan for Making the US Competitive

Ask the Coach - Issue 1: Recognition for Special Projects

Creating a Win/Win

Varicent Software Releases Varicent SPM 2.0

Flexible Benefits Packages a Growing Trend in Hong Kong

Joan Lloyd's HR Words of Advice: Compensation Blues

Report Casts Doubt on Chinese Graduates' Skills, Giving India an Upper Hand

Apology: The Post-Debate View

China's Secret Weapon

Knowing What You Want

GenX Turns Forty -- Part II

Home owner or HR person...Do the due!

Peter Drucker

The Road Never Traveled

Korea: New Pension Act Takes Effect in December

The New Talent Treasure Trove: Older Workers

Malaysian Government to Expedite Visas for Expat Professionals in Technology, IT, and Financial Services

Management In Real Life: Control

Giving Thanks

Healthcare Costs and Workforce Acquisition -- Looking Sideways

Workplace Wage-and-Hour Case Marks Roberts' Debut as Chief Justice

	Good Guy = Bad Manager :: Bad Guy = Good Manager. Is it a Myth?

	Base Pay Increases Remain Steady in 2007, Mercer Survey Finds

	Online Overload: The Perfect Candidates Are Out There - If You Can Find Them

	Cartus Global Survey Shows Trend to Shorter-Term International Relocation Assignments

	Rewards, Vacation and Perks Are Passé; Canadians Care Most About Cash