The political pressure to enact a $15 federal minimum wage is growing stronger. It’s the stuff of nightmares for business owners, but it may yet become a reality. New York has already passed legislation, with the enthusiastic support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, to raise the wage bar for fast food workers to $15. It seems inevitable that figure will soon … Read More
Manufacturers: Are you insuring your building and property correctly?
Would you insure your house for $500,000 when you only paid $200,000 for it? Of course not. Here’s another question. Say that the house you purchased for $200,000 burns to the ground. Would you expect your insurance policy to cover the replacement cost of your house based on the $500,000 coverage you were paying for? Of course not. It all … Read More
In 2016 OSHA fines may be going up, way up
Buried in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 is a provision that would bring a startling increase to Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) fines. Unchanged since 1990 and not indexed to inflation, OSHA fines are set to jump nearly 80% next year, with increases indexed to inflation after 2016. The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 tied … Read More
How to handle the challenges of an aging workforce
Take a look in the mirror…were those gray hairs there yesterday? Take a look around your office…could you be asking the same question? Nobody’s getting younger, not even me! But the American workforce is rapidly aging, creating a number of challenges for businesses of all types and sizes. The secular trend is stark: From 1976 to 2006, the percentage of … Read More
Are you prepared for an OSHA ‘pop-in’?
*ring ring ring* You’re not expecting anyone, but someone’s at the door…it’s your Aunt Elaine, famously resistant to getting a cell phone, who was in the neighborhood and thought she’d take a chance you might be home and drop by. Aunt Elaine may be great, but let’s face it, nobody loves a pop-in. While we tolerate the occasional boundary-crossing friend … Read More
Employers: Safety is your responsibility (but we can help!)
A billion dollars…right out the window. That’s what American businesses spend each week on worker’s compensation claims. If that isn’t enough to give you pause, that figure represents only the direct costs of medical and legal payments. Indirect costs of training replacement employees, conducting accident investigations, hiring crisis management PR experts, repairing equipment, lost productivity, and low staff morale easily … Read More
Protect Your Company from “CEO Fraud”
Remember the e-mails claiming you’d won the Nigerian lottery, full of misspellings and bad grammar and requesting your bank account information so funds could be wired? These amateur e-mail scams are a thing of the past and a new, rapidly growing and sophisticated threat is targeting businesses worldwide and has already resulted in more than 7,000 companies in the U.S. … Read More
Wellness programs in the workplace: How to get started
I’m passionate about helping businesses keep their employees healthy, happy, and on the job, contributing to their organization’s success. As I’ve written about previously, wellness programs provide measurable ROI that keeps business owners happy. Nearly all owners who started a wellness program in the workplace agree that these programs are effective in mitigating the risk of rising health care costs … Read More
8 Reasons pre-screening employees is just smart business
I spend my workday helping Sinclair clients manage risk, avoid hidden pitfalls, and implement initiatives that give them the best chance to be prosperous and successful. I do this work happily, it gives me great joy! That’s why I am such a strong advocate of making sure organizations have a structured, consistent approach to pre-screening employees. It floors me that … Read More
Do you have the right controls in place to help prevent a data breach?
The news on hacking, data breaches, and the state of cyber security is largely gloomy. Consider that a record number of companies dealt with significant data breaches last year and that the cost per compromised customer record keeps going up. Indeed, research by the Ponemon Institute reflects a reality of data breaches that borders on inevitability. But all hope is … Read More