Are you using the NEW Form I-9 yet?

If you haven’t started using the new Form I-9, better get on the stick. Deadline: Dec. 26, 2007. The Feds have made the first major changes to the form in 20 years. The biggest mistake that most employers make with I-9s – they ask new hires for too much documentation.
Outside its original purpose to control illegal immigration, Form [...]

Why optimists sell 37% more!

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Conquering Cold Calling: What Is and Isn’t Working:
Attitude drives behavior. That’s why pessimists don’t last long in sales.
Optimistic salespeople sell an average of 37% more products and services during cold calls than their negative counterparts. How do salespeople maintain a positive attitude while dealing with gatekeepers who won’t let them through or [...]

Boss can’t spell? You’re lucky!

This might explain a few things. More than a third (35% actually) of entrepreneurs identify themselves as dyslexic, says a London professor. That’s staggering when you consider that only 10% of the population is dyslexic.
But it makes sense. The study says dyslexics are:

more likely than nondsylexics to delegate authority since they’re used to getting others [...]

What do these high-injury jobs have in common?

Which workers are more likely to suffer injuries on the job that lead to days away from work? The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) latest report says the average rate of occupational injuries requiring days away from work (DAFW) in 2006 was 128 per 10,000 workers. These specific occupational categories have high injury rates:

nursing aides, [...]

Your next CEO? Women to watch

Interesting report in the Wall Street Journal. The number of women in top corporate jobs (particularly CEOs) has barely budged since 2002. But WSJ’s Top 50 Women to Watch in 2008 indicates that the pipeline of talented women ready for top jobs has grown significantly. Read WSJ’s report to see who they are.

Ante up: Negotiating “tells” to watch for

Playing poker is lot like negotiating business deals. The best “players” know how to read their opponents. In both worlds, savvy opponents try to act weak or appear uninterested, says Gregory Stebbins, author of PeopleSavvy for Sales Professionals.
These behaviors will tell you a lot about the person sitting across the negotiating table:

The Stare-down: Often the [...]

The worst employees of 2007: Can you top ‘em?

What’s the worst thing one of your employees has done? Can you top this list from Careerbuilder?

Bank employees forgot a 73-year old woman was checking her safe deposit box and locked the building and went home. She was found by a cleaning person later that night.
The postal carrier that was stealing money from birthday cards, [...]

Weird business stories of the year

There’s so much depressing business news out there, you could probably use a smile right about now.  So how about the weirdest business stories of the year! CNN lists the 15 weirdest of the year. A sampling:

Alleged robber asks victim out for a date
Employee takes 1 million screws home from factory
Eau de Lawsuit: Woman sues [...]

Flying high – and IMing all the way

Not sure if this is good news or bad news. Starting next week, business travelers on JetBlue will be able to e-mail and IM in flight, reports the N.Y. Times. The No Bull Blog thinks most of us are too connected. We spend too much time “communicating” and not enough contemplating. But for execs who can’t survive a couple [...]

New standard of safety – and it’s not from OSHA

What’s the current standard for workplace safety? Is it compliance with OSHA rules?
Of course meeting OSHA standards is necessary, but the real measure currently is company safety culture, says Scott Claffey, a safety services manager with Great West Casualty Co., who spoke at the National Safety Council Congress.
Two accident investigations
That standard has been referenced twice now [...]