Articles by Girish Anand

March 9, 2009

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The Road to 'Armageddon' Starts Today

Sources tell Personnel Concepts that the much-feared-by-business Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) will be introduced in the House of Representatives today. Well, nothing new here. EFCA made it through the House's 435 members once before and passed with flying colors, but its fate in the Senate may be another matter altogether. Just today, the Wall Street Journal reported that "Labor Bill...

March 6, 2009

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The World's 50 Safest Banks

banking system banks safe banks

I was a bit surprised to find any U.S. banks on Global Finance magazine's list of the 50 safest banks in the world. Wells Fargo was the highest U.S. bank at number 21, followed by U.S. Bank at 26, the Bank of New York Mellon at 35, and JPMorgan Chase at 47. Top spot went to KfW in Germany. Overall, both France and Germany had six banks on the list. Spain had an impressive five; the United Kin...

March 6, 2009

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All of You Who Think Health Care Reform=Free Care, Read On

free health care health care costs rationed health care

I just read a polling result that said three out of four Americans now favor health care reform. That's all well and good, but I bet you that at least three of every four who said they favored reform also believed that it meant they would soon be getting health care for free, or ...

March 5, 2009

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Personnel Concepts Jumps on the White Paper Bandwagon

labor law compliance Personnel Concepts white papers

I've always liked the BLR (Business and Legal Reports) site because it features informative, lengthy pieces that go by the prevailing title of "white papers." However, when I did an on-site search of BLR's white papers the other day, I think the most current one I saw was from the summer of 2008, though I may have missed some in my search. BLR also doesn't always broach some of the regulator...

March 4, 2009

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Here's One Liberal Economist Who Actually Makes Sense

economy foreclosures housing market

I actually had never heard of economist James Galbraith until I stumbled upon his testimony before Congress in an article in, of all places, Mother Jones. So you gotta figure the guy is pretty liberal, but in his testimony, he comes across as having some solid answers that the Obama team overlooks or rejects. Actually, most of our problems--except for foreclosures--could be solved quickly and ...

March 4, 2009

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Modification Practitioners (!) Come Under the OSHA Knife

body piercings modification practitioners tattoos

I was grateful to learn today that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has clarified its position on modification practitioners. Say who? It's a fancy term for tattooists and body-piercing artists (I'm not sure artists applies, but whatever), and OSHA has stepped in with a Letter of Interpretation (LOI) about training requirements for said manipulation practitioners. In ...

March 4, 2009

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From $84,869 a Year to Busted Over Courtroom Sex

I haven't been to any "Darwin Award" sites lately, but this guy qualifies for some sort of stupidity award. Chelsea District Court (Massachusetts) Assistant Clerk James Burke (if he gets nearly $85,000 a year as an assistant, what does a full clerk make?) has been arrested for having sex in a courtroom. Now that sounds stupid enough, right? But catch this--the sex was with a woman in the cour...

March 3, 2009

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Microsoft Temps Are Mad as Hell and Ain't Gonna Take It

Howard Beale Microsoft temporary workers temps

Like Howard Beale (Peter Finch) in Network, whose mantra was "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore," temp workers at Microsoft are Hades-like too as word leaked out that pay cuts are in the works for the temporary force. One temp from Volt has already set up a Web site to organize a "peaceful protest," maintaining that he and his coworkers all have contracts that must be hon...

March 2, 2009

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China Plays Its Prize Card(s) to Re-energize Its Economy

What is the Prize Card for China? Cheap labor, of course, and now that some 20,000 manufacturing firms have closed down in the past year, that means there are some 20 million migrant workers looking for jobs. And they're finding them--at lower wages. And the manufacturers are also getting generous export tax rebates. It also appears that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's comment about Chin...

February 27, 2009

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Airline Finds New Revenue Source in Tough Times: Pay Toilets

airlines pay toilets Ryanair

Ryanair, a low-cost, no-frills airline that serves Europe out of its Great Britain hub, is pondering a pound-sterling coinbox on its toilet doors. "One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the toilet door so that people might actually have to spend a pound ($1.43) to spend a penny in future," CEO Michael O'Leary told BB...

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Girish Anand

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Practical articles on HR, Safety, compliance, and people operations—written for real businesses, not legal textbooks.

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Articles by Girish Anand