Articles by Girish Anand

February 26, 2009

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They Pay for the Honor to Work at McDonald's

To be honest, I'd never heard of this phenomenon before, so I thought I'd better share it. It seems that young Thai university students pay $3,000 and up to come to the U.S. and work in a fast-food joint for the honor of listing "foreign work experience" on their resumes. Now, $3,000 in Thai current is a huge sum, but listen to Jiratchaya Intarakhumwong: "Honestly, if I had the money, I'd go b...

February 26, 2009

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Complying With Government Regulations the CD-ROM Way

emergency action plan employmee record-keeping fire prevention plan government forms

Personnel Concepts, according to those I've spoken with there recently, is making a big push to create interactive tools for companies to create documents and posters to comply with OSHA and other regulations. First to come out was the Fire Prevention Program CD-ROM. OSHA requires that every place of business create, print and distribute to every employee a fire prevention plan. This CD lets y...

February 24, 2009

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Some Unemployed Are Being Taken to the Bank

unemployed unemployment benefits unemployment insurance

NEWS ITEM: At least 30 states have contracted with banks to provide direct-deposit unemployment benefits, some of which come in the form of a debit card. This saves the states the cost of printing checks and mailing them. REALITY: Some banks are abusing the system by charging fees to use these unemployment debit cards. Try $20 for trying to "charge" too much on the card--an overdraft fee when ...

February 20, 2009

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First Skyscrapers, Now Carboard Boxes and Mini-Skirts

economic indicators skyscraper index

A week ago, I warned you about the skyscraper index: As more cloud-hugging buildings are built, the economy goes the other direction, down, in other words. Now, here are a couple of more useful, or maybe useless, indices. The first one is the cardboard box index, reportedly a favorite of ex-Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, creator of no less than three recessions, including the current depression...

February 19, 2009

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A Trillion Here, a Trillion There, and Pretty Soon We're Talkin' Real Money

deficit financing federal budget federal deficit

The federal deficit for 2009 has already surged past the $1-trillion mark, supposedly for the first time in U.S. history, with the passage of the so-called stimulus plan optimistically named the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. But wait, the deficit for 2008, though officially announced as $455 billion, actually topped the trillion mark. How so? Because the feds simply counted m...

February 18, 2009

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Sleep Safely on Your Money; Forget Banks

banks money safes

A sign of the times, no doubt: A company is now marketing a bed with a safe under your pillow in which to stash your cash and a plasma television at feet's end for your viewing pleasure. Like Uncle Scrooge, you can now stay home all day and count your dough while watching your favorite satellite or cable offerings--or add a DVD player for further options. At $20,400, the Executive Safe-T Bed ...

February 17, 2009

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Millennials Sound a Bit Like All of Us

Millennials

A lot is being written, human resources- and management-wise, about so-called millennials in the workplace, millennials being those born between 1980 and 2000. One respected HR authority whom I routinely read, Susan Heathfield, even offers "Eleven Tips for Managing Millennials." First, however, she describes the traits of working millennials: "Millennials have a 'can-do' attitude about tasks...

February 17, 2009

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If You Like EMRs and EHRs, You'll Love PHRs

EHRs electronic health records EMRs PHRs

I'm still not clear on the difference between EMRs (electronic medical records) and EHRs (electronic health records), but now we have PHRs (personal health records). At least PHRs I think I understand. Back to the first two: I've read where there's no difference between EMRs and EHRs except that EHR is designed to be more marketing friendly for some reason. I've also read where EMRs are patien...

February 16, 2009

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Mandatory Sick Leave an Employer Burden?

maternity leave paid sick leave paid time off

Businesses in Milwaukee are fighting a referendum that mandates up to nine days of paid sick leave for all employees working within the city. Voters overwhelmingly approved the referendum this past November, but last week a coalition of business owners got a court to slap a restraining order on its implementation. The measure will be debated in the court in detail beginning in May. Meanwhile, ...

February 16, 2009

74 view(s)

Watch What You Say, Young Man!

old coots PC political correctness seniors

The International Longevity Center and Aging Services of California have issued a media guide for writing about older people, which lists acceptable (PC) words and unacceptable (non-PC) terms. However, it really depends on the audience reading what's written to define acceptable. Readers in their 20s or 30s said in a survey they would take no offense at reading "senior citizen," for example. I...

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Girish Anand

Recent Articles

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

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Articles by Girish Anand