NAVIGATING THROUGH CHANGE: HONESTY, OPEN COMMUNICATION ESSENTIAL

With the economic downturn in full swing, many companies are beginning the belt-tightening process. At such times, effectively communicating, listening, and setting a good example are more important than ever.

First, know what to expect. Keeping employees focused when they fear a job loss can be a challenge. And it may get more difficult if you are expected to deliver the same amount of work with a smaller budget, fewer people, and more responsibilities.

Managers in changing organizations also face a range of employee reactions – euphoria, panic, and everything in between. And as a backdrop, supervisors often face the possibility of losing their own jobs.

Even if a manager understands and is on board with certain business decisions, that knowledge often doesn't make the changes that follow any easier, says Lisa Mininni, president of Excellerate Associates, a Canton-based organizational consulting and business coaching company. But the good news is that managers can help employees by modeling positive behavior and attitudes toward change. More...

E-Files: Know When to Hold Them – and When to Delete Them

Back in the good old days, lawyers produced paper to use as evidence in litigation. This process is called discovery. Most companies and institutions kept their papers in relative good order, making the discovery process simple and straightforward.

These days, though, corporate and institutional records are handled in a fast-moving variety of electronic records, from e-mail to Voice Over Internet Protocol voice mails to Word documents to spreadsheets to some forms of text messaging. Some of these records evaporate from computer systems quickly. Others persist for years – or decades. And it can all be hauled into court. More...

FED CHIEF TO TALK TO CONGRESS: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is giving Congress a fresh assessment of the country's economic health, which has been pummeled by a housing bust, a credit crunch and soaring energy prices. Back-to-back appearances on Capitol Hill were scheduled to begin Wednesday for Bernanke, who is facing his biggest challenges yet in his two years at the Fed's helm. More...

JOBLESS CLAIMS FELL LAST WEEK; IMPROVEMENT TEMPORARY: U.S. Department of Labor officials said there were fewer workers who filed for unemployment benefits last week, but analysts believe the decline is only temporary. Federal officials reported that the number of jobless claims fell by 9,000 last week, bringing the total to 349,000. More...

BILL WOULD GIVE BENEFITS TO UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS: The Michigan State Legislature now is considering a bill that would extend wage replacement benefits to all employed, injured – and even undocumented – workers. The current Worker's Disability Compensation Act does not exclude undocumented workers, but the Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that injured, undocumented workers can receive medical benefits, but not lost wages. More...

HIRING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS GETTING MORE EXPENSIVE: For the first time in more than a decade, the federal government is raising fines for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants, according to The Washington Post. More...

EXECS SURVEY: SECOND DAY OF WEEK MOST PRODUCTIVE: Here's an argument for three-day weekends: Employees get more done on Tuesdays. Fifty-seven percent of executives said Tuesday is the most productive day of the week for workers, according to a recent Accountemps survey of 150 senior executives from human resources, finance, and marketing departments. Only 12 percent of those polled said Monday was tops in the work productivity department. More...

HOW HR CAN HOOK GREAT CANDIDATES: Some experts say old-fashioned resumes and job listings soon may be replaced with newer tools like blogs, videos, and LinkedIn profiles. So how does HR revamp the traditional job-listing approach to attract qualified candidates? More...

EMPLOYERS DRIVING HEALTHIER EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOR: A recent Watson Wyatt study shows that companies increasingly are using benefits enrollment systems as a way to encourage healthier employee habits. In a December 2007 survey of 117 U.S. companies, the global consulting firm found that 53 percent now include health risk assessments as part of their enrollment systems or plan to incorporate them by 2009. More...