As always, in long tail coverage such as Workers’ Compensation, there are challenges that cloud the future. The Workers’ Comp outlook for 2008 is one of caution and concern. Here is an assessment of what employers can look forward to in the year ahead and even beyond.

Despite revisions to the Fair Labor Standards Act in 2004, determining how to properly classify workers remains an ongoing struggle for many companies. That is evident from the amount of money the U.S. Department of Labor has collected from businesses that failed to properly compensate their employees for overtime.

Rewards are a powerful method for encouraging good job performance. Good work may not be repeated and employees can upset customers when managers don’t recognize, encourage, and reward them for job performance that meets or exceeds customers’ expectations. But rewards must be used effectively.

If your employee is involved in an accident while working, you can be held liable. Where a company knew or had a reason to know that a driver of its commercial vehicles could create a risk of harm to others, it creates a “negligent entrustment.” And the stakes can be high.

Do you want to be great at solving employee performance problems? If you are talking with employees about the details of their work on a regular basis, then talking about small problems should be something you do as a matter of course.

In a recent NEWS’ column titled “Fraud and Theft Prevention Need Attention,” the topic of risks that businesses take was discussed and it concluded with the mention of a Q&A document from the Dwyer Group. This document has now been made available to The NEWS for publication.

Rather than diverting attention and finances during periods of lower Workers’ Compensation rates, employers can benefit by taking steps to guarantee long-term savings. Here are eight mistakes employers should avoid so they can achieve long-term Workers’ Compensation savings.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently weighed in with new guidelines outlining how working parents or those caring for elderly parents may be able to claim discrimination in the workplace. The guidance indicates that employers must take extra care when dealing with caregivers.

We’ve covered a lot of ground so far in this series, and in this, our final segment, we’re going to focus on the actions that a technical professional can take when providing outstanding customer service.

Accountability is the new watchword in just about every business. But what does it really mean? Accountability means having to answer for one's actions. The idea is compelling. Here’s how to make it work.