What is good judgment anyway? It’s not the same thing as sheer brain power, or mental capacity, or natural intelligence. It’s not a matter of accumulated knowledge or memorized information. It’s more than the mastery of techniques and tools. In simple terms, good judgment is the ability to see the connection between causes and their effects.

It’s a story that’s playing out across the country - cash-strapped governments are scrambling to balance their budgets while hamstrung by the contracts of current and retired public union workers. Without the ability to renegotiate contracts or get concessions from unions, governments are left to increase their tax rates and cut services.

Whether you use tea leaves, tarot cards, a crystal ball or just good old fashioned statistical analysis, the future of the housing market remains murky and the overall economic recovery seems to be missing in action, but one thing is clear. Definite housing trends have emerged and they won’t be going away anytime soon.

For many employers, running credit checks on job applicants is a regular part of the hiring process. But employers also need to be very careful when they use background credit checks for job applicants. They must weigh their need to know with a person’s right to privacy.

There are five great reasons to advertise: 1) To reach new customers; 2) To keep your name before current customers; 3) Because it pays over the long term; 4) To generate traffic; and 5) To increase sales and profits. A great way to maximize sales and profits is to complement your advertising with referral marketing.

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has always required employers to walk a fine line. The guidelines aren’t always clear, every disability and particular situation involve a unique set of factors, and the laws are constantly developing. Many are still trying to sort out the implications of the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA).

It’s another year and it will soon be time again for more of the hustle and bustle of contractor shows. It’s time to shake hands, meet new business prospects and - most importantly - sell, sell, sell. If you’re a contractor who plans on going to a local or regional home and garden show in order to round up some new business, be sure to take maximum advantage of your time at the show.

For many employers, properly calculating overtime can feel like an unending process. Factoring in break times can be complicated. Employees who may seem exempt from overtime may actually be entitled to it under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Unfortunately, miscalculating overtime can be costly for companies in terms of fines and lawsuits.

There are 168 hours in a week. How do you use them? There are 1,440 minutes in a day. How do you use them? Most people waste endless minutes and hours without ever realizing they are doing that. Are you keeping track of your time and using it with purpose?

Workplace violence risks are real, and employers face legal liabilities when employees or customers are victims. Employers must understand how they could be vulnerable to a lawsuit after an incident of workplace violence, and what they can do to prevent such incidences.