E-mail is ubiquitous in the American workplace and along with its growth comes the risk of lawsuits that can cost your company a bundle. In most cases an employer is held responsible for information contained in corporate e-mail messages. That means a company must take steps to ensure that e-mail communications don’t pose a legal risk....

From time to time, nearly every business experiences cash shortfalls due to the timing of cash payments vs. receipts. Why do shortfalls happen? It all goes back to the cash conversion cycle. Most businesses pay workers on a weekly or biweekly basis. They also try to pay suppliers and vendors in accordance with the negotiated payment terms...

When companies depend on mandatory overtime, they must try to minimize the stress and disruptions it causes in their workers’ lives. Studies show that as overtime is extended, productivity can drop anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent. So regular overtime can become very expensive when you add in the costs of redoing work and the...

Online advertising is expected to grow even more this year. And although Internet advertising is still relatively new, the Federal Trade Commission is watching and going after companies with ads that it doesn’t consider truthful and substantiated. By its nature, the Internet combines aspects of print, television and radio, giving consumers a multimedia, interactive environment. This...

In today’s economy companies in many industries are forced into massive layoffs to ensure their survival. While those cutbacks are necessary, the decision to let a significant portion of your workforce go carries potential legal, financial and public relations consequences. When faced with downsizing, you need to minimize anxiety and disruption while maximizing the morale of...

One of the most costly — yet easily prevented — disasters for any business is the failure to secure ownership of intellectual property (IP). Here are the details you need to know. Under the law, the ownership of copyrights and inventions may actually belong to your employees and independent contractors unless there is a prior written...