Workplace
UW Foster School of Business Climbs in Rankings
Educating entrepreneurs is critical to promoting startups and creating jobs so this is great news for Washington. Read the news from the Foster School below: US News & World Report recently released its “Best Graduate Schools for 2012” rankings, and the University of Washington Foster School of Business was ranked 14 in the specialty area…
A century of workers’ comp: What’s next?
We knew the state’s workers’ compensation program was overdue for an overhaul. Or at least a tuneup. That’s why we assigned Erik Smith to write about the the century-old program for our June issue, due on newsstands later this month. Given that the issue has divided the state Legislature to the point that it may…
When Labor Unions Make Sense and When They Don’t
The National Labor Relations Board may have some strong arguments with respect to its case against Boeing for its decision to move production of its 787 to South Carolina. The case argues that Boeing was retaliating against its union for striking when it decided to build a production line for its new plane out of…
Jobs Picture Brightens
Although the unemployment rate in Washington remains stalled at around 9 percent, the job market here is far from stagnant. About 26,800 new employees joined the workforce in Washington between November 2009 and November 2010, among the highest increases in employment in the country. A few key industries are fueling the expansion. According to a…
Working With Family Members:
Seattle Business launched its first Washington Family Business awards last year. You can see the winners here. We thought you might be interested in the following article on family business used with permission from consultant Rhonda Savage. By Rhonda R. Savage, DDS If you’ve ever been in business with a family member, you know there…
Governor Proposes $1 billion of Savings in Unemployment Ins. and Workers’ Comp.
January 4, 2011 by Carl Gipson Governor Gregoire today announced some changes to both the state’s Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation systems in order to pass up to $1 billion in savings on to the business and employee community. This announcement comes in the wake of the Department of Labor and Industries (which runs workers’…
Rough Landings
Editors note: Just as Boeing prepares to finally deliver its first 787 Dreamliner aircraft to customers, a team of experts has published Turbulence: Boeing and the State of American Workers and Managers. The book investigates the experiences of employees at Washingtons largest private employer during a 10-year period of dramatic organizational change. The following is…
UW Business School Ties Up With Game Maker
The University of Washington is emerging as a pioneer in the emerging world of applying game technology to real life situations. UW biochemists and computer scientists have been working for some time on Foldit, a game website now in beta, which allows any interested party to go online and play puzzle-like games while, in the…
Survey Shows Optimism Over Job Market
A survey of 1200 businesses by the Seattle Chamber of Commerce showed growing optimism for the economy and and the potential for more hiring in 2011. The survey confirms what weve been seeing anecdotally we are beginning to emerge from the economic doldrums, said Maud Daudon, chair of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and…
The Low-Down on Layoffs
Back in May of 2007, Dell announced plans to lay off 8,800employees. By October 2008, the company was embroiled in a class actiondiscrimination lawsuit involving former employees seeking more than $500 millionin damages. While reductions in force may allow your organization to remainviable in difficult financial times, the failure to plan sufficiently and toorganize a…
Executive Compensation and the Economy
Even Warren Buffett didnt see this one coming. In thisdifficult economy, arming yourself with an MBA and business acumen may nolonger be enough if youre a senior executive. You still need to know what ittakes to make or sell a widget if youre president of a widget company. (Ifnot, perhaps you need to find another…