The illegal practice of “bait and switch” has captured some new victims: staffing firms and other employers.
The phrase typically refers to the unethical practice of luring customers with attractive offers and lowball prices, then trying to impose onerous terms or selling them less-desirable items. The Federal Trade Commission prosecutes businesses that scam individual consumers in […]
Many movie and TV characters lack any visible means of support and seem to never eat, sleep, seek medical care, pay bills, do laundry, or perform the other mundane chores that burden the rest of us. However, some movie characters have jobs, and a few are temporary employees.
Most Hollywood depictions of temporaries are negative. This […]
The pandemic-induced economic downturn has caused many staffing firms to wrestle with sharp sales declines, tough personnel decisions and fixed overhead. More financial challenges are looming, because even if the overall economy recovers, we can expect many staffing customers to go bankrupt in the coming months. Their businesses may be sound, but their own customers […]
Many staffing firms hire outside lawyers for litigation and other matters. What you pay for the lawyers you choose depends on how well you negotiate.
Law firms use engagement letter contracts to document fees and other aspects of the attorney-client relationship, but those mainly protect the law firm’s interests. To limit your costs, you should assertively […]
Many staffing firms have experienced financial abuses inflicted on them by clients or VMS/MSP agents. Originally lifted from traditional purchasing contracts, these ideas are now widespread in staffing deals. The following are some of the worst financial abuses that you may encounter, along with nutshell summaries of how to fix them.
Stale invoice forfeitures. This clause […]
We hear a lot about artificial intelligence, alternate staffing models, new technology, social media and other trends. Here are some other futuristic ideas that have not been discussed widely but could present new and expanded opportunities for staffing firms that anticipate and prepare for them.
When the immigration issue is eventually resolved, many people […]
There has been voluminous news coverage of the individual and employer mandates imposed by the Affordable Care Act, but little has been reported about the health insurance mandates imposed on staffing suppliers by their customers.
The ACA’s employer mandate regulations include a sloppy discussion suggesting that assigned employees could be counted as common law employees of […]
The near-future legal environment for the staffing industry depends largely, but not entirely, on the work of the Trump administration and the slight Republican majorities in Congress. President Trump expects to engage with Congress and with his own executive branch in the hope of producing pro-business changes beyond what the current politically divisive environment might […]
Recently, some government agencies have changed their rules to more easily find joint employment in situations where they did not find it before.
Joint employment can expose separate employers to union organizing and to increased liability for wage payment, payroll taxes, civil rights violations, workplace safety and other issues. It can also subject small employers to […]
The current presidential campaign is significant for the future of the staffing industry. As I see it, the overriding theme of the race is the struggle between progressive and conservative philosophies of business and government, which are roughly aligned, respectively, with the Democratic and Republican parties. Here is how that conflict arises in employment in my […]
