By Steve M. Cohen  bio
In dealing with your office staff, allegations of wrongdoing are never something you can ignore. Whether the charge involves sexual or racial harassment, bullying or something else, they must never be ignored. Never.
Remember, an allegation by itself is neither fact nor fiction. It is simply a statement made by someone within your organization. In many ways, how you handle it can be as important as the facts themselves.
Ignoring an accusation leads to more problems
If an employee makes an allegation and is ignored, multiple problems arise. Consider two examples: the first is a charge of sexual harassment and the second…

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By Steve M. Cohen  bio
In the rush of managing an office, it’s easy to overlook significant pitfalls that can cause major problems.
One of these pitfalls is the Fair Labor Standards Act, an area that managers and partners often overlook until they face a problem. I strongly suggest using caution to avoid problems and penalties.
Until a few years ago, the law’s impact was not too dramatic. From 2004 to 2008, a total of only 3,000 FLSA-related cases were handled by the federal Department of Labor. But during just the first six months of…

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