Managing Staff

A greater emphasis on developing leaders who can inspire trust is emerging.

The recent high-profile layoffs at Apple, Google, and Microsoft may make it seem like the labor market is in trouble, but 6 in 10 employers are not planning layoffs.

"Be wary. The NLRB has employer practices on the radar screen, and assumptions about well-settled labor decisions are now being re-examined."

Recently, a wave of states and local jurisdictions have passed pay transparency laws, with varied requirements for employers.

"If a company is looking to enforce a contract, it's after the fact. The damage has already been suffered."

While it's probably too early to declare a trend, the upward post-holiday jump in the 10-city average—based on entry-card swipes—is an important milestone.

That's a real possibility, according to some employment attorneys and regulatory experts, with the push potentially coming from state attorneys general rather than the federal government.

More than 60% of a typical performance rating can be attributed to the idiosyncrasies of the manager.