Ah, summertime in Kansas City! With the heat index revving up, it’s time to break out the T-shirts, shorts, sundresses and flip-flops. That is, if folks are heading out to the K, the lake or otherwise chilling out on their own time. But what if they’re going to work in an office? Aren’t they entitled to be comfortable during the steamy summer months? The answer is two-pronged: Yes, employees are…
Let’s say you were responsible for training young people to thrive in the constantly changing economy of the 21st century. What is the single most important skill you would teach them? At Blue Valley’s Center for Advanced Professional Studies, it’s not an idle question. Each year, the program provides more than 1,000 young people with next-level training in bioscience, business and other in-demand fields. CAPS wants its students to succeed in…
How MBA training has fueled Snow & Co.’s growth. Snow & Co. has been open less than two years, but Kansas City’s startup community has fallen in love with the Crossroads bar and its signature lineup of frozen cocktails. There’s something else that sets the bar apart: Three of the four owners earned MBAs from the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Bloch School, and they say their training has been a vital…
Two overlooked cases give employers more options. Although it was no doubt the most dramatic, the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 26 decision regarding same-sex marriage was not the only one that’s expected to have far-reaching effects on employee relations. Two largely overlooked opinions—issued by the court a week before the Defense of Marriage Act decision—provide more certainty and better options to employers who are faced with a workplace complaint. Case…
Ruling could affect employer-sponsored plans and policies. The Supreme Court’s recent invalidation of portions of the Defense of Marriage Act created a huge buzz in political and legal circles, but will the decision significantly impact how small employers manage their workforces? The answer is probably not, but the case could affect many issues related to benefits eligibility and administration. In United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court held that Section…