Archived Blog Posts
Repeating: good advice
August 27, 2008A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (Chicago, if you must know) my manager at the time told me that when I left a phone message I should always repeat my phone number twice, and slowly, at the end of the message. That was good advice.... More
1347: the year contingent labor was born?
August 27, 2008In 1347, plague swept across Europe, killing somewhere between a third to a half of the population. In its wake, it left a labor shortage of unprecedented proportion.
Landlords... More
Oh the humanity
September 19, 2008So far this week, Merrill Lynch was sold in a shotgun wedding to Bank of America; Lehman Brothers' U.S. operations wed Barclay's bank after the company was jilted by just about everyone... More
Where there is distress, there is opportunity
September 18, 2009Business is in the business of solving other people's problems. Case in point: years ago staffing entrepreneurs took note of corporate short-term labor needs and over the last... More
Selling...in the age of VMS
September 25, 2009Our annual survey of large staffing buyers has indicated an unbroken chain of increased VMS usage year after year. In 2008, the percentage of large buyers using VMS passed the... More
I know you're not independent contractor compliant
November 23, 2009The next time you want to give a fright to your human resource department (and who doesn't?), call them up with a handkerchief over the receiver, breathe heavily and say "I know... More
Warning: SUTA geniuses at work in state labor departments
November 25, 2009We are doing some research right now on expected 2010 increases in state unemployment taxes, and it's looking pretty scary. In Florida, for instance, the minimum annual rate for... More
What is the U.S. Census Bureau smoking?
December 28, 2009According to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau, 3Q09 revenue in the U.S. employment services industry was down 7% from 3Q08, not bad at all given the recession.
Really? ... More
Secret message to C.I.A. : call us and ask about the "CWS Council"
December 29, 2009Half of staffing buyers still use assignment limits--why?
February 19, 2010When we surveyed staffing buyers in 2006 regarding contingent worker assignment limits, 51% said they had some kind of limit on length of assignment for such workers. Limits varied... More