Bloomberg, October 19, 2012, Friday

Bloomberg

October 19, 2012, Friday

Bloomberg (full article)

When the Boss Is on Team Romney

Having a politically opinionated boss is nothing new. What distinguishes the recent spate of C-suite missives is the overt suggestion that people may risk voting themselves out of a job. Yet while such tactics may be questionable, they’re almost never illegal. “Ethics and law don’t always match,” says Risa Lieberwitz, a labor and employment law professor at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. “While it seems undemocratic for someone who has that much power over you to tell you which way to vote, the law gives a lot of power to private-sector employers.”

USA Today, October 18, 2012, Thursday

USA Today

October 18, 2012, Thursday
USA Today (full article)

Piece of the Paycheck

"People feel like their paycheck isn't going up, yet employers complain that their costs are going up. They are both right," says economist Kevin Hallock, director of the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University.

The Atlantic, October 17, 2012, Friday

The Atlantic

October 17, 2012, Friday

The Atlantic (full article)

Why Are Women Paid Less?

But it doesn't disappear. To get a sense of why women today are still paid less than men, and how much of the difference we can actually blame on discrimination, I spoke with Francine Blau, an award winning labor economist at Cornell who has published widely on gender and the workplace. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity...

I'm going to refer to a study with my colleague, Professor Lawrence Kahn at Cornell. In the data set we were using, women were making 20 percent less per hour than men overall. That would be what we call the unadjusted differential.

The Huffington Post, October 16, 2012, Tuesday

The Huffington Post

October 16, 2012, Tuesday

The Huffington Post (full article)

Walmart Strike Memo Reveals Confidential Management Plans

“Walmart probably has in mind that the Obama NLRB [National Labor Relations Board] often sides with unions over management,” said Lance Compa, a labor law professor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial Relations in Ithaca, N.Y. “So they’re being extremely cautious.”

The Nation, October 11, 2012, Thursday

The Nation

October 11, 2012, Thursday

The Nation (full article)

On the Road With Working America

Can it be a game-changer for a labor movement in crisis? Kate Bronfenbrenner, director of labor education research at Cornell University, is skeptical. While crediting Working America with “doing important work,” she said that by focusing outside the workplace, “it’s not dealing with the most critical issues that workers are dealing with, and it’s not making change in workers’ lives.” As for politics, said Bronfenbrenner, “we’re not going to get policy change in this country until we have stronger unions.” To accomplish that, she said, “you’ve got to get more workers educated and involved in union issues…. You don’t get them to do that by not talking to them about what unions are.”

Fox Business, October 10, 2012, Wednesday

Fox Business

October 10, 2012, Wednesday

Fox Business (full article)

Mistletoe and…Layaway? The Popular Holiday Payment Plan Makes a Comeback

Louis Hyman, a professor at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, is perhaps one of layaway’s biggest critics, arguing there’s only one instance consumers should use layaway. He advises families to think about what’s best for their bottom lines before heading out to the stores to get a head-start on holiday shopping.

“It’s better economically for a family to put money in a coffee can, or go to a bank and open a savings account for gifts,” he said. “The only reason layaway makes sense is if you think a store will run out of things to sell you for Christmas. But for most people, (stores) won’t run out of things to sell.”

Ithaca Journal , October 10, 2012, Wednesday

Ithaca Journal

October 10, 2012, Wednesday


Ithaca Journal (full article)

Tompkins County tests new plan to work from home

Lee Dyer, chairman of Cornell University’s Department of Human Resource Studies, said work-at-home programs can have mixed results.

“It works very well in some cases; hasn’t worked so well in others. It requires a lot of management skill to make it work,” Dyer said.

AOL Jobs, October 5, 2012, Friday

AOL Jobs

October 5, 2012, Friday

AOL Jobs (full article)

Discouraged Workers: Ashamed, Invisible And An Enduring Statistic

Older workers have weathered previous downturns, such as the bursting of the dot-com bubble in the late 1990s, says Steve Miranda, managing director of Cornell University's school of industrial and labor relations. Back then, however, many job seekers still had hope of finding a job.

The Fiscal Times, October 5, 2012, Friday

The Fiscal Times

October 5, 2012, Friday

The Fiscal Times (full article)

Unexpected Job Numbers Reflect Demographic Destiny

“How people answer this question is a little bit how they feel in their gut,” said Linda Barrington, managing director of Cornell University’s Institute for Compensation Studies. “They may not be unemployed, but they’re always looking for work. This is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the economy.”

Lifehacker, October 3, 2012, Wednesday

Lifehacker

October 3, 2012, Wednesday

Lifehacker (full article)

How to Prime Your BS Detection Skills Before the Presidential Debates

To get a grasp on fallacies and debate skills, I spoke with Sam Nelson, the director of the Speech and Debate program at Cornell University, and Senior Lecturer at Cornell's Industrial and Labor Relations School. Before we get to ways you can spot fallacies in the debates (or during any argument you might have on your own), we have to get a good idea of how a fallacy works.

Inside Higher Ed, October 1, 2012, Monday

Inside Higher Ed

October 1, 2012, Monday

Inside Higher Ed (full article)

Too High a Price?

"They are doing what a set of institutions including my own are doing -- protecting the grant aid to the lowest-income student but marginally increasing loan levels for other grant aid recipients," said Ronald Ehrenberg, a Cornell University economist and higher education expert and member of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, in an e-mail. "Institutions are realizing the generosity of their grant aid programs was not sustainable and are trying to redirect funds back to operations."

WorldatWork's workspan magazine, October 2012

WorldatWork's workspan magazine

October 2012

An monthly column in workspan® applying scholarly research to the "real world" by ICS Director Kevin Hallock.

How the Olympics Remind Us About Compensation

Are third place winners happier than second?

Associated Press, September 27, 2012, Thursday

Associated Press

September 27, 2012, Thursday

Associate Press (full article)

In NFL ref woes, key role of expertise spotlighted

Ken Margolies, a senior associate at the Worker Institute at Cornell University, said the instant upper hand that NFL referees commandeered this week is increasingly rare for uniquely skilled workers in labor disputes. One major culprit is technology: tool-and-die workers in the auto industry couldn't be replaced easily before automation, and management can now outsource jobs like customer service to overseas.

Inc. Magazine, September 26, 2012, Wednesday

Inc. Magazine

September 26, 2012, Wednesday

Inc. Magazine (full article)

How to Lead Creative Geeks

By Sam Bacharach, Cornell University

There’s increasing evidence that a sense of social rejection actually fuels creativity, which makes things even harder for a leader trying to inculcate some sort of esprit de corps. Research by Sharon H. Kim of Johns Hopkins University, Lynne C. Vincent of Cornell University, and Jack A. Goncalo, also of Cornell, has recently found that the more that people feel excluded from a group, the more they may resort to creative endeavors. (This work is scheduled to be published in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental Psychology.)

WBEN-AM, September 26, 2012, Wednesday

WBEN-AM

September 26, 2012, Wednesday

WBEN-AM (Full interview)

Possibility of NFL Refs Settling With NFL

Art Wheaton labor specialist from the ILR School at Cornell University discussing the NFL labor dispute.

WBNG Action News, September 25, 2012, Tuesday

WBNG Action News

September 25, 2012, Tuesday

WBNG Action News (full article/interview)

Danny Glover Visits Cornell

Danny Glover met with various classes in Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations on Tuesday about his strong support of workers' rights.

Glover was accompanied by Bruce Raynor, a Cornell Trustee and Cornell Class of 1972. Raynor is currently teaching "Contemporary Labor Issues" to undergraduates this semester at Cornell within the Industrial and Labor Relations school.

New York Times, September 25, 2012, Tuesday

New York Times

September 25, 2012, Tuesday

New York Times (full article)

Seeking Allies, Teachers' Unions Court G.O.P., Too

“Instead of reaching across the aisle to find support for increased funding for public education,” said Richard W. Hurd, a professor of labor studies at Cornell, “they are reaching across the aisle for people who are not sold on the idea that charter schools are good, or that testing should be used for all teacher evaluations, or that teachers should lose job security.”

Quartz, September 24, 2012, Monday

Quartz

September 24, 2012, Monday

Quartz (full article)

Why China's labor unrest isn't like the US in the 1930s. (At least, not yet.)

In a recent article on China’s growing labor unrest, Eli Friedman of Cornell University in New York compared striking Chinese workers with their counterparts in the United States in the 1930s. Both forced their governments to pass new labor laws, and companies in China have raised wages and improved conditions. But the comparison, he suggests, ends there: in China, the path that took American workers from labor demands to broader political involvement is blocked.

LERA, September 17, 2012, Monday

LERA

September 17, 2012, Monday

LERA (full article)

Cornell Launches Worker Institute

The Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations launched its new Worker Institute in Manhattan on Sept. 12. The director is LERA member and ILR professor Lowell Turner.

WorldatWork's workspan magazine, September 2012

WorldatWork's workspan magazine

September 2012

An monthly column in workspan® applying scholarly research to the "real world" by ICS Director Kevin Hallock.

CEOs off the Clock

Signals sent by downtime of chief execs

Human Resource Executive, September 2012

Human Resource Executive

September 2012

Human Resource Executive (full article)

CHRO Succession at the Crossroads

It shows, and not in a good way.  In 2011, 54 percent of CHROs in America were hired from outside the enterprise according to the Chief Human Resource Officers Survey, published by the Cornell Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS) at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.