OUR BLOG

1. Managing Health Care Costs According to several industry surveys and reports, employers anticipate health care costs to grow between 6% and 8.5% in 2024, the largest increase in more than a decade. Many employers will plan and implement multiple cost-saving strategies in 2024 to mitigate rising health care costs. 2. Increasing Personalization and Flexibility […]

by Toni Shibayama A Country Club GM wakes up one morning, grabs a cup of coffee, and logs on to his computer. As he does his morning search for sports scores, stock prices, and new book releases on Amazon, he casually Googles “Country Club Sexual Harassment Cases.” As the information floods his screen, he nearly […]

by Toni Shibayama “Leadership driven” goes beyond showing interest in a safety initiative. It means that company leadership is actively educating and communicating. This is critical because if employees don’t see a continued interest in this initiative, they will lose interest themselves. They can easily interpret the lack of communication as a loss of interest […]

by Toni Shibayama A survey of CEOs revealed their biggest challenge was not in the manufacturing or distribution of their products or services, but rather in hiring, managing and keeping quality employees. When you couple this with the fact company owners, managers and human resource professionals feel they are under attack from a legal system […]

by Toni Shibayama No law requires an employer to have or maintain job descriptions. However, there are several benefits to having detailed job descriptions for each position in your organization. Recruitment: Having a detailed job description will assist you in knowing what knowledge, skills, and abilities are necessary for a position and what you should look […]

by Toni Shibayama Many employers believe that bad or fraudulent employees drive up Workers’ Compensation costs. When an employee is off on Workers’ Comp for an extended period of time, it’s not uncommon for an employer to say, “Tom was a model employee for many years. I can’t believe he’s milking the system. He should […]

by David R. Leng You might not be familiar with the disease named WorkCompitis, but as a business owner you may be suffering from its symptoms. According to the Institute of WorkComp Professionals’ (IWCP) employer surveys, 75% of employers suffer from WorkCompitis as they feel frustrated by workers’ compensation. It may take up to four […]

by Toni Shibayama Many things about our daily lives have returned to normal as we have come out of the pandemic. But there is one change that is likely never to go back to the old ways, and that is employees working from home. Much has been said about managing remote employees effectively; are they […]

by Toni Shibayama Imagine you’re a Club General Manager and it’s Friday evening and you are just sitting down to dinner after a long week. You get a call from your HR department, and the conversation starts like this “Our members are calling and they are telling me their personal information has been hacked. I […]

Why bury the lead? Rate increases are likely given current market forecasts. According to 2023 Market forecasts, the consensus is that 2023 will present some challenges for businesses in the placement of their benefits, property, and casualty insurance programs. Here are some of the challenges: Medical Benefit Issues One of the biggest expenses behind payroll […]

A GM wakes from a terrible dream; a nightmare that his Club had just been levied a whopping $15 million lawsuit for sexual harassment. It was no dream for the Old Ranch Country Club in Seal Beach, California, where a female beverage cart attendant is suing the club for “failing to protect her from harassment […]

1. Increased employee engagement Organizational culture is driven by purpose and clear expectations. This motivates and inspires employees to be more engaged and interact with others. It also leads to high levels of workforce engagement, which drives productivity. 2. Decreased turnover People who feel valued and respected are less likely to leave it. It’s essential […]

      As we head into the fall season, now is the time to take a look at what we have found to be the most common mistakes employers make when dealing with their employees.       How many are on your checklist? Pre-employment mistakes 1.     Failure to conduct adequate background checks on potential employees. 2.     Inconsistent […]

      The Rolling Stones famously sang about how “Time Is On My Side,” and that’s pretty much the case, unless you fail to record and maintain accurate time records for your employees under California law. As an employer, it’s on you to make sure your workers aren’t abusing the system whenever they clock in or […]

      “Hello. I’m from OSHA and I am here to help you.”      If you own or operate a private club, chances are very good you’ve heard these dreaded words before. Next to, “Hello. I’m from the Internal Revenue Service,” there are few greetings more inclined to make your knees weak. But it doesn’t have to […]

      Private Club GMs certainly have enough on their minds to keep them up at night; what with staffing issues, grounds maintenance; HR challenges, etc. But probably the one thing they don’t think about—but certainly should—is whether or not they have enough insurance in place should a disaster befall their Club. And it’s doubtful that […]

As the coronavirus quarantine begins to lift state by state and businesses are allowed to reopen, they will be faced with an unprecedented business environment. And not to be over-looked is the management of their business insurance program. It is important that estimates-based on pre-quarantine operational exposures are reviewed carefully in view of current business […]

Happy New Year! It’s perfect time for companies to conduct a California employment law practices audit to ensure that policies are compliant, managers are properly trained, and the company is maintaining the required records for the necessary length of time. Here are five topics to review in conducting an audit and a few suggested questions […]

Wildfires are a global issue, with new record-setting events occurring over the last several years. The growth in frequency and severity of wildfires can be attributed in part to an ever-increasing population and subsequent expansion of urban areas and human activity into wildlands. This zone of transition between wildland and human-developed land is termed the […]

This is a webinar to discuss the changing legal and risk landscape for employers surrounding COVID-19. We discuss the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Essential Industries, the Warn Act, Safety and other compliance and resources for employers.  This overview not only provides updates but some best practices for prevention and wellness for organizations. 

As more and more companies in the wake of the coronavirus find themselves forced to make the hard decision to let valuable employees go, there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to implement these changes. Good communication is absolutely critical in the planning and implementation of layoffs. While the information you have […]

 “Leadership driven” goes beyond showing interest in a safety initiative. It means that company leadership is actively educating and communicating. This is critical because if employees don’t see a continued interest in this initiative, they will lose interest themselves. They can easily interpret the lack of communication as a loss of interest at the leadership […]

According to the Club Management Association of America (CMAA), there are more than 2,500 country, golf, athletic, city, faculty, military, town and yacht clubs across the nation, with over 250 situated in California alone. And they all have something relatively in common; beautifully landscaped grounds, comfortable settings, and a thriving membership with ample discretionary funds. […]

Allow me to paint an unpleasant but no less unlikely picture.  You fire an employee for violating a Club policy. Maybe that employee was drinking on the job, or stealing money, or harassing guests, perhaps even fighting with the guests. Once that employee leaves the premises for the last time you think that unpleasant chapter […]