Ethos Business Law

Executive Compensation . . . you can’t open your eyes or ears nowadays and not hear something juicy on this topic.  However, far from the typical Executive Compensation discussions of the day, lays a far less scandalous, but more relevant topic to consider.  How can you fairly compensate your employees and, in fact, motivate them to work harder in these recessionary times.  Fear of losing their job?  I prefer the carrot rather than the stick approach.  Perhaps it’s time to think slightly out of the box and motivate your team to succeed through alternative compensation methods rather than beat them into submission with pay-cuts and lay-offs.

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I remember the story about everything you ever really need to know, you learned in Kindergarten.  One of those rules that seems very relevant in today’s world of electronic communications is using your inside voice – especially when you are in public places.

As a frequent traveler, I can tell you that I have innocently overheard many interesting and presumably confidential conversations just because the passenger behind or next to me has forgotten the rule of inside voices.  So, this is just a reminder that when you are in a public place, make sure you are using an inside voice and not discussing private or confidential matters that may be overheard by others in listening distance.

LegalZoom, RocketLawyer, Nolo . . . the list goes on and on. So what do you do when you are faced with what seems like a simple legal issue. Do you pick up the phone and call an attorney, or do you grab your mouse and do it yourself? (more…)

What do these three things have in common – shrinkage.  In recent weeks, there have been many stories about how manufacturers of these products, and many others, are reducing the size or quantity of their products in an effort to hold pricing steady.  This shrinkage ranges by product and category, but I have seen anywhere from 5% to 14% shrinkage in grocery items alone.  Manufacturers argue that in order to give the customer the product to which they are accustom at the same price, they must reduce the quantity.  But isn’t this just a sneaky way of raising prices?  Why don’t companies find a better, more innovative way to competitively deliver product instead of just raising prices or reducing quantity?

So what does this have to do with business and law?  (more…)

Every day business people are confronted with confidentiality agreements. Although they may seem benign or commonplace, they can have some potentially disastrous consequences if not correctly approached. What do they really mean? When are they appropriate? What should they include? What are the potential pitfalls? This Top 10 List discusses some important considerations every business person should think about when considering a confidentiality agreement. (more…)