I have a Facebook contact who frequently bashes her employer on her posts. Does her employer have to take that or can they take employment action? Social media has been around long enough now that there is a decent amount of legal precedent. But as you might expect, the answer is, it depends. If the…(Read More)
Recent graduates entering the workforce have been barraged by media reports about high unemployment and low wages, but there’s good news for the Class of 2014. Overall, average starting salaries were $48,707, up 7.5 percent from the 2013 class, according to The Wall Street Journal. “Engineers topped the earnings list with average…(Read More)
Noting more than 4,400 on-the-job worker fatalities in 2013, leaders at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have announced a new rule aimed at improving employee safety. Effective January 1, 2015, employers under OSHA’s jurisdiction will have to notify the agency of work-related fatalities within eight hours, and work-related…(Read More)
Construction companies continue the struggle to fully staff projects. The skilled labor shortage is giving workers the edge in busy markets such as Houston, but quieter areas are also short-staffed. How bad is it? Camden Property Trust, a Houston-based apartment developer has recently started putting guards on job sites to keep its workers…(Read More)
Care to guess the top 2013 revenue makers in the commercial construction sector? High-profile projects helped bring in huge revenues for these companies. For example, the firm that built the Hoover Dam (Bechtel Corporation) had $30.7 billion in revenue last year. The company that constructed the new Yankee Stadium (Turner Construction) brought in…(Read More)
Not everyone agrees on the issue of climate change, but many cities around the U.S. are planning for major infrastructure improvements to help with natural disasters. A growing number of local government leaders, such as those in Dubuque, Iowa, are beginning to take on problems that could be linked to climate change. For instance…(Read More)
“About 7.1 million Americans were employed in construction-related occupations last year—and only 2.6 percent were women,” according to a recent story from the Associated Press. “That percentage has scarcely budged since the 1970s, while women have made gains since then in many other fields.” One group rising to meet the challenge…(Read More)
Safety issues on jobsites aren’t only about falls from ladders and speeding traffic in work zones. Many people in the construction industry are overweight and use tobacco products. “A recent study conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that about one in five workers in construction and mining smoke or chew…(Read More)
Success leaves clues. Women who thrive in male-dominated fields typically describe themselves as persistent, tenacious, and goal-oriented. What traits have helped the women profiled in this article succeed? Read about how they have learned to overcome challenges and the advice they offer to other women in the industry. http://www.lowesforpros.com/Construction…(Read More)
Building and development in Manhattan is busier than ever, so why are companies losing millions of dollars? Some architects are blaming the Department of Buildings, which has 500 inspectors and too many requests for their expertise. The New York Post says few applicants have the required background as a construction supervisor. Currently, inspectors have to…(Read More)
