Adopted from an Article by Dan Niepow   There is a real labor shortage. It's unclear where, exactly, all the workers have gone, but experts are divided on what will motivate them to return.   A drive on just about any highway reveals dozens of “Now hiring” signs from desperate employers, some offering hundreds of dollars in signing bonuses. Manufacturers, restaurant chains, agribusinesses, and health care organizations are among the many companies that say they’re in dire need of workers. “Help Wanted” signs hang from windows of independent restaurants, cafés, auto repair shops, and countless other businesses.   It’s a remarkable about-face from a year ago,...

From the Providence Business News   The General Assembly has approved legislation mandating equal pay for women and minorities by updating the Equal Pay Act of 1963.   The legislation, which is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Daniel J. McKee, seeks to close gaps in Rhode Island’s existing wage discrimination laws.   The R.I. Department of Labor and Training can bring legal action against an employer for an inequity claim. Employers liable for a civil penalty would face fines of up to $5,000.   But the changes also include some protections for employers, including identifying when it is OK to pay an employee differently than...

Jordan Weissman, Moneybox   After three years slinging crunchwraps, young Steven Pauley of West Virginia apparently quit his job in order to pursue the Zoomer dream of playing video games full time on Twitch. To commemorate the end of his fast-food career, he stood up on a little ladder in the kitchen, braced himself, then leaped into the giant, soap-filled tub. The water explodes like a depth charge has just gone off, and he emerges covered in suds, somehow having avoided fracturing his tailbone, like a legend.   Though not everyone is exiting with a literal splash, Steve’s goofy little stunt pretty much sums up America’s...

Only 20% of Your Customers May Be Making You Money!   Weeding is critical for a successful garden, just as it is for a successful business. Just as critical, but more difficult, is thinning your garden (or in this case, your business).   Thinning”, is the practice of looking at our garden plant, or our business, and pulling out those clients that aren’t looking too good and probably will produce little or no fruit.   To enlarge on this gardening metaphor, let's first look at something from an article written by Bob Salvas, marketing consultant, SCORE counselor, and host of Momentum Live and many local networking...

What Workers Want T.J. Ortenzi, The Washington Post   No. 1. Workers want and need child-care options   Many parents don't have full-time schooling options and paying for child care can be very expensive so for some, “there's a calculation that financially, it makes more sense for them to to stay home with their kid, even if they have access to part-time schooling,” Rosenberg said.   This point, like the others on the list, is anecdotal because “there's a substantial lag between what's happening now and the official data analysis,” he said.   Last June, economics correspondent Heather Long cited a lack of child care as one of the biggest...