Tiny Y2K-Type Hiccup With Extended DST

Could the expansion of daylight-saving time create a mini-Y2K tech glitch? Beginning in 2007, daylight saving will consume four more weeks of the year—starting the second Sunday in March and ending the first Sunday in November.

So what happens to gadgets that operate with an internal or external clock? Michael Gartenberg of JupiterResearch tells eWeek that most applications (such as computers) have internal clocks and read the current time off a network or have software written to update necessary changes automatically.

However, hard-wired devices will be problematic, Gartenberg says. Software, such as Windows, could be patched. And for those devices that cannot be updated, you will have to manually set times twice a year.

By increasing daylight-saving time by four weeks through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress expects to reduce energy consumption by the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil each day. It also says studies related to the time change proposal showed the move would lower crime and traffic fatalities and allow for more recreation time and increased economic activity.

Americans in 48 states observe daylight-saving time (Arizona and Hawaii do not).

Boost For Small Business Considered In OSHA Fine Challenges

Small businesses faced with Occupational Safety & Health Administration fines may find some help in challenging them.

The U.S. Senate is considering a bill passed by the House that would allow companies with fewer than 100 employees and a net worth of less than $7 million to recoup their attorneys' fees if their appeals of OSHA fines are successful.

Additional changes would grant leniency to a business that can reasonably explain failures to meet the 15-day appeal deadline, speed up the review process, and support a more independent review by the appeals commission.

The U.S. Department of Labor reports 90 percent of small companies faced with OSHA fines settled or paid them without contest in 2004. Some do so because the cost is actually less than it would be to hire an attorney to challenge them. Yet, the cost of doing business with OSHA violations also increases—insurance rates, prospects who want to know your safety record, etc.

2006 Salary Trends Center On Employee Retention

An expected stronger economy this year means "more" is the hot word in salary and compensation trends, according to Salary.com, compensation experts.

Salary.com based its 2006 list on extensive input from more than 1,500 clients and expert analysis by certified compensation professionals. The top 10 hot button trends (in order of importance) include:

• More movement toward pay for performance (more emphasis on incentives)
• More scrutiny of executive pay programs
• Slower use of stock options
• More flexibility to allow work-from-home programs for employees to accommodate family situations and higher gas prices
• Moderate use of signing bonuses
• More pay for jobs with increased visibility and demand
• More creative ways to attract and keep older workers
• More on-the-spot bonuses to encourage key contributors with immediate positive feedback
• More opportunities to address the challenges of retraining
• Earlier bonus payments and salary increases

Do You Have The Average Day?

On an "average day," individuals in the United States ages 15 and older sleep 8.6 hours, do leisure and sports activities for 5.2 hours, work for 3.7 hours and perform household activities for 1.8 hours. The remaining 4.7 hours were spent doing a variety of activities, including eating, drinking, attending school and shopping.

That's what the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found in its most recent American Time Use Survey.

For people employed full-time who worked on weekdays, the average day involved 9.2 hours of working, 7.5 hours of sleep, 3 hours of doing leisure and sports activities and 0.9 hours of performing household activities. The remaining 3.4 hours were spent on other activities such as eating, drinking, shopping, etc.

Want to know even more about how Americans use their time? See the demographic breakdowns related to employment, household chores, care of children, leisure activities and more in the full report at: www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf. e