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Curtis Rostad
October 24, 2022
Published by 
Curtis Rostad on October 24, 2022
Curtis Rostad on October 24, 2022One of the most basic and widely held employment practices in the country is called “at-will” employment. At-will employment simply means that the relationship between employer and employee can be terminated at any time, by either party, for any reason. An employer can fire an employee without giving a reason and, likewise, the employee can quit for any reason or no reason at all. In addition, the employer is free to change any terms of employment, including pay, benefits, and working hours. While many believe this to be arbitrary and unfair, no employees would want to be in a position where they must work at a firm they do not like or cannot accept another job offer because they are obligated to continue to work where they are for some period of weeks or months. The opposite of an “at-will” […]
January 27, 2022
Published by Curtis Rostad on January 27, 2022
Curtis Rostad on January 27, 2022Deathcare’s Confusing Terminology Funeral Service is not alone in seeing changes to the terminology we use every day. Just like airline stewardesses have become “flight attendants,” secretaries have become “administrative assistants,” and waiters and waitresses are now “servers,” we have progressed from “undertakers” to “morticians” to “funeral directors” and even “deathcare professionals.” Bodies no longer lie “in repose” or lie “in state.” We prefer “visitations” and “family farewells.” Hearses have become “casket coaches” or “funeral coaches.” “Tombstones” gradually became “monuments and markers.” Today, they are now “cemetery memorials.” We no longer “retrieve the body,” we now “remove the remains.” And for those who feel “remains” sounds too cold and uncaring, they use “bringing the loved one into our care.” We avoid the term “ashes” yet “cremains” never really took hold. The proper term is now “cremated remains.” It is interesting […]
October 27, 2021
Published by Curtis Rostad on October 27, 2021
Curtis Rostad on October 27, 2021Most employers are at least aware of the issue of independent contractor versus employee. But making the determination has never been clear. The Department of Labor issued a final rule clarifying the standard for independent contractor versus employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That may sound encouraging, but it is doubtful that the rule consisting of more than 1,200 pages makes the designation any easier. In reality, the rule only clarified the factors to consider that are still open to interpretation. The effective date of the final rule was March 8, 2021. Why does this designation make a difference? There is a financial incentive to declare a worker an independent contractor. But declaring one independent does not make it so—under the law. If a worker is deemed to be an independent contractor, the employer is not required to […]
February 21, 2021
Published by Curtis Rostad on February 21, 2021
Curtis Rostad on February 21, 2021Did the DOL just make it easier to decide? Most employers are at least aware of the issue of independent contractor vs employee. But making the determination has never been clear. The Department of Labor has announced a final rule clarifying the standard for independent contractor versus employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). That may sound encouraging, but it is doubtful that the actual 1,200+ page rule and background information makes the designation any easier. In reality, the Rule only clarified the factors to consider that are still open to interpretation. The effective date of the final rule is March 8, 2021. Why does this designation make a difference? There is a financial incentive to declare a worker an independent contractor. But declaring that designation does not make it so under the law. If a worker is deemed […]
June 11, 2020
Published by Curtis Rostad on June 11, 2020
Curtis Rostad on June 11, 2020The 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study that the Foresight Companies recently completed made it very clear that consumers want price information online. In fact, over half of them said that they would not do business with a funeral home that did not clearly show their pricing on their website. That is a huge statistic–the potential of half of your consumers choosing a competitor simply because you are not being transparent with your pricing. This should not surprise anyone We are all used to shopping online. Can you imagine Amazon without prices and having to call to get a price on an item before you bought it? Of course not. You would not tolerate that and increasingly, consumers are saying they will not tolerate that with funeral service either. There are two common pushbacks from funeral homes when we […]