Letters

Readers respond to the November Inc. columns by Andrew Raskin, who stepped down as CEO of his start-up, and Norm Brodsky, who wrote about the difficulty of being friends with those who call you boss.

Readers stuffed our mailbox this month with best wishes for columnist Andrew Raskin, who expects a lot of changes in the New Year, as he has stepped down as CEO of his start-up. Others empathized with Norm Brodsky, who wrote about the difficulty of being friends with those who call you boss.

The write stuff
In October, Andrew Raskin, who writes our E-diaries column, described the process of selecting a new CEO to run Gazooba Corp., the dot-com he cofounded, in " There's a New Man in Town." Upon hearing of Raskin's change in status, many readers, including this one, wrote in to offer him good luck and suggest a new career path.

Your article in the October issue of Inc. was hilarious. Never fear. Should you ever be demoted so far as CTO (chief toner officer), you can always find work as a writer -- or a humorist. That's it! CHO -- chief humor officer.

Christina Peterson, M.D.
Medical Director
The Oregon Headache Clinic
Oregon City, Oreg.

Friendly advice
Many readers responded to Norm Brodsky's October column, " Becoming the Boss," which detailed Brodsky's own difficulty, early on, in keeping his personal and business relationships separate. Most, like this reader, agreed with his conclusion that it's a mistake to become social friends with your employees.

Your article "Becoming the Boss" has been very helpful to me. I recently accepted a new role at our company that provides me with the opportunity to oversee 120 employees, about 600 contractors, and our delivery processes throughout southern West Virginia. I've always operated under the guidelines that you established: to keep my distance personally, because I have responsibilities different from those of the people I supervise. Your words were reassuring.

Andy Malinoski
Circulation Director
Charleston Newspapers
Charleston, W. Va.

One reader, however, thought Brodsky's conclusion couldn't have been more wrong.

If Brodsky truly loved his friends, he would have told them the truth. When leaders evade the truth, it lets employees continue to operate with deficiencies that are detrimental to their success and well-being. I know, because I've committed the same mistake. But let's not imply that our weaknesses as leaders should limit the depth of our business relationships. We need to foster more intimacy in our businesses, not less. It builds strong relationships and makes work more fun.

Tom Asacker
Owner
HumanFactor LLC and The Center for Sandbox Wisdom
Manchester, N.H.

Insurance policy
In his November CEO's Notebook article "Misclassifying Workers Can Cost You, Big Time," reporter Ilan Mochari explained that businesses can unknowingly violate state and federal regulations when they misclassify contract workers. One reader responded with some helpful advice on the topic.

There is another, potentially more severe, exposure facing businesses that use "independent" contractors: the liability exposure. Testing to find out if your workers are really considered independent is a hot issue not only with the feds but also with the insurance industry. Just as the tax man can come back and hit you with a large audit, so, too, can your insurance company.

If your "independent" contractors don't carry their own insurance or if they fail the testing criteria for independence, you can be held responsible for additional workers' compensation and general-liability premiums based on how much you've paid the contractors. In a construction setting, that can be very costly; in any setting, it is a burdensome cost.

To protect themselves, business owners should require that subcontractors provide them with proof of workers' compensation, general-liability, auto, and professional-liability insurance in the form of a certificate. Business owners should also ask to be named as additional insureds on their subcontractors' liability policies.

Michael Madey
Vice-President
The Horton Group
Orland Park, Ill.

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