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May 18, 2012 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Top Story  Employers are worried about cost of specialty drugs, survey finds The majority of large employers surveyed by Express Scripts Holding said their top benefits worry is the cost of specialty medicines used to treat conditions such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Spending on specialty drugs increased 17.1% last year, while overall spending on medicines increased 2.7%, Express Scripts said. Chicago Tribune/Reuters (5/17)       Recruiting & Retention  Why rushing to hire a superstar is a mistake Don't let your initial enthusiasm for a candidate who has one incredible accomplishment, an advanced degree or years of experience blind you to their shortcomings, Patty Azzarello writes. "Move quickly, but always dig deeper, and always check references," she writes. Fast Company online/Expert Perspective (5/17)       6 steps for improving the candidate experience Everyone who applies to your company should come away with a positive impression, says Gerry Crispin of CareerXroads. He provides a roadmap for improving the candidate experience through, for instance, timely communication and requests for feedback. The Wall Street Journal/At Work blog (5/17)       Other News Aon Hewitt ranks cities with lowest talent-management risks Business Insurance (tiered subscription model) (5/17)       Benefits & Compensation  How to drive performance by linking raises to revenue targets Eric V. Holtzclaw, CEO of consultancy firm User Insight, says employee performance improved after he stopped awarding automatic raises during annual performance reviews. Instead, the company began conducting quarterly reviews and awarding raises based on whether it hit certain revenue targets. Inc. online/Lean Forward blog (5/17)       Other News Survey: Workers forgo vacations because of job security concerns BusinessNewsDaily.com (5/16)       Regulatory & Legal Update  Workplace safety inspections can decrease costs, study finds Random workplace safety inspections don't affect profits or sales and actually reduce workers' compensation costs, finds a new study co-written by a Harvard Business School professor. Companies' workers' compensation costs were on average 26% lower in the four years following an inspection than those of companies that weren't randomly inspected, the study found. The Huffington Post/The Associated Press (5/17)       Don't forget legal considerations for telecommuting As more employers set up telework arrangements for workers, they need to set up legal parameters for the company and the employee, legal experts say. Among issues that need to be addressed are wage-and-hour laws and technology security. Finance and Commerce (Minneapolis) (5/15)       Featured Content    Small Business Week in Review Erik Rhey Behind the President's Small-Business Visit Courtney Rubin Getting Into A Startup Accelerator Katie Morell The Beginner's Guide to an LLC Nellie Akalp 5 Tools and Time Savers for the E-mail Addict SUSANNE FOUGEROUSSE The HR Leader  Are you a fantastic boss, or just fantasizing? Bosses should be careful that they don't lose touch with reality, writes Jennifer V. Miller. Setting stretch goals is fine, but it's important that your workers know that it's OK to speak up when you start demanding the impossible. "There is a fine line between challenging a team to achieve beyond all expectations and living in a fantasy world," Miller warns. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (5/17)       Workplace Chatter  How a graduate repaid $90,000 in student loans with the help of a flask Joe Mihalic paid off $90,000 in student loan debts in seven months using some extreme measures. He took a second job in landscaping, sold everything he didn't need in his apartment, never ate out and brought a flask to bars to avoid paying for drinks. He also liquidated his individual retirement account and stopped contributing to his 401(k) account. The Wall Street Journal/Real Time Economics blog (5/17)       SmartQuote  Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood." --Henry Miller, American writer and painter       Recruit the best and the brightest for your own organization using SmartBrief on Workforce's job board. Click here to display your open positions in SmartBrief on Workforce. Click here to view more job listings. SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! 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