After two weeks in Europe, my conclusion: It's a bubble begging to burst.

As part of its melting pot history, the U.S. has long been made up of a diverse population, and today’s human resource departments are embracing a diverse workforce, which has proven to have tangible benefits for both employers and employees.

Six days away from a potentially calamitous government default, House Republicans appeared to be coalescing Wednesday around a work-in-progress plan by House Speaker John Boehner to increase the U.S. borrowing limit and chop $1 trillion in federal spending.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, paid leave benefits are the most widely available benefits offered by employers, with 91 percent of full-time workers in private industry receiving paid vacations.