HOW TO GET AHEAD IN BUSINESS

Companies that treat employees with respect, invest in training programs and use innovative workplace practices tend to be more profitable, according to a Labor Department study released today. The two-year look at workplace strategies of American companies was conducted by the management consulting arm of Ernst & Young for the government. Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who has advocated such strategies for years, said the path-breaking" study "shows the surest way to profits and productivity is to treat employees as assets to be developed rather than costs to be cut." An example from the study: Motorola Inc. estimates that it earns $30 for every $1 invested in employee training.