Employee Relations

Discipline consistently, equitably to avoid discrimination liability

04/15/2024

Every employee who breaks the same rule should receive the same level of discipline. Absent some solid, fact-based reason, treating some employees more leniently than others is practically begging to be sued for discrimination. That’s especially true if a manager treats members of a particular protected class more harshly or more favorably than employees who belong to different protected classes.

Is HR your ‘manager complaint department’?

04/05/2024

Stop doing your managers’ dirty work! Teach bosses who instinctively turn to HR to, instead, seek solutions on their own. Here are four tips to make this happen.

Do the math: Retain workers instead of replacing them

04/01/2024

With the cost of replacing some employees potentially exceeding $100,000, smart employers are focusing on retaining staff instead of having to replace them.

Bill introduced to make 32-hour workweek the norm

03/25/2024

The Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act to cut the standard workweek from 40 hours per week to 32.

March Madness could cost employers almost $10 billion in lost productivity

03/25/2024

A 2019 survey by OfficeTeam found workers spend 25.5 minutes per workday on March Madness-related activities during the tournament. If that holds true this year, across the 16 workdays between selection Sunday on March 17 and the championship game on Monday, April 8, workers will have spent 408 minutes, or 6.8 hours, on March Madness-related activities at work. That would mean the tournament could cost employers conservatively $9,607,085,968.

5 essential questions to ask your employees

03/20/2024

Don’t wait until you spot performance problems or the telltale signs of disenchantment. Take time to regularly sit down with workers to ask questions that get to the heart of their role with the company. Here are five essential questions to ask, as suggested by Susan Scott, author of Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time.

7 tips for holding on to older workers nearing retirement age

03/20/2024

In today’s tight labor market, retention is more important than ever. If you have employees nearing retirement age, consider making an extra effort to hold onto them. You might find them more than willing to stay on the payroll.

Control March Madness by setting policy on workplace gambling

03/18/2024

In many companies, bracket-pool betting on the tournament is a time-honored tradition. Should you worry?

How to save millions even if you lose in court: Good-faith investigation can prevent huge punitive damages

03/13/2024

Always investigate every HR complaint, even if you think it’s frivolous. Doing so can help you dodge a huge punitive awards verdict if a jury sides with a fired worker. What matters most is that the investigation is done in good faith.

Celebrate spring by sparking staff creativity

03/11/2024

Worried that staff is on autopilot, just doing the same things the same way, day in and day out? Did the last productive meeting happen six months ago? Has initiative curled up under a comfortable blanket of conformity? Help your organization’s managers and supervisors banish winter’s stale doldrums and welcome the fresh air of springtime with these three suggestions for sparking creative thinking.