Communication

Survey: Stress is top workforce health risk

11/26/2013

Stress is the No. 1 workforce health issue, ranking above physical inactivity and obesity, according to a Towers Watson Staying@Work Survey. But only 15% of employers identify improving employees’ emotional and mental health as a top priority of their health and productivity programs.

When settlement requires confidentiality, tell everyone to keep lips sealed

11/12/2013

Settling a case early on can have advantages. One of these is that you can include a confidentiality clause that bars a former employee from talking about the case. Now a California court has said that such clauses are valid, meaning you can sue a former employee who breaks a confidentiality agreement.

Beware subtle age-bias peril: Don’t assume older employees are ready to retire

11/05/2013

Employees in this day and age often want or need to keep working despite advancing age. If you force out those workers, you’re asking for trouble.

Coaching costs less than hiring new employees

10/30/2013

Smart business people know it’s more profitable to keep existing customers than constantly having to find new ones. The same principle applies to employees.

‘You can’t motivate people; you can inspire people’

10/23/2013

“When you’ve got the right people who are internally motivated before they come to you, that’s the key,” says Brian Scudamore, founder of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.

Better brainstorming: How to inspire group creativity

09/30/2013

Group brainstorming meetings can become productive drivers of company innovation or simply a waste of time. Tips on successfully managing them:

5 tips to capture your employees’ great ideas

09/20/2013

It’s time to revive your stale employee suggestion program. Soliciting employee ideas for improving the business requires more than just bolting a box to the break room wall.

Tell staff: Accommodations are none of their business

09/19/2013

It’s natural for co-workers to gripe when a disabled employee’s accommodation causes more work. They may complain that the accommodated employee isn’t pulling her weight or that the accommodations are bogus. Tell them to zip it.

In Harlem jobs program, varying shades of the N-word

09/19/2013

A recent case has tested the complex, unwritten rules surrounding the use of the N-word in the workplace—in this case, the successful STRIVE East Harlem temporary agency, which has been profiled on “60 Minutes.”

How to identify potential mentors among your staff leaders

09/19/2013

Mentorship programs can help build the skills of up-and-coming employees. However, successful mentoring depends on the skill and commitment of the senior staff who agree to groom younger workers.