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Communication

Track all efforts to accommodate disabilities

06/11/2009

Employers have an obligation to engage with disabled employees in an interactive accommodations process. But exactly how do you go about proving you complied when the employee says you didn’t try to help? Your best approach is to track all your efforts to accommodate, including every contact with the employee, whether by phone, e-mail, memo or snail mail.

How to handle habitually late workers

06/09/2009

Employers expect employees to get to work on time. Occasional problems with traffic or family issues sometimes make employees late. But chronic tardiness is another thing altogether. While most employers track tardiness occurrences, they should do more. How?

10 low-cost communication tips to start open enrollment right

06/05/2009
Here are 10 ways you can do a better job of communicating with your employees. None of them costs a fortune. All can help increase benefits plan participation.

10 steps to stress-free, lawsuit-free termination meetings

06/05/2009

Terminations are the hardest things HR professionals and supervisors have to do—and probably the most legally dangerous. One wrong word can trigger a lawsuit. To handle terminations well, you need to keep calm and communicate your message without escalating the tension. Here’s a 10-step process.

Use TEAM approach to stay union-free in a union-friendly world

06/05/2009

By now, nearly everyone in HR has heard of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), under which unions would have a much easier time becoming certified. Because unions have become more aggressive and more successful at unionization even without the EFCA, I recommend that employers adopt the TEAM approach to keeping their workplaces union-free.

How can we prepare for a flu pandemic?

06/05/2009

Q. I am very concerned about the H1N1 flu outbreak, especially if it flares up again this fall. Are there are steps I should take to prepare my business if an employee contracts the illness?

Summer staff get-togethers for every budget

06/02/2009

While you may not have been partying much at the office lately, some employers see summer as an ideal time for an all-staff get-together. Instead of spending a lot on flowers and glassware rentals, get creative with these summertime themes.

Stretch your budget with 5 benefits-on-a-shoestring tactics

05/26/2009

Even during a recession, it’s possible to beef up your benefits. Instead of spending money on new perks, spend some time thinking creatively about the perks you already offer—and present them to employees in a new light. Employees are likely to perceive that you’re adding benefits if you make existing ones more valuable. Here are some ways to get started:

Help managers supervise staff who work from home

05/04/2009

More than 33 million Americans now work remotely at least one day per month, according to the “Telework Trendlines 2009” survey report. Still, most managers have been trained to work with employees who are only physically present to them. How can you manage what you can’t see? Here are some tips:

‘Pick the tomatoes off my sandwich!’ Are your managers overusing the ‘other duties as required’ clause?

04/27/2009

Many job descriptions conclude with the catchall requirement that employees must perform “other duties as required.” But are some of your supervisors expanding that definition to ridiculous extremes? Such nonwork-related duties are certain to annoy employees, which will hurt retention. At worst, they could create safety hazards and legal claims. Encourage supervisors to keep employees strictly focused on business-related work that furthers the company’s—not the boss’s—goals.