• The HR Specialist - Print Newsletter
  • HR Specialist: Employment Law
  • The HR Weekly

Employee Relations

Keep chitchat from killing your productivity

09/25/2013
Office chitchat builds camaraderie and helps break up the day. But when workplace socializing starts to threaten your productivity, call a halt to it with these common-sense tips.

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.”

Use independent investigation to back up decision to terminate rule-breakers

09/19/2013
Sometimes, it pays to be patient. That’s often true when deciding who to terminate when several people are allegedly involved in rule breaking. Conduct an independent investigation, talk to all the individuals involved and come to conclusions based on what the employees said. That way, there’s a good chance a court won’t second-guess your final decision.

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.

CFOs complain employees don’t understand strategy

09/18/2013
It’s hard enough for businesses to reach their strategic goals. It’s even harder when employees don’t know what those objectives are. A recent survey found that 34% of CFOs believe employees are largely clueless about their firm’s strategic objectives.

Sometimes it’s best to settle drawn-out cases

09/10/2013
Some lawsuits seem to drag on forever, especially when an em­­ployee’s lawyers endlessly demand access to company documents. Settling those cases for a modest sum may be the best approach if l­itigation is taking over and HR is so busy responding to discovery requests it can’t get other work done.

Your best bet for beating false allegations: Good records, consistently fair practices

09/10/2013
You can never predict which employee will sue and over what alleged wrong. That’s why the best approach is to focus on treating every employee fairly and consistently, applying your rules even-handedly.

Independent investigation key to clean terminations

09/10/2013
Before you terminate an employee for breaking a company rule, be sure that you have someone else look at the situation. Never rely strictly on the supervisor’s view of events.