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Employee Relations

Waiting to fire slacker? Document your concerns

06/11/2013
If you have a poor-performing worker but don’t want to fire him before you have lined up a replacement, make sure you document all the problems—and your efforts to get him up to expectations.

Worker says different punishment shows bias? Your good records will save you in court

06/11/2013
You know you should discipline all workers fairly and equitably, with similar punishment for all who break the same rule. That doesn’t mean breaking the same rule always means identical punishment. As long as you have a good and well-documented reason that shows why each situation differed, your decision won’t be second-guessed later.

To build high performance, remember the power of ‘Thank you!’

06/11/2013
In every workplace and on every team, all people have the innate desire to feel appreciated and valued by others. Leaders of teams—and team members themselves—should work to encourage a culture of appreciation.

Teams not getting along? Here’s how to fix it

06/07/2013
Some teams struggle to work together. Personalities clash, disagreements intensify and meetings turn into protracted turf battles. When groups become polarized, shake up the status quo. Here are some effective techniques to help teams regain their footing.

Feel free to regulate worker conduct in company van

06/06/2013
Good news for employers worried about their public image: If you provide carpool transportation for your employees and want to control their behavior while using that transportation, you can.

Will egg farm have to scramble to defend EEOC suit?

06/05/2013
The nation’s largest producer of fresh eggs is being sued after it fired a black employee who had complained about racial and sexual harassment at the company’s farm in Waelder.

Document carefully to justify discipline

06/05/2013
Here’s some good news for those worried about absolute fairness in discipline: You have more latitude than you may think. Courts will use another employee’s lighter discipline as discrimination evidence only if the two employees being compared committed offenses of “comparable seriousness,” which generally means their wrongdoing was “nearly identical.”

Understand the Millennials working in your midst

06/05/2013
Researchers who studied PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Millennial employees found that several factors are key to retaining today’s youngest workers and helping them succeed.

Hand out health exchange model notices by Oct. 1

05/23/2013
The U.S. Department of Labor has released model notices employers can use or adapt to tell employees about their options for buying health insurance through government-run state exchanges.

3 cheap summer outings

05/22/2013
Looking for a summer staff activity that’s a break from the usual barbecue? Try these inexpensive options: