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Employee Relations

Be wary of hitting employee with sudden criticism after FMLA request

06/14/2012
Here’s something to watch out for when approving a supervisor’s recommendation to discipline or discharge an employee. If the employee has re­­quested FMLA leave and was previously performing well, be suspicious of claims that she’s now performing poorly.

Document exactly why you fired employee

06/11/2012

In this economy, employees who have been fired often resort to litigation. Jobs are scarce and litigation looks lucrative. Smart employers protect themselves by carefully documenting exactly why they fired employees.

Beat bias charges by documenting specific reasons for the discipline you choose

06/11/2012

All employees are supposed to be treated equitably, regardless of their protected class. But just as each employee is different, so may discipline sometimes differ. To account for those differences, be very specific about the underlying reasons for your discipline.

Track discipline for equitable punishment

06/08/2012

If you had to, could you quickly produce records showing that every employee who broke the same rule received the same punishment? Would you be able to readily explain any deviations? If you hesitated when answering these questions, it’s time for action.

Make up training deficits with mentoring

06/08/2012
A recent HR Specialist online poll found that 42% of training budgets that were slashed in the recession haven’t yet rebounded. Mentoring can help close the training gap, and improve recruitment, retention and career development—and the bottom line.

Ex-Cherry Point employee admits to embezzlement

06/01/2012
A former employee at Marine Corp Community Services, which provides recreational and social services at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, has admitted she used a government credit card to embezzle approximately $74,000.

Beware disciplining by withholding pay raises

06/01/2012
Any adverse employment action—including withholding an ex­­pected pay increase—can form the basis for a discrimination lawsuit. If you hold back raises to punish rule-breaking, make sure you can show you do so impartially.

Employees fighting? Sort out facts, punish accordingly

06/01/2012
Having rules against fighting doesn’t necessarily make it easy to punish employees when punches fly. The best approach: Figure out who did what to whom, and in what order.

Back ‘gut’ decisions with objective criteria

05/30/2012

Most managers want to choose the best candidate for the job. But assessing what constitutes “best” can often feel a bit subjective. That’s OK. Just make sure you can point to some objective factor that backs up your choice.

Promoted to manager? 10 survival tips for rookie bosses

05/29/2012
There’s a huge difference between mastering a specific task and managing employees. Supervision requires a different skill set that, for many rookie managers, doesn’t come as easy as doing the work. Here are 10 tips to help new managers transition into their roles.