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Employee Relations

How to draft a social networking company policy

10/12/2010
According to a recent survey, 22% of employees say they use some form of social networking five or more times per week, and 15% admit they access social networking while at work for personal reasons. Yet, only 22% of companies have a formal policy that guides employees in how they can use social networking at work. Here’s why you need one—and what it should include.

Planning for productivity: What time are workers at their best?

10/07/2010
Tackle important projects in the morning and don’t plan brainstorming sessions for the afternoon. That’s the message of a new survey that says employee productivity peaks from 10 a.m. to noon and hits a wall from 4 to 5 p.m.

Bonuses bounce back, but bar is set higher

10/06/2010

The days of organizations handing out bonuses like Halloween candy seem to be over. While employers have returned to awarding bonuses in 2010, they’re attaching more strings than ever and are more likely to look at “hard” financial performance metrics when making variable pay decisions.

9 strategies for unleashing employees’ creativity

10/05/2010
Does your company’s success depend on employee innovation? It’s important for managers to let employees know they value initiative and creativity and that people who question will be rewarded—not labeled as troublemakers. Here are nine tips your managers can use to remove barriers to employee innovation.

Employee lied during internal investigation? That’s a firing offense you can act on

10/04/2010

Employers know they must conduct prompt and thorough investigations once an employee complains about discrimination or harassment. The integrity of the investigative process depends on the honesty of all participants. You don’t have to tolerate employees who lie during an investigation, even if the lie is a minor one.

Poor attitude and work ethic? Don’t give that promotion

10/01/2010

You want to promote the most capable and promising employees and encourage low performers to improve. That may mean pointing out some painful realities when an employee is passed over for promotion. Done sensitively, pointing out poor attitude and lack of a strong work ethic won’t fuel a lawsuit.

Taking FMLA leave may rule out performance bonus

10/01/2010
Under the right circumstances, employers that pay discretionary bonuses based on actual performance don’t have to make the extra payments to employees on FMLA leave. Thus, a discretionary bonus based on performance during each quarter may not have to be paid if the employee didn’t work.

With Cyber Monday looming, it’s time to reinforce your Internet policy

10/01/2010
The day after Thanksgiving has come to be known as Black Friday, when hordes descend on malls to get a jump on holiday shopping. It will be followed by Cyber Monday, the day when office workers nationwide clog company servers with a frenzy of online holiday shopping. So now’s a good time remind employees of your Internet usage policy. A good policy emphasizes that …

Hey, boss, you better call HR! Warn managers against trying to resolve complaints informally

09/30/2010

Sometimes, managers and supervisors just want their employees to get along and get their work done. When they hear someone complaining about sexual or other harassment, they may be tempted to blow it off as a distraction and just ignore it or tell the co-workers involved to stop it. That’s not good enough.

The latest buzz: Tomorrow is National Coffee Day!

09/28/2010
National Coffee Day is tomorrow, Sept. 29, and according to a new survey commissioned by Dunkin’ Donuts and CareerBuilder.com, a cuppa Joe helps keep the nation’s workforce—particularly younger workers—productive and energetic through the workday.