Employee Relations

Hot fashion trend: Utah firm outlaws long pants for charity

09/06/2010

Some people will give the shirts off their backs for a worthy cause. Employees of Salt Lake City-based Richter7 are giving their pants. This summer, managers issued an edict to employees: no pants. Instead, employees wore shorts, skirts, capris, sarongs and even kilts to the office and were encouraged to donate at least one pair of pants to a clothing drive for needy people in Utah.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot! If you praise extra work, pay for it

09/02/2010

Nonexempt employees are entitled to be paid for all the hours they work. Before issuing a performance appraisal that hails hourly employees for coming in early and staying late, make sure they were appropriately compensated. Otherwise, your praise may come back to haunt you.

How to turn employee conflict into a positive, productive force

08/30/2010

If you manage a team that’s stuck in a rut or not working up to its full potential, it may have nothing to do with the drive and talent of the participants. They all may want to succeed and be giving 100% effort, but the results can still disappoint. The problem could be conflict—not too much, but too little.

Employers still giving raises, mostly to high performers

08/30/2010

U.S. employers will hand out pay raises averaging 2.5% across all employee categories in 2010, according to the annual WorldatWork 2010-2011 Salary Budget Survey. But in most cases, the size of the raise will depend on how well employees have performed. Employers “are no longer averse to withholding merit increases for poor performers so they can afford to grant meaningful increases to better performers,” says Anne C. Ruddy, president of WorldatWork.

In-office happy hour helps engage workers

08/26/2010

When the Chicago offices of marketing agency Upshot burned down, some of the employees spent a year working out of a local bar. Safely ensconced in new digs, the staff still likes to drink together—so they tap a keg in the office at 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. It’s part of the perks conceived by a group of employees who call themselves “Pulse,” which recommends ways the company can liven things up.

Is it time to ban swearing in the workplace?

08/25/2010

Should you establish a zero-tolerance ban on swearing in the workplace? It’s probably not realistic and you may set yourself up for discrimination claims if you clamp down on one employee’s slip-up but not another’s. Instead, establish more general rules that say offensive language and other disrespectful conduct are not permitted, and violators will be subjected to the discipline policy.

5 steps for starting a pay-for-performance system

08/24/2010

Most organizations believe they do pay for performance. They don’t. If you’re committed to starting a true pay-for-performance system, you’ll want to ease into it with lots of crystal-clear communication. Here are five ways to get started.

When firing, choose words carefully, stick to performance

08/23/2010

Employees who have just lost their jobs usually leave their termination meetings in a foul mood. So, don’t give them any reason during that meeting to send them marching to a lawyer’s office. As you’ll see in the following case, one inflammatory phrase from a supervisor can spark a lawsuit.

Remind bosses: Handle FMLA requests stoically, even if they’ll cause scheduling problems

08/20/2010

An employee’s request to take FMLA leave can be frustrating for supervisors who have to manage schedules and projects. But if they voice those concerns in a way that seems angry or annoyed, they may be creating the perfect storm for an FMLA interference lawsuit. Remind them to accept FMLA requests professionally, without emotion.

Outrageous co-worker harassment? 4 quick actions can help you avoid liability