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Employee Relations

Absent-minded employees: The 4 key steps to get absenteeism under control … legally

04/29/2010
The costs of employee absenteeism—reflected in lost production, overtime and temporary replacements for the absent worker—can add up quickly. What’s the best way to combat the problem? With a clear policy, careful documentation, consistent application of the policy and progressive discipline.

5 keys to boosting participation in your health plan

04/27/2010

Innovative employers are applying five new principles when they talk to employees about health and health insurance. As you look for ways to encourage employees to be active, informed consumers of the health benefits you offer, see how many you can incorporate into your own communication plans.

Hold shorter, more effective meetings

04/27/2010
Cut down on meeting time by remembering the three purposes for having a meeting in the first place: to inform, to gather input or to ask for approval. Tell attendees which of those goals your meeting will achieve.

Firing a boss who’s racially insensitive? You can cite ‘poor performance’ as reason

04/23/2010
It often becomes apparent that managers who were supposed to prevent discrimination weren’t doing an effective job. For the good of the company, it’s sometimes necessary to fire those bosses for tolerating discrimination or harassment. And those managers will probably sue, too. Good news: You can cite their attitudes to show they weren’t performing their jobs to your reasonable expectations.

OK to punish employees for disruptive acts–even if done in the context of protesting bias

04/23/2010
Employees are protected from retaliation for opposing discriminatory employer practices. But that doesn’t mean they can voice that opposition in a disruptive or discourteous way.

Once is not enough! Promote perks year-round

04/23/2010

For too many employers, benefits communication consists of handing an annual statement to workers and saying, “See you next year.” However, a new survey says U.S. workers’ biggest complaint about their employee benefits isn’t cost or access—it’s that employees don’t really understand the benefits they already have. Here are inexpensive ways HR can educate employees year-round:

For savings & inspiration, meet in other boardrooms

04/20/2010
Looking for a place to host your next off-site meeting? Some companies are hosting them at other companies’ offices, according to a recent Wall Street Journal Report.

Now he tells us he’s disabled! Must we still accommodate with a flexible schedule?

04/09/2010
Q. Our employment application asks applicants if they are capable of satisfactorily performing the essential job duties required of the position for which they are applying. We hired a worker who later told us that he has a medical condition that prevents him from coming to work on time and, on some days, coming to work at all. Are we required to accommodate this individual?

12 simple ways to boost your wellness program’s effectiveness

04/09/2010

One side effect of the recession: Cash-strapped employees are eating more processed and fast foods and exercising less, studies show. All the more reason for employers to maintain or even expand funding for employee wellness programs. As your organization watches every dollar it spends on benefits, consider the latest research on what’s working when it comes to employer wellness programs.

How should we react to an employee’s ‘kill the boss’ Facebook rant?

04/09/2010

Q. Our HR department got an anonymous call telling us that one of our employees posted comments on her Facebook page saying, “Some days I could kill my boss.” Can we demand that the employee let us see her page and fire her if she made a threat?