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Employee Relations

Beyond the punchline: Create a culture of appropriate humor

07/24/2024
When used correctly, humor can lighten the mood, build relationships and even increase job satisfaction. However, it’s essential to strike the right balance to avoid potential pitfalls. Here are some key strategies for fostering an environment where humor is appropriate and beneficial.

Troubled workers? They may be espionage targets

07/19/2024
According to the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, a federal agency that’s part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, your stressed-out, burned-out employees may pose a risk that runs deeper than poor productivity and lousy morale. They could become targets of foreign interests who want to turn them into industrial spies.

Failure to investigate lands HR in trouble

07/17/2024
Employers must investigate every harassment claim. That’s true even when the alleged harasser is an owner or executive.

Survey: Fewer workers plan to change jobs this year

07/15/2024
The Great Resignation of 2022 and 2023 appears to be over, replaced by the Big Stay of 2024, according to a recent survey by outplacement firm Robert Half. The survey of more than 1,000 workers found that 35% of employees plan to look for a new job in the second half of 2024, down from 49% who had similar plans at the same time last year.

Documenting discipline: Your step-by-step guide

07/08/2024
Your best defense against a lawsuit claiming you wrongly fired a poor worker is solid documentation of deficient performance. Courts are less likely to believe discrimination or retaliation was the reason you fired someone if you can show you gave him or her a real chance to live up to workplace expectations.

Beyond perks: What Gen Z really wants from employers

07/03/2024
In an era of AI and remote work, Gen Z is shocking employers by pushing for human connection in the workplace. The recent 2024 Career Interest Survey of over 10,000 Gen Z students across all 50 states provides valuable insights for HR professionals looking to attract and retain the next generation of workers.

Global cost of disengaged workers: $8.9 trillion in lost productivity

07/01/2024
Good news: Gallup found that 23% of employees worldwide felt involved and enthusiastic about their work in 2023. That level of engagement matches a record high set in 2022. Bad news: That leaves 62% of workers not engaged—they “show up, do the bare minimum and are uninspired by their work.”

U.S. workers among most engaged—and stressed—in the world

06/26/2024
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 Report ranks the U.S. and Canada first in the world in employee engagement. On the flipside, only workers in the Middle East and North Africa reported more daily stress.

The 10 most-detested business clichés of 2024

06/12/2024
Business buzzwords come and go. Employees wish these 10 corporate clichés would vanish, according to outplacement firm Careerminds.com, which commissioned a poll of 3,000 workers. Pass them around to your managers, spread the word and erase them from your vocabulary.

Follow these 4 rules to make progressive discipline hold up in court

06/07/2024
Having a rigorous system of progressive discipline is the best way to prove in court that an employee fired for inferior performance was treated fairly and in accordance with your company’s policies. Base progressive discipline on these four rules.