Employee Relations

Document every step in investigation

03/16/2023

Employees who get fired are very likely to file lawsuits. Their lawyers will surely scrutinize your investigation for any evidence that you took shortcuts or were biased in some way against their client. It’s up to HR to prepare for that possibility by showing that the investigation was based on valid business reasons and that you applied the process even-handedly.

Shift to remote work has a mental-health downside

03/15/2023

An analysis by the nonprofit Integrated Benefits Institute found that 40% of fully remote workers and 38% of hybrid workers were more likely than in-person workers to report symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.

Is March Madness unproductive? You bet! Embrace it anyway

03/15/2023

March Madness is back for 2023, reviving annual concerns that the games—and associated bracket-pool betting—will distract employees and sap productivity. Is filling out tournament brackets and obsessively tracking game results a massive waste of time? Of course it is. Should employers crack down on office betting pools and tell everyone to get back to work? Maybe not.

Poll: 70% say financial stress harms work performance

03/13/2023

Seven in 10 workers surveyed by insurance company YuLife believe their own financial worries negatively affect their on-the-job performance.

Keep it Legal: Tread carefully when monitoring employees

03/10/2023

With rapid advances in technology, monitoring the workplace has become easier and cheaper. It’s no longer just cameras in common areas. Now it’s possible to examine productivity measures like keystrokes taken during a shift and out-of-office activity through vehicle location or company-issued cell phones and laptops. But there are definite areas managers should be aware of—and legal implications to keep in mind.

Medical marijuana and positive drug tests: Employer rights

03/06/2023

As more states legalize medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, employers have to grapple with confusing and seemingly contradictory rules.

It’s about time … to consider switching to 4-day workweek

03/06/2023

A recent experiment sought to test whether a four-day workweek at full pay would be popular with employees and their employers. The results are in.

Should that Zoom call really have been an email?

03/02/2023

With all the options, existing workplace etiquette and conflicting preferences, it can be surprisingly difficult to decide the best way for an admin to get in touch with their executive and colleagues. These tips will let you know the best communication method for each workplace situation to help admins save time.

Are your employees happy?

03/02/2023

Tomorrow is Employee Appreciation Day! So it’s a good time to assess whether employees are happy. Not skipping down a rainbow happy, but happy at work and with their work. Maybe happy-ish would be a better description. If you want to know whether employees are happy, ask them.

Emotional rescue: How to help angry employees vent

02/23/2023

Say one of your employees walks into your office all red-faced and angry. How should you respond? Follow these do’s and don’ts to help employees vent about stressful work problems and think about solutions: