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Employee Relations

Investigating harassment in the #MeToo era

12/07/2017

Tales of sexual harassment from Hollywood to Washington have HR departments everywhere pondering the worst-case scenario: What if someone has been harassing co-workers for years? That ticking time bomb could go off at any time.

… Workers resist new responsibilities

12/01/2017
Change in the workplace is inevitable. So is the bickering and resistance when the change means new and different duties for employees. Here is how to handle the team’s resistance to more or different work.

It’s an epidemic! More workers fake being sick

11/28/2017

Just don’t feel like going into work today? You’re not alone, but be careful what you tell the boss. They’ve heard all the excuses.

Best holiday gift for employees could be a simple ‘thank you’

11/28/2017

A little appreciation can go a long way with employees. This holiday season, remind supervisors to stuff their employees’ stockings with a simple “thank you” for a year of loyal service.

Snapshot: Formal appraisals are still the top performance tool

11/28/2017

Most organizations continue to use formal performance appraisals to assess how employees are doing and determine how much to pay them.

Former Shakopee, Minn. school chief charged with embezzlement

11/27/2017

The former superintendent of the Shakopee Public Schools in Minnesota faces felony charges that he paid for more than $73,600 in personal expenses using the school district’s credit card.

Document all performance review details: Who, why, how much and, especially, when

11/27/2017

It’s not unusual for a disappointed employee to immediately allege some form of discrimination or bring up past discrimination complaints and claim the poor review was retaliation. Smart employers know how to protect against this sort of lawsuit.

Make sure records show consistent discipline

11/27/2017

If an employee breaks your work rules, you should absolutely discipline him. However, make sure that discipline matches punishment you have dished out to other employees for similar infractions—and that you have records to back up your defense.

Court says appeal would be act of bad faith

11/22/2017

Appeals can be time consuming and expensive, adding huge costs to defending against what might seem, on their face, to be frivolous allegations. One federal court has now said enough is enough.

Respond as soon as employee complains about hostile environment

11/22/2017

When an employer responds to a complaint with an investigation and almost immediately fixes the problem, the lawsuit probably won’t go far.