Employee Relations

5 phrases smart managers avoid saying

03/30/2023

We’ve all heard the evergreen advice “think before you speak.” Words have consequences, and managers who hastily toss out statements run the risk of killing morale, damaging relationships and genuinely hurting feelings. Even if you later feel remorseful, taking things back once said proves difficult. A better solution is to try ridding your vocabulary of certain phrases.

Set your employees up for success with a strong onboarding program

03/29/2023

You’ve spent a ton of time crafting a compelling ad and clear job description, interviewing numerous candidates and analyzing their job fit assessments, and you’ve identified a great candidate. What’s your next move to ensure they turn up on day one and stay for a while? The answer is your onboarding program.

Here comes the summer help!

03/23/2023

How to welcome, prep and manage those seasonal employees.

5 trends shaping the state of remote work

03/20/2023

The sudden shift to remote and hybrid work spurred significant change for employers and employees. But after three years of adjusting, what’s the current state of practice telling workers where and when they can perform their jobs?

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.