Employee Relations

Rephrase the questions that turn off employees

01/02/2015

Asking the wrong questions at the wrong time can demotivate and disengage your staff. Here are more effective ways to ask some common ones.

Sex Discrimination

01/01/2015

HR Law 101: Sex discrimination and sexual harassment are illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The law requires that employers treat male and female workers equally in all terms and conditions of employment …

How to uncover employees’ hidden talents

12/31/2014

You love your stars—the smartest, most reliable employees. It’s the other 80% you worry about. Deep down you’ve already decided they’re destined for mediocrity. Wait! Before you stamp most of your employees as average, help managers unleash their potential.

Manage attendance starting with first incident

12/31/2014

If an employee has chronic attendance problems, you can’t rely on company policy to make things easier. Even if the worker’s supervisor follows the rules and metes out punishment fairly, it’s still a distraction from more important matters.

Keep sick workers where they belong

12/23/2014

Every winter we get the same advice from the pros: Don’t come to work when you’re sick! And don’t let your employees do it, either. Managers are the first line of defense against what experts call “presenteeism”—people coming to work impaired by illness and therefore unable to be productive–and worse–infecting others. So what’s a manager to do?

Relocating your office? Steps for success

12/18/2014

At some point, your office will likely need to pull up stakes and head out to unexplored territory, moving the staff and everything else. Your preparations will fall into two categories: (1) ticking off the absolutely-must-do’s and (2) solving the hidden issues that can trip up an otherwise orderly relocation.

How to set up a mentorship program to drive career development

12/18/2014

Sure, it’s a great tool that gives employees a proactive boost—but it can also thwart career-ending mistakes.

Yet another argument against Monday morning meetings

12/15/2014

For 90 days, Google analyzed the relative search volume for “hangover cure.”

Email/Internet Usage

12/15/2014

HR Law 101: Employers have any number of legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ email and Internet usage. Beyond personal productivity issues, you risk significant loss should an employee download a virus or other damaging software or engage in illegal activity conducted on company computers …

Just say it: I’m going home at 5:30!

12/12/2014

The best way to restore sanity to your schedule, see more of your family and still get your work done is simple, says Cal Newport, a Georgetown University business professor and author who also takes seriously being a good parent and partner.