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Productivity / Performance

How to identify (and reverse) employee disengagement

10/01/2007
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What to do if an older worker’s performance is slipping?

10/01/2007

A participant in the Forum section of our HR Weekly e-letter posed this question: “One of our employees is nearing 80 and his performance is slipping badly. Is there an alternative to harsh evaluations and termination? We’d like him to depart with dignity.” Here’s how some HR professionals replied …

Study: Managers overrate their own success

10/01/2007

If you believe you’re a top performer at work, you’re not alone. An impossible 90% of managers think they’re among the top 10% of performers in their workplace, according to a BusinessWeek poll of 2,000 managers.

False move can revive expired claim—As retaliation

10/01/2007

Employers nationwide breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that employees must promptly bring discrimination claims. But the decision in the Ledbetter case isn’t as simple as press coverage may have suggested. In fact, any move a supervisor makes that could be interpreted as retaliation for the earlier, expired claim may be seen as retaliation for earlier complaints …

The dreaded reference check: What to say about former employees?

10/01/2007

Q. What may an employer say about why an employee left or was fired? …

Independent Contractor or Employee? How to Make The Call

09/18/2007
White Paper published by The HR Specialist ______________________ For years, the IRS has relied on a 20-factor test to determine whether a worker is considered an “employee” or an “independent contractor.” Conferring contractor status on a worker often benefits the employer, who is then not obligated to withhold income tax or to pay Social Security […]

Political Expression at Work: Limit Distractions, but Allow Free Speech

09/12/2007
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Top 5 e-mail mistakes and how to avoid them

09/11/2007

E-mail is a great business tool, but sometimes it makes one yearn for the bad old days of neatly typed (and proofread) memos in interoffice envelopes. Here are five tips to share with employees to keep e-mailing safe and productive, rather than embarrassing and destructive.

Labor Dept. draws battle lines in the great FMLA fight

09/01/2007

Chances are your employees are happier with the 14-year-old FMLA than you are.  A new U.S. Labor Department report says employees would like to expand the law to create longer leaves and paid leaves. But employers argue that the law’s vague wording (and employees’ ability to play games with FMLA) create legal and productivity nightmares. Here are the main problems employers have with the FMLA, according to Labor’s report …

Nondisabled workers earn ADA protection, too

09/01/2007

Q. I know the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) gives disabled employees special rights. But I read that the law also extends to employees who aren’t disabled. How is that so? —N.L. …