Productivity / Performance

Motivate the long-termers

07/04/2017

When a long-term employee seems to be stuck in a rut or is simply coasting, a few moves by the employee’s manager can shake out the cobwebs and rekindle the employee’s fire. Here are five tips.

How to confront mistake-prone employees

06/29/2017

It’s never easy for managers to confront an employee whose performance is slipping or who has begun making more mistakes. Here are some key rules of engagement.

When bias charges loom, documentation proves discipline was warranted

06/28/2017

When it comes to terminating an employee for poor performance, careful documentation is essential. Make sure you can later explain exactly how you handled the employee’s performance problems.

Document performance to beat bias claims

06/13/2017

When a fired employee claims he was the victim of discrimination, be prepared to show that the real reason for termination was poor performance. That requires keeping detailed documentation of any work deficiencies.

Snapshot: Who is most responsible for giving workers what they need to succeed?

06/12/2017

HR, IT and top brass all have some effect on employee success, but none matter more than immediate bosses.

6 tips to address slipping performance

06/11/2017

When an employee’s job performance suddenly declines, too often managers wait and hope it gets better. It probably won’t.

Employee recognition: 5 rules to get it right

06/08/2017

If you want to keep your employees plugged into their jobs and coming into work with better ’tudes, you’re going to have to reinforce them somehow. But the question is, how? And when? And how much?

SHRM award winners show off best practices

06/06/2017

The winners of the Society for Human Resource Management’s “2017 When Work Works Award” provide insight into the practices of effective workplaces.

36% of employers lack structured onboarding

05/30/2017

Seeing less than desirable performance levels from your new employees? Your onboarding process—or the lack of one—may be to blame.

Old reviews don’t trump recent performance

05/10/2017

Employees who are fired for poor performance sometimes challenge the decision by citing previous performance reviews showing that they were good workers. Courts don’t always buy it, especially if the employer can show that the good evaluations happened under another supervisor or in different circumstances.