Productivity / Performance

What new hires need

02/06/2015

You want new hires to get oriented and up to speed quickly, but there’s only so much information they can absorb at once. Here are some methods for organizing a comprehensive and comprehensible introduction to your workplace.

Practice quiet leadership to bring out the best in teams

02/04/2015

The key to team leadership is knowing how to pull back and let the group gel.

How to motivate minimum-wagers

01/30/2015

Once you take on the responsibility of leading those on the very first rung of the corporate ladder, you’ll likely have to turn off your managerial auto-pilot and become more hands-on than you’re used to.

Should employees get copies of reviews?

01/12/2015

Q. We usually don’t allow our employees to read or comment on their annual evaluations. Instead, we perform a performance review one-on-one and have them sign an acknowledgment that they have discussed their performance. Do we need to provide them with a copy of the evaluation?

America’s most depressing job: Driving a city bus

01/09/2015

More than 16% of bus drivers reported being clinically depressed in a recent study that compared rates of depression diagnoses across 55 job categories.

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