Productivity / Performance

How to fix a department problem

03/13/2013

If you have to call the entire department on the carpet for an overall problem, don’t let the “defeat” become demotivating. Before you review the negatives of the situation, ask yourself these questions.

Effective evaluations are management tools, legal protection

02/25/2013

Ah, the “halo effect”—the practice of inflating an employee’s annual review to increase morale and avoid the unpleasantness of pointing out underperformers’ weaknesses. Too bad the halo strategy sparks legal risks.

Good performance reviews don’t outweigh later discipline

02/20/2013

Sometimes, an employee does something so outrageous that you have no choice but to fire her. If she sues, you may worry that her past good reviews will create trouble. They won’t if you documented the incident leading to the discharge.

Working at home boosts debt counselors’ productivity

02/19/2013

More than 60% of employees at Orlando, Fla.-based InCharge Debt Solutions work from home. The payoffs have been impressive.

Bonuses bounce back, with push from the top

01/22/2013

Bonuses are back, according to research conducted by the Hay Group. But with a pragmatic nod to today’s austere business environment, employers are taking a hard look at why they’re dishing out variable pay, what they want it to accomplish and how they decide who gets how much.

Layoffs looming? Use past reviews to decide who stays and who goes

01/14/2013

Smart employers use past performance rankings as the major criterion for laying off employees during a reduction in force. The reason is obvious: Since the rankings predate the layoff decisions, they’re almost impossible to challenge.

Be sure managers know they can’t discipline employees for using FMLA

01/14/2013

Don’t let an angry manager turn routine FMLA leave into expensive and time-consuming litigation. Make sure all supervisors understand their FMLA obligations—and that they have no choice but to cheerfully allow employees to exercise their rights.

Be prepared to explain bonus before discharge

01/13/2013

Do you hand out periodic bonuses to employees? If so, be sure you can clearly describe how you calculate bonuses and what employees need to do to receive one. If you must later terminate an employee—and claim poor performance was the reason—she may point to the bonus as proof you fired her for discriminatory reasons.

To err is human: Fear of failure at work

01/08/2013

Wonder what your organization’s staff is stressing over? For 28% of employees in a new Accountemps survey, it’s making a mistake at work.

When performance slips, don’t let past good reviews affect decision-making

01/01/2013

Some employees do well for years, only to have their performance slip. There may come a time when you have to let the employee go. But what about all those glowing evaluations from years past? If you can prove that the employee’s performance has genuinely declined, those earlier evaluations won’t cause any trouble in court.