Training

Workers required to attend ‘voluntary’ training? Be prepared to pay nonexempt employees

10/18/2011

Do you require or strongly recommend that employees attend training sessions outside their regularly scheduled shifts? If training participants are hourly employees, chances are you will have to pay them for their time. Simply calling the training voluntary isn’t good enough …

Better meetings 101: Prep participants to arrive engaged

10/11/2011

By changing the way attendees show up for meetings, you can help transform the work that happens inside of them. Help team meetings run more smoothly by making sure attendees come into the meeting room ready to engage. Try these two tips.

How to recoup training costs when new employee quits

09/13/2011

It’s expensive to train employees, especially if the job is highly specialized. Smart employers protect their investments by having new employees sign an agreement to repay training costs if they leave soon after receiving the valuable benefit. Here’s how to recoup those costs.

All together now: Teaching workers to ‘manage’ their bosses

08/02/2011

Pay-for-performance is effective only when managers spell out for each employee exactly what he or she must do to get paid more or reap perks like flexible scheduling. In reality, too few managers do that. They need to know supervision is a two-way street. Solution: Sometimes employees must “manage the boss.”

The 5 steps you must take to prevent workplace violence

07/25/2011

There’s never been a better time to implement a violence prevention plan. Tough economic times sometimes cause people to snap—and they might do so at work. You need a prevention program that starts with employee screening and ends with publicizing your tough anti-violence policy.

Hire education: Your step-by-step guide to legal hiring practices

06/07/2011

Employers operate in an increasingly complex legal environment, made all the more difficult by the tough economy. Hiring has emerged as a particular trouble spot. Here are the key liability hot spots you must watch out for in the hiring process.

9 things employees want from their managers (and 5 things they don’t)

05/24/2011

Different employees crave different things from their managers. Here’s practical advice you can give the bosses in your organization. You’ll help them focus on the managerial qualities that matter most to employees—and forget about the window dressing workers don’t care about.

Training not working? Time to try demotion

04/25/2011

Not every employee is suited to promotion—something that may not become clear until far into the process. That’s why smart employers set reasonable expectations for training success and remain prepared to demote those who don’t make the cut.

Training budgets bounce back: Where to spend

03/22/2011

The recession taught many employers to save on training by experimenting with video, teleconference and online learning—cost-effective alternatives to traditional stand-up courses. Follow these 10 steps to develop your organization’s training. Tip: Invest in your own online learning with the HR Specialist LEAP Symposium interactive webcast.

11 keyboard shortcuts help you work faster, smarter

03/03/2011

Whether it’s a speedy way to create a bar chart or a trick for switching from one window to the next, keyboard shortcuts can help even power users knock out work faster. Here are a few of our readers’ faves.