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1/30/2012
Ever wish you had more time in the workday to get everything done? Rather than long for extra hours on the clock, check out our recommendations for squeezing the most productivity out of the time you have.
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1/10/2012
In the exit interview, they may tell you the new opportunity “just landed in their laps” and they weren’t really looking -- or that they’re “perfectly happy” with their jobs, but they felt it was time to make a change. Though that sounds nice in person and on paper, the truth is satisfied, loyal employees don’t seek out new positions (whether actively or not) or leave their jobs on a hunch. There’s something else going on, and if you don’t identify it, you may find more employees looking for th
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9/7/2011
Holiday party, you ask? But the kids just went back to school and it’s not even officially fall yet! But the reality is that holiday parties take planning – and the time to kick off that planning is now. Otherwise, it will be December 1st and you’ll be left holding the wreath with little other resources.
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4/14/2011
When an employer revises its handbook, it needs to make every effort to ensure that a copy of the new version is given to all employees and it should obtain a signed acknowledgement of receipt from each employee
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4/7/2009
Most organizations aren’t doing enough to prepare employees to handle changes at work. Without preparation, change management strategies are almost always destined to fail. Managers can help reduce the impact those changes can have on employees by taking a few basic actions.
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3/11/2009
Violence in the workplace is more than just a newspaper headline, it affects real employees in every industry in the country. Employees must be trained to handle difficult situations and know how to diffuse them.
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8/22/2008
“Wrongful discharge.” It’s a phrase that sends shivers down the spines of experienced HR people. And with good reason. It’s a serious charge that sometimes results in serious consequences for employers.
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8/20/2008
Company-sponsored functions are a mixed bag for employers. While they are an opportunity to boost morale and promote camaraderie, they also contain legal pitfalls.
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8/20/2008
Companies all over the country are facing reduced revenues and profits, pushing some to the brink of panic.The first step, according to Axelrod, is to let everyone in the company know what the true economic reality is
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8/20/2008
Although it’s hard to imagine any way an employer can completely eliminate this problem short of monitoring every e-mail communication, there are several effective steps employers can take
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8/20/2008
Here are a few pointers that can help you avoid the anxiety and the potential legal trouble that surrounds employee termination
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8/20/2008
Although tough times may call for tough measures, they often require some highly creative ones, too. That’s especially true when it comes to avoiding layoffs. Here’s an array of suggestions HR and higher managers can use to help keep some of their workfor
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8/19/2008
Most managers will face this situation eventually: An employee’s performance after a promotion simply hasn’t measured up—despite counseling, coaching, and patience. Emphasize that the demotion is an attempt to salvage the employee’s career
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8/19/2008
Today, the prospect of disciplining employees in the workplace fills even the most seasoned managers with dread.By following the right steps bosses can take and keep control in all disciplinary situations
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1/29/2008
When it comes to employee performance and discipline, there’s one best practice that comes before them all: Document everything
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7/30/2007
HR has an important job: ensuring that supervisors are coaching and counseling employees properly, as well as documenting performance issues before they terminate
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3/7/2007
A properly drafted separation agreement is a legally binding agreement in which an employee or former employee agrees to release any legal claims against an employer.
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3/7/2007
Same-sex harassment is probably more prevalent than most of us realize. There is some evidence that it is reported less often than male-female harassment
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3/7/2007
Anytime an employee can disadvantage you in the marketplace by working for a competitor, you should consider having a noncompete agreement.
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3/7/2007
Employers have a general obligation to maintain a safe workplace. Thus it’s important to have plans to prevent violence of any type
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3/7/2007
There is an alternative: a separation agreement. It carries an element of risk, but sometimes it can help an employer achieve its objectives without getting sued.
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3/6/2007
You don’t have to be the size of Compaq and Hewlett-Packard to face the ordeal of a merger. And if you’re with the company being acquired by another, says John Challenger of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, you’d better be on your toes.
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3/6/2007
Conventional wisdom has it that when female manager goes out on maternity leave, there’s a good chance she won’t come back. But an article that recently appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology puts a twist on that view.
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3/6/2007
Supervisors who report to you need assurance that you won’t undermine their position by pressuring them to make exceptions or apply double standards to the squeaky wheels.
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3/6/2007
Not long ago, a new car dealer hired my pal Rod, a consultant, to investigate high turnover in his service department. “You’ll hear lots of gripes about the older equipment,” he said, “but I can’t afford to upgrade it right now.
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3/6/2007
Although laws prohibiting harassment in the workplace were enacted years ago, employers continue to pay out substantial sums to settle employees’ harassment claims.
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3/5/2007
If you’re contemplating layoffs, and you employ more than 100 people, WARN is one law you’ll need to know in detail. Here are the facts.
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3/5/2007
The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 prohibits most private employers from requiring, requesting, suggesting or causing, directly or indirectly, any employee or prospective employee to take or submit to a lie detector testRequiring, requesting, s
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3/5/2007
At its most basic level, retaliation occurs when an employer penalizes an employee after the employee files a discrimination complaint. From the EEOC’s perspective, retaliation occurs when an employer, employment agency, or labor organization takes an adv
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3/5/2007
There are two significant questions here. The first is whether the company has any legal obligation to intervene and take action to prevent the harassment
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3/5/2007
Confronting workers about unacceptable behavior makes most supervisors uncomfortable, but it must be done.
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3/5/2007
It’s bad enough having a policy manual that fails you when you need it. But having no manual at all is even worse
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3/5/2007
Mediation and arbitration are two effective ways to resolve employee disputes without resorting to the courts
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3/5/2007
Whether you catch a thief red-handed, plan to let a poor performer go, or are conducting a general reduction in workforce, take time to go through the following checklist.
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3/5/2007
Before adopting a restrictive Internet use policy at work, assume employees want to do good work and that the Internet helps them do it.
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3/5/2007
With more than 450 employment lawsuits filed each week, it pays to look before you leap, especially when it comes to terminations
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3/5/2007
You terminated someone for what you thought were good reasons, but now that person is suing you for wrongful discharge. Will your explanation for the termination hold up in court?
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3/5/2007
No matter how friendly the separation, be sure to document everything when you fire an employee to avoid future lawsuits
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3/5/2007
Employee theft is a much bigger problem than shoplifting since according to the National Retail Security Survey, employees stole $13.2 billion worth of goods last year, while shoplifters pilfered items valued at $9.7 billion
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3/5/2007
You owe it to your workers and shareholders to keep harassment and harassers out of the workplace, so know and enforce the laws that define sexual harassment
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3/5/2007
Try coaching instead of punishment to help employees improve, with a system that calls for a couple of reminders not warnings, and coaching sessions instead of threats
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3/5/2007
A properly drafted separation agreement or release, as lawyers like to call it, is a legally binding agreement in which an employee or former employee agrees to release any legal claims against an employer and is essential for any job termination
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3/5/2007
A recent Supreme Court decision on workplace discrimination cases against employers decision reiterates the importance of assuring that all workplace decisions are based on legitimate business reasons and not on employees’ protected characteristics
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3/5/2007
Called Short-Term Compensation (STC) Plans by the U.S. Department of Labor, they allow employers a potent alternative to a layoff: You reduce the hours employees work, and they can collect partial unemployment benefits for the hours they’ve lost
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3/5/2007
Unresolved personal problems can sometimes preface acts of workplace violence as well. Supervisors should be sensitive to the moods and behavior of employees who are having major problems with personal or family relationships, finances, drug or alcohol ab
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3/5/2007
Terminating on the spot is definitely the high-risk option for all the reasons mentioned above. The lower-risk option would be to meet with Judith to discuss her past year’s poor performance
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3/5/2007
Worse has come to worst and you’ll be facing a former employee in a courtroom. Get your ducks in a row before you have to sit in a witness box
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3/5/2007
Discipline and termination are two of the most misunderstood but necessary actions in the employer/employee relationship. On the one hand, some managers and supervisors are reluctant to initiate any negative actions against employees because of possible l
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3/5/2007
It’s vital to master the art of criticizing constructively. Managers who deliver feedback effectively have a lasting impact on motivation and performance
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3/5/2007
Whether it’s a layoff, retirement, resignation or termination, one thing is for certain: Employee separations can be very difficult to handle legally and emotionally
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2/28/2007
Companies that have weak alcohol-consumption policies can pay dearly in lost lives and public liability lawsuits. This isn’t just a concern during the holidays, either; disaster lurks whenever alcohol and employees get together
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2/28/2007
Exit interviews, like autopsies, can reveal what went wrong and why. But how you manage them, what information you gather and how you use it make the difference between a valuable trouble-shooting tool and just another paperwork exercise
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2/27/2007
A manual isn’t something you produce simply to comply with the law.Besides promoting company values, it should say what you expect of employees and what they can expect of you
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2/27/2007
Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas says that downsizings increase significantly in the last four months of any year. Why? Employers pare down budgets in anticipation of the coming year
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2/27/2007
It’s critical to have legally sound discipline and termination procedures in place, and to follow them. Ideally, your employee handbook should provide for a progressive disciplinary system
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2/27/2007
Before conducting a workplace search or monitoring, make it very clear to employees that they do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in, for example, their persons, property they bring onto the your premises, and in facilities and equipment you p
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2/26/2007
Managers and supervisors should be advised that they are not authorized to give out references for the simple reason that well-intentioned efforts can land their company in hot water
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