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8/10/2011
Absenteeism may be costing you more than $660 each year per employee. But nearly two-thirds of those unscheduled absences are not for legitimate illnesses or injuries
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5/5/2011
A raise, bonus or even a “thank you” in front of the entire company still may not convey how much you appreciate an employee. Learn how the twin tools of timeliness and detail make all the difference to employee motivation.
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5/4/2011
A solid appraisal system encourages both personal and organizational achievement, and it heads off performance problems before they get out of hand. No matter what kind of appraisal system or method you use, understanding the pillars of effective appraisa
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4/12/2011
In light of recent NLRB poster proposals, and an increase in labor union issues in the news and in the courts, many businesses are concerned about the impact of a union on their business. Learn about the pros and cons of labor unions, and what they mean for your company.
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5/27/2009
While there’s no “easy button” to eliminate negativity from the office, there are simple techniques everyone can use to deal with it. It starts with a healthy mix of sensitivity, objectivity and defense tactics.
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5/20/2009
When you think of instant messaging at work, “effectiveness” and “productivity” may be the last two terms that come to mind. But a new workplace study may have some singing a different tune.
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5/11/2009
Employee feedback is a gift managers should know how to deliver daily, not just during performance review time.
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4/18/2009
Anyone who has moved across the country will agree that it reveals valuable lessons in planning and project management. It doesn’t matter how smooth you think the move will be, something is bound to go wrong.
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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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3/30/2009
Are hard working employees being rewarded with a sincere thank you? Or just more work? Recognizing employee efforts is key to your company's success.
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3/26/2009
In a study based on basketball scores, Wharton professors found a surprising connection between the motivating factors in sports and what motivates employees in the workplace.
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12/12/2008
Reaching the peak of your personal productivity is a process that involves dedication, experimentation and time. The following tips and tricks will help you get started with personal productivity and improve your time management skills.
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12/10/2008
Research shows that companies with happy employees perform "notably better" financially than lower-ranked companies. Happiness at work has also been proven to keep employees healthier and improve productivity.
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11/24/2008
The holidays always have a way of keeping our attention on everything but work. Between vacations and buying holiday gifts, many employees find it difficult to stay focused enough to finish their to-do lists by the time the ball drops in Times Square. Here are a few tips to improve employee morale during the holidays and at any other time of the year.
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8/26/2008
How can managers best gather information for performance reviews? Some HR trainers recommend that they keep a diary. Should you, an HR manager, pitch the practice to those in your company?
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8/21/2008
Salary surveys. Surveys are among the most reliable ways to come up with or compare salaries. Your challenge: to get hold of a current survey that reflects your industry, the occupation(s) you’re trying to benchmark, and locale.
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8/20/2008
The word "vacation" may conjure up pleasant thoughts for employees, but it’s likely to bring on a migraine for supervisors who have to juggle a project schedule to accommodate most workers’ requests.
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8/20/2008
Improving employee productivity is one of the most profitable investments business owners can make. What’s more, a properly executed system for conducting employee performance reviews can help prevent wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuits
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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
A performance log is a useful focal point for sitting down and talking with employees on a regular basis. A log is simply a place to write down things you observe or hear about an employee, both good and bad, at the time you observe or hear them.
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8/20/2008
How do you keep valuable people productive and content? Show them you care and reward them for doing what you want them to do. That’s best done with a well-planned recognition/rewards program.
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8/20/2008
There are several lessons to be learned from the predicament this employers’ supervisors have placed it in. For future reference, this employer should conduct training with its supervisors on drafting performance reviews
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8/20/2008
Many employers and employees dread the evaluation process. But they shouldn’t have to. The important thing is to consider an evaluation as a year-round procedure instead of a one-time annual event. It’s a very efficient way to document both outstanding ef
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8/20/2008
What you need to know to determine which of your current and/or future employees should take integrity tests and how you can stay out of legal hot water when administering them
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8/20/2008
Workplace romances can create awkward situations within the company, and sometimes lead to litigation but no-dating policies often lead to secretive relationships, so create a solid and reasonable office romance policy for your company
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8/19/2008
Few managers look forward to the difficult task of conducting performance appraisals. An evaluation may be seen as a necessary evil, as awkward to give as it is to receive.
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8/19/2008
Identifying employees who need more training is a perpetual challenge however, and these tips can make the job easier
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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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8/12/2008
Following up on attendance problems can be a tricky proposition, but here are some tips to help you through it
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7/21/2008
Great workers are, for the most part, internally motivated, but never underestimate the power of management approval. Give recognition of extra effort
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7/21/2008
With gas and energy prices on the rise, many companies are taking a closer look at telecommuting as an option for their employees. See why this makes sense for your bottom line
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6/10/2008
Stress on-the-job poses a health risk to individual employees as well as the company as a whole.
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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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1/29/2008
Employee recognition programs are proven to increase productivity, motivate employees to higher performance, reduce turnover costs and — most important — improve your bottom line.
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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
Self-evaluation asks people to look critically at what they’ve done and how they could hone their performance and job skills for the future.
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3/7/2007
The sad fact is that conducting thorough background checks and screening procedures are more crucial now than ever.
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3/7/2007
The state of Tennessee estimates that 38 to 50 percent of all workers’ comp claims are connected to substance abuse in the workplace
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3/7/2007
By putting a simple grievance policy in place, as a conflict management tool, you help keep your employees aware and managers prepared.
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3/7/2007
Tired of hearing excuses when people come in late for work—or don’t come in at all? A no-fault system attendance policy that uses points to track unscheduled absences could eliminate them.
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3/7/2007
Some HR people are reluctant to post job openings internally, believing the practice breeds bad feelings among those who apply and aren’t chosen.
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3/7/2007
More workers and families are choosing not to have children, yet many companies have policies that favor parents over childless workers. Did you grant more liberal holiday leave to parents last year than you did to workers without children?
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3/7/2007
The Devil is in the details, the saying goes. Nowhere is this more true than with suggestion programs. If you don’t pay attention to the details, your hard work goes for naught. But when you do, the program catches fire.
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3/6/2007
Why do 66 percent of the large employers surveyed by Mercer Human Resource Consulting say their performance management systems are effective only “to some extent” in helping the company achieve its goals?
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3/6/2007
Common wisdom has it that harassed parents are the ones who want flexible work arrangements (part-time work, job sharing, flexible hours, etc.) so they can take children to the doctor or soccer practice.
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3/6/2007
The simple technique of asking people what they think has value far beyond trouble-shooting problems, however. Asking workers who’ve had a series of authoritarian bosses to share their opinions is both flattering and refreshing.
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3/6/2007
Sing the praises of these unsung heroes; let them know that you appreciate their work and value their presence in your workplace.
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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
When you’re trying to assess people’s motivation, ask yourself this question: Which workers seem inspired to excel even when they think nobody’s watching?
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3/6/2007
Whether they’re tuning engines or tuning pianos, people usually feel a greater stake in what they’ve done when they put their name on it. That act alone personalizes what they’ve done and reinforces their sense of worth.
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3/6/2007
Many companies can no longer afford to pull one of the main levers they’ve used to motivate managers over the past decade or two: money.
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3/6/2007
Managers and HR people often run into employees with overly optimistic—or misguided—career plans. While it’s good to be optimistic, unrealistic expectations combined with negative comments from a manager can lead to disappointment, lowered productivity, a
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3/6/2007
If you want to get all the benefits a relationship with an EAP can bring, it’s important to spot the problems EAP counselors are equipped to handle.
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3/6/2007
It’s important to keep personnel files organized. For one thing, your company’s managers need them to make important decisions. For another, state and federal agencies require you to keep specific information for a specified length of time. If you can’t p
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3/6/2007
Are you penalizing your healthiest and most reliable workers? You may be, if you are still running a traditional time-off program, in which vacation days and sick days are counted separately.
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3/6/2007
Make sure you have enough work for temps to do. That should go without saying, but most temps can tell you that they sometimes sit around wondering what to do next. And idle temps demoralize your busy, full-time workers.
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3/5/2007
HR people can help managers nurture their most creative people’s talents and accommodate their quirkiness for the benefit of all. Here are talking points for an informal coaching session or more formal training.
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3/5/2007
A new poll from the National Sleep Foundation says workplace fatigue costs U.S. businesses $77 billion a year. Not surprisingly, operations managers think fatigue causes 18 percent of all workplace accidents and injuries.
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3/5/2007
Here’s a little exercise you can use to help turn a bunch of people into a team in a short time.
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3/5/2007
Studies show that strong human resource practices result in more profitable companies. Recent studies from Watson Wyatt Worldwide and Price Waterhouse Coopers show that companies with superior human resource execution significantly outperform less efficie
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3/5/2007
Whether electronic instant messaging programs are a complete waste of time in the workplace or a means to improve teamwork and collaboration depends, like any tool, on how HR, in conjunction with senior management, controls its use.
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3/5/2007
One of the first steps you need to do in order to deal with angry employees is to turn down the heat and gather as much information as possible.
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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
A new survey of 6,000 North American workers shows that commonly held myths concerning the ethics and values of different generations in the workplace don’t always jibe with reality
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3/5/2007
Getzler & Company, a New York-based company specializing in crisis management and turnarounds, surveyed 230 executives to find out on which were the most productive days of the week.
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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
Morale surveys are an excellent way to identify hidden problems that may be increasing employee turnover, decreasing productivity, and damaging your company’s reputation
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3/5/2007
Many employee handbooks contain legal land mines that you should dig up and defuse now to avoid future employee lawsuits
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3/5/2007
How can employers best cope with the war’s impact on the workplace while maintaining some semblance of productivity? Best advice: Adjust your expectations.
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3/5/2007
Work expands to fill the time you give it, so it may seem like you’re doing something important and getting more done when you spend long hours on the job, but it may be just a workaholic tendancy
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3/5/2007
When good employees' performance hits the skids, how can HR and their bosses get them back on track to good job performace? Try these ideas for helping your star employees recover
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3/5/2007
How you launch and conduct classroom based training courses may have almost as much impact on the employees’ success as the material itself, so check out these ways to build rapport and deliver information with flash, dash, and panache.
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3/5/2007
By failing to apply company policies uniformly, employers may wind up with a situation that looks like discrimination and that can lead employees file costly lawsuits against the company. How can you avoid charges of discrimination?
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3/5/2007
It's important to have a sound company policy that addresses the problems posed by employee relationships, conflicts of interest, and office romances, without losing your best employees to outdated rules
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3/5/2007
Plenty has been written about improving customer service, but little about how to retain those who deliver that service every day, whether they’re tech reps, retail salespeople, maintenance and repair employees, or workers who answer consumer complaint ho
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3/5/2007
Employees, taking advantage of broadband Internet connections at work, download music, movies, games, and more. There are a number of things you can do to keep file downloading from affecting your company negatively
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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
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
Training doesn’t cost; it pays. Although most HR people would agree with that statement, how well your training pays actually depends on the fore thought and preparation you put into it
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3/5/2007
Author Tom Peters popularized the term “management by walking around.” The idea behind MBWA, as it is known, is simple: Managers can be a lot more effective when they wander around their departments
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3/5/2007
A peer network can help you do your job better in a variety of ways—making your job more secure and your company more profitable in the process
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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
Let’s all welcome Generation Y into the workforce. Gen Yers, those born from 1978 to 1984, according to consultant RainmakerThinking, Inc., can be challenging
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2/28/2007
Organizational culture which Savage defines as a collection of approved values plus habits of thinking and action can keep you from putting talent to use
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2/27/2007
It’s not hard to see that the problem of unsolicited commercial messages — also known as spam — is getting worse instead of better
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2/27/2007
To reach their full potential and contribute to the company’s success, your people need to understand what they’re doing well and what they can improve upon. That’s what makes performance evaluations so vital
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2/27/2007
A sampling of ADA-related problems, culled from the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) archives, shows that creative accommodations can cost very little
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2/27/2007
Assessing and managing employee performance can often be a challenging grey area for supervisors. It’s important, then, to develop a system for assessing employee performance that recognizes a variety of talents and contributions beyond those that are eas
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2/27/2007
Supervisors handling reviews poorly miss opportunities to improve performance and productivity, which is bad enough. Appraisals done well, on the other hand, offer many benefits
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2/27/2007
No downsizing can occur without some disruption and negative impact on the organization and its work force. However, a company can greatly reduce this impact if it communicates honestly before, during and after the downsizing process
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2/26/2007
Legal rulings on workplace monitoring generally hinge on interpretations of several laws. To stay within legal boundaries check these guidelines
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2/26/2007
Neglecting to survey a training class is like shooting darts blindfolded. Gathering information on attendees several days ahead, however, gives you time to profile the group, customize your presentation to its makeup
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2/26/2007
There are many valid reasons for your employees to seek the advantages of flextime in their work schedules. In fact, arrangements such as flextime, compressed workweeks and telecommuting have been found to increase shareholder returns
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2/26/2007
Depression, according to one widely published statistic, costs American businesses $44 billion a year.The value of helping depressed people find the care they need—besides aiding fellow human beings in a time of need—is that you’ll retain them
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2/26/2007
Delegation is a tool for getting things done efficiently and for developing employees. Do not avoid critical management functions such as interviewing, merit planning, budgeting, or counseling
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1/2/2004
Performance evaluation rates the jobholder; job evaluation scrutinizes the job itself and places it in a hierarchy based on relative worth
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