Communication

6 common reasons bosses withhold praise

05/23/2019

Employees who are recognized for their efforts are generally contented—and contented employees rarely sue their employers. Train managers to beware these common excuses for withholding praise—and what to do instead.

HR comm practices raise information security risks

03/26/2019

Confidential employee information may be at risk because HR pros regularly use insecure technology to share it.

Channel your inner referee

02/21/2019

As a manager, you cannot stop workers from blowing their tops. But you can defuse their fury. Take these two steps.

How’s your onboarding process? Survey to find out

01/25/2019

Don’t just hope that your onboarding efforts are working. Wait 30 days after each hiring and then survey the employee on his or her experience on that first day.

Do this first to resolve conflict

12/21/2018

When you must mediate a conflict between co-workers or employees, before you do anything else, first decide if it is hot or cold.

Sound Bites: December ’18

12/01/2018

Whether in person or remotely, get all meeting attendees on the same page … How your receptionist can off insight in a group interview … Log off on the weekend … When to never apologize … Icebreaker: 10 things in common … How upper and lower case letters got their names

Avoid the perception of bullying: 8 do’s and don’ts

08/28/2018

The growth of anti-bullying laws, policies and public campaigns are making employees ultra-aware to potential bullying situations at work. For supervisors, that means it’s more important than ever to be alert to how your words and actions are being delivered … and received. Here are eight do’s and don’ts:

Burnout! Four main causes of employee stress, and what you can do about it

08/24/2018

You’ve put in the long hours to build a relationship with your team, and to better understand their strengths, weaknesses, motivators and goals for the future. While these are all key components to a successful relationship with your staff, it’s for naught if you can’t proactively prevent employee burnout.

7 steps for effective, stress-free performance reviews

08/24/2018

Performance review meetings can bring anxiety to both sides of the desk. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With the right planning by supervisors, the meeting can be a productive, morale-boosting exchange. Here are seven steps for running productive and stress-free performance review meetings.

Yes, You Need a Crisis Plan! Here’s What it Should Say

07/20/2018

It’s every company’s worst fear: A horrible employee decision leads to front page news and a PR crisis. In many cases, HR is on the front lines of such responses. Having a crisis plan ahead of time can literally save the company—and your career. Some recent examples: Starbucks faced protests and lots of negative press […]