Communication

Why ‘ASAP’ is a lousy directive

03/02/2015

While requesting results “as soon as possible” can underscore the urgency of the job at hand, it can also breed resentment if workers tire of always having to rush in a panic to give you what you want.

Bright idea: Think outside the suggestion box

02/23/2015

Often, employees do have some great ideas. They just need the right way to deliver them to you.

Don’t fear surveying employee attitudes

01/28/2015

You might not always like what they tell you, but one thing you don’t need to be wary of is a lawsuit.

Love it or hate it, email is indispensable

01/23/2015

Email tops the list of tech tools Americans depend on to get their work done.

At the tone, send me a text

01/20/2015

Forget leaving a phone message for employees at Coca-Cola’s Atlanta headquarters. The soft drink giant pulled the plug on voice mail last month.

Why was Joe fired? Stay mum

01/12/2015

Post-termination communication is one area in which managers can get into trouble. Managers should follow these best practices when communicating about an employee’s departure.

Time to abandon your traditional employee survey?

01/08/2015

Leaders such as Steve Ginsburgh, CHRO of Universal Weather & Aviation, say “yes.” He’s found that they don’t help much with the real strategic challenges faced by executives and managers.

Rephrase the questions that turn off employees

01/02/2015

Asking the wrong questions at the wrong time can demotivate and disengage your staff. Here are more effective ways to ask some common ones.

Email/Internet Usage

12/15/2014

HR Law 101: Employers have any number of legitimate reasons to monitor employees’ email and Internet usage. Beyond personal productivity issues, you risk significant loss should an employee download a virus or other damaging software or engage in illegal activity conducted on company computers …

When all you need is their darn signatures …

12/11/2014

What’s one of HR’s toughest tasks? Compliance? Budgeting? No, sometimes it’s merely getting the whole staff to sign, date and return a simple document of acknowledgment or policy change. Here are some tricks to try.