Communication

Swearing at work: Is it ever appropriate?

08/21/2013

Does swearing energize employees and demonstrate passion? Or does it cast you as out-of-control and unprofessional? Generally, the answer is the latter.

The distasteful ‘sandwich’: How to rethink your feedback strategy

08/14/2013

Many managers and HR professionals have been taught to “sandwich” constructive criticism between two positive statements. But I think this is a distasteful way of delivering feedback. Here’s why:

Recession took toll on workplace collaboration

08/13/2013

U.S. workers are focusing more and collaborating less than they did six years ago—a likely result of the Great Recession and a lagging recovery—according to researchers at Gensler, the nation’s largest commercial interior design firm.

5 tips to help co-workers hear your ideas

08/12/2013

How to get your ideas heard: 1. Build buy-in by “noticing out loud.” 2. Repackage your ideas to sell. 3. Use what you know to connect. 4. Get agreement with repetition. 5. Wear navy blue.

Hypersensitive employee? What’s hostile depends on objective analysis

08/08/2013

Don’t worry too much if a sensitive soul finds the workplace unpleasant. Absent tangible, objective evidence that an environment is truly hostile, her lawsuit won’t go far.

Employees’ emotional outburst: A patient, calm response is legally smart

08/06/2013

Occasionally, all supervisors and HR professionals have to deal with overly emotional employees. Handling such situations with a calm and measured response isn’t just good for morale, it could mean the difference between winning and losing a lawsuit.

@#$%&! Maybe partisan politics isn’t the problem

08/02/2013

They may fight like cats and dogs in Washington, D.C., but they swear like sailors. The nation’s capital is America’s foulest-mouthed city, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.com.

Supervising difficult employees? Mend it, don’t end it

07/31/2013

Rather than ignoring tough situations or automatically getting rid of “difficult” employees, it’s better to learn techniques to effectively manage those situations.

Target misses mark with multicultural training

07/29/2013

Minneapolis-based retailer Target is scrambling to explain a training document that surfaced at one of its Northern California distribution centers. The document purports to tell supervisors how to interact with Hispanic employees—and in the process betrays some offensive stereotypes.

Is body odor a real disability?

07/07/2013

Q. Several employees have requested that we talk to another employee who, frankly, smells bad. I know she has medical problems. Can we ask her to do something about the odor or would that be discrimination based on disability?