Communication

The art of giving negative feedback: A 7-step approach

04/09/2013

If employees are totally blindsided by poor reviews or terminations, they are much more likely to file lawsuits. But if workers receive coaching and progressive discipline, they’ll see the bad news coming a mile away, and they’ll have little reason or motivation to play the legal card. Follow this seven-step method whenever giving negative feedback:

Build staff buy-in for your internship programs

03/25/2013

It’s no secret that long-term staff often dread the summer onslaught of interns—a generation gap that can sink even the best-designed internship program. Smooth the process by having a talk with the older, wiser managers and co-workers who will interact with interns this summer.

When rude boss spouts off, expect little sympathy from juries

03/21/2013

A supervisor’s foul temper can alienate employees—and wind up costing an employer big bucks.

Benefits alert: Health insurance exchange notice requirement postponed

03/01/2013

The health care reform law required employers to begin notifying employees on March 1 about the availability of state-based exchanges as an option for buying health insurance. But acknowledging the obvious—that the state exchanges are nowhere near ready to go live—the Department of Labor has temporarily rescinded the notice requirement.

12 steps you can take to create a happier workforce

02/14/2013

As an HR professional, you’re in a unique position to guide your organization to a culture that causes less worry and stress for employees—and better health and productivity. Here are 12 ways to get started:

Think twice before giving employees personal advice

02/12/2013

It happens all the time: An employee approaches someone from HR to ask for help. But occasionally, HR pros find their work conversations veering dangerously toward inappropriately personal topics—from how to handle retirement investments to life-and-death health care decisions.

10 ways to overcome ‘negative vibes’ among your staff

01/07/2013

A hard-core negative attitude that starts with just one employee can quickly infect an entire department (or a whole company) if the manager doesn’t rein it in quickly. Here are 10 tips for confronting employees whose negative behavior has begun to affect co-workers and the company:

‘Week of Service’ invites Allstate employees to volunteer

11/23/2012

Northbrook, Ill.-based Allstate this summer challenged its 70,000 employees to partner with local nonprofit organizations in their communities—and it made a $500 grant to each of those nonprofits, awarding $80,000 overall.

‘Three Blind Mice’ helps NIH staff understand disability

11/15/2012

At the National Institutes of Health, blind employees are reaching out to sighted co-workers to teach them how to treat them during the workday.

Lesson of Hurricane Sandy: It’s time to update your crisis-management plan

10/30/2012

Hurricane Sandy is a powerful reminder: Natural (and man-made) disasters can threaten at any time. Smart employers make contingency plans so they can stay up and running even when normal work operations are disrupted. Here are eight key pieces to a crisis-management plan, which you can coordinate with the appropriate departments.