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Communication

5 survival tips: Seek employee help to weather the recession

05/20/2008
It’s not easy for employees to hear that economic tough times mean they’re not getting a pay raise or that their jobs are in jeopardy. Having to deliver the bad news may be almost as hard. Here are five ways to make the most of a difficult situation—and invite employees to be part of the solution.

Of MySpace & Money: Don’t try to muzzle millennials’ salary talk

05/13/2008

You’d never discuss how much money you make, right? Dude, that attitude is so 20th century! The 20-somethings you work with eagerly dish about salaries, bonuses and other work topics you might consider taboo. Managers tempted to forbid such talk? Don’t let them! Here’s why.

Election ’08: What you need to know about what workers think

05/06/2008
Election year politics has a strange way of focusing employers and employees on the larger issues—such as jobs, wages and the economy. HR pros should pay attention to election year buzz. Knowing what’s on employees’ minds as they go to the polls can help savvy employers get a glimpse of the future workplace.

Kids will be kids: Inappropriate workplace behavior and teenage workers

05/06/2008

Q. Some of our employees are teenagers who work part time while they go to school. Often, this is their first job. Some of them don’t seem to understand proper behavior in the work environment. They usually are OK with customers, but when they are interacting with each other, they give each other a hard time. Verbal put-downs and even physical acts are common. Does this create any potential problems? …

Tailor benefits messages to employees’ ages, circumstances

05/02/2008
When it comes to effectively communicating benefits messages, one size does not fit all. Employees have different benefits needs at different stages of their lives. Make sure your print and web-based benefits communications efforts take those differences into account …

Notify employees every time you plan to charge time off to FMLA

05/02/2008
When employees take leave to deal with serious health conditions, inform them that you plan to charge that time against their allotment of unpaid FMLA leave. If you fail to do so, it will be relatively easy for her to sue and show she was harmed by the lack of notice …

Consulting firm keeps young workers with ‘Short’ hours, communication

05/02/2008
Censeo Consulting grooms young employees for long careers with the five-year-old Washington, D.C., company through frequent feedback and flexibility. Managers do their best to tailor the jobs so they suit the talents and career goals of each of the company’s 40 employees.

Sailing builds bonds among employee ‘Crews’

05/01/2008
The owner of document management firm Laserfiche figures the staff that sails together stays together. The Long Beach, Calif., company started a competitive sailing team of employees last summer …

Does your workplace need an employee civility code?

04/24/2008
If it seems like you’re hearing more vulgar words and behavior spewing forth from employees these days, you’re not alone. It may be time to draft a simple employee civility policy or code of conduct that is separate from your harassment policy. Such a policy gives you more legal leverage to discipline employees who are equal-opportunity verbal abusers. It could protect you if you’re ever sued …

Help employees accept inevitable change

04/24/2008
Employees are constantly facing changes to their work environment. Supervisors who are able to understand the impact of those changes on their employees—and are able to help them through those unsteady times—will earn their employees’ trust and loyalty.