Employee Relations

Medication affecting performance: What to do?

04/04/2014

Q. A long-term employee has been working part time for a year due to double knee replacement surgery. She takes painkillers, but not during work hours. Recently, she’s displayed poor judgment, doesn’t concentrate well and sometimes shakes all over. We’re concerned she may be addicted to the painkillers. We reassigned her to a job that carries less risk. What can we legally do to address this?

Cash is king for light-fingered workers

04/01/2014

Almost two-thirds of small businesses have been victims of employee theft, and 40% of the time, the employee took money, according to University of Cincinnati criminal justice researcher Jay Kennedy.

Leadership Tips: Vol. 314

03/31/2014

Do more five-minute favors … Learn three lessons from the CEO of Warby Parker … Reverse the odds with a bold act.

Step back to move your work teams forward

03/26/2014

Congratulations! You’ve been appointed to lead a new team. The key to team leadership is knowing how to pull back and let the group gel. Follow these tips.

Does Minnesota require allowing time off for employees to attend school activities?

03/25/2014

Q. One of our employees came in two hours late today, without an advance call. When he got here, he told his supervisor that he needed “school leave” for the morning. Can we discipline him for being late?

No matter how complicated the firing, have a rational explanation for decision

03/25/2014

A messy termination doesn’t have to mean losing a subsequent lawsuit. Just be proactive, figure out what happened and document the underlying discharge reasons. They’re probably in plain sight, despite the drama.

When discipline is called for, keep personal hostility from tainting process

03/24/2014

Here’s a reminder for supervisors who participate in disciplinary decisions: Tell them to keep their personal feelings about the employee to themselves and resist the urge to bring in stereotypes. No one, for example, should comment on the employee’s nationality, national origin or other protected characteristics.

Teach bosses to support staff at crunch time

03/24/2014

Every organization runs into time crunches—sometimes predictable, sometimes sudden emergencies. Whenever your crazy time is, you could lose some of your best employees if they feel taken for granted. Encourage supervisors to follow these four steps to support employees during those times.

How to manage and grow your A+ employees

03/19/2014

“To get people to grow,” says Sander Flaum, CEO of global advertising firm Euro RSCG Becker, “you have to help them learn something new every day.” Here are more of his thoughts on what it takes to find and keep the best workers.

Never hesitate to make legit rule changes

03/17/2014

Have you found that some of your disciplinary rules are too lenient? Don’t hold back on stiffening your rules just because you fear the first employees subject to harsher penalties might sue you.