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Employee Relations

Are your HR ‘customers’ satisfied? Surveys can tell

10/15/2012

One way for HR departments to improve their performance—and their reputation among execs—is to treat employees like customers seeking good service. So how can you tell if those “customers” are happy? Do as you would with any customer—conduct a survey.

Is your cube becoming a cage? 6 tips to put the ‘human’ back in HR

10/12/2012
Getting out on the shop floor or into the breakroom could counter employee attitudes that link HR only with bad news and being disconnected from employees. Here are six tips to help raise HR’s visibility.

Writing performance reviews: Details will save the day

10/02/2012
When it comes time to writing performance evaluations, it’s best to stay away from broad generalizations about the employee’s work. Instead, provide concrete examples that support your stated performance rankings. Follow these guidelines for writing evaluations.

Can we stop employees from talking politics?

10/01/2012
Q. With the election approaching, it seems like our office is as politically divided as the country. Can we ban all political talk?

Same offense, same discipline? Not necessarily

10/01/2012

You’re probably aware that, generally, you should issue the same discipline to everyone who breaks the same rule. But that isn’t always the case. As long as you can explain why one employee deserved harsher punishment, a judge probably won’t second-guess you.

Keep careful HR records to demonstrate solid processes–and catch employee’s lie

10/01/2012
If an eventual lawsuit alleges that an employee submitted a form or sent a letter containing specific information, good records will make it easier to counter that claim. You’ll be able to tell the court about your process and then ask for an expert analysis of the document.

Denver firm makes it easy for desk workers to get out

10/01/2012
Execs at Denver-based ReadyTalk, a provider of web conferencing and webinar services, are encouraging their workers to get outside more. Employees, including many desk-bound software developers, have access to office bikes for running downtown errands.

Ohio firm makes contest out of energy savings

09/27/2012
In their quest to leave a smaller environmental “footprint,” employees of Greif, a Delaware, Ohio-based industrial packaging products company, are trying to outdo each other when it comes to energy-efficient work habits.

Telecom employees contribute 7.7 million pounds of food

09/26/2012
When employees at CenturyLink raised enough money to buy 106,275 pounds of food and donated $271,900 for a children’s charity, their company’s foundation chipped in another $1 million to support their efforts. The combined contributions bought 7.7 million pounds of groceries.

It’s all hilarious … until someone sues

09/21/2012
You know the gags: Post-it notes labeling everything in Greg’s cubicle. Duct-taping Stacey’s office door. Photoshopping Dave’s picture on a photo of a Sumo wrestler. But what should you do when the jokes go too far?