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Employee Relations

Company’s survey succeeded because of employee trust

09/06/2012

After a major merger, Sims Metal Management in Princeton, N.J., polled employees to learn how engaged they were in their work, and got an overwhelming response. More than 90% of the employees responded to the organization’s first-ever employee engagement survey.

Stop the stragglers: 7 ways to start meetings on time

09/05/2012

Years ago, Jon was part of a three-member team with an important daily 10 a.m. meeting. The other two members were routinely late. “I had a decision to make,” he says. “What if I set the expectations for this team meeting going forward? What if I started the meeting on time—all by myself?” That’s exactly what he did.

Past reviews don’t prove today’s performance

09/03/2012
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has concluded that just because an employee who has been demoted received good reviews in the past doesn’t mean that she is still meeting her employer’s legitimate expectations.

No unemployment if employee quits during investigation

09/01/2012
An employee who quits during a suspension and pending investigation isn’t eligible for unemployment benefits.

Fired employee reinstated? That doesn’t excuse more misbehavior or poor performance

09/01/2012
Take heart if you have ever de­­cided to reinstate an employee or re­­scind discipline because the employee threatened litigation. Doing so won’t wipe clean his disciplinary record or imply that you admitted he’s living up to your expectations.

HR investigations: Good faith–not perfection–required

09/01/2012
Courts don’t expect perfection from an HR investigation. They just want to see that someone in authority took reasonable steps to learn the truth.

Complaint + sudden criticism = retaliation

09/01/2012

Juries like simple cases. If an em­­ployee complains about discrimination and management does nothing, that’s one thing. But if suddenly the employee is criticized, placed on a performance improvement plan and then fired, jurors may see retaliation.

Worker fired for gross misconduct? No COBRA

09/01/2012
Employers can’t terminate em­­ployees just because a sick dependent increases health insurance costs for the employer. That violates ERISA. But if the employee is terminated for unrelated gross misconduct, he has no ERISA or COBRA claim.

Supervising Introverts: 5 Tips for Managers

08/29/2012
Introverts may be less noisy, but they actually outnumber extroverts in the workplace. But in today’s extroverted business world, introverts can sometimes feel overlooked, excluded and misunderstood. Jennifer Kahnweiler, author of the groundbreaking book, The Introverted Leader, suggests managers follow these five tips for supervising their introverted employees …

5 rules for documenting HR decision-making

08/25/2012
The best way to prevent lawsuits or to get a quick dismissal of unfounded charges is to document every employment decision carefully. Following these five simple rules can convince judges and juries that your HR decision-making is legit, above board and fully in line with the law.