Employee Relations

Employees use work skills to improve communities

05/23/2012

ARAMARK employees are putting the culinary, hospitality, nutrition and facilities management skills they use at work to good use in their communities as well. The Philadelphia-based professional services company has devoted more than $7 million to its volunteer and philanthropic program.

Motivate employees through better communication

05/22/2012

When it comes to retaining and motivating employees, compensation is important, but communication is key. Especially for a company with a combination of on-site and virtual employees, regular, required communication between management and staff—and among peers—is essential.

Patience, careful documentation pay off when disciplining underperforming employees

05/21/2012

Reasonable employers always fare better in court than unreasonable ones. That’s one reason to keep careful disciplinary records showing everything you did to help an employee perform well despite obvious problems. If he’s ultimately terminated, the court probably won’t second-guess the decision.

Kil-A-Watt contest makes employees energy-aware

05/21/2012

The Fairmont Hotel Resorts Kea Lani on Maui, Hawaii, got a lot of publicity, recruited a few new hires and taught its own staff a thing or two about energy conservation by lending Kil-A-Watt meters to its employees.

Art helps employees better understand their colleagues

05/18/2012

Employees of Mercedes-Benz Financial Services are tapping their inner art critics to better understand their co-workers. In partnership with the Detroit Institute of Arts, the company is exposing workers to the work of artistic masters in a setting where they can express their views on the artwork—and learn about their colleagues.

Best defense against harassment complaints: Robust policy and prompt investigations

05/14/2012

HR professionals can’t be everywhere at once, making sure no boss ever harasses a subordinate. It will happen, even in the best, most progressive organizations. Protect against such nonsense with a robust anti-harassment policy …

Beware warnings that could limit future pay

05/14/2012

Most HR professionals assume that a warning letter isn’t an adverse employment action and therefore can’t be the basis for a lawsuit. And that’s largely true. But if the warning letter also mentions restrictions on how well the employee will be rated at evaluation time, there may be trouble.

Setting performance goals: Easy as A, B, C

05/08/2012

For each employee’s performance expectations, set A, B and C goals, suggests the SmartBlog on Leadershop. “C” goals are Comfortable; “B” goals are Believable; “A” goals are Awesome.

Before approving discipline, check last review

05/07/2012

When a supervisor recommends discipline or anything else that could be viewed as an adverse employment action, be sure to check the employee’s latest evaluation before you approve it. If what the boss says is currently going on appears inconsistent with the evaluation, find out why.

When sexual harassment accusations fly, investigate and discipline right away

05/02/2012

Here’s a lesson learned from an employer that responded correctly when an employee complained about sexual harassment. Not only did it conduct a thorough investigation that helped it win a lawsuit, but it also prevented another potential sexual harassment claim when it discovered even more egregious behavior—from the original complainant himself.