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Employee Relations

How employers can respond to increasingly stressed workers

09/24/2010

Today’s economic climate has caused employers to cut budgets and workforces—and expect workers to do more with less. As they see colleagues laid off and their employers cutting back, employees are more concerned than ever about their own job security. It makes sense for employers to address stress issues in their workforces, since increased stress affects not only employees, but employers’ bottom lines.

EEOC: Railroad had two disciplinary tracks–one for whites, one for blacks

09/24/2010
CSX, the Jacksonville-based freight railroad, faces racial discrimination charges after it disciplined a black train engineer and conductor working out of its Cincinnati yard.

Get it in writing: Creating effective and legal job descriptions

09/24/2010
Job descriptions are the cornerstone of communication between management and staff. Good job descriptions make sure bosses and employees alike know what kind of performance is expected. They’re the basis of every effective performance-appraisal system. At a minimum, a job description should include these elements:

How seriously should we take allegations of female-on-male sexual harassment?

09/24/2010
Q. A male employee recently complained to HR that a female co-worker was sexually harassing him. Do I have to investigate this claim the same as I would a claim by a woman against a male co-worker?

Can we discipline late worker by cutting her pay?

09/23/2010
Q. One of our hourly employees ($15 per hour) arrives late way too often. We’d like her to get here on time so we’re considering cutting her hourly rate when she arrives late. For example, if she arrives an hour late, we would not pay her for the hour and cut her pay to minimum wage for the rest of the day. Can we do that?

Courts frown on bosses blaming subordinates for shortcomings

09/20/2010

Here’s something to consider when disciplining a supervisor or manager: She probably won’t be able to get away with blaming a subordinate for her own poor performance. Employers are entitled to expect managers to manage.

Address trust, training to keep top performers

09/17/2010

Employees feel overworked and underpromoted, and two in five of them are looking for new jobs. A new study is the latest to reveal that employees who plan to leave their companies say they feel a lack of communication from management. Here are four things your employees might think they’ll find more of elsewhere:

‘Talent’ report helps Deloitte take stock

09/16/2010

At Deloitte, the annual report doesn’t stop with a financial statement. The financial services firm also publishes a “Talent Annuity Report” to chronicle its year in benefits and employee recognition efforts. “We published a Talent Annuity Report because we regard our talent as an investment that generates an annuity,” said CEO Barry Salzberg.

Planning for productivity: What time of day are workers at their best?

09/15/2010

If you plan important meetings for 3 p.m. or host brainstorming sessions after lunch, it’s time to reconsider those strategies. Late afternoon is the most common time for workers to hit the productivity wall, a new study says.

16 creative and cheap ways to say ‘thank you’

09/13/2010
Q. I started in HR at a company six months ago and morale is really low. I want to start an employee appreciation program. Can you share some inexpensive things that work in your company? Here are some suggestions from readers of the HR Specialist Forum: