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Employee Relations

Did business grad bilk UM workers in Ponzi scheme?

09/08/2008
Andres Pimstein, a graduate of the University of Miami (UM) School of Business, didn’t venture far from his alma mater before putting all his hard-earned business savvy to use. He is accused of luring dozens of university employees into investing in what turned out to be a $30 million Ponzi scheme …

Consider impact of high prices on hourly employees

09/05/2008

s the prices of gas and groceries continue to climb, your organization’s hourly employees might be having a hard time making ends meet—a problem that could create stress and distraction at work. Consider adding some inexpensive extras for employees who have to choose between buying quality food and filling their gas tanks so they can drive to work …

‘Pool’ together to ease pain at the pump

09/05/2008

With gas prices near historic highs, some organizations are attempting to help out. Nearly 57% of large and small companies have launched at least one program to beat the high cost of commuting, a new Challenger, Gray & Christmas survey reports.

10 real-life proven ways to retain your best employees

09/05/2008

At Florida-based Baptist Hospital, the CEO declared an all-out war on turnovers, pulling out all the stops to tear down typical corporate walls and retain his best workers. That CEO is one of the corporate leaders who “gets it,” according to Greg Smith, author of 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees.

How to manage pay-for-Performance in today’s harsh new business environment

09/05/2008

If your organization has plenty of employees, but not enough of the skilled workers critical to surviving a down business cycle, you’re going to have to change your compensation plan. Three changes pave the way—finally!—for a pay-for-performance system that works.

Progressive discipline best approach with problem employee

09/05/2008

Some employees may believe their co-workers and supervisors are out to get them because of race, sex or some other protected characteristic. Then they look for evidence to support those beliefs. They catalog every slight for future reference—maybe in a lawsuit. Your best defense against such litigation is a well-established progressive discipline system …

Political activity in the workplace: Can you discipline employees?

09/05/2008

The upcoming elections will highlight partisan politics and controversial issues affecting employees. No doubt, your workplace will be the site of some political discussions—and maybe overtly political activity. You need to understand when you can and cannot discipline employees for political activity …

Tell supervisors: You can’t just make up your own performance appraisal standards

09/05/2008

Employers that let supervisors add to or alter the way they conduct performance appraisals are playing with fire. For example, supervisors should never be allowed to assess things like tardiness and attendance using anything but official HR records …

Salaries up slightly in ’09, with more pay for performance

09/05/2008

Despite the economic gloom dominating the headlines, three new national salary surveys predict that U.S. employers will generally hold salary increases steady in 2009. The surveys show employers plan to award average pay increases at or near 3.8% next year, nearly identical to raises given in 2008 and 2007. But smart employers aren’t handing out 3.8% across the board …

Survive the ‘perfect storm’ by matching pay to performance

09/05/2008

If your organization has plenty of employees but not enough of the ones with the skills you need to survive the economic downturn, you’re going to have to change the way you pay them. Make three changes to weather the tempest …