Employee Relations

Document performance problems to justify RIF list

09/24/2020

Use objective criteria when deciding who will keep or lose their job during a reduction in force. Then be sure to document your specific, business-related reasons for handing out pink slips. That will help you prevail in court if an employee sues, alleging a RIF was based on discrimination.

Suspect bullying? Intervene fast

09/23/2020

Take all claims seriously. Bullying can lead to physical violence, long-term psychological damage—and the harassment lawsuits that accompany them. Here are several tactics to use when following up on your suspicions.

Survey: Coronavirus could trigger retention problems

09/15/2020

An overwhelming majority of executives surveyed by staffing firm Robert Half—88%—say they have grown concerned about retention since the pandemic began, and 47% say they are very worried.

After layoffs, address employees’ survivor’s guilt

09/01/2020

U.S. employers announced nearly 1.6 million permanent job cuts in the first half of 2020, according to tracking by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. It’s a staggering number, and those who are left working almost certainly feel the strain of survivor’s guilt.

Don’t forget the overnighters

08/28/2020

Shift work is the norm in some industries, and if you’re responsible for employees on the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, or something similar, you need to manage them with extra care. Keep this advice in mind.

How to manage grieving staff: Compassion, not silence

08/27/2020

It’s tempting for supervisors to take a hands-off approach to an employee’s grief. However, silently waiting for the employee’s emotional recovery and viewing grief as a “problem to be solved” isn’t the right strategy.

Get staff to own your plan

08/26/2020

You’ve probably found yourself in this predicament: You have what you think is a good plan to achieve a goal or solve a problem. How can you cross the ownership gap between “the boss’s idea” and “our plan”?

Work competition heats up even as teams are dispersed

08/18/2020

While many teams may be dispersed right now, a sense of workplace competition is alive and well, new research from global staffing firm Robert Half shows.

Discipline looming? Expect complaints to be filed

08/13/2020

Employees sometimes try to head off a suspected firing by filing internal complaints. They hope their employers will be so afraid of a retaliation claim that they put the termination on hold. It doesn’t always work.

EEOC opioid advice focuses on job retention