Employee Relations

Snapshot: How is remote work affecting productivity?

07/21/2020

Although 67% of employers plan on remote work continuing indefinitely, most say they don’t expect productivity to decline.

Employee tests positive? How to notify staff

07/16/2020

Millions of Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus, so odds are that one or more of your employees will test positive in the coming months. But there is a smart (and legal) way to communicate this news to your employees.

How to manage remote teams

07/14/2020

Amy Leschke-Kahle, VP of Performance Acceleration at The Marcus Buckingham Company—an ADP company—and a keynote speaker at the American Payroll Association’s recent virtual Congress, provided attendees with some advice on engaging employees who work remotely.

How to discipline despite ‘protected’ activity

07/02/2020

Employees who know they are about to be disciplined sometimes think the best defense is going on offense, filing internal discrimination, harassment or whistleblower complaints. If you follow your usual disciplinary rules, treat the employee just like other similarly situated workers and keep detailed, dated records, it’s unlikely a court will find retaliation.

Be smooth when altering a decision

06/24/2020

Be careful to take employees’ reactions into consideration when announcing your change of course. Here’s how to switch gears smoothly.

Off-duty worker ignores social distancing: How to respond

06/18/2020

If you discover that employees have flaunted local COVID-19 guidelines outside of work, can you place them on an unpaid leave of absence to quarantine before they return to work?

Due to COVID, some firms detach pay from performance

06/18/2020

Last year, a great majority of employers (85%) said they link employees’ pay directly to performance, according to a Mercer study. But the consulting firm says some companies are now incorporating a “compassion factor” in how they calculate goals and performance.

Performance reviews: 3 tips

05/22/2020

If performance evaluations are simply once-a-year exercises, they’ll never be as effective as they should be. Instead, to make evaluation a continual aspect of how you manage, tie evaluation sessions to the flow of work throughout the year. Consider these suggestions.

Date and time stamp every discipline decision

05/21/2020

Smart employers immediately and precisely document every employment decision. For example, it’s not enough to merely note the date you decided to terminate someone. Record that actual time the decision was made.

During discipline, ask productive questions

05/14/2020

A useful framework for having disciplinary conversations is to state evidence of the problem and immediately pose a question. It may help uncover the reason for a problem and engage the employee in framing the issues, owning his behavior and identifying solutions. Here are some examples.