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Employee Relations

Out of the doldrums: How to reignite your employees’ passion

07/29/2019
Just as partners benefit from checking with one another to gauge fulfillment levels and figure out how to grow together, managers who take an interest in maintaining a passionate staff reap great rewards.

How to document employee infractions: 4 ‘musts’ to include

07/27/2019
In his recent Business Management Daily webinar, Documenting Employee Performance, author and HR executive Paul Falcone explained how much (and what kind) of details should be included when documenting employee performance and behavior problems.

Document problems that justify discipline

07/18/2019
Some employees are more difficult to manage than others. Be sure to document exactly what errors the employee makes and the rules he breaks. Then discipline strictly by the rules.

Timely documentation: Your best legal defense

07/18/2019
What’s the best thing employers can do to win more lawsuits? Document every workplace decision contemporaneously, at the time you make it.

Are bonuses the key to hourly retention?

07/18/2019
Some employers have decided that significant investments in bonus plans are worth a try. They’re making even low-level retail and restaurant staff eligible—even part-timers.

Keep all drafts of disciplinary documents

07/17/2019
Sometimes, a performance appraisal or disciplinary report will go through several drafts. It’s a good idea to keep every one of those preliminary versions. If you are sued, you may be glad you retained the draft versions.

Friendly rivalries: Keeping workplace competitiveness healthy and productive

07/12/2019
A bit of friendly competition can energize a workplace and boost performance levels. But when office rivalries start mimicking the intensity of a heavyweight prizefight, managers need to take action before their business suffers casualties.

Focus reviews on performance, not emotions

07/09/2019
When you evaluate an employee who isn’t living up to performance expectations, avoid commenting on her emotional state. Focus on objective criteria like unmet goals or sales quotas. Otherwise, you risk a lawsuit claiming discrimination on the basis of disability.

Staff playing hooky to visit legal bookie? BET on it!

07/02/2019
Illinois and the District of Columbia are about to join seven other jurisdictions that allow legal betting on sporting events. Employers there are bracing for the possibility that wagers could get in the way of work.

Same broken rule, different discipline: Show why you punished one more harshly

06/28/2019
Courts like to see employers equally treat workers who break the same rules. That doesn’t mean employers have no wiggle room. The key is to document why one worker deserves a different punishment than another for breaking the same rule.