Employee Relations

5 ways to reduce absenteeism

12/10/2015

It may surprise you that the first item on the list of ways to get people to come to work more often is to encourage dissent.

Beware happy employees! They might be ready to bolt

12/08/2015

It sounds counterintuitive, but happy workers may not be everything you believe. The time to check in with them is now.

It’s a common scenario in the workplace: An ongoing dispute between two employees. Left unchecked it can split your whole unit into factions. And your workers may be looking at everything you do in terms of which side you seem to favor. Here are some guidelines that can help you address employee conflicts in a positive, effective manner.

Give Those Seasonal Part-Timers Your Full HR Effort: 7 Tips

12/04/2015

Today’s new payroll numbers show that employers are confident in bringing on that extra employee or two, expecially at this time of year. But too often, part-timers don’t get the same HR attention as full-timers. If your organization employes lots of part-timers or seasonal staff, consider these tips …

It’s OK to have favorites … just don’t PLAY favorites

12/04/2015

Studies show that managers often unknowingly give the benefit of the doubt to employees that they like, even employees who are average or subpar performers. In fact, a Harvard Business Review study found that most managers would rather work with “lovable fools” than “competent jerks.” To make sure you’re not unwittingly playing favorites, consider these issues.

‘Tis the season for online shopping on-the-clock

12/02/2015

Next to a credit card with a hefty limit, a workplace computer may be this year’s most essential holiday shopping tool. After a slight downturn in work-based online shopping in 2014, more employees say they’re spending working hours hunting for deals and buying gifts this year, according to CareerBuilder’s annual Cyber Monday survey.

Sometimes, you just need to say ‘no’

11/30/2015

How many times would you like to say, “No, I can’t help you,” but refrain from doing so? The result is an overload of work when you’re still trying to complete the projects that fall within your job responsibilities.

Dealing with the everything-is-urgent co-worker

11/30/2015

Co-workers who send every message with an “Urgent” tag in the subject line or who litter emails with “ASAP” make life unnecessarily stressful. Follow these tips to deal with an everything-is-urgent co-worker.

Performance reviews lose their luster

11/26/2015

CEO of GE Jeff Immelt is considering axing annual performance reviews. Instead, it’s experimenting with more frequent performance discussions between managers and staff. The industrial giant is also launching an app for supervisors and employees to share feedback with each other.

How to accommodate Muslim employees in the workplace

11/25/2015

Minnesota is home to North America’s largest Somali immigrant community, most of whom are Muslims. For Minnesota employers, this means becoming familiar with Islamic practices and the ways employers often must accommodate them.