Employee Relations

Manage a suddenly unhappy staffer

08/11/2015

Before an employee’s performance slips or he or she quits altogether, take these steps to correct the situation.

VA offices cited for cutting corners & falsifying records

08/05/2015

The Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General has issued a blistering report on departmental practices.

Whistle-blower slipping: Punish or let it slide?

08/03/2015

Jack has become a minor celebrity with co-workers ever since he filed an OSHA complaint about a supposedly hazardous condition at the plant. He spends so much time talking about safety that his job performance is declining. Jack needs to be disciplined. What would you do?

How employers respond to the big productivity killers

07/30/2015

Technology keeps finding ways to distract, making employers find ways to get people back on task. Here’s a snapshot of those distractions and the workarounds some are attempting.

‘Kinetic’ furniture: A long walk to nowhere?

07/30/2015

It’s showing up in more workplaces, but are the benefits just an illusion?

7 conversations that keep employees engaged

07/27/2015

According to Dan Prosser, entrepreneur and author of Thirteeners: Why Only 13% of Companies Successfully Execute Their Strategy, here are “connecting conversations” that supervisors should be having regularly with their employees.

Rules aren’t made to be broken! Insubordination is grounds for demotion

07/23/2015

If you have employees like that, carefully document the behavior. Then apply appropriate discipline, especially if the employee is insubordinate. Just make sure that everyone else with a similar work record is also punished the same way.

What we value most when we consider job satisfaction

07/20/2015

When employees think about what makes for satisfying work, respectful treatment of all employees at all levels was rated “very important” by 72% of those polled for a recent Society for Human Resource Management study. But what came after that?

The paid leave movement marches on

07/14/2015

Paid sick leave is quickly catching on as a must-have benefit, driven by both government mandates and business realities. But is there a downside?

Going easy on tardiness doesn’t mean you can never discipline for late arrival

07/03/2015

There are times that an employee can get away with behavior that you otherwise wouldn’t tolerate. During a busy period, for example, you might be more forgiving of tardiness than when things are slower. After all, when things are busy, a late employee may be better than no employee. But if you ignore tardiness, are you forever condemned to tolerate it? Of course not, as a recent case makes clear. Still, consistency is always the best practice.