Productivity / Performance

Can a manager ask, ‘Is everything OK at home?’

09/02/2016

Q. If an employee makes four mistakes in a short period of time, can the employer ask, ‘Is everything OK at home?’ This person does office work, not factory, so it’s not a safety issue.

What to do when older workers start to coast

08/23/2016

When employees approach retirement, they sometimes go on autopilot. They may think there’s no way their employer will fire them at their age, assuming management will fear an age discrimination lawsuit. Such sudden drops in productivity can frustrate everyone involved, including co-workers and supervisors.

Spot warning signs of chronic absenteeism

08/21/2016

Chronic absenteeism is a chronic drain on the bottom line. Typically, the direct and indirect costs associated with absenteeism eat up 5% to 17% of an organization’s total payroll. Top brass is probably looking at HR for solutions.

Pokémon Go away! Get gamers back to work

08/16/2016

If you don’t have a policy that governs workplace gaming, now is a good time to establish one.

Rosy reviews: 99% of bureaucrats are good at their jobs!

08/12/2016

A new U.S. Government Accountability Office study of performance reviews found that 99% of federal government employees were rated as being good at their jobs, and almost two-thirds do “outstanding” work.

Remind bosses: Genuine constructive criticism doesn’t create a hostile work environment

08/05/2016

Some employees are difficult to manage. Maybe they have talent, but they’re not amendable to constructive criticism. Tell managers and supervisors that shouldn’t make them shy away from offering suggestions on how employee performance might improve.

Keep workers’ stress under control

08/05/2016

Often managers feel caught between a rock and a hard place. Challenged to meet organizational goals in a tough economic climate, they push teams to do more and watch the stress levels rise.

Are they ready for the next level?

08/01/2016

When is an employee ready for more responsibility?

Variable pay strategy: Teach workers to ‘manage the boss’

07/20/2016

The biggest trend in employee compensation is pay-for-performance. In many organizations, less employee pay is fixed; more is contingent on performance. In reality, too few managers do what’s necessary to make pay-for-performance work. Solution: Teach the employees to “manage the boss.”

… a worker’s not ready for a job he wants

06/28/2016

Here are some guidelines on how to respond to an employee who wants to take on a job you believe he is not able to do.