11/13/2009
When supervisors and managers have to deal with an employee they perceive as trouble, emotions can take over. That’s bad news. Warn them that anytime they have to deliver bad news to an employee—for example, while disciplining or firing—they must refrain from making smart-aleck comments. Wisecracks are too easy to misinterpret, especially if the employee already thinks the employer is out to get him.
11/11/2009
Employees who come to HR with complaints about alleged discrimination are protected from retaliation, as are employees who go to the EEOC or state and local anti-discrimination agencies. But what about employees who voice informal complaints? They’re protected from retaliation, too, even if all they did was simply voice concerns about how the company is treating other employees.