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HR Management

Can you rein in political speech at work?

02/16/2024
Most employers would prefer employees focus on work and not the state of the world when they are on the clock. So how can you quell political arguments in the workplace? You must balance employees’ interest in speaking freely with your interest in maintaining order and productivity:

8 steps to becoming the manager your employees need

02/16/2024
In an effort to “empower” their staffs, too many managers take a completely hands-off approach, leaving employees alone unless they really need help. But this can create a rudderless ship, says management expert Bruce Tulgan. That’s not leadership! Here’s how effective managers provide genuine support to their employees.

Are you burning out? 25 questions to gauge your mental state

02/16/2024
In the middle of winter, with the holidays a distant memory and spring still months away, motivation begins to flag. It’s the time of year when the seasonal blues can turn into a full-blown job meltdown. Take this self-assessment find out if you’re edging toward the crispy end of the burnout scale.

6 terrible ways to start your day

02/15/2024
How you spend the first 10 minutes of your workday can make or break your productivity the entire day. Here’s what you should avoid.

A DEI smackdown: Good intentions vs. the law

02/14/2024
In the blue corner, from the Big D, the former owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team and serial entrepreneur Mark Cuban. And in the red corner, hailing from our nation’s capital, EEOC Commissioner Andrea Lucas.

Succession: It’s time to plan for the inevitable exodus of older workers

02/14/2024
Employers nationwide are facing a potential succession crisis. With the unemployment rate hovering near a 50-year low of 3.7%, it’s difficult to hire new employees to replace older staff who are leaving the workforce. Employers need to plan now for how to replace the expertise older workers have acquired.

Return-to-office mandates prompt two key groups to quit

02/05/2024
When employers implement rigid return-to-office mandates, they’re most like to alienate—and lose—high performers and women, according to research by the Gartner business advisory firm.

Committed to DEI? Here’s how to make it work

02/05/2024
While diversity, equity and inclusion programs have recently come under fire, the Littler Mendelson law firm’s just-released Inclusion, Equity and Diversity C-Suite Survey Report found that most employers remain committed to DEI initiatives. Here are several ways you can leverage DEI to improve organizational performance.

Docking pay for snow-day absences: When is it legal?

02/04/2024
The snow’s coming down pretty good and an exempt employee calls to say she can’t make it in today because her car is stuck. Can you deduct a full day’s pay from her salary for that missed day? What if she’s non-exempt? What if you close work because of bad weather? Here’s guidance—and a handy flowchart—to help you make the call.

Get written acknowledgment for every missed shift

02/02/2024
Employers that have clear rules and apply them fairly seldom lose termination lawsuits—if they can prove their employees understood the rules. One of the best ways to demonstrate that is by consistently having workers acknowledge that they broke a rule. Do this at the time you discipline the worker, pointing out what rule they broke. A brief written disciplinary notice with a space for the employee’s signature should to the trick.