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HR Management

Must we have a smoking section onsite?

09/16/2014
Q. Our smoking area is outside our building, but the smoke seems to be drifting into the ventilation system. An employee who is super-sensitive to smells has complained. Can we move smokers to their vehicles? Do we even need to provide a place for smokers onsite?

Do you judge your employees fairly?

09/15/2014
Always run your evaluations through a battery of objective measures before you render a conclusion about an employee’s ability. Use these techniques to evaluate the actual work product.

Flying solo: 5 steps to control an HR department of one

09/15/2014
Sole HR practitioners can rely on these tips to get the job done.

HR affects the parts of work that are least satisfying

09/12/2014
HR pros, take note: The things that make workers grumble all have something to do with your job.

Drug tests: What to do about ‘watered down’ results?

09/12/2014
Q. We have a couple of workers who keep getting “negative dilute” results of drug tests. Our policy is to not accept the result and to retest. Can we require the retest to be an observed collection?

Employee isn’t enthusiastic about training his replacement?

09/11/2014
To convince a worker to help with grooming the next in line, send this message.

Overcome the pitfalls that could derail your next committee

09/09/2014

Too much talk, too much posturing, not enough action. Too often, that’s what defines committees. They can be time-sapping excuses for big egos to engage in paralysis by analysis without accomplishing much. Next time you convene a committee, beware these pitfalls that can keep you from achieving your goal.

Employees’ personal data could transform HR

09/08/2014
Privacy advocates may squirm when big data is used to profile workers—but many of those workers may not mind.

Politics at work: 3 tips to limit election-year distractions

09/05/2014
Some employers try to quell this distraction by putting a gag order on political speech. That’s not a smart move. No-political-talk policies are almost impossible to enforce, plus they can choke morale and could expose you to a lawsuit.

If a new employee leaves in short order, is there a way to recoup training costs?

09/02/2014
Q. Can we require employees to repay the company (through payroll deduction) for training costs if they quit or are fired within one year?