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HR Management

Is it really a policy if it’s not in your handbook?

11/16/2010
One reason employers have handbooks is to protect themselves from surprise allegations of harassment. Without a handbook, they are left with having to show that employees knew how to complain. That’s tough if there’s no documentation that you told them how.

Help wanted: Benefits experts to demystify health law

11/16/2010
If you fancy yourself an expert on implementing the new health care law, now may be the time to test the employment waters. As Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, noted last month: “People are dying to get talent that can deal with this health care law.”

11 steps help make flexible work a success

11/15/2010
The DOL’s Women’s Bureau has started what it calls “a national dialogue on workplace flexibility,” and the agency is pushing employers to focus more on the work/life benefits of flex. Here are 11 steps you can take to make flex programs more successful—making work/life balance easier for your employees and improving your overall business operations:

Set up systems to prevent employee sabotage

11/12/2010

Employees often have legitimate reasons for accusing their employers of retaliation. But sometimes, employees themselves retaliate against a company, either out of malice, or to head off being fired. That’s one reason it pays to try to anticipate employee misfeasance and guard against sabotage.

The ‘rookie metric’: How to track quality of new hires

11/12/2010
Your organization likely tracks the individual performance of current new hires to determine their contribution. But most employers don’t measure and compare the aggregate performance of new hires year after year. There are different approaches to measuring quality of hire, but these two are among the most effective and widely used, according to HR consultants:

Illinois ranks high in magazine’s business climate ratings

11/11/2010

Illinois has the nation’s 16th best business climate, according to Site Selection magazine. Each year, the magazine rates the states by tallying up manufacturing plant openings and new expansions of other corporate facilities. It also surveys site selectors—the people who help companies decide where to locate—to get their take on state business climates.

What’s the best way to handle termination meetings?

11/11/2010
Q. I just terminated an employee and it was an ugly, public scene. Do you have any tips for making termination meetings easier?

Despite recent 8th Circuit ruling, stamp out ‘equal-opportunity harassment’ to keep harmony

11/11/2010

Here’s some food for thought: Failing to stop an employee from harassing women and men alike may be legally acceptable, but is probably still ill-advised. An employer that allows such conduct may escape legal liability, but that tolerance may make the workplace unattractive to good employees. Plus, it probably won’t be as productive as it would be with good anti-harassment policies in place.

Conducting workplace investigations: A step-by-step guide

11/10/2010
Disputes between co-workers and between employees and their bosses are almost inevitable—which is why every HR professional must know how to gather the necessary facts to find out what’s going on. Take some time to think about and plan your inquiry even for simple, seemingly routine issues. If the situation is complicated or raises a red flag about possible legal claims, a well-planned investigation can be critically important.

In one word, what do you want to teach on Day One?

11/10/2010
A recent LinkedIn HR group discussion posed this question: “In one word, what would you like to show/teach new employees on their first day of work?” Of the more than 1,500 comments, here are 25 of the most popular: