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Employee Relations

Be sure managers know they can’t discipline employees for using FMLA

01/14/2013
Don’t let an angry manager turn routine FMLA leave into expensive and time-consuming litigation. Make sure all supervisors understand their FMLA obligations—and that they have no choice but to cheerfully allow em­­ployees to exercise their rights.

Hold bosses accountable for workplace problems

01/14/2013
Here’s an important concept to remember when disciplining managers: They are responsible for what goes on below them on the organization chart, whether they know the details or not.

Track all discipline and check for fairness

01/13/2013
Do you monitor all discipline and make sure employees who break the same rule suffer similar consequences? It’s the best way to win discrimination lawsuits.

Same incident, two punishments: Be able to explain why one was harsher

01/13/2013
You don’t always have to punish two employees who break the same rule exactly alike. Just make sure you explain the difference for the record. That kind of documentation will prove crucial if an employee decides to sue.

Be prepared to explain bonus before discharge

01/13/2013
Do you hand out periodic bonuses to employees? If so, be sure you can clearly describe how you calculate bonuses and what em­­ployees need to do to receive one. If you must later terminate an employee—and claim poor performance was the reason—she may point to the bonus as proof you fired her for discriminatory reasons.

N.Y. High Court rules on disciplinary definitions for public employees

01/13/2013
Although public employers may be aware of their obligation to provide certain types of employees with an opportunity for a hearing before imposing discipline (such as a written reprimand), the line be­­tween a nondisciplinary counseling memorandum and a disciplinary reprimand is not always clear.

Discipline meetings: 4 tips for doing them right

01/11/2013
If they’re doing their jobs, HR and managers must periodically have “the talk” with problem employees. How this meeting is conducted can mean the difference between turning around a marginal employee and opening the organization to costly litigation.

To err is human: Fear of failure at work

01/08/2013
Wonder what your organization’s staff is stressing over? For 28% of employees in a new Accountemps survey, it’s making a mistake at work.

10 ways to overcome ‘negative vibes’ among your staff

01/07/2013
A hard-core negative attitude that starts with just one employee can quickly infect an entire department (or a whole company) if the manager doesn’t rein it in quickly. Here are 10 tips for confronting em­ployees whose negative behavior has begun to affect co-workers and the company:

Business students: We want to work for Google!

01/04/2013
For the fourth year, Google tops the list of companies business students would most like to work for, according to “World’s Most Attractive Employers 2012” report. Students cited Google’s great benefits and culture of innovation.