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Employee Relations

Secret to winning lawsuits: Track all progress, discipline

02/01/2008

The time to prepare for a discharge lawsuit is long before it’s filed. Know that someday, someone will sue you. Prepare accordingly. You won’t know who will sue, or what protected class they will belong to, so you should cover all your bases. That means tracking the progress of every employee and every disciplinary action you take, no matter who the employee is …

Meticulous performance, records win promotion cases

02/01/2008

Just about everyone with an ounce of ambition wants to be promoted. But in most organizations, there’s only so much room for managers and supervisors. Still, failure to win a promotion is one of the most frequent triggers for discrimination lawsuits. That’s why HR should carefully track every employee’s performance and progress …

Consider burden on others when accommodating disabilities

02/01/2008

It’s tough balancing the rights of disabled employees and the rest of your staff. It’s great to be able to offer accommodations that allow a disabled worker to stay in the labor force. But you don’t have to go to such extremes that your other employees have to pick up considerable slack left by the accommodation …

How to strategically manage turnover

02/01/2008

You know turnover is expensive; it forces your organization to recruit and train new employees. And while not all turnover is undesirable, a growing number of organizations are starting to focus on the management of turnover as a strategic business issue, both in terms of controlling bottom-line costs and driving top-line results …

Carrot or stick? Motivating managers to finish reviews

01/29/2008

HR can waste lots of time and energy hounding supervisors to complete their performance reviews. Choose the best mix of incentives and penalties to inspire managers to do reviews right and on time …

How to Help Managers Deliver the ‘No Raise’ News to Employees

01/22/2008

The most difficult part of a system that withholds merit increases from poor performers is giving the bad news to the employee who hasn’t earned a raise. That can be a scary prospect for managers who don’t like delivering bad news.  That’s where you step in: Help them prepare, so that they don’t cave in to the pressure …

6 ways to help employees do their best each day

01/16/2008
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How to counsel employees with attitude problems

01/15/2008

With some employees, the problem isn’t a matter of ability, it’s a matter of attitude. This can manifest itself in everything from quiet disobedience to outright insubordination. How should you respond?

How to counsel employees who have personal problems

01/15/2008
At one time or another, most employees you manage will have personal problems that hinder their job performance. Often, the problems aren’t serious and employees can quickly return to normal productivity. But in some cases, deeper personal problems can cause long-time, productive employees to suddenly underperform, become tardy or react differently to co-workers. This is […]

What to do when you suspect an employee is stealing from the company

01/08/2008

Few HR dilemmas are as sticky as dealing with an employee accused of stealing from the company. Here’s how to handle the situation with care, making sure your organization doesn’t overstep its bounds and expose itself to liability.