Employee Relations

Timely documentation: Your best legal defense

07/18/2019

What’s the best thing employers can do to win more lawsuits? Document every workplace decision contemporaneously, at the time you make it.

Are bonuses the key to hourly retention?

07/18/2019

Some employers have decided that significant investments in bonus plans are worth a try. They’re making even low-level retail and restaurant staff eligible—even part-timers.

Keep all drafts of disciplinary documents

07/17/2019

Sometimes, a performance appraisal or disciplinary report will go through several drafts. It’s a good idea to keep every one of those preliminary versions. If you are sued, you may be glad you retained the draft versions.

Friendly rivalries: Keeping workplace competitiveness healthy and productive

07/12/2019

A bit of friendly competition can energize a workplace and boost performance levels. But when office rivalries start mimicking the intensity of a heavyweight prizefight, managers need to take action before their business suffers casualties.

Focus reviews on performance, not emotions

07/09/2019

When you evaluate an employee who isn’t living up to performance expectations, avoid commenting on her emotional state. Focus on objective criteria like unmet goals or sales quotas. Otherwise, you risk a lawsuit claiming discrimination on the basis of disability.

Staff playing hooky to visit legal bookie? BET on it!

07/02/2019

Illinois and the District of Columbia are about to join seven other jurisdictions that allow legal betting on sporting events. Employers there are bracing for the possibility that wagers could get in the way of work.

Same broken rule, different discipline: Show why you punished one more harshly

06/28/2019

Courts like to see employers equally treat workers who break the same rules. That doesn’t mean employers have no wiggle room. The key is to document why one worker deserves a different punishment than another for breaking the same rule.

Snapshot: Inconsistent sleep habits affect productivity

06/25/2019

Workers who consistently go to bed and wake up at about the same time say they are significantly more productive than those whose sleep schedules vary.

Choosing the right words: What to say when …

06/24/2019

Three tricky communication scenarios, and many solutions for them.

Head off a lawsuit with an apology?

06/19/2019

Some attorneys now advocate that an often-overlooked option of simply saying “I’m sorry” in certain situations may actually soothe feelings, and even defuse legal action.