Employee Relations

What managers need to know about sexual harassment

10/01/2015

Here’s a primer on what sexual harassment is and how to react when you see it.

Should have foreseen psychic reading trouble at the VA

09/30/2015

Following an investigation by the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general, two high-ranking managers at the VA’s troubled pension management center in Germantown have been suspended for getting too friendly with some employees.

Justice has execs looking over their shoulders

09/28/2015

Attorney General Loretta Lynch appears to be placing her imprint on Justice Department prosecution strategy—by making it a matter of policy to go after not just companies that break the law, but the individual executives and CEOs who tolerate or encourage misdeeds.

Do you really know how to listen?

09/28/2015

Effective leaders learn how to put aside roving thoughts and distractions when conversing with people and open their ears. Here are some tips for active listening.

Build flexibility into your disciplinary process

09/25/2015

When two employees break the same workplace rule, the surest way to avoid a potential lawsuit is to punish both exactly the same. However, that’s not always practical or appropriate.

3 out of 4 workers agree: We’re working with adolescents!

09/23/2015

It’s not a jungle out there in the workplace anymore—certain behaviors are making it more like middle school.

Details make the difference when defending discipline

09/16/2015

We’ve said it before: Document every disciplinary action and be specific. The employer in this case won because it had excellent contemporaneous records to explain its disciplinary action.

Don’t confuse coaching with feedback

09/14/2015

Renée Robertson, founder and CEO of Trilogy Development, explains the subtle difference.

Older workers ‘coasting’?

09/14/2015

Here’s how to handle those employees who think they’ve earned the right to ease into retirement.

5 Ways to Make Your Virtual Meetings More Engaging

09/02/2015

While we all go to lots of meetings (too many?), more and more people are spending more and more time in meetings using technology, rather than being face to face with everyone. And while meetings are still meetings and people are still people, virtual meetings are different. One of the biggest challenges with virtual meetings is keeping people engaged and participating. Having led many virtual meetings, I’ve found five things that can help make a difference to increase participation and engagement, and reduce distractions for meeting participants. Let me share them with you here.