Productivity / Performance

Document performance problems to justify RIF list

09/24/2020

Use objective criteria when deciding who will keep or lose their job during a reduction in force. Then be sure to document your specific, business-related reasons for handing out pink slips. That will help you prevail in court if an employee sues, alleging a RIF was based on discrimination.

After layoffs, address employees’ survivor’s guilt

09/01/2020

U.S. employers announced nearly 1.6 million permanent job cuts in the first half of 2020, according to tracking by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. It’s a staggering number, and those who are left working almost certainly feel the strain of survivor’s guilt.

Don’t forget the overnighters

08/28/2020

Shift work is the norm in some industries, and if you’re responsible for employees on the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift, or something similar, you need to manage them with extra care. Keep this advice in mind.

Get staff to own your plan

08/26/2020

You’ve probably found yourself in this predicament: You have what you think is a good plan to achieve a goal or solve a problem. How can you cross the ownership gap between “the boss’s idea” and “our plan”?

Work competition heats up even as teams are dispersed

08/18/2020

While many teams may be dispersed right now, a sense of workplace competition is alive and well, new research from global staffing firm Robert Half shows.

‘Windowed work’ driving pandemic-era productivity

07/28/2020

To an unprecedented degree, white-collar employees working from home are free to decide when they perform their jobs. A significant percentage are choosing to break their workdays into two or more discrete blocks instead of plowing straight through a standard eight-hour shift.

Google extends work-from-home, others could follow

07/28/2020

News that Google will allow most employees to work from home for 12 more months has other employers reconsidering their own plans to reopen workplaces this year.

4 ways you might unintentionally be adding to employee anxiety

07/24/2020

While you can’t solve many of the challenges your employees now face, you can help manage workplace anxiety by checking in with some of your own managerial habits. Here are four ways managers accidentally add stress to their employees’ lives, and how to adjust your style to be a more supportive leader.

Restart a stalled employee

07/24/2020

When an employee says, “I can’t do my assignment,” you’re likely to be upset. That’s a legitimate reaction, but don’t let it hinder getting the job done and restoring the employee’s motivation. Ask these four questions.

Snapshot: How is remote work affecting productivity?

07/21/2020

Although 67% of employers plan on remote work continuing indefinitely, most say they don’t expect productivity to decline.