Training

Is etiquette dead? Mind employees’ manners

05/14/2012

More corporate training departments are turning into pseudo charm schools. They’re sending employees to business etiquette classes (or hiring personal coaches) to put polish on everything from business correspondence and conversational skills to personal hygiene. At stake: professionalism and credibility.

Close skills gap with training, pay, planning

05/10/2012

More than half of U.S. employers are having trouble filling mission-critical positions, a ManpowerGroup report notes. It’s time to turn around the trend. Here are nine ways organizations are addressing the post-recession skills shortage:

Ensure training doesn’t foster discrimination

05/03/2012

If you have an internal training program designed to help employees advance their careers, make sure that it doesn’t unintentionally spur sex or other discrimination lawsuits.

When sexual harassment accusations fly, investigate and discipline right away

05/02/2012

Here’s a lesson learned from an employer that responded correctly when an employee complained about sexual harassment. Not only did it conduct a thorough investigation that helped it win a lawsuit, but it also prevented another potential sexual harassment claim when it discovered even more egregious behavior—from the original complainant himself.

You must pay for training that isn’t truly voluntary

04/30/2012

Do you require employees to complete after-hours training that will benefit your operations but isn’t directly job-related? If so, you must pay them for their time, unless you can show that participation is truly voluntary.

Add etiquette to employee expectations, please

04/10/2012

If you worry that the personal habits and behavior of your employees—particularly new hires, fresh out of school—might be holding them back (and reflecting poorly on your organization), try these tips for reinforcing business etiquette.

Employee training: When must it be paid?

04/09/2012

If you offer extra off-duty training to your hourly employees, pay extra attention to the rules that explain when those hours must be “paid time.” In most cases it will, but the Fair Labor Standards Act does give you a four-step ladder to climb to a pay exemption.

Tech training goes online for Verizon employees

03/14/2012

Verizon employees have logged more than 9 million training hours, including more than 60,000 hours for front-line sales and service representatives who learned to use new computer technology.

More than just paper: Sexual harassment policy won’t work without supervisor training

02/15/2012

Employers can create all the anti-harassment policies they want and still end up liable for sexual harassment. The key to a successful policy is action. The policy must work. And the policy won’t work if supervisors ignore it or aren’t trained how to implement it.

‘Voluntary’ training time: To pay or not?

12/20/2011

Do you offer extra off-duty training for employees that, while technically voluntary, is strongly recommended? If training participants are hourly employees, chances are you will have to pay them for this time.