Memos to Managers

5 tips to get the most out of employees’ annual evaluations

10/28/2021

How do you handle a performance review that involves some news employees won’t necessarily welcome?

8 tips for having difficult conversations via videoconference

09/23/2021

Remote and hybrid work arrangements will almost certainly remain part of the management landscape in the months and years to come. That means it’s time to formalize ad hoc processes that emerged during the pandemic. Whether meeting with employees yourself or training supervisors how to interact with team members, these tips can make it easier to use Zoom for talking about matters that normally warrant face-to-face interactions.

Want to be an effective manager in 2021? Refine these skills

06/24/2021

The working world has been forever changed since teams and workplaces were forced to reconsider how to collaborate, hold meetings, conduct events and interact with external clients and internal partners. Here are the skills you need to master in 2021 to stay on top of your management game.

Don’t take it personally! How managers can avoid liability in employee lawsuits

05/26/2021

Understanding all the legal do’s and don’ts of managing employees can be difficult. And If employees (or ex-employees) decide to file a lawsuit, they can sometimes sue their managers directly in addition to suing the company. To reduce the possibility of personal liability, here are five important actions.

Here, there, everywhere: Foster harmony and productivity with a hybrid workforce

04/22/2021

Flexible, hybrid arrangements allow for better safety precautions and relieve some of the chaos experienced by working parents with children e-learning at home. For managers, however, the set-up can prove a major headache. How can leaders improve the harmony of a hybrid workforce and perhaps save their own sanity?

What managers need to know about the FMLA

03/25/2021

The law allows qualified employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for their own “serious” health condition or to care for an immediate family member who has a serious condition.

What managers need to know about age discrimination

11/01/2020

At first glance, the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) appears pretty straightforward: It protects people age 40 and older from employment discrimination based on their age. But the law isn’t as simple as it appears; it affects managers in everything from questions asked in job interviews to assigning job duties. Here’s a description […]

Do they just have the ‘blahs’ or is staff burned out?

10/20/2020

Today’s workers feel the strain of maintaining high performance in an environment that makes success decidedly more difficult. It’s important for managers to be able to identify and deal with burnout—the loss of interest and motivation that can result from workplace pressures.

Lean on your team for decision-making

09/25/2020

Making decisions is a natural part of being a manager, but you don’t have to go it alone. In fact, learning how to collaborate with your team for decision-making can improve group dynamics, reduce stress and uncertainty and make your staff feel like their voice truly matters.

How to manage grieving staff: Compassion, not silence

08/27/2020

It’s tempting for supervisors to take a hands-off approach to an employee’s grief. However, silently waiting for the employee’s emotional recovery and viewing grief as a “problem to be solved” isn’t the right strategy.