When we look at the standard HR job description, we usually see things like knowledge of federal and state labor laws and experience with workplace investigations, benefits, training, safety, recruiting and strategic planning. It is not common to see something about the ability to care for employees on the list of requirements even though it […]
When Team Skills Don’t Equal Team Performance
The gap between skills and performance is a frequent frustration and worse, a conundrum, for leaders. The team appears to have all of the skills required to excel but doesn’t measure up on key performance metrics. The most frequent performance inhibitor is lack of team synergy. Getting along well together isn’t enough. High performance teamwork […]
Ways to Salvage a “Below Standard” Employee
Managers can use five simple performance management steps to address and improve the performance of a below standard employee.
How to Include Bullying Prevention in Harassment Training
While there are laws that protect against harassment in the workplace, we have yet to see much that addresses workplace bullying. A new California law requires that employers add training on prevention of abusive conduct to their existing harassment training, which is currently mandated for supervisors at companies with 50 or more employees. Even if […]
Another take on the dreaded, outdated performance review!
Ah, the performance review. Please allow me to add my two cents to this topic. It’s been well documented that performance reviews are rife with deficiencies. Too often, they are used to place blame. Objective criteria becomes subjective. Rating scales save time, but don’t gauge performance OR identify areas for improvement. The process itself is […]
Intermittent FMLA exceeds docs estimate: What not to do
” An employee’s absences far exceeded the amount of medical leave his doctor estimated he’d need on his FMLA certification forms. What happened next landed his employer in some pretty hot water.” By Jared Bilski Here the scenario: An employee’s absences far exceeded the amount of medical leave his doctor estimated he’d need on his FMLA […]
Would Unlimited Vacation Fly at Your Company?
“While unlimited vacation policies have been lauded in larger companies … , the question is whether they’re plausible for smaller businesses that can’t afford to always have someone fill in for unavailable staff members. By Chad Brooks Employers have found a new way to entice top talent to their company. They’re giving employees something they’ve only […]
Who owns your business content in today’s BYOD world?
“… businesses need to consider the complicated issues surrounding intellectual property in an age where both work and play are done on the same device.” By Kevin Flanagan After the advent of BlackBerry, iOS and Android devices, some enterprising companies began to issue company mobile devices, while many others told employees to “bring your own […]
Why your employees aren’t using the new software
You’re a great boss. Even though you’re a small business you make sure your team has all the latest tools to do their jobs right. In fact, you just went out and got a cool new software. So why are all the employees complaining and not using the functions? This new software does it all; […]
Obesity is Now a ‘Disease,’ AMA says; What’s That Mean for HR?
“The American Medical Association (AMA) officially designated obesity as a “disease”—instead of as a condition… The AMA’s designation does not carry any official change in the law or regulations. But experts say this could increase the likelihood that obese employees will be deemed “disabled” under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)” By Pat DiDomenico While Americans were […]