Tag: Plain English

Your Manager’s Worst Sin—Envy, Greed, or Sloth?

[Go here for sins 1 to 4 and a bonus sin] Sin 5. Envy Envy makes managers do things that aren’t appropriate for the company. For example: Gaming the compensation system. For example, giving a higher-than-deserved performance rating in order to award a higher raise to an average employee who is high in the range. […]

But, Jerk, Lazy, I Don’t Have Time, and OK Are Not OK

Go here for numbers 1 to 6 of Price’s phrases to avoid. Price (www.wellsaid.com) is the author of the book Well Said! Presentations and Conversations That Get Results. 7. AVOID: “… don’t you think?” and “… isn’t it?” and “… OK?” To convey a confident, commanding presence, eliminate validation questions. Make your statement or recommendation […]

Friending, Unfriending, and Linking In on Social Media

Casual References Casual references on LinkedIn or other professional social media sites pose legal risks: Defamation (if they are negative and untrue). Misrepresentation (if they are positive and untrue). Evidence of pretext in an EEO claim (if you terminate for poor performance but you’ve written a glowing recommendation on LinkedIn). Segal’s recommendation: Make clear to […]

Contingent Workforce—Who’s a ‘Temp’?

The temporary or contingent workforce is the fastest growing segment of the national workforce, with almost 75 percent of employers in all industries using them, according to a survey by CyberShift. It’s important to sort out the status of your relationship with each type of contingent worker before issues arise. For insights, we turned to […]

Engagement? Retention? Train and Talk

[ go here for the first three T’s] Training Training is a reward. Top people want to keep their skills up and you need them to believe that the organization cares about keeping employee skills up to date. Development is both a management responsibility and an employee reward. What If We Train and They Leave? […]

Compassionate Impulses—Understandable, But Dangerous

The Two Problems Fentin, who is a partner in the Springfield, Massachusetts, law firm, Skoler, Abbott & Presser P.C., points out the two sometimes opposing desires of dealing with employees with chronic illnesses: Supporting the employee with chronic illness, and Managing the employee with the chronic illness. Balancing these two needs isn’t easy, Fentin admits. […]

Your Workplace Violence Program—4 Essential Components

Sem, who is CPP CSC certified, is the president of Sem Security Management in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He was joined by Di Ann Sanchez, PhD, SPHR, the founder and president of DAS HR Consulting LLC, at a recent webinar sponsored by BLR®. The Four Essential Components of a workplace violence (WPV) Program 1. Prevention—the most […]

Advantages and Disadvantages—Team Goals vs. Individual Incentives?

Busch, whose remarks came at a recent BLR-sponsored webinar, is owner of HR Compensation Consultants, LLC. Here are her suggestions about team and individual incentives. What Are Team-Driven Incentives? Team-driven incentive are intended to foster a collaborative environment in which team members are focused on helping one another. They are: Based on a team’s performance. […]

Job Sharing—The Advantages and Disadvantages

Job sharing is a special type of part-time employment in which two or more employees share the duties of a single, full-time position. Job sharers may each work part of a day or work alternate days or weeks. Here’s how it may benefit the employer: Improve recruiting by attracting qualified employees who don’t want to […]

8 Steps to Stop Bullying in Your Workplace

Yesterday’s Advisor featured attorney Allison West’s take on bullying in the workplace. Today, her guidance for dealing with the bully, plus an introduction to the all-compensation-in-one-place website, Compensation.BLR.com. West, who is principal at Employee Practices Specialists in Pacifica, CA, delivered her suggestions for dealing with bullying in the workplace at the SHRM Employment Law and […]