Tag: procedures

Business is all about e-mail these days, yet many managers don’t know how to write an effective e-mail message, says Janis Fisher Chan. Her recent book, E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide, offers help. Check the Tone It’s easy to get the tone wrong in your business e-mails, says Chan. Check these three examples, which […]

In yesterday’s Advisor, attorneys MichaelCohen and Marc Scheiner covered some basics of dealing with sexual orientation discrimination. Today, we’ll cover their comments on awareness training and take a look at a special program that helps HR managers in small or even one-person departments. There’s a new level of awareness training needed around sexual orientation, says […]

Sexual orientation discrimination—there’s no federal law forbidding it, yet "any lawyer with a pulse" can get a claim to go forward in federal court, says attorney Michael Cohen. If sexual orientation—and gender identity and gender expression—are not on the list of protected characteristics (race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or age), how do such […]

Yesterday’s Advisor showed how one company handles tiered recognition. Today we’ll look at legal issues and other considerations for award policies, and take a look at a unique program for developing all the policies you need. As with most HR endeavors, employee recognition and award programs come with legal baggage. Here are the three issues […]

Think you don’t have to worry about retention in a down economy? Many experts suggest it’s especially important these days, particularly for the employees you value most. Today’s Advisor explores how one company uses a tiered recognition approach. Effective employee recognition is timely and meaningful, says Tommy Lee Hayes-Brown, AIC, a certified recognition professional and […]

PEDs (portable electronic devices) may truly be productivity boosters (although managers watching employees texting, Twittering, and gaming may not be so sure). But they are also potential carriers of critical information about customers, employees, and the company itself. Yesterday’s Advisor covered 10 policy issues surrounding PEDs. ( Go here to see them.) Today, we continue […]

PEDs—portable electronic devices such as laptops, PDAs, pocket drives, and memory cards—are in your office by the dozens. Are they putting confidential data at risk? Generating unexpected overtime? Destroying productivity? It’s time for a separate PED policy. First, courtesy of our sister newsletter, the Safety Daily Advisor, let’s consider the various laws that relate to […]

In yesterday’s Advisor, expert Dennis A. Davis shared the first three components of successful anti-violence programs. Today we’ll cover three more, and we’ll look at a wellness program that will aid your violence prevention efforts. Davis, director of client training for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Steward, P.C. in Vista, California, delivered his comments at […]

Because most people follow the rules, and because most violent people give ample signs before they act, employers can be successful at preventing workplace violence, says expert Dennis A. Davis, Ph.D. Davis, director of client training for Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Steward, P.C. in Vista, California, delivered his comments at the recent SHRM Employment […]

Telecommuting allows employees to work part or all of their standard workweek from a remote location, “seamlessly commuting” by e-mail, cell phones, and virtual private networks. (Editor’s note: It’s not always “seamless.”) Telecommuting has evolved from being a convenience to a business strategy to a business necessity. With the high cost of commuting for employees, […]