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War, Pestilence, and the Second Coming: Is your Workplace Ready?
Starting the New Year this morning with a quick look at the news, I saw this AP story: “Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007″
This story reports on an Associated Press-AOL News poll about Americans’ predictions for 2007.
Poll findings include:
60% think the U.S. will be the victim of a terrorist attack.
60% think it likely [...]
High-Tech, Impersonal Firings Not Good Idea
A recent Christian Science Monitor Work & Money piece discusses how to communicate bad news regarding termination or layoff.
Specifically, the topic is the notion that “impersonal ‘cyber-firings’ via e-mail – even text message – have become an expedient way to lay employees off.”
The article leads with an employee who got the news by [...]
Health Care Cost Crisis Inspires Sucessful New Strategies
Some things to consider in looking for savings.
The rising cost of healthcare and unaffordability of health insurance is, of course, a national problem. But with our employer-provided insurance model, it is above all a crisis for employers seeking to attract and retain the best employees with an attractive wage and benefit package.
It would be [...]
Beyond “Name, Rank & Serial No.” in Reference Checking
A few weeks ago, I found a nice concise piece in HR Daily Advisor (BLR) with some good tips for making reference checking more than a pro forma exercise.
Some of the points:
Make reference checking a personal matter, not a matter for “Personnel” (talking to the candidate’s immediate supervisor, not the HR department)
Ask about the [...]
What Happens When an Employee Has Cancer?
One of the few pleasures of my daily commute is catching Marketplace on my local NPR station on the drive home (assuming I can leave by 6:00).
This evening, I caught a story about employees with cancer — and how employers deal with it.
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Excellent Guide To Handling Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Complaints
Employers, HR managers, and attorneys can always use reminders of basic guidelines for handling workplace harassment and discrimination complaints.
Today I’d like to share an article I ran across that provides these basics.
“An Owner’s Guide To Dicey Workplace Complaints” covers the following key points:
Keep An Open Mind
Treat The Complainer With Respect And Compassion
Do Not Blame [...]
Customers vs. Employees: The Customer Isn’t Always Right
Long ago and far away, I had my first job at a McDonald’s for $1.60 an hour.
I had fun, worked hard, and learned a lot about the workworld, including memorable phrases like “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean.” And this one:
“The customer is always right.”
Customer service and satisfaction are [...]
Pros and Cons of 360 Degree Feedback
Susan M. Heathfield, the About.com Guide to Human Resources, takes on the subject of 360-degree feedback, providing a balanced overview of the topic and clear and concise bullet points on the pros and cons.
Susan’s definition of the term “360-degree feedback”:
“A method and a tool that provides each employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from [...]
More on Employers’ Immigration Obligations
Yesterday, I wrote about immigration. Today, I happened on a few related items.
First, while looking at back issues of the St. Louis Bar Journal, for which I am preparing an article, I found:
“A Brief Overview of the United States Immigration System” by immigration attorney George S. Newman (.pdf)
For those, like me, whose head [...]
Some Immigration Law Tips for Employers
Congress seems to be stuck in the process of passing much-needed immigration law reform. But employers must still comply with existing law — an obligation that can get sticky.
I ran across an article that briefly summarizes employers’ obligations — and dilemmas.
The basic obligations are:
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Proving the Obvious? Good HR is Good Business, Study Finds
This from Tampa Bay Business Journal via the ManagersRealm blog:
According to a recent Gevity Institute study, certain HR practices result in measurable business results.
The study found that small businesses that follow a set of “workforce alignment” employee management strategies achieve 22.1 % higher revenue growth, 23.3 % higher profit growth and 66.8 % less employee [...]
Five Mistakes To Avoid When Terminating Employees
Years of practicing employment law have taught me that although sometimes absolutely necessary from a business perspective, termination is the employment decision most likely to lead to litigation.
I have also learned the hard way that management often makes mistakes in terminations that make the defense of termination claims much more difficult.
A recent article points [...]
Cool Recruiting Trick
Jim Stroud has step-by-step instructions for how to electronically deal with the following recruiting situation:
Imagine finding the resume of the perfect candidate only to find out that they were not swayed by your pitch and are quite happy where they are.
But never fear! They will give you a call once they are ready to make [...]
Dear John: Some Potential Suggestions for Writing Applicant Rejection Letters
It is always interesting to discuss how to craft a candidate rejection letter. Indeed, some might wonder whether such letters should even be written! I found a recent article discussing some characteristics of a successful rejection letter.
Most interestingly, the author mentioned a practice that Circuit City used years ago, in which the rejection letter [...]
“Tell Me About Yourself:” The 25 Toughest Interview Questions (and tips on how to answer them!)
This list of interview questions is a handy reference for job search interview advice, whether you’re an interviewer or a job candidate.
Personally, I don’t like these interview questions much. But, as a job candidate you should be prepared to answer them effectively.
Among the 25 most difficult interview questions are the following:
“Tell me about [...]
