By Doug Thorpe Managers face a constant struggle to improve communication within their work teams. Besides being able to accurately articulate any technical aspects about the work (every industry has its key phrases, terms, and buzz words), business leaders have to be ever-mindful of some very basic principles of effective communication. We usually think about communication … [Read more...] about Use all four stages of effective communication
Managing staff
Adopt these four best practices for successful staff onboarding
A structured onboarding process can lead to a better start for your employees, resulting in better retention and productivity. That's the word from Paul Edwards, CEO and founder of Cedr Solutions, a provider of custom employee handbooks, management software and HR support. He suggests these four best practices to add to your process. 1. Begin onboarding before your … [Read more...] about Adopt these four best practices for successful staff onboarding
Gen Z: Avoid crucial mistakes when managing them
By Lynne Curry Question: We’re hiring a group of young office interns this summer for a special project and are trying to figure out the best team member to supervise them. We’re thinking someone as close in age to them as possible. Your thoughts? Answer: You’re hiring Gen Z workers, individuals born after 1995. The oldest Gen Z workers are 27, and while similar to Gen Y … [Read more...] about Gen Z: Avoid crucial mistakes when managing them
Roe v. Wade wars in the workplace
By Lynne Curry Question: Our office employs an interesting mix of personalities. In the past, this made for intense discussions about politics and world events, until last week when the U.S. Supreme Court’s potential overturn of Roe v. Wade leaked. The discussion became hateful and resulted in personal attacks. The manager stopped it, but not soon enough. HR then interviewed … [Read more...] about Roe v. Wade wars in the workplace
Negative staff: Is the problem you?
By Lynne Curry The manager called me, completely frustrated with his team. He told me his employees were negative, blamed each other for problems, didn’t communicate with him or take accountability and didn’t buy in to important initiatives. He asked me to talk with his key employees and tell me how to fix them. When I met with him afterwards, I asked, “How honest do you … [Read more...] about Negative staff: Is the problem you?
Caregiver caught between employer’s expectations and family’s needs
By Lynne Curry As managers require employees to spend more time at the office, they will encounter special circumstances that require special solutions. Consider the following situation of an employee needing to work from home to provide family care. Employee question: Since our schools no longer require masks, my husband and I decided to homeschool our youngest child. My … [Read more...] about Caregiver caught between employer’s expectations and family’s needs
Over half of workers would quit if required to return to office
After two years of office spaces sitting empty, many companies are eager to call employees back for good. In a survey of more than 800 senior managers, more than half of respondents (55 per cent) said they want their teams to work on-site full time as COVID-19-related restrictions ease, nearly unchanged from a similar survey conducted last year. Currently, 44 per cent of … [Read more...] about Over half of workers would quit if required to return to office
10 tips to turn toxic management into teamwork
By Daryll Esposito You know how valuable your employees are. The question is, do they know you know it? The working world is changing fast, and so are the demands of leadership. Successful law offices must nurture an environment that is not only productive but also provides flexibility, opportunity, and job satisfaction. Almost two-thirds of small to midsized companies report … [Read more...] about 10 tips to turn toxic management into teamwork
Resignations: It’s not the pay, it’s people problems
By Lynne Curry It’s not the money driving the Great Resignation, in which 4.3 million employees quit their jobs in January, followed by another 4.4 million in February.1, 2 A major research project completed a couple of months ago makes this clear. The MITSloan Management Review researched 600 companies that had higher quit rates than their sector benchmark and assessed vast … [Read more...] about Resignations: It’s not the pay, it’s people problems
8 ways to make your meetings zoom by
By Lynne Curry If you dread meetings–attending them, hosting them–and long for meetings to become more than a necessary evil, you can make it happen. Not long ago, I hosted a two-day, 15-hour meeting that the 17 attendees said “zoomed by,” “was fun, kept me engaged the entire time,” and “made an hour seem like five minutes.” Here’s how we did it. 1. A “you” start We started … [Read more...] about 8 ways to make your meetings zoom by