A year-end bonus can be a powerful tool for reminding your staff their hard work and commitment and the company’s overall growth and success are closely intertwined. And according to a survey of employers, 50% of companies plan to award year-end bonuses in 2022. While this is down from 63% last year, it’s a sign that staff retention remains top of mind for many … [Read more...] about Praise is nice but a year-end bonus is better
Managing staff
Do you just open your mouth and let the words fly?
By Lynne Curry When you’re upset with another person, do you open your mouth and let your emotions erupt and words fly? If you want to resolve an interpersonal conflict, you can’t afford to blast the other person. While you may feel vindicated, you risk the other person attacking back, getting defensive or shutting down If you want things to become better and not worse … [Read more...] about Do you just open your mouth and let the words fly?
3 questions to ask in your daily standup meetings
A daily standup meeting can be a highly effective way to keep your staff motivated and moving on important tasks. This 10-minute meeting, used in a variety of workplaces, provides an opportunity for a quick check-in on the day’s priorities. As the name implies, participants stand up—a posture that discourages long discussion. The meeting is so short no one bothers to find a … [Read more...] about 3 questions to ask in your daily standup meetings
Inflation’s impact on employees and the workplace
By Lynne Curry What keeps your employees and coworkers up at night, and what does it mean to you as their employer or colleague? According to the U.S. 2022 Inside Employees’ Minds Report conducted by the HR consulting firm Mercer, which surveyed 4049 employees between Aug. 26 and Sept. 9, 2022, it’s financial … [Read more...] about Inflation’s impact on employees and the workplace
5 lessons employers can learn from Elon Musk’s Twitter crises
By Lynne Curry When multi-billionaire and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk acquired Twitter on Oct. 27, he assumed leadership of a company that hadn’t earned a profit in eight of its ten years, By Nov. 4, eight days later, 1.3 million users had fled Twitter. Revenue dropped dramatically as advertisers, Twitter’s main revenue source, pulled out. One could feel sorry for … [Read more...] about 5 lessons employers can learn from Elon Musk’s Twitter crises
Digital presenteeism: Faking you care, faking you’re even there
By Lynne Curry A surprising number of employees, determined to hold on to their “work from home” status and aware that managers and others suspect remote employees of working less than their required hours, practice digital presenteeism. Digital presenteeism involves remote employees demonstrating they’re hard workers by responding to additional emails, attending additional … [Read more...] about Digital presenteeism: Faking you care, faking you’re even there
What to do when an employee uses FMLA to cover drinking
By Lynne Curry Question: We suspect one of our employees of using intermittent FMLA leave to cover her abuse of alcohol. We see a clear pattern. She takes leave two to three Mondays a month. Prior to her requesting FMLA leave, she claimed occasional sick days on Mondays. Other employees have noticed her leaving early on Fridays as well. With this fact pattern and given … [Read more...] about What to do when an employee uses FMLA to cover drinking
Flexibility is the key to remote work practices
“The name of the game is flexibility,” says Carl Kutsmode, Senior Vice President at Talentrise, an executive search and talent management consulting firm, talking about the nature of remote work since the coronavirus pandemic. Kutsmode discusses how the pandemic has changed the workforce, likely for good. Additionally, his perspective provides tips to help employers adapt to … [Read more...] about Flexibility is the key to remote work practices
Get a grip on costly office gossip
By Dr. Steve M. Cohen No matter how distracting, office gossip is something that no manager will ever completely eradicate. Like other human foibles, it’s too ingrained in our systems. That doesn’t mean you should ignore it or let it dominate your workplace. Office gossip is increasingly dangerous to many workplaces, including medical offices. It’s not that people do it … [Read more...] about Get a grip on costly office gossip
Make online team meetings work for you
By Lynne Curry If you dread online meetings–attending them, hosting them–and long for meetings to become more than a necessary evil, you can make it happen. Recently, 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. A “you” start We started … [Read more...] about Make online team meetings work for you