What your team needs most is stability

  • October 16, 2012

Underlying the list of what needs to get done is the list of what your team needs to get things done. Satisfy those basic needs, build a culture of trust, and people...

Overcoming 5 barriers to decisiveness

  • October 15, 2012

Is your decision-making as effective as you’d like? Here are five barriers to decision-making and possible solutions from Kevin Eikenberry, Chief Potential Officer...

Substance abuse policies: legal guidelines

  • October 15, 2012

Substance abuse in the workplace costs employers billions of dollars annually in lost productivity, absenteeism and theft, as well as workers' compensation, health...

OK to terminate, even after FMLA leave request

  • October 13, 2012

If you were going to terminate an employee before you learned she wanted FMLA leave, you still can. Just be sure you can document when and why the termination decision...

Rejected applicants: What to tell ’em

  • October 09, 2012

If applicants ask why they didn’t get the job, conventional wisdom says to simply state that another individual more closely met the company’s needs,...

Workplace dating policies: Employer’s guide

  • October 07, 2012

Office romances can not only have an adverse effect on workplace productivity, but can engender claims of favoritism, sexual harassment and retaliation. So employers...

Progressive discipline: legal issues

  • October 06, 2012

Progressive discipline policies are not mandated by either state or federal employment laws. But legal issues often arise from the application of progressive discipline...

Handling insubordination: manager guidelines

  • October 03, 2012

Insubordination can result when difficult employees intentionally disregard a direct order from a manager, or inadvertently cross the discipline line when company...

Birdseye’s knack for problem-solving

  • October 02, 2012

Clarence Birdseye was the classic American inventor who became rich by finding marketable solutions to everyday problems. Before his company came along in the early 20th...

Keep prototypes ‘quick and dirty’

  • September 28, 2012

Your innovation methods should produce a bunch of ideas, including “crazy” ones. After paring them down based on critique and analysis, have your designers...