Performance Reviews

Don’t assume—It’s up to employee to raise disability issues

Do you suspect an employee may have a mental or psychological disability that may need accommodation—even though he hasn’t mentioned it? Tread carefully. If...

Demoting employees who belong to a protected class

Q. When making demotion decisions—especially those involving employees in protected classes—what factors should an employer take into consideration to avoid...

7 questions to ask at your review

When it comes to performance reviews, “annual” is out and more is definitely better.

Evaluating employee performance without creating legal liability

Performance evaluations are important tools to help employers gauge whether employees are performing at expected levels. They can help organizations spot talent and...

4 steps to help employees reach their peak performance

Use in HR Weekly e-letter — Aug. 7, 2007 (and posted on home page for that week)It sounds so easy: Expect high performance and you won’t be disappointed....

Good evaluation, raise don’t invalidate retaliation claim

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court made it easier to charge retaliation for complaining about alleged discrimination, the courts have been flooded with new cases probing...

Avoid Phrases That Can Sabotage Job-Review Meetings

When you talk with employees about their performance reviews, beware of using common phrases that can unintentionally communicate the wrong message, or come across as...

Giving and receiving feedback: 8 important do’s & don’ts

For some bosses, “Good work” or “That stunk” is all the feedback they offer employees in a day. But the employees crave a whole lot more ...

Employee Recognition Programs Should Use Tax-Free Awards & Fringe Benefits

Employee recognition programs can do a lot for employee morale and, indirectly, the company's bottom line. But before your company begins handing out gifts and special...

Study: Good-Looking people suffer a ‘Beauty penalty’ at work

Studies in the past have shown that attractive people generally earn a "beauty premium." That is, they earn more money, enjoy better performance reviews and...

Sample Policy: Peformance Reviews

Setting clear performance standards

"I didn't know what you expected ... Well, no one told me to do it that way!" Have you heard this complaint before? Probably so.

Managing your average performers

Studies show that nearly all the time most managers spent on "people work" is divided between their best performers and their worst ones. The people in the mid­dle...

Ways to boost employee morale

Question: First of all, let me thank all of those who have given me advice in the past. My frustrations have finally been solved. All this time, I thought no one cared...

Don’t feed the ‘alpha pup’

Can’t follow what the younger members of your staff are talking about? Here’s a quick sampling of business buzzwords:

5 warning signs of performance-review problems

Job reviews shouldn’t be paper-moving programs that return zero value. Here are five symptoms that warn of trouble in a supervisor’s appraisal process,...

Three keys to high-performance teams

In her new book, Contagious Success: Spreading High Performance Throughout Your Organization, Susan Lucia Annunzio identifies three characteristics that "consistently...

A 5-step cure for worrywarts

Gee, my team might lose this sale. If that happens, we could miss our quota. If we keep losing sales, I could lose my job. These days, out-of-work managers need months...

7 ‘sins’ that can blacken your image

You may think of them as “merely vices,” but succumbing to even one of the seven deadly sins can cripple your ability to lead.

Promise discretion, not confidentiality

An employee wants to confess wrongdoing or alert you to sensitive personnel or safety matters. But before opening up, the worker asks, “Can you keep this...