Employee Performance

Returning to the office: Is the honeymoon over?

September 28, 2022
The flexibility of telecommuting has become the top benefit employees seek, more than salary or health care. Gallup found that six in ten exclusively remote employees are “extremely likely to change companies” if not offered remote flexibility. Here are a few of Gallup’s recommendations to help leaders stay focused on what’s important.

Why we can’t stop talking about quiet quitting

September 23, 2022
Unless you’ve been living in an alternate universe, you’re probably sick of “quiet quitting.” But taking your foot off the gas doesn’t actually involve quitting. Instead, it describes what some call “acting your wage”—that is, doing precisely what your job requires of you.

Twin perils: ‘Quiet quitting’ and ‘quiet firing’

September 15, 2022
Two buzzwords have been making the rounds in HR. “Quiet quitting” describes the practice of employees doing the bare minimum required of their jobs, not caring if they get fired. Then there’s “quiet firing,” which describes the flip-side—when employers passively try to push employees out the door Both practices carry huge risks for employers.

SHRM lawsuit puts spotlight on evaluations

September 15, 2022
The best way to defend against a surprise discrimination lawsuit is to conduct accurate, regular reviews that assess a worker’s performance using as many objective standards as possible. Those evaluations then serve to back up any disciplinary action you take, even if the employee files an internal bias complaint and follows up with a lawsuit claiming subsequent discipline amounted to retaliation.

Why you need to implement the buddy system for new hires

September 2, 2022
A March report from recruiting firm Employ Inc. came to the conclusion that one in three new hires will leave a job within the first 90 days. That means employers must engage employees quickly and solidify their trust and confidence in the company’s culture and core values—areas in which the onboarding process often falls short.

The Slack/MS Teams effect: deception and anxiety

September 1, 2022
Apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams made it easier for remote employees to collaborate with one another during the pandemic. But not everyone is a fan.

Stop unauthorized work by remote employees

August 18, 2022
If you have employees who work remotely at least some of the time, you know how difficult it is to keep tabs on exactly what they are doing and when they’re doing it. That can be bad news if those employees are nonexempt. They must be paid for all work they perform—whether you knew they were working or not. The good news is that you can set up systems that prevent unauthorized telework.

New research says Zoom stifles creativity

July 8, 2022
Bored and zoning out in Zoom meetings? A new study says video interactions actually hinder creativity, and in-person brainstorming resulted in better ideas.

Monitoring remote workers can backfire

July 7, 2022
Managers trying to electronically monitor their remote employees might want to rethink their snooping strategy. Even as online searches for “how to monitor employees working from home” have increased dramatically since the pandemic began, being Big Brother can backfire.

How to legally navigate employees’ requests to work remotely

June 16, 2022
After roughly two years of isolation, employers are summoning employees back to the office. Not all employees are thrilled, which means many employers are facing resistance from employees who have grown accustomed to remote work.