The Savvy Manager

What makes employees whistle while they work

April 14, 2017
Here are things that all workers seek in a workplace, and how those things rate on the “happy” meter.

Read the clues when confronting a worker

March 1, 2017
Cornering an employee to address performance issues is an unpleasant but necessary part of your job. It is, in essence, a closed-door moment where you lay out the person’s shortcomings, give him or her a chance to explain and then agree to a course of action.

Skip the cuss jar–just take the right steps to keep the language clean

December 7, 2016

Maybe your workplace has a policy against crusty language on the job. Many places don’t. If yours doesn’t, don’t just sit back and let your ears ring from the F-bombs bursting in air as the cuss jar quickly fills up to bankroll the next pizza party. As a boss, you need to temper the language, if not put a downright stop to it. Here are some points to ponder.

Sometimes, you gotta bend the rules

October 20, 2016
Your book of regulations is likely not all-encompassing, vague in spots and open to interpretation in others. It’s just a guide, for crying out loud. Which brings us to the fine art of fudging, bending or otherwise looking the other way in some circumstances. Done deftly, rule-bending can build a more engaged workforce.

What your email sign-off is really saying

August 4, 2016

Do you put much thought into your email sign-off? Chances are you don’t. Generally you pick one and stick with it no matter the length or gravity of your message. The reader of your email, especially one whom you are corresponding with for the first time, gleans something about you from your sign-off. Here are the top five email sign-offs and what the recipient could conclude.

Did he just say, ‘That’s not my job’?

June 30, 2016
It’s the ultimate punch in the manager’s gut because it’s taken as a direct affront to the boss’s authority. You’ve been challenged. Undermined. Dissed. Ouch!

The all-new Employee Operator Manual: No boss should be without it!

June 10, 2016
Why are there no operator manuals for managers to properly handle employees? Well, now the problem is solved. You no longer have to wing it.

4 reasons good employees turn bad

April 26, 2016
Here are things many bosses unwittingly do that damage and ultimately chase away their good workers.

One common phrase that stifles motivation

April 1, 2016
Here’s a line you may toss at your employees that seems reasonable at the outset, but could have downstream consequences when it comes to productivity, and worse, employee motivation and self-improvement: “As long as you get your work done.”

The dark side of management

February 9, 2016
It’s a place you don’t want to enter. And unsurprisingly, many supervisors find themselves there. “There” is the shady side, the underhanded side, the dark side of running the workplace. Whether it’s because of  habit, survival or just a case of “I don’t know why I went there,” it’s a place you need to get out of—quickly.