When you're thrust into working environments, you deal with all sorts of people on a daily basis. If you don't get along with some of them, the hours can drag on. If these people are your bosses, the days can seem like torture. Here's how to manage your manager.
Employees are often the best sources of ideas because they are closest to the daily details of the organization. But too often, employees are sitting on great cost-saving, business-generating ideas because they've never been specifically asked. Here are five strategies to help encourage input from employees.
Some disabilities require the use of medications with side effects. If one of those is sleepiness and fatigue, employers may have to accommodate those. That's why it's crucial for you to begin the interactive process as soon as you learn that an employee is having trouble because of the medication he uses. The worst thing you can do is to simply terminate him because he nodded off.
It's time to take a fresh look at the health questionnaires you hand out to employees as part of your wellness program. New federal regulations that prohibit discrimination against people with congenital medical conditions mean you must review health risk assessments to make sure they don't ask employees to reveal protected information.
When employees say they're having trouble completing their job duties because of their ADA-qualifying disabilities, employers are required to enter into an "interactive process to find accommodations that allow them to perform the job's essential functions. That's where the newly updated, redesigned Job Accommodation Network (JAN) site can come in handy.
Fortunately, most admins have strong partnerships with their managers or see ways to build that bond. But some admins are still struggling through their relationships with lousy bosses. Is the solution to quit? Not with unemployment rates above 10%. Here's another option: Negotiate with your boss, the way the FBI negotiates during a hostage situation.
A new study estimates that nearly two-thirds of Facebook users access the site at work. On average, they spend 15 minutes on the site during work hours, and the electronic back-and-forth could represent as much as 1.5% of an employer's productivity losses. The good news: You can stop it.
A progressive discipline system is the best way to correct employee performance problems. It's also the best way to protect against wrongful termination lawsuits. It allows you to ensure that any employee fired because of inferior performance was treated fairly and in accordance with your company's policies. Here's a five-step model for progressive discipline:
Benefits consultant Ken Stahlmann spells out three keys to creating crowd-pleasing employee-recognition awards:
Seth Goldman, co-founder of Honest Tea, soon found that he had no sounding board. But when the Aspen Institute chose him for a leadership program, Goldman found the outlet he needed. Here's what he did—and what you can re-create:
It's no picnic when you have to fire people for poor performance. Wayne Downing, a retired four-star general who ran the U.S. Army Special Forces, says you've got to do it. His advice:
Almost half of executives say that employees would be more productive if their companies banned meetings one day a week, according to a recent survey by OfficeTeam. That may be the case, but administrative assistants say meetings are still very much a part of every day—to a fault. How are admins taming the meeting madness?
Somehow, Walt Disney's toy division, run by Chris Heatherly and Len Mazzocco, churns out scores of innovative new toys every six months. What's their magic? Their continuous innovation hinges on a systematic brainstorming and prototyping process that works like this:
Have you ever felt that punch-to-the-stomach feeling of clicking "Send and realizing you blasted an e-mail to the wrong person? As the CEO in the following case learned, one misguided e-mail mixed with some poor judgment can stir up a potent legal stew …
Q. The employment and noncompete agreements we have with our salespeople are several years old and appear outdated to me. May I require everyone to sign new, updated agreements?
If you procrastinate, you're stealing time that could help you ace your work. This quiz will help you tell if procrastination is hampering your effectiveness:
Since people are so concerned about their jobs, they may be trying to eavesdrop to find out their job status. Ease employees' concerns by using these simple steps.
Some people can take constructive criticism very well, but others cannot. Learn how to deal with those employees who feel like you are attacking them with critiques.
Do you feel like there is always a birthday or baby shower that you are being asked to help pay for in your office? Follow these office etiquette rules to avoid breaking the bank.
Being a good leader isn't always easy and sometimes you have to make difficult decisions. See how some leaders were able to successfully bring their companies to the top.
