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The Demanding Job of the Middle Manager

For many workers, getting promoted to a management position is a major career goal, but those first and second levels of management between frontline workers and the brass at the top—also known as “middle management”—aren’t necessarily all they’re cracked up to be. Middle managers are often caught between the demands of their subordinates and the […]

Phantom Ownership: How to Use Phantom Units to Incentivize Star Employees

Businesses often face the challenge of attracting and retaining star employees. It can be tempting to offer star employees ownership in the business to prevent the hardship of losing star employees after investing time, money, and resources into training and onboarding. The main drawback of offering ownership is potentially relinquishing some control in the business. […]

Office Peacocking: The Newest Way to Lure Workers to the Office

You may have heard the term “office peacocking” in the past when referring to an employee who makes an exaggerated effort to stand out. Now, the term is used for employers who want to lure their employees back to the workplace. Some businesses are dressing up their offices with all the bells and whistles, such […]

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Videoconference Etiquette

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, companies were already expanding their use of videoconferencing technologies like Zoom, Teams, WebEx, and Skype. These can be great tools for enabling closer collaboration among colleagues and business partners working in different offices or even on different continents. Of course, the widespread shift to remote work triggered by COVID-19 precautions and […]

6th Circuit: Employee May Be Fired Over Facebook Slur

An employer could lawfully terminate an employee who used a racial slur on Facebook, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (whose rulings cover all Ohio employers) recently concluded after applying a test that balances a public employee’s First Amendment right to free speech against the employer’s interest in maintaining an effective workplace.

The Merger

LITIGATION VALUE: Two weeks pay. Michael’s theory that a merger is like a marriage is an interesting one. He just seems to have forgotten that more than half of all marriages end in divorce. This week’s “divorce” was with Anthony Gardner, the employee Michael drove away with his crazy antics. Indeed, if it wasn’t bad […]

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4 Tips for Better Diverse Team Communication

A very good friend of mine, who is of Polish decent, was reading an article in Polish next to me and pointed to a name referenced repeatedly, that being Michał Anioł. She looked up at me peering over her shoulder and said, “You know this guy.”

Drug Tests: New Restrictions On Random Testing

A recent California Court of Appeal ruling involving an employee who agreed to undergo random drug testing places new restrictions on when you can administer drug tests. Random Drug Test Conducted On Employee’s Day Off Perrin Edgerton, a Caltrans equipment operator in the Redding area, failed a random drug test that came up positive for […]

Management Courage: Having the Heart of a Lion

Cheryl Stone, SPHR, reviews Margaret Morford’s book Management Courage: Having the Heart of a Lion. She finds the book  a quick read that will be useful to human resources professionals. In her book, Management Courage: Having the Heart of a Lion, Margaret Morford sets out six principles to guide managers through tough workplace decisions.  The […]

FMLA: When Absences and Certifications Don’t Match Up

By Susan Schoenfeld, JD In cases where an employee’s absences are not supported by his or her medical certification, an employer should consider recertification. An employer may request recertification of an employee’s serious health condition no more often than every 30 days unless one of the specific exceptions discussed below applies.