Tag: employee relations communication

September 6, 2023

In the midst of the pandemic, the Great Resignation shook the American workforce. Between April and September 2021, a record 24 million Americans resigned from their jobs. Employers were left desperate for staff, offering attractive signing bonuses and wage bumps. […]

January 14, 2022

One of the most famous lines in movie history comes from the 1967 picture “Cool Hand Luke.” After the prison warden (played by Strother Martin) uses a club to strike a rebellious convict (played by Paul Newman), the warden looks […]

September 8, 2021

As employees return to the office, interacting in real life can feel awkward after being remote for more than a year, so it’s up to managers to help set the tone and break the ice. One way to do that […]

March 29, 2021

As a rising percentage of the population receives vaccines for COVID-19, many employers want employees to return to the workplace. Some employees, feeling isolated, want to return. But some don’t, and employers will need to make the case for bringing […]

November 12, 2020

Too often, managers sweep gripes under the rug or blame the disgruntled employee for a justifiable complaint. Then, complaints tend to reach a fever pitch because unhappy employees believe their concerns haven’t been heard. That’s why it’s critical to give […]

October 21, 2020

An employee informs you that she recently received a cancer diagnosis. She is afraid and overwhelmed. The diagnosis is a lot to process. The complexity of navigating doctor appointments, treatments, transportation and child care amplifies the stress. Care advocates and […]

April 10, 2020

Reversing course on employee quarantines, federal health officials now say that essential workers who’ve been exposed to the coronavirus can stay on the job while monitoring their symptoms. The new guidance, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]

April 9, 2020

In troubled, uncertain times, there’s often a lack of communication. Leaders don’t have all the answers. Instead, they have their own anxieties. As a result, they become cautious about what they say, which translates into less communication. The problem with […]

May 1, 2019

She demands help with tasks you know she can do on her own. He abuses your open-door policy, dropping by constantly to ask for direction or get feedback on his work. And then there’s the employee who interrupts you all […]

February 6, 2019

Your advertising manager works from home full time. She has a nasty cold. But hey—she only needs to walk a few steps from her bedroom to her desk, can nap when she needs to and won’t infect her colleagues. So […]

July 12, 2018

In this tight job market, HR professionals are grappling with the unending quest for talent―but not just any talent. Quality standards must be met, and they demand candidates with excellent, targeted skills. Among the capabilities hardest to find: interpersonal skills […]

April 9, 2018

As director of people operations at Gem, a Los Angeles-based blockchain technology company, Madeline Mann regularly has walk-and-talks along the Venice Beach boardwalk with each of the firm’s 20 local employees. During these informal chats, employees divulged that they often […]

December 21, 2017

Employees are people, and with individual personalities and needs come unique challenges. HR professionals this year faced new limits on disciplining workers, dealing with people drunk on the job, and new employees who hid body art during an interview, then […]

January 10, 2017

The end of one year and the start of another bring tasks that can cause friction in any workplace: Managers may have to deliver bad news to employees during performance reviews; department heads may need to explain why they overspent […]