Business Mgmt Daily

Firing an employee without triggering a lawsuit

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 03:00:00 -0400

Firing an employee is never pleasant for anyone involved. But there’s a right way and a wrong way. You don’t want to spur a wrongful termination lawsuit – or worse. Whether you’re firing an employee without warning or...

Friendly rivalries: Keeping workplace competition healthy and productive

Fri, 19 Jul 2019 04:00:00 -0400

A bit of friendly workplace competition can energize an office and boost performance levels. But when office rivalries start mimicking the intensity of a heavyweight prizefight, managers need to take action before their business suffers casualties.

“The word ‘competition’ can be...

90 sample phrases for negative performance reviews

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 03:00:00 -0400

Writing performance reviews probably isn’t the aspect of your job that you look forward to the most. When you’re required to write negative performance reviews, the process can turn from tedious to daunting.

While no one likes to be the bearer of bad news...

4 signs that fear may be sabotaging your leadership potential

Mon, 06 May 2019 03:00:00 -0400

Courage has been called one of the most important leadership virtues, but it usually requires that you make peace with the discomfort that comes with being uncertain.

While learning to manage without...

Are you delegating too much?

Wed, 24 Apr 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Effective managers empower their employees to be accountable and provide them with enough creative and intellectual stimulation to remain engaged. Delegating work can help ensure your employees are exposed to work that is diverse and challenging-but...

Productivity without micromanaging: the gentle art of nagging

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 04:00:00 -0400

Here’s a question many managers struggle with: How do I get my employees to follow instructions without having to keep nagging them?

You may feel like a micromanaging pest, and...

6 ways to build your team’s resilience

Fri, 05 Apr 2019 01:00:00 -0400

An inspiring conversation with Virginia Ali, the sole surviving founder of Ben’s Chili Bowl, a Washington landmark, took us back through one of the most turbulent periods in our nation’s history, the late 60s race riots following the assassination of...

What is and isn’t employee insubordination

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0400

Of all the problems you deal with, employee insubordination is probably the one that galls you the most. It’s a direct affront to your authority. It’s an ice cream cone slapped out of your hand. A handful of snow stuffed down the back of your shirt. It sounds like this...

Myth: Meetings are a waste of time

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 01:00:00 -0400

Let’s just wait one second here before we start our daily bashing of supposedly time-wasting meetings, shall we? Consider these advantages of even the ones that feel so very sloggy and pointless...

Oh, no! They shoved a weak link on my team

Fri, 08 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0500

An employee with a history of poor performance is transferred to your department. What do you do?...

4 reasons to rethink goal-setting

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 00:00:00 -0500

It’s simply a given that leaders carefully set and monitor lofty goals, and it’s an accepted trope of managerial culture that we encourage others to do the same...

Leadership development: Why you need to stop talking to start leading

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Recently, a colleague and I were at a dinner function with a group of leaders from a client company. We found ourselves seated at a table with a new member of the executive team who we were meeting for the first time. Waiting for the plated meals to arrive...

How to cut work perks without damaging team morale

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Ah, the joys of being a manager. By order from above, the company is eliminating its tuition reimbursement program, and you get to deliver the news to your team. How can you approach the matter without damaging team morale?

Teamwork: myths, realities and tips

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Preparation is key to building a top-flight team, whether it’s with three people or several dozen. And one of the first issues to address is separating teamwork fact from fiction.

You’ll find it easier to get everyone to buy into the teamwork concept by throwing out old myths about building teams.

Here are three myths and the realities behind them, with tips to work around each:...

6 reasons why I don’t praise my employees

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 00:00:00 -0500

The research is clear: Praise is good for the bottom line.

So why are so many new and experienced leaders not making praise a priority?

Oh, No, They Shoved A Weak Link On My Team

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 14:00:00 -0500

An employee with a history of poor performance is transferred to your department. What do you do? Here's a systematic approach to helping an employee with a checkered track record get up and running in your department...

The Telltale Traits Of An Office Bully

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 10:30:00 -0500

Do you know anyone in your workplace who has the following traits? If so, they just might be a bully. When negotiating with someone who's overly aggressive or an outright bully, definitely take note of the following characteristics...

Commuting Distance: A New Excuse For Bias?

Mon, 03 Dec 2018 07:00:00 -0500

HR pros know all about the usual forms of discrimination: race, sex, age, national origin, disability and so forth. Are we about to add another category to the list of characteristics on which bias claims may be based? A recent study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame found that...

How To Lead When You Hate The Order You're Carrying Out

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 10:30:00 -0500

You've got your marching orders from up top... and they're not good. In fact, you believe that the logic simply isn't there, and you're not the only one who feels that way. Yet you've been tasked with making things work. How do you enforce an ill-advised layoff...

Quiz: How Well Do You Handle Pressure?

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 10:18:33 -0400

Try this quiz to gauge your ability to handle pressure. Mark each answer true or false and read the scoring instructions at the end...

How I Use Disagreements To Build Stronger Teams

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 13:17:15 -0400

For a long time, I have facilitated team problem-solving sessions in the same way: 1. First, explore the issue from all sides, uncovering a comprehensive view of the current state and root causes. 2. Next, brainstorm options and agree on a broad path forward. 3. And finally, develop recommendations and specific action plans. Once plans and next steps are identified...

3 Worst Salary Negotiating Techniques

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:15:33 -0400

There are two times in your career when negotiating a salary can be especially challenging; when you are considering whether to accept a promotion or when you receive an external job offer. Both times are cause for celebration and often a fair amount of stress. As an entrepreneur, attorney, and professional negotiator who has been...

The 5 Most Dangerous Legal Mistakes HR Makes

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 08:21:10 -0500

If you work in human resources, you carry a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders. But one small, simple misstep by HR or supervisors could cost your company hundreds, thousands or even millions of dollars. So what are the biggest HR legal risks to be aware of? Here are our top 5:...

What Generation Gap? Most OK With Young Boss

Mon, 13 Nov 2017 08:47:03 -0500

Age is just a number in the workplace, suggests a new survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam. More than eight in 10 professionals (82%) polled said they would be comfortable reporting to a manager who's younger than they are; 91% wouldn't mind supervising employees older than themselves. But...

10 Speaking Habits That Will Undermine You

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 10:45:37 -0500

I never cease to be amazed by the things people do while they are communicating. I have seen just about everything: The CEO who grasped the side seams of his pants and slowly pulled up his pants legs. The senior executive who continuously twirled her scarf. The engineer who...

$95 Million Penalty For Undocumented Workers

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 09:03:37 -0500

It's a sign that the Trump administration is serious about enforcing laws that forbid knowingly hiring anyone who is not authorized to work in the country: The Department of Justice has extracted the largest-ever penalty from a company accused of employing ineligible workers. Asplundh Tree Service has paid $95 million for turning a blind eye to the hiring of individuals that executives knew lacked proper documentation. The case and resulting penalty should...

Survive Or Thrive? From Management Control To Leadership Empowerment

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 07:26:07 -0400

Most boss-employee relationships are transactional, trading time for money: "Follow my orders and you'll keep getting paid." Or, "I put in my time/follow the rules and get my pay." These relationships may "survive," but they don't "thrive." Bosses are "managing," but they're not "leading." That is a missed opportunity for both employees and employers. Numerous human beings go through life missing what could have been...

Management Myths Vs. Realities

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:05:47 -0400

When you step into management, you begin operating under certain tenets of human behavior in a societal cluster known as the workplace. The people in that workplace-your employees-are wired differently, but are all there for somewhat common reasons: to make money, get along as best as possible and remain on the payroll. Which should mean there are certain truths or tricks of the trade to keep them all humming. Not so fast. Here are several myths of management and the realities behind them:...

Write A Memo Or Call A Meeting?

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:03:21 -0400

The way you communicate with your people signals what importance they should attach to what you tell them. If really important things aren't getting done in your department, take a good look at the way you're talking about them. According to...

Discipline Meetings: 4 Tips For Doing Them Right

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 08:44:16 -0400

If they're doing their jobs, HR and managers must periodically have "the talk" with problem employees. How this meeting is conducted can mean the difference between turning around a marginal employee and opening the organization to costly litigation. Here are four points to remember to keep that meeting productive and legally safe:...