My Management Brings all the Boys to the Yard
Mar 14, 2009 Employee Relations, Rewarding Performance
∞ And the girls, too. Let’s not have any Title VII rumblings here, thank you. I have enough humility that I’m still amazed by the kind of loyalty people show me in the workplace. The point was made today that I earn it, but still. I always feel awkward when someone passes up a good opportunity [...]In Sickness and in Health
Mar 7, 2009 Employee Relations
∞ Friday’s hospital episode (as commented on via Twitter) put me in mind of some of the lectures I got during my tenure at a particularly policy-minded company. While I was working there, I had to deal with a handful of medical emergencies that required an ambulance. Apparently, dialing 911 from a desk phone sets off [...]Put Down the Manager Hat and Back Away Slowly
Mar 3, 2009 Employee Relations, Problem Behaviors
∞ A reader writes: A few weeks ago, I had to sit in on a written warning being delivered to one of my employees for sexual harassment. I supported this, because he really had gone over the top in trying to make the acquaintance of a woman on my team. After this was done, I started noticing [...]Addressing the Economy
Feb 20, 2009 Employee Relations
∞ Just a quickie tonight, for managers whose employees are feeling the pinch: don’t avoid the topic unless you’re forced to keep mum. My managers have done a fantastic job of keeping people secure in their positions without embellishing or inflating. I don’t anticipate any reduction in force in my neck of the woods this year, [...]Group Therapy in the Office
Feb 11, 2009 Employee Relations, Staff Development
∞ Aww, do I have to? C’mooooon. It’s embarrassiiiiiing. Yes, today’s discussion is about team building, that series of activities no one wants to participate in and everyone will swear is ineffective and unnecessary. But it’s not. If your team is so scattered that you can’t let your hair down a little bit with them, then [...]My Way or the Highway
Feb 9, 2009 Employee Relations, Problem Behaviors
∞ That’s right. What I say, when I say, how I say, or you’re out on your ear. Only not so much. Yesterday, I introduced a workplace issue that I handle as insubordination. I also said that I despise that term. I hate the entire concept, really, with a fine passion that burns like a thousand suns [...]Let’s Talk About Sex
Feb 8, 2009 Employee Relations, Problem Behaviors
∞ No, that’s not why my office door is closed when I “have a deadline.” I frequently tout the benefits of managing people based on what they have in common. It’s much easier to build a team based on mutual interests and goals than it is by juggling all the differences you find if you’ve been [...]Fund Raising for Fun and Profit
Feb 6, 2009 Employee Relations
∞ A reader writes: I manage an establishment that has been around for many years and has a large regular clientele as well as a constant flow of new customers. The owner decided to participate in a fund raiser for a local charity and expects everyone to do their part in hitting the customers up [...]Shh! It’s a Secret!
Jan 3, 2009 Employee Relations, Problem Behaviors
∞ I was recently asked about a situation that had come up in a friend’s office that resulted in some entertaining drama and theatrics. (The workplace is a great setting for that, isn’t it?) This friend of mine is a relatively new manager in a company that doesn’t put a lot of emphasis on management training. [...]
