HR Resolutions

Do You Encourage Your Employees to Vote?

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 10:10:27 0000

Election Day is November 2, 2010, and your employees may or may not be inclined to vote.

Perhaps as an employer you feel that it’s not your place to encourage them to make their voices and political beliefs heard, but it’s also not right to deny them the opportunity to submit a ballot.

Political Paraphernalia at Work - Yay or Nay?

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 10:09:00 0000

Politics is in the air! As the time to vote (November 2^nd for those of you not certain of the date) nears, some of your workers are going to get involved in the process.

From an employer standpoint, I encourage you to accept your coworkers’ political leanings regardless of whether or not you share them. However, it may be necessary for you to step in if an employee begins to become too political, as in putting up posters, handing out flyers, etc.

Consider this scenario:

Political Pow-Wows in the Workplace

Mon, 1 Nov 2010 10:06:52 0000

As the mid-term elections near, you may find that your workplace water cooler discussions are turning toward political talk. That’s to be expected and causes no harm unless you notice some signs that your office is turning into a war zone.

Therein lies the conundrum regarding political pow-wows – they can turn sour mighty quickly, and that can leave you with employees nursing hurt feelings, lowered team morale and, in extreme cases, the loss of workers.

You Definitely Deserve a Break Today!

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:36:16 0000

“You deserve a break today…”

Remember when that was one of McDonald’s slogans? (For those of you who are part of Generation Y, you may have to head to YouTube to find a vintage 70s or 80s commercial!)

Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s true – you do deserve a break… and so do your employees.

Harnessing the Vacation Atmosphere on a Regular Basis

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 13:12:49 0000

We all love vacations. Even the Type A folks who claim they don’t like them enjoy something about them… even if it’s just a change of scenery while they’re working on their laptops.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could harness a vacation atmosphere on a regular basis in an effort to shoo away the office doldrums?

The problem is that this takes an effort; but the good news is that the effort isn’t horrendously huge. To get started, you just need to start thinking about all those elements of vacations that we love… and then translate that to the workplace.

What Did You Do on Your Summer Vacation?

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 10:13:50 0000

Remember when you were a kid and you had to write the old “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” essay? It was such a strange assignment, wasn’t it? After all, as a child, you knew exactly what you did – you played! Whether you played at the beach, in the mountains or at a relative’s campground site didn’t matter. You played to your heart’s content!

Unfortunately, many of us become adults… and employees… who have lost that ability to play. Sure, we take vacations, but we don’t actually vacation at all. We fret. And check our iPhones or Blackberries. And work on our laptops. And call into the office. And try to make deals.

Guess what? That’s not a vacation. It’s a business trip.

5 Ways Managers Can Harness the Innate Appeal of the Unexpected

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:38:28 0000

Remember when you were a kid and someone surprised you by doing something nice for you out-of-the-blue?

Maybe it was a friend who gave you half of his candy bar… or your great-grandmother who slipped you warm chocolate chip cookies when your parents told you that you had “lost” dessert for the evening. Those surprises made you feel amazing, didn’t they?

Managers can harness the innate appeal of that kind of unexpected – but pleasant – surprise, too. And the best thing is that it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to make employees feel special.

Are You Sick of Sick Employees?

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:27:12 0000

Okay – so everyone gets sick once in a while. Even the hardiest among us isn’t 100% immune from the variety of germs and viruses that circulate each season. But as an employer, all that sickness can really take a toll on the old pocketbook, not to mention workplace morale, customer service and productivity!

Just how much does a sick employee “cost”? It depends upon the industry and what the employee does for a living.

The 411 on Healthy Employees

Tue, 3 Aug 2010 19:24:10 0000

Let’s face it – no one likes to be sick. And if you’re an employer, you certainly don’t want to deal with the absenteeism that goes along with a cold that sweeps through the office like the black plague.

With that in mind, August might just be a good month to get your staff members thinking about how they can protect themselves from the germs that are destined to invade once school starts and the cold air brings everyone indoors -- for at least most of the time.

Of course, you can’t force your employees to become healthier; but you can put in place measures and opportunities to encourage them to start being more focused when it comes to diet and exercise.

The ABCs of Summer Office Parties

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:30:37 0000

It’s summertime and there’s no shortage of warm weather. Not surprisingly, for many businesses, it’s the perfect time to host a special picnic where colleagues can let loose and enjoy one another’s company.

If you’re planning to offer your employees a summertime party, just make sure you remember the ABCs of summer office party rules: