Productivity Hitting the Brakes?  Test-Drive a Flexible Schedule

In her latest article, Kathi Guiney of YES! Your Human Resources Solution discusses how to manage a remote workforce through effective management skills, careful employee selection, and creative techniques.  This article is a must-read for businesses that are ready to reap the benefits of a telecommuting workforce.  Among those benefits: happier, healthier, and more productive employees.  A recent survey conducted by Staples Advantage found that many telecommuters reported healthier stress levels and eating habits, and 80 percent enjoyed a better work-life balance.  The survey also found telecommuting can be great for businesses, since most workers felt more loyal to their company and were more willing to work overtime.  While it’s clear telecommuting offers advantages to both employees and businesses, what if a remote workforce isn’t the right choice for your company’s needs? (more…)

Be honest: as a manager or small-business owner, did you feel rested and rejuvenated after your last vacation?  If you didn’t, consider whether maintaining ties to the workplace had something to do with that.  Did you respond to e-mail and voicemail every morning?  Call the office to check in?  Tote along your work smartphone or laptop?  If you did, you’re not alone; a recent CareerBuilder.com survey found that one third of workers check in with the office while on vacation, many of them daily.  This counterintuitive phenomenon may happen because slightly more than one third of employees feel stressed about work even while they are on vacation.  But doesn’t checking in with the office defeat the purpose of a vacation? (more…)

On Thanksgiving, it’s easy to fill our bellies with yams and pumpkin pie, and then nap to tryptophan’s sweet lullaby.  But eventually we have to wake up and face the scale’s angry red display that confirms our worst fears: we’ve packed on a few pounds.  Indeed, most of us will gain 1–3 pounds in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day—weight that often becomes permanent.  And really, who wants love handles for Christmas?  With so many of us stuffing ourselves with too much stuffing, there’s no better time for Human Resources to focus on employee wellness to fend off—or at least prepare for—the holiday bulge. (more…)

Christmas music in the mall already?  That can only signal that the holiday season is on its way!  And as Thanksgiving and the winter holidays approach, employers may begin to notice a curious phenomenon: more employees calling in sick.  After all, who doesn’t want more time off around the holidays? (more…)

Is your business reasonably accommodating the needs of its new and expectant mothers?  Unless a line of pregnant tummies has recently paraded through your workplace, you may not be aware of changed legislation affecting your business’ responsibility to this special group of workers.  New laws took effect last year, as part of the health-care reform under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which afford new rights to new moms in the workplace.  Unless your business has fewer than 50 employees and can prove undue hardship, chances are you’re required to comply with these legal changes. (more…)

In our last blog, we talked about the reasons a great employee can turn negative.  Once negativity has festered, it can be difficult to get rid of.  One employee’s negativity can have drastic effects on morale, and can easily spread to other employees.  Unhappy, negative employees can directly impact productivity, which can hurt any business’ bottom line.  To avoid this downhill spiral, consistent negative behaviors should be addressed immediately.  That’s where Human Resources comes in. (more…)

The 2012 presidential primaries may be months away, but presidential hopefuls are already buzzing about health care.  The hot topic is whether to repeal ObamaCare and its sweeping changes, which have increased health-care costs for many small-business owners.  In the face of these and future changes, many businesses have examined ways to reduce overall expenses.  Between furloughs, layoffs, and salary cuts, businesses may have overlooked one small investment that can reap big savings: an employee wellness program. (more…)

In a previous blog, we talked about the unique challenges that time-off requests can present during the summer months.  But as many managers and HR professionals know, scheduling isn’t the only employment issue that crops up during the warm weather! (more…)

You work hard to select the best people to lead your teams.  How do you make sure, through all the noise of legislation updates, news stories of lawsuits and overall economic anxiety, your managers have the essential skills to prevent these kinds of problems from occurring in the first place?

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