In yesterday’s CED , Samuel Culbert encouraged HR managers to “put the performance review out of its misery.” Today, we’ve got more on his preferred alternative—performance previews. Culbert, author of Get Rid of the Performance Review! , is a consultant and professor at...

“It’s time to put the performance review out of its misery,” says consultant and professor Samuel Culbert. “This corporate sham is one of the most insidious, most damaging, and yet most ubiquitous of corporate activities.” Culbert, a professor of management at UCLA, goes...

Performance appraisals can help strengthen your case if you’re sued by an employee. Providing an inadequate evaluation, or no evaluation at all, can be used against you with devastating results. Juries tend to come down hard on employers who don’t appear to have given an employee a chance...

Performance appraisals can help strengthen your case if you're sued by an employee. Providing an inadequate evaluation, or no evaluation at all, can be used against you with devastating results. Juries tend to come down hard on employers who don't appear to have given an employee a chance to...

Performance appraisals can help strengthen your case if you're sued by an employee. Providing an inadequate evaluation, or no evaluation at all, can be used against you with devastating results. Juries tend to come down hard on employers who don't appear to have given an employee a chance to...

Every workplace has them: Those bad-apple employees who spoil the whole barrel. Like their edible counterparts, bad-apple employees come in several different varieties: Grousing Gracie : Her co-workers are out to get her. The boss is mean. She has way more work to do than she could ever be expected to...

Transforming rank-and-file workers or new hires into effective supervisors is a major challenge. Many brand-new supervisors have never been trained on how to manage, and they've probably had at least a few poor role models over the years. Now, they need a firm hand to point them in the right direction...

Yesterday , we discussed two of the big employee handbooks mistakes employers tend to make, according to attorney Elaina Smiley. Today, a look at the final mistake she sees too often, and an introduction to a valuable handbook drafting tool — specifically for California employers. Smiley is a partner...

Many employers adopt a casual approach to their employee handbooks — which can quickly lead to lawsuits. A thought-out, well-crafted employee handbook is the best way to avoid this problem says attorney Elaina Smiley. Smiley is a partner at the firm of Meyer, Unkovic & Scott, LLP, and works...

While it is the HR department in most medium-sized and larger firms that performs the job analysis function and coordinates the writing of job descriptions, the entire process usually requires some input from other levels of the company hierarchy. Depending on the size of the company, its organizational...

Job descriptions have traditionally suffered a poor reputation among managers and human resources professionals. In fact, job descriptions often end up being ignored - left at the bottom drawer of a file cabinet, neglected and rapidly becoming obsolete. Why? It takes time and considerable effort to create...

Yesterday , we looked at some facts and fictions about outsourcing. Today, a look at the types of functions that tend to be outsourced — and an introduction to a webinar tomorrow you won't want to miss. What Do People Outsource? The payroll example illustrates a clear trend: Outsourced functions...

Your policies need to be up-to-date and legally sound, but there's more to it than that. Today, 3 tips for handbook success. Tip #1: Train Supervisors and Employees Regardless of how good your policies are, your supervisors and employees must understand the reasons behind them. Without this understanding...

With today's top job candidates besieged with offers, how you go about writing job descriptions may determine your chances of winning the talent you need. Here are two ways an HR manager might go about writing job descriptions for the same position. See which way of writing a job description you...

HR departments as small as one face big challenges. Here's a program especially designed to help them. In countless businesses, usually with fewer than 100 workers, the HR "department" is just one person, or one with an administrative aide or two. As if HR wasn't complex enough, the...

The start of a new year is a good opportunity for you to implement changes in policies and procedures in order to reduce your potential exposure to legal claims and make your business more competitive. Additionally, changes introduced at the beginning of a new year seem less abrupt to employees, and...

In yesterday's CED , we told the cautionary tale of a job description that lost a lawsuit. Today, we offer more on job descriptions and lawsuit avoidance, and we'll take a look at a unique collection of job descriptions—already written and ready to use. Employment laws are numerous, and...

Yesterday's CED covered key problems with HR metrics and suggested several metrics best practices. Today, more recommended metrics, plus a timely webinar to answer your key metrics questions. Dr. John Sullivan, metrics guru, professor of management at San Francisco State University, and blogger on...

Performance appraisals can help strengthen your legal position if you're sued by an employee. Providing an inadequate evaluation, or no evaluation at all, can be used against you with devastating results. But today's featured free report can help you get on the right track. Download your free...

Can an employee do his or her job too well? If so, what do you do? Praise? Raise? Discipline? Terminate? Today's guest columnist, speaker and author Andy Andrews, tells the true story of Foster, who did his job too well. I met him at least 8 years ago at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport...