According to the Department of Labor nearly 60% of U.S. workers are hourly. While there may be advantages to hourly positions for organizations, they experience an extremely high turnover rate. Hourly positions tend to have lower pay, less job security, stricter schedules, no or reduced benefits, lack of bonus structures, and fewer opportunities for promotion. So how do we keep hourly employees motivated and engaged?
What is the one thing all employees want? Respect. It rates very high in almost any survey you can find. Harvard Business Review recently published a study that revealed that when over 20,000 employees from around the world, not just the U.S., were surveyed, every single one of them rated respect as number one in importance. In fact, companies that show respect for their employees score higher across several other categories as well.
On Monday, June 5, John Neumann, Jr., a former employee of Fiamma Inc. located in Orlando Florida, went on a fatal workplace shooting spree killing six employees before he killed himself. He was fired in April by his former employer. According to Orlando County Sheriff Jerry Demings, Neumann targeted his victims and had a “negative relationship” with at least one of them. While we all want to think something like this will never happen to us, it can, and...
It’s likely fair to say that we’ve all come across a jerk or two in our work lives. In a recent survey by Connectria Hosting, 83% of respondents said they’d worked with one or more jerks during the past five years. Connectria and others have now created “No Jerks Allowed” policies for their workplaces.
All offices have conflict. As people work together to solve problems, it’s virtually unavoidable. And most importantly, it’s OK. It’s how it’s handled that can make or break the effectiveness of conflict.
School bullying is now a household term recognized widely, but what about workplace bullying? Workplace bullying has affected 27% of workers according to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute. The majority of workplace bullies are bosses, and 72% of employers deny, discount, defend, or rationalize the bullying. 61% of victims wind up losing their jobs as a result.
Stay interviews are the best defense against employee attrition. While exit interviews can have value, you are finding out the information too late. By conducting regular stay interviews, you’ll discover exactly what employees like and don’t like about their job and the workplace. This allows you to make changes before employees leave, resulting in reduced employee turnover.
Summer is approaching and many employers hire co-ops, interns and work study students during that time period. When employing a student and the student is the object of harassment, the question is whether the student can seek relief under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Act), Title IX of the Act, or both. A recent case from the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals answered affirmatively that both could apply.
Employee appreciation is a key element to achieving high levels of employee engagement and retention. Employees that feel appreciated have increased productivity and tend to feel better about their work. But if approached the wrong way, it could backfire.
Although Alfred E. Newman is a fictional character from Mad Magazine, his approach of “What, me worry?” is one that HR professionals should emulate. Although employers and employees do some of the darnedest things, regardless of the advice and counsel of HR, there is no need to stress out over this stuff. That is…as long as some common sense is applied...
With everyone being connected 24/7, is achieving work/life balance really just a pipe dream? For most people it is more about creating a blend of the two, not necessarily creating two separate pieces in balance. So instead of continually trying to achieve balance between the two, consider integration instead. When you integrate your work with your life you are more likely to be happy and achieve success.
When done correctly, employee development can be one of the biggest drivers of success in an organization. Numerous research studies demonstrate that career advancement (or lack thereof) plays a big role in employees’ decisions to either join or leave an organization. Talent development can consist of formal training courses, mentoring or coaching, and cross training between departments. Investing in your employees' development can pay off long term with turnover...
In an interesting case regarding employee classification, the Seventh Circuit found that a position was neither an employee, a leased employee, nor a contractor according to separate insurance policies that covered such classifications for purposes of theft and other fraud liability. So what was this “employee?”
It’s hard enough to find good employees, so when you find them make sure your managers are not making any of these common mistakes that drive employees to look elsewhere. It holds true that employees don’t leave jobs; they leave managers.
Uber has been in the news a lot lately regarding its meritocracy practices and competitive culture. Although this mentality has brought them from a mere start-up to a $68 billion company, their corporate image is being bruised and it’s leaving a black mark on former employees’ resumes.