An Ode to the Older Worker
My mom is 72-years-old and still waiting tables at a local restaurant. My dad is 76-years-old and still puts in a few hours every day at the family’s bait and tackle store. Both plan to work until they are physically and/or mentally incapable of doing so. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, my […]
Daring can be Dangerous to Employment Status
If you’re going to dare someone to do something, you don’t get to cry foul if they do it. That’s the lesson a SkinSmart Dermatology employee learned the hard way in the latest example of things that employees post on Facebook that gets them fired. While ranting about her supervisors in a Facebook group message […]
Depression at Work
The suicide of actor Robin Williams, who reportedly was suffering from severe depression, is a harsh reminder of how devastating the illness can be. While Williams was certainly a unique individual, his battle with depression was not unique. Indeed, each year about 25 million U.S. adults experience major depressive disorder, according to the National Institute […]
Friendships at Work
“Without friends, no one would want to live, even if he had all other goods.” Aristotle wrote this sentiment, and I couldn’t agree more. For example, I recently met a friend for coffee, and my day was brighter as a result because my friend did what he always does: listened intently to my account of […]
Fashion Rules at Work
“It’s a new era in fashion – there are no rules,” fashion experts have proclaimed. Want to wear white before Memorial Day? Go for it. Want to wear gold and silver jewelry at the same time? You can do that, too. Today it’s all about the individual and his or her personal style. While that’s […]
HR Issues in Entertainment News
If you’re a fan of entertainment news, but don’t want to get caught reading People Magazine, here’s the latest along with some related HR information (because I see HR issues in everything). After appearing on the PBS show, “Finding Your Roots,” Ben Affleck asked the show to omit information that revealed that one of his […]
Breaking up is not so hard to do
Long before the days of cell phones, I had a boyfriend who avoided my announcement that I was breaking up with him by staying away from his house – “can’t break up with me if you can’t find me!” he reasoned. Evidently, teacher Michael Sullivan had a similar thought, and a recent court decision proved […]
Should you Require Hourly Employees to Punch the Clock?
In the article “Pros & Cons of a Time Clock in the Workplace” on https://smallbusiness.chron.com, the author states, “Employees who are required to punch a time clock are likely to believe that their employers do not trust them to accurately report their hours, and consequently they may feel that they are not sufficiently valued.” Maybe so; […]
Effectively Handling Angry Customers
In customer service workshops that I conduct, I include information on how to effectively handle an angry customer. I’m knowledgeable about the subject because of research that I’ve done, and because I have at times been an angry customer and I know what did and did not work for those who tried to handle me. […]
Carefully Word At-Will Disclaimer
Choose your words wisely, lest they come back to bite you. That’s the message the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seems to be sending with two recent rulings its representatives made on the wording of at-will disclaimers in employee handbooks. The NLRB is an independent federal agency responsible for safeguarding employees’ rights to organize and […]
