Archives

Hitting the Team Member Trifecta—Not Easy, But Necessary

In a recent conversation with an organizational psychologist, I was asked, “What are the top three things you look for in the members of your management team?” That’s a big and important question. Yet I was able to answer it quickly and easily: “Trustworthiness, compatibility, and talent.” The next sentence I uttered might surprise you; […]

Train Leaders to Maximize Their Resources

Now that you’ve convinced top management that leadership training is worthwhile for your managers, supervisors, and high performers, you need the right content for training. The first skill great leaders learn, for example, is how to manage all the resources at their disposal, including personal, human, technical, informational, and perhaps most important, time. In this […]

How to Gain Buy-in for Leadership Development Training

Managers who wonder why employee morale is low, why turnover is high, and why employees aren’t performing at their peak may be overlooking the real problem–how managers in the company lead–says Scott Love, a nationally syndicated leadership columnist and a speaker on leadership issues. “They refuse to change, to learn, to grow, and to develop […]

Penalties Await Plans That Ignore ACA’s High-litigation Risks

Employers have cited complying with the Affordable Care Act as their number one concern in surveys, and that wouldn’t be the case if there weren’t taxes and money penalties backing it up. This is true even though the government postponed until 2015 penalties for failure to comply with the ACA’s play-or-pay mandates, temporarily reducing the […]

Goal-Driven Profit-Sharing? Sure

[Go here for 1. Straight and 2. Hurdle-Rate Profit Sharing] 3. Goal-Driven Profit-Sharing Plans In a goal-driven profit-sharing plan, profits are used to establish an incentive opportunity, but employees also must earn that opportunity, based on achieving other goals. These other goals are broad corporate goals, rather than unit operational goals, which are used to […]

Profit-Sharing Primer—the 3 Types of Plans

Advantages Funded from profits, so there is low risk for the company. Can be used to supplement company retirement contributions. Can be linked to company objectives other than profit. Provide an opportunity to train employees on financial measures and the operational business factors that affect those measures. Easy to integrate with suggestion plans and other […]

Baltimore council votes to ban the box

by Kevin C. McCormick Employers in Baltimore will face new restrictions in conducting criminal background checks now that the city council has passed a tough new “ban the box” law. Bill 13-0301, titled “Ban the Box—Fair Criminal Records Screening Practices,” passed the Baltimore City Council on April 28 and was expected to gain Mayor Stephanie […]

Pros and Cons of a BYOD Policy

Bring Your Own Device. These are words that are becoming more and more common for employers these days. They’ve even spawned their own acronym: BYOD. In general, BYOD is a policy in which an employer is allowing or even requiring employees to use their previously personal electronics for work use.

Casual References and Endorsements on Social Media

Yesterday’s Advisor featured tips on social media policies from Attorney Jonathan Segal. Today, his tips on casual references and endorsements and friending and unfriending work colleagues.   Casual References Casual references on LinkedIn or other professional social media sites pose legal risks: Defamation (if they are negative and untrue). Misrepresentation (if they are positive and […]

Finding inspiration from a profound moment at the airport

by Dan Oswald I’m sitting in the airport in Austin, Texas, and the faint and rare sound of a bagpipe can be heard in the background. It seems, at the very least, out of place in a major-city airport. As the sound grows louder, it’s clear that whoever is playing the instrument is drawing closer. […]