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7 Truly Terrible Offices on Film and What They Teach Us

“Third prize is you’re fired!” snaps Alec Baldwin in a bitter (and almost literal) punchline aimed at a cowering sales team. Baldwin’s character in 1992’s Glengarry Glen Ross is a bad boss who makes already devalued employees feel even worse—a plot line that seems central to Hollywood’s depictions of rotten workplaces.

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Firing Employee Who Made Threats: Opposition Isn’t Always Protected

The Iowa Court of Appeals recently found that an employee who made violent threats on Facebook couldn’t sue her former employer for retaliation after she was terminated. The court’s decision is important because it allows employers to make termination decisions when a protected complaint is pending. In other words, not all opposition is protected.

After setting goals, be vigilant in achieving them

by Dan Oswald If you’re like me, it’s time to turn your attention to 2014. As we move through the fourth quarter of 2013 and can see the end in sight, our thoughts turn to what we want to accomplish in the coming year. At our company, we’re in the midst of our budgeting process […]

SMART Goal-Setting—Key to Pay for Performance

Making Sense of Goals and Objectives Neelman offers the following suggestions for making goals and objectives truly helpful: Make performance management an important aspect of a manager’s evaluation. Limit evaluations to critical goals that employees can impact. Three to five goals is usually most appropriate. No more. Goals should enhance the employee’s performance in his […]

Expert Advice on Handling Difficult Trainees and Questions

Q. What can trainers do to manage difficult participants and difficult questions during training? A. Difficult trainees include hecklers (particularly in large groups) as well as those who “for whatever reason have totally shut down and make it obvious” by not participating and sitting with their arms folded during training, says Veronica J. Holcomb, president […]

FLSA Overtime Case Settles for $5M

If employees in a brokerage company merely comply with client wishes by executing transactions for them, the brokerage must properly classify their status under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and pay them overtime, when they work more than 40 hours in a work week. If the brokerage wants to exempt employees from the law’s overtime […]

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Dissecting CDC’s New, Shorter Quarantine Options

In late 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance on quarantining: In certain circumstances, individuals potentially exposed to COVID-19 by being in “close contact” with a person who tested positive can take steps to reduce the length of the standard 14-day quarantine period.

Experience: What You Get When You Don’t Get What You Want

I saw a sign the other day that read, “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” It sounded pretty true to me. Sure, you get experience when you succeed, but if you think about it, the truly valuable lessons are learned when we don’t get what we want. This short […]

Why Do Employees Want Flexible Work?

Many employers have taken notice that employees today are requesting flexible work options more often. Whether that’s telecommuting, a flexible work schedule, a shortened work week, or some other flexible arrangement, these types of benefits are becoming more and more common.