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“Remember the Titans” offers memorable workplace lessons

by Dan Oswald The other night I walked in the door to find my youngest son watching the movie Remember the Titans. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you know I consider the movie one of my favorites. Of course, I sat down and watched the last 30 minutes of the film with […]

handbook

5 Reasons to Update Your Employee Handbook in 2021

I often tell clients one of the most important documents they need to have is an employee handbook, and it needs to be up to date and legally compliant. Why? An out-of-date, an inaccurate, or a poorly written handbook really can do more harm than good. If you don’t have a handbook, put one in […]

5 Tips for Recruiting Top Tech Talent

With a record 4.3 million Americans having quit their jobs in August, industries across the board are facing a dire worker shortage. Chief among these industries is technology, with a staggering 65% of technology leaders agreeing that hiring challenges are hurting the industry. Tech workers know they have leverage, so it’s in the hands of […]

10 Questions to Ask in a Stay Interview

As most HR professionals understand too well, turnover hurts a company’s bottom line, and it also ruins morale for the employees left behind. Workers in the United States have an average job tenure of approximately 4.6 years and 45% of employers now expect new college grads to stay less than 2 years.

mentoring

Why I Love the Troublemaker

Over the past few years, I’ve poured my heart into diversity and inclusion initiatives at Square Root. We’ve added generous parental leave, supported a local STEM education non-profit that benefits young girls called Girlstart, created sensitivity training, and fostered internal communities. With our efforts came a diverse team. We span generations, education levels, genders, sexual […]

Trying to Go Paperless? Guidelines for Electronic Personnel Documents

by Joseph C. Pettygrove Employers are increasingly looking at the feasibility of scanning hard copies of various types of employment documents and retaining only the electronic copies in the routine course of business. Generally speaking, you are allowed to do that if you ensure that your electronic record maintenance systems are secure, accurate, reliable, and […]

customers

Why a Candidate Says No to Your Job Offer

In a challenging labor market that saw the U.S. unemployment rate hover around 3.9% throughout 2018, employers are increasingly looking for ways they can beat the trend and meet their hiring goals. With qualified candidates at a premium, employers must examine how they’re presenting themselves to the interviewee, in order to effectively assess candidates while […]

Are You Sure that Employee Wants a Promotion?

While lack of upward mobility can be a reason employees leave the workplace, employers should also know that not all employees are keen to take on a promotion—especially if they have not yet asked for one. Promotions, particularly those that involve taking on a leadership role, can be stressful.

leader

Addressing the Downfalls of an Autocratic Leadership Style

Not all managers are created equal. They have different management styles based on personal preferences, experience, and education. While there is a broad spectrum of different styles along multiple axes, management styles are commonly grouped into one of three broad types: autocratic, democratic, and laissez-faire.