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Does Competition Among Employees Work as a Motivator?

Can competition among employees serve as a motivator of performance? This is quite a conundrum, because there are arguments on both sides of the coin. Perhaps you’ve just read an article saying that competition is a brilliant way to encourage employees to a higher level of performance by stimulating their competitive spirit. That article may […]

How to Deal with Employee Depression and Work Restrictions

Dealing with depression and work restrictions for an employee can be complex. Oftentimes the first piece of information an employer receives about an employee’s medical condition, especially for depression or other mental illnesses, is a note from the doctor that outlines some type of restriction, such as “James must be off of work this week […]

Are for-smokers-only breaks unfair? Maybe, but usually not illegal

It’s a common frustration for employers: Some workers feel a strong need to break away from work a few – or several – times a day to get their nicotine fix. Other employees just feel a strong need to break away from work. If an employer allows smokers short cigarette breaks at various times through […]

Key Differences in US and Canada Employment Laws

Canada employment laws can be quite different to their counterparts in the United States. US employers with operations in Canada need to be well-versed in these differences to stay in legal compliance on both sides of the border. Here are some of the big-picture differences of which to be aware. Canada Employment Laws: Minimum Employment […]

Communication

The Ideal Team Player: 3 Key Characteristics (Patrick M. Lencioni)

“Teamwork is such a competitive advantage,” says Patricki Lencioni, founder and president of the Table Group, author of The Ideal Team Player: How to Recognize and Cultivate the Three Essential Virtues: A Leadership Fable. Lencioni says he likes to keep it simple. He recently shared his three characteristics of the ideal team player at SHRM’s […]

Must You Pay Employees When Bad Weather Forces a Closure?

Maybe it’s 20 inches of snow. Maybe it’s an impending hurricane. It could be wildfires, an ice storm that caused a power outage, or flooding. Whatever the specifics, Mother Nature has a whole lot of ways to create havoc and cause businesses to shut down temporarily.

leadership

When Can You Say No to Religious Garb in the Workplace?

If your employee’s religious clothing poses a potential safety risk, you can tell them to not wear it, right? Though that might seem logical from a safety perspective, managers need to concern themselves with a discrimination and compliance perspective as well. As is so often the case, the matter is complicated, and some consideration of […]

What Is an Employee’s ‘Duty of Loyalty’?

Samuel Goldwin, the legendary movie producer, was famous for lines like, “A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.” When he was dealing with employees, one of his favorite sayings was, “I’ll take 50 percent efficiency to get 100 percent loyalty.” What does that have to do with employment law? Loyalty. In the […]