Tag: HR

Dr. Summeroff, Meet Dr. Winteroff and Dr. Deer (Readers Respond)

‘We Get Dr. Winteroff’ Steve, we often get Dr. Summeroff’s cousin, Dr. Winteroff to deal with. We have a sales group who often take leave immediately following a month when they have not met their sales goal because they know they will be placed on a performance plan when they have fallen short of their […]

Train Employees on Appropriate Use of the Internet at Work

The material in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer session, “Appropriate Internet Use.” A Reasonable and Balanced Approach Surveys indicate that in most workplaces today, employers and employees agree that some nonbusiness use of the Internet is both inevitable and acceptable. When allowed, appropriate personal use of the Internet in the workplace […]

Are Your Employees Trained on the Appropriate Use of the Internet?

The material in today’s Advisor is adapted from BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer session, “Appropriate Internet Use.” The Situation The Internet is an essential business tool for most organizations today. It not only provides instant access to vital information but it also offers instant communication anywhere in the world at any time of day. Access to […]

Do Your Employees Go to Dr. Summeroff?

The line got a huge laugh from the audience, but it was a rueful laugh—it seemed that every HR manager in the audience had an employee who was a patient of Dr. Summeroff. I thought it was a great lesson in real-world HR—not compliance, not policy, but dealing with Dr. Summeroff. Compensation.BLR.com, now thoroughly reved […]

Guidance on Developing Effective Training Sessions

The training information in this issue is adapted from BLR’s audio presentation, Training the Trainer. Guidance Trainees can work with this exercise to begin to plan an actual training session. The trainer of the “train the trainer” session should stress to trainees that the plans they make are not set in stone; however, the exercise […]

Do Your Trainers Know How to Develop Training Sessions?

Review with trainees the tasks involved with developing a training session, including setting objectives, establishing content, planning for participation, and preparing methods of evaluation. Then, ask trainees to respond, individually or in small groups, to the following questions: 1. What are some of the training needs you see in the workplace? List at least three. […]

Comp/HR Managers Are Negotiators—24-7

Negotiators have high status in this country, McCabe says; you don’t put losers on your negotiating team. McCabe, who is professor of management at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, offered his negotiating tips at the BLR® HR Strategic Summit, held recently in Scottsdale, Arizona. Benefits of Being a Better Negotiator Improved commercial, business, […]

How Should Reference Requests Be Handled?

Reference requests have come under scrutiny in recent years. This because negative references can be deemed an adverse employment action—and thus set the stage for a retaliation claim. On the other hand, even a good reference could be problematic. For example, if a good reference is given for an employee who was terminated due to […]

Trends in the Use of Variable Pay

“Variable pay supports the organization’s strategic direction and drives the accomplishment of organizational goals.” Teri Morning explained in a recent BLR webinar. “It does so by enabling companies to recognize and reward high performers and to sustain high performance.” What Is Variable Pay? Variable pay is pay given over and above base pay, since average […]

Q&A on Setting Pay Rates and Ranges

Setting formal pay ranges is one way organizations create fair pay structures that also motivate employees. These types of structures can provide a basis for employees to move between levels, and can create internal consistency in how employees are paid. That said, they can also come with plenty of questions when you’re just getting started. […]