Should You Allow Employees to Telecommute?

Workplace norms have changed dramatically in recent years. From 2005 to 2012, telecommuting grew by 80 percent, due in large part to technological advancements and the influx of millennials into the workforce. Allowing employees to work from home or another remote location has its pros and cons. Will it work for your company? The Plusses [...] Read More

What to Look for When Checking References

The cost of a poor hire can be as high as three to four times their salary. When you add in intangible costs such as stress and lower morale on the part of co-workers, you can easy see why it’s worthwhile not to skip reference checks as a key part of your hiring process. All [...] Read More

Are You Micromanaging Your Employees?

Are you a micromanager? Knowing how much supervision to give can be difficult: too little, and people could become lost and unproductive; too much, and you could end up with freaked-out, demoralized employees. Despite good intentions, micromanagers ultimately hurt their business as their supervisory style results in low morale, wasted time and often, high turnover. [...] Read More

Reeling in March Madness

Approximately 50 million Americans contribute to March Madness pools at work. This level of participation is estimated to cost employers more than $1.9 billion in lost productivity. It may be tempting to bar all March Madness-related activities in your workplace, but … bah humbug! Experts agree this will not only hurt your reputation as a [...] Read More

What You Should Be Learning from References

If you are seriously considering a candidate for your open position, do not overlook the importance of checking with their past employers and talking to their references. This should be a prerequisite to making a job offer. The harsh truth is: A significant percentage of applicants lie on their resumes. In one recent survey, 56 [...] Read More

Can You Spot the Signs of a Bad Hire?

Successful recruitment begins the moment you decide to hire a new employee – and continues through your hiring strategy and process. Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, a bad hire happens. If you fear that’s the case, there are signs you can watch for to help verify your concern. Red Flags Let’s hope it didn’t [...] Read More

How to Motivate Lazy Employees

What do you do if the employee who showed so much promise during their interview turns into something else entirely? On the job, they are lazy and unmotivated. They may even drag others down with them – and they will most likely have a negative effect on morale, productivity or profitability. Yikes! Granted, there will [...] Read More

Building a Successful Culture: It’s Not Just for Millennials!

The global workforce has been inundated with millennials; the generation of workers born between 1980 and 2000. But as you build your successful corporate culture, for the first time in history, you need to stretch your planning to incorporate up to four generations of employees. Consider: Veterans who were born between 1922 and 1945. As [...] Read More

Stop Making Bad Hires! But How?

Hire well and you’ll have a high-performing and happy team. Hire just one wrong person – sometimes called a “misfire hire” – and you’ll spend a lot of time, money and energy doing damage control. Have the right process, with the right checks and balances in place. Select wisely to achieve business growth while providing [...] Read More