Terminating employment always comes with risk, even when it’s done for good cause. You can reduce this risk by using progressive discipline. As its name suggests, progressive discipline involves a progression of disciplinary actions with escalating consequences. When used to give employees with behavioral or performance problems time and opportunity to improve, it demonstrates good ...

With medical and recreational marijuana use becoming legal in more states nationwide, you may be wondering what kind of drug-testing policy your business should have. The answer to that question depends on several factors: the types of jobs that are done and the degree to which they’re safety-sensitive, legal requirements that may apply to your ...

There’s an old joke about an executive who worries that training their employees will be a bad investment because they might leave, to which the sage CEO says, “What if we don’t train them and they stay?” Contrary to common fears, training employees doesn’t usher them out the door. Yes, training may prepare employees for ...

Religious accommodation can be a balancing act in the workplace. We know that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on a job applicant’s or employee’s religion.  However, did you know that federal Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws also require employers to provide workplace accommodations to employees with sincerely held religious beliefs? ...

Big changes are in store in 2017. In this post, together we will examine some current hot topics in HR including the new political landscape and what it could mean for employers, some of the state and municipal regulations on the horizon, the trend of automation, and the importance of attracting talent in an economy ...

Destruction from snow storms, hurricanes and other weather-related emergencies can down power lines and disrupt normal business operations for days at a time. When this happens and you are forced to close your business, do you need to pay your employees? What if your business is open but some employees do not report to work ...

Are your employees lethargic, unable to concentrate, and unmotivated? Before you start writing off your team’s performance, consider this: According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 20% of the population may suffer from the “winter blues”, precipitated by lack of daylight, cold temperatures, and treacherous weather conditions. Some signs of the “winter blues” include fatigue, ...