One of the more frustrating challenges facing a manger is the employee who just can’t seem to make it in to work, with unpredictable absences and/or regular tardiness. At best, this behavior causes disruption of the workplace while coworkers figure out how to compensate for the missing person; at worst, … Read More
When an employee or coworker blows up in anger, frustration, or tears, most people have one of two reactions: run for cover or try to solve the problem. Unfortunately, neither is likely to truly help. The best thing to do is to help the person get it out of their … Read More
The policies every employee manual starts with are the legal ones like EEOC and harassment, and the ones about when and how people get paid. These are relatively easy because they are hard and fast, making them easy to write. What often gets missed are the policies covering corporate culture that … Read More
If an employee makes a complaint about your business – discrimination, safety violations, harassment, financial irregularities – your next and possibly bigger problem is avoiding a retaliation claim. Whether or not the original complaint was true or validated, an employee can claim that you retaliated against them for the complaint … Read More
In Montana, dogs are often an important part of the workplace, even where they are not actively working. Most of the time, employees understand the expectations for their dogs and no problems arise. Every once in a while, there are misunderstandings about a particular dog and it is helpful to … Read More
When people post to social media like Facebook or Twitter, they usually feel that they are talking to a few friends, but in fact they may be opening themselves and their employer up to potential liability. Companies may be tempted to ignore social media, but there are times when they … Read More
Every major new product takes time to really incorporate into our lives well enough to develop the appropriate etiquette and boundaries. Gin was the problem in 18th Century England, when poor people spent all their money on bottles and ended up in the gutter, mothers neglecting kids and fathers neglecting … Read More
Bullying is a problem that has always been around but that is becoming less accepted, especially in the workplace. It is joining the ranks of harassment and discrimination as behaviors that employers need to worry about. A proactive approach to bullying protects both employees and the employer. Bullying takes several … Read More