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
Since Montana is not an at-will state, employers must have good cause for firing an employee past the probation period. In general, good cause means that the employee did something wrong that affects the business, and that they have had a chance to fix it but didn’t. Good cause does … Read More
If you are unlucky enough to have to deal with an investigation in your company, one of the first tasks is to gather up all the evidence while it is still available, so that the investigator can review it. Some evidence is obvious: papers and letters, a weapon, clothing. Digital … Read More
No matter how smoothly things usually go in a workplace, there may come a time when colleagues don’t get along for some reason. Many of these disputes settle themselves over time, but not all of them. It might be two co-workers arguing over who is in charge of a project, … 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
Firing an employee is never fun. Depending on the circumstances, emotions can run high and there may be concern about a wrongful discharge suit. Writing out a termination letter, whether or not you plan to give it to the employee, is a good way to calm emotions and prepare for … Read More
The hard part of leading, the part so many business people avoid whenever possible, is dealing with employee emotions and, in particular, conflict. Unfortunately, it is hard to lead well when you ignore something that has such a huge affect on how people act. To get better at leading, Leadership … Read More