Work
Articles on workplace issues written for an HR crowd.
Sparking Generation Y
Sixty million strong, Generation Y is a force with which to be reckoned. Yet its members don't look, talk, behave and punch their timeclocks like other workers, leaving many in HR at a loss. Tips on how to figure out the youngest souls on staff—and keep them onboard.
HR Resources: Sifting the Wheat From the Chaff
HR resources—books, websites, conferences and classes—abound, which can make it dizzying to choose where to turn for the best answers. Here, a diverse group of HR practitioners point to their favorites.
Getting Return on Your Recruiter Investment
It can be a bumpy road working with an external recruiter. Mismatched resumes pour in as fees mount up. Here's how to start your relationship off on the right feet and keep it running smoothly until those vacancies are filled.
Steering Them Through the Business Casual Minefield
You've been enlisted to roll out the company's new business casual dress code. Guidance on explaining the confusion-fraught term and ushering in Khaki Nirvana.
Workplace Crises: Responses and Preparation
Advice on how to help your company recover from the terrorist attacks and create a safer, sounder workplace.
Ergonomics Commandments: Know Thy Furniture and Stretch Thyself
Ergonomic fixes need not mean expensive office redesigns or consultants who speak languages all their own. Try these simple, easy stretches to combat soreness and pain that often strike the deskbound.
Ergonomics: What It Is, Why You Should Care & Who Can Help
Ergonomics, the science of making the workplace fit the worker, is neither snake oil nor miracle cure. A look into the practices of those on the frontline—ergonomics consultants—who are busy spreading the word.
Recycling at Work: Getting Cash for Trash
Cries to recycle may come from on high, from conscientious employees or from your own nagging desire to save the environment. As America Recycles Day approaches—this year on November 15—the time couldn't be better to get recycling up and running and excise excess from company budgets.
From Flavored Air to Freshcut Hair
Some dotcom companies are notorious for their wacky, lavish benefits. But even the lowest tech companies may do well to follow their lead in people pleasing perqs.
The Pros and Cons of Praise
Letting employees know you—or their managers or even co-workers—value their work is paramount. How best to communicate such praise, however, is hotly contested.
The Perils of Motivating Without Listening
Tough times call for motivation from on high. But careful what you say or do. Stressed out, scared employees often need the cheapest perq on the block—a listening ear and an honest assessment—rather than token gifts or flashy trips.
Workplace Motivation That Works
Motivating workers may require some rethinking on your part—and a shift from logo pens to less tangible gimmes that workers truly value. Here, expert strategies on inspiring workers to do their best.
The Real Meaning of Business Casual
A look at the dizzying definitions of business casual and why you should—or shouldn't—welcome this mode of clothing aboard.
Finding—or Being—a Mentor
Some companies have formal mentoring programs, many others informal relationships, often between supervisors and employees. Suggestions for how to find or become the mentor of your worklife dreams.
Workplace Violence Training: The Antidote With Punch
Workplace violence—in all its unwelcome forms—is a scourge that costs companies in dollars and sometimes life. An explanation of the training that helps to prevent Dirty Harry from Making His Day in your workplace.