Handcuff Headlines

On January 15, we celebrate the life and legacy of a man who completely changed the way our nation accepts, promotes, and encourages equality for everyone, no matter what they look like or where they come from.

While we encourage clients to recruit young professionals with fresh skills and innovative ideas, we can’t forget about older, seasoned employees who have already built companies from the ground up. This wisdom and experience cannot be taught.

At all great companies, employees are motivated by supervisors who lead by example. Learning shouldn’t end for those promoted to senior-level positions.

Most businesses try to avoid anything controversial or political, and for good reason. In today’s polarized political climate, even the barest hint of offensive speech or actions can have repercussions, even accidentally.

When workers are stressed out, bad things happen. Sustained stress can lead to poor morale, employee turnover, at-work substance abuse, and even workplace violence. While some occasional stress is normal, routinely high stress can be a recipe for disaster at your business.

Tough conversations with employees are one of the most uncomfortable parts of being an employer. To add to our stress, they can also sometimes open businesses up to unexpected liability. Nevertheless, these conversations are unavoidable and must happen in order for an organization to grow.

Every business wants employees who are enthusiastic about their work, take ownership of it, and strive for better teamwork. Accomplishing this takes more than just wishing for it, however. Managers and the company culture can encourage these traits by treating employees like owners—not renters.

When two of your staff members are at war, you might be tempted to call them into your office and help them work it out, as I attempted to do recently. That tactic works sometimes, but if they are really at war and hurt feelings are involved, you might want to try the three-meeting approach.

No matter how much or how little time you have, there are plenty of ways to get that done-and-done feeling on a personal and professional level. The simplest way to reach that feeling is by crossing off the tasks you’ve been avoiding—you know which ones we’re talking about!

It’s that time of year. Many of your employees have made a resolution to live a healthier lifestyle, drop some pounds, and get active in 2018. Unfortunately, on average, 80 percent of them will give up on their resolution by February.

Why should you thank someone for doing their job? Why should you thank anyone for simply doing what they’re paid to do? The answer is clear: We know that showing gratitude and acknowledging the work of our employees and coworkers helps motivate a team and to feel more fulfilled in their positions.