Virtual Office Management Means Effective Communication Try these helpful strategies and software to better manage employees from afar. Bob Dylan had it right when he penned his lyrics “The times, they are a-changing.” In today’s highly competitive world, if entrepreneurs don’t catch up or k...
What Else Besides Termination? Layoffs may seem like the easiest fix to boost your profit margins, but the repercussions will have dire effects. Discover some better options to keep your business afloat. Every day, you read in the papers that the U.S. recession is deepening with repercussions felt t...
Rewarding Employees Creatively If you don’t have the money for large bonuses or extravagant end-of-the-year parties, consider these methods to thank employees. The end of the year is rapidly approaching. You want to demonstrate your appreciation for your employees, but don’t have the discretiona...
Inspiring Creativity in Your Employees Don’t think of your employees as very creative? Here’s why it’s important to encourage them to think outside the box. So you say you’re not creative? And your employees aren’t either? Then “physician, heal thyself.” You may be the source of the pr...
Improving Employee Morale Squash negative attitudes in the workplace and get your employees motivated again. In last month’s column, “How to Prevent—and Rescue—Burnt-Out Employees,” I gave you the signs of burnout and how to prevent it in your employees. But what steps can you take even e...
When to Fire Problem Employees Before you cut them loose, find out if it’s possible to turn their performance around. When an employee underperforms or makes serious errors or omissions, it’s quite tempting to want to terminate that person and look for a replacement. However, much more is involv...
Dealing With a Confrontational Employee Working together with your employees can help put an end to negative behavior. Question: I have an employee in a support area who has been a positive nightmare. Two months ago, the person approached me and said that because of his shift, he couldn’t find pro...
Conflict in the Workplace Sometimes a lack of conflict can be just as bad as the alternative. It all depends on how you deal with it. Can conflict ever be a good thing? Two of your employees seem to be in conflict. They bicker, critique or criticize each other. Or, when you interact with your [&hell...
Building Morale Don’t underestimate how essential this intangible element is to your company’s success. You know about morale-we all do. It’s that certain esprit de corps, mood of the company, willingness to exert one’s self on the job, or feeling of victory or contentment. Morale can be fat...
5 Steps to Deal with Difficult Employees Ignoring a problematic staffer could jeopardize the success of the entire organization. Difficult people present no problem if we pass them on the street, in the supermarket or in a building lobby. Nevertheless, when we have to work with them difficult people...