Worked Up At Work

How to handle sticky office situations
by Steve M. Cohen, Ed.D.

Employees And Ministry—Relationships Matter, But Be Careful

Mixing doing good with good work can be tricky. It's great to help others, but using your workplace as a ministry can be challenging at best. Read More

On Boarding Can Mean More to Company Than New Hire

You spend time finding the right new employee. Now spend time getting them started the right way. Read More

New Rules Create "Jackpot" for Whistleblowers

Dodd-Frank may be financial reform, but it can bring small businesses a lot of grief. Read More

Fear In Termination: The Sympathetic Plaintiff

It's all too easy for a company to set themselves up for failure when making termination decisions. Read More

Outside Incidents Can Be Relevant To Employee Evaluation

What employees do outside of work is relevant the office, too. Read More

Workplace Bullying, It’s Also Called Harassment

Bullying has received enormous attention in the media during the last 12 months.

States have enacted anti-bullying rules in the schools, and the Department of Labor and the state Human Rights Commissions have long been interested in eliminating bullying from the workplace. Read More

Keeping Employees: It’s More Important Now Than You Might Think

Studies indicate up to 60% of employees are actively looking for new jobs. Don't allow your best ones to get away. Read More

Managers Need to Listen Too

Listening to employees is more than just good manners. It can increase production and profit, too. Read More

Be Careful When Making Your Business a Ministry

Hiring people who have been in prison can be very risky. Read More

Company Parties: Think Before You Drink

Thinking of a drinking party for the company? Think hard. Read More

Hiring the Right Way

Despite some headlines, some businesses are hiring. If you are one of them, make sure you make the right moves. Read More

Company Parties: Think Before You Drink

Thinking of a drinking party for the company? Think hard. Read More

Are You Engaged In Your Work?

Whether your are an owner, manager or beginning worker, being engaged in your work matters. It could mean your job. Read More

Racial Name Calling Is Never Okay

News flash: The "N" word is not okay. Read More

Handling the Office “Sniper” Part Two…

The office sniper is a staff person who "attacks from the weeds." Snipers stay in hiding. They criticize the manager in a passive aggressive way instead of face-to-face.

During a meeting the sniper says (just loud enough to be heard), "Be prepared for another useless edict." Stop the meeting and address the sniper head on. Read More

Handling the Office “Sniper” Part One…

The office sniper is a staff person who "attacks from the weeds." Snipers stay in hiding. They criticize the manager in many ways, but rarely face-to-face. They often make rude and inappropriate remarks under their breath. Sometimes it's a matter of whispering to the next person about what a jerk the manager (or some other targeted person) is. Read More

Diffusing Personnel Bombs

An exit interview is a radar screen for detecting personnel problems and an employee that leaves without one is like a bomb just waiting to be dropped. Studies have shown that senior management only knows 20% to 25% of the real problems that exist in their company. As a result, when someone quits, the manager may not find out about the problem that caused the resignation until it escalates. Read More

Check-up on Reference Checks

There are lots of prohibitions in the law about what can and can't be asked during an employment interview. Conversely, there are no prohibitions in the law about what can and can't be asked during a reference check. If you do get called about a former employee, be careful about how you respond to questions. Read More

Memo to employees: Are you taking your job for granted?

Nobody has to tell anybody that the recession has created a new reality. Employers aren't hiring very many people and people that have jobs are very concerned, for the most part, about keeping their jobs. Read More

Employers: Think Twice About "Do More With Less" Strategy

Because of the economy, many employees are staying with their current employer because they don't have--or don't think they have--other employment options. Read More

What's your reputation at work?

Let's face it: Every now and then, bringing a little levity to the office dynamic can be a welcome change of pace. Read More

Whine country: handling the office complainer

Mary was the office complainer who felt it was her duty to speak up whenever she spotted a problem-big or small. Carla, Mary's supervisor, appreciated Mary's expertise at her job but seriously wondered if she could stand to hear one more complaint from Mary. Consequently, Carla took control of the situation and decided to convert her top complainer into a top problem solver. Read More

What should transpire before you fire?

Terminating people is a very big deal. Just ask former NPR newsman Juan Williams and his company boss Vivian Schiller. Read More

Steve M. Cohen, Ed.D., CMC

Steve M. Cohen, Ed.D., C.M.C., is the president of Labor Management Advisory Group and HR Solutions: On-Call, and the author of Mess Management: Lessons From a Corporate Hit Man.

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