Terminating Your Employees

Employers fail to properly handle employee terminations and because they don’t manage their employees properly they put the company at risk for potential legal problems. 

There are really 3 main reason why employers terminate employment. Employee’s are typically either terminated due to poor performance, misconduct or absenteeism. 

Employer should be able to say yes to the following:

1. Has the employee been properly trained?
2. Has the employee been given a proper job description and outline of performance standards/expectations?
3. Does the employee know the proper code of conduct and which behaviors would be considered as misconduct?

If the employer can say “yes” to the above questions then they can start having formal discussions with the employee.

Employer should’ve had at least 2 discussions with the employee about their concerns with their performance, misconduct and/or absenteeism.  The employee and employer should’ve agreed on an action plan for improvement in paper form and signed agreeing that performance must improve or  disciplinary action, up to and including, immediate termination.

If the employee still fails to improve  then you can terminate safely. You should have documentation on the performance discussions and a signed action plan to improve performance.

Remember that documentation is key. If you can’t prove that it happened then it never did.

Far too many employers just have verbal warnings and discussions with employees and find themselves in a bind when an unemployment claim or EEOC claim arrives in theirmailbox. Don’t be one of those employers!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month (www.nbcam.org), so it’s a good time to give a brief wellness training on this topic. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS – www.cancer.org), more than 200,000 women a year—and 2,000 men—are diagnosed with breast cancer. It makes sense to focus this training on breast cancer in women, but let your male workers know that the ACS website has information for men in its “Detailed Guide: Breast Cancer in Men.”

Researchers don’t know what causes breast cancer, but they have identified several risk factors. The National Cancer Institute (NCI – www.cancer.gov) lists the following factors as increasing the chances of breast cancer. Give employees this list and have them privately check off how many factors apply to them:

• Age—most cases occur after age 60
• Personal history—cancer in one breast increases risk for the other
• Family history—chances increase if mom, sister, or daughter had breast cancer
• Breast changes—certain types of abnormal cells increase risk
• Gene changes—genes include BRCA1 and BRCA2
• Reproductive history—no children or late children increase risk
• Menstrual history—pre-age 12 menstruation and post-55 menopause increase risk
• Race—white women more at risk
• Radiation therapy to chest—before age 30 increases risk
• Breast density—more dense tissue and less fatty increases risk
• Weight—overweight or obese after menopause increases risk
• Activity level—less activity = greater risk
• Alcohol—more alcohol = greater risk

If your workers checked factors that are under their control, e.g., weight, activity level, or alcohol, encourage them to make the changes they need to lower their risk. If they checked factors they can’t control, e.g., age, history, or race, urge them to get regular screenings for early detection—and their best chance for survival.

Regardless of a person’s factors, the good news is that early detection of the disease greatly increases one’s chances for survival. The ACS reports that when breast cancer is detected while it is still localized, which means it hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes, the patient’s 5-year survival rate is a whopping 98%. In fact, the ACS says there are more than 2 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

Give your employees these ACS-recommended steps:

1. Breast self exams (BSEs)—women in their 20s should begin doing these regularly.
2. Clinical breast exams—women in their 20s and 30s should get these exams every 3 years as part of their physicals, every year when they reach their 40s and beyond.
3. Mammograms—women in their 40s should begin getting these annually.

Why it Matters

• Breast cancer is a fairly common—and highly treatable—disease in women.
• Even men can be diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Early detection and treatment can lead to a 98% 5-year survival rate.
• Giving employees the facts about this common disease can help keep them healthy and productive at work.

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Simple Words that can Motivate Employees in a Down Economy

The economy is still down and many companies have closed their doors and just as many have had to consider doing so at one time or another. Motivation and morale is hard to come by in the workplace when the economy is down and your company isn’t doing as well as you or your employees would like. This is an unfortunate truth but certainly a reality for many.

So what can you do to help lift spirits? How can you get your team motivated to reach and succeed company goals necessary to keep your doors open?

Well, it’s simpler than you may think. Some of the best and simple words that a manager can speak to their employees to help motivate and build morale are as follows:

1. Thank you (or) I appreciate your help
2. I made a mistake (or) I was wrong
3. What do you think
4. Great Job (or) Well done

All though these are simple, managers fail to use them as much as they should or even fail to use them at all.

It’s also important to do the following:

1. Recognize your employees – verbally, in written form, public praise. These are all FREE!!
2. Ask for input and ideas – when your meeting with your staff make sure to ask them for their input. This is motivating to employees and it makes them feel valued. Implement as many ideas as you can, as long as they’re practical.

Simple phrases remind employees that they matter and when a manager can recognize their good work then your team will be far more motivated to achieve desired results. Your employees need you to lead the way and if you’re not motivated then it’s definitely hard for them to be as well. Yes the economy can be stressful but it’s up to you and your team to pull together and succeed.

Start speaking these simple words to your staff today.

National Fire Prevention Week 2011

National Fire Prevention Week 2011 will be observed Oct. 9-15. This year’s theme is: Protect Your Family from Fire, and according to FEMA Regional Administrator Ken Murphy, the 2011 campaign is all about keeping ourselves, our families, and our communities safer from fire.

“Annual observances like National Fire Prevention Week are excellent opportunities to focus on fire hazards—but we should all practice fire safety every day—at work, at play, and particularly at home,” Murphy said. “The most common causes of home fires include cooking, heating, electrical malfunction, smoking materials, and candles.”

Safety tips to reduce home fires include:

• Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking. Many cooking fires start from “unattended” cooking.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys inspected and cleaned annually.
• If you smoke, smoke outside.
• Keep flammable materials away from light bulbs, light fixtures, and lamps.
• Use flashlights during power outages, not candles. If you do burn candles indoors, blow them out before leaving the room, and keep them away from things that can burn.

Murphy also cautions against complacency. “It’s officially Fall, and as temperatures become cooler, the rate of fire and fire-related deaths increase. FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) offer a wealth of safety information, fire prevention tips and resources online: www.fema.gov and www.usfa.dhs.gov,” Murphy said. “I encourage everyone to contact their local fire department to learn more about making their homes safer from fire, or how to best participate in fire prevention activities.”

Source: ohsonline.com

Tips for Addressing Disrespectful Employee Behavior

Unfortunately some employees will behave in a disrespectful manner to either their manager or to their peers from time to time. It’s the manager’s job to observe, address and correct disrespectful behavior in the workplace.   

What are examples of disrespectful behavior? 

• Bullying
• Ignoring requests
• Eye Rolling
• Dirty Looks (unpleasant expressions)
• Sighing
• Clicking your tongue
• Giggling conspiratorially with another coworker
• Conduct, comment or display of behavior that would embarrass, humiliate, demean or belittle a person
• Offensive or inappropriate remarks or gestures
• Offensive or inappropriate jokes, including practical jokes
• Swearing
• Actions that invade privacy or personal property
• Rude comments including sarcasm
• Posters, calendars, cartoons that cause offense
• Spreading Rumors and gossip that could damage a person’s reputation
• Display or distribution of printed or electronic material that would offend
• Verbal abuse including yelling and name-calling
• Shunning, ignoring or isolating an individual
• Abuses of power such as threats, coercion or bullying 

Disrespectful behavior in the workplace can affect the overall work environment because it can cause tension in the workplace. Employees may feel uncomfortable coming to work and/or interacting with certain team members and overall employee productivity will be affected.   

The best tip is to always address poor behavior immediately. Do not wait until later to address poor behavior. Managers should not tolerate behavior that is unacceptable, negative and detrimental to the team. Far too often managers tolerate poor behavior and this tells the employee(s) that their behavior is acceptable. This in turn creates a culture for the company which teaches others that certain behaviors are “ok” causing more people to participate in the same poor behavior.  

You’re the manager. You have the right and duty to correct unacceptable behavior. Correct poor behavior as it occurs with an immediate verbal counsel. If the employee continues to display the same or similar behavior then the manager should have a formal counsel with the employee. The counseling should outline unacceptable behavior in the workplace and the employee should understand that disciplinary action will result if the employee participates in such behavior moving forward.

Part 2 – How to Address Troublesome People Effectively

After you’ve addressed the issue with the employee you need to discuss the solution and expectation moving forward. Have the person confirm that “I won’t do that anymore.”

Document, Document & Document.

As a manager you should always be practicing documentation. You never know when another issue will arise and you always want to ensure that you have proper documentation if anything does happen in the future. You should document the issue and file the details in the employees personnel file.

So what happens when you don’t address employee issues?

If you don’t confront problem employees expect the following to occur:

• Poor productivity.
• Increased problematic behavior as they realize they won’t be punished.
• Loss of business due to difficult employee’s poor ability to interact with others.
• Loss of talent because people get tired of dealing with an employee that gets away with things.
• Rule violations & inconsistency throughout the team.

Again, sometimes being a manager isn’t all that great when you have to address challenging employees who display unacceptable, unprofessional and disrespectful behavior. But to be an effective manager you must address these challenges and address them adequately or your workplace will suffer the consequences of ignored problematic behavior.

Brain research conducted in the past decade has found that moving from a sitting position to a standing position increases oxygen to the brain by 15 to 20 percent and that more oxygen in the brain means better learning.

"It's as simple as that," says Sharon Bowman, president of Bowperson Publishing & Training and author of Using Brain Science to Make Training Stick, her latest book.

"Movement—any kind of motion—increases oxygen to the brain, thereby giving the brain a cognitive boost. Conversely, sitting for extended lengths of time makes thinking and learning more difficult to do because the oxygen levels in the body decrease," Bowman explains.

She maintains that trainers need to build in opportunities for learners to move around during training. For example, have a "body break" at least every 10 to 20 minutes, trainees should be encouraged to:

• Stand and stretch; 
• Turn and talk to those around them; 
• Bend and write; 
• Wiggle their arms and legs; or 
• Roll their heads and shoulders.

Part 1 – How to Address Troublesome People Effectively

Sometimes being a manager isn’t all that great when you have to address challenging employees who display unacceptable, unprofessional and disrespectful behavior. But to be an effective manager you must address these challenges and address them adequately.

Too many mangers tolerate poor behavior because they do not like confrontation and having “the talk” so they’d rather see if it goes away on its own. Unfortunately, very rarely does poor behavior ever go away on it’s on. You have the authority to correct employee behavior so embrace it and take charge just as you should.

The most important goal for every manager should be to ensure that every issue is handled as quickly as possible. Immediate reprimand and corrections are ideal as the incident is fresh and can be addressed more adequately. Waiting to address issues can result in forgetting exactly what happened or the employee not really remembering what it was that they did wrong.

• As a manager you must immediately address the behavior as soon as it happens.
• Describe the poor behavior in detail so they understand exactly what they did.
• Be clear on its impact and how it’s detrimental to their success as a team member.
• Be clear and firm with the employee. They need to understand 100% that the behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated again. Don’t ‘beat around the bush’ to make the employee feel better.
• Make sure the employee understands and agrees that a problem exists and that the behavior needs to be corrected.