Employee Relations 

Poor Worker Health Costs U.S. Businesses Billions  
Lost productivity because of workers’ poor health is costing the U.S. $84 billion a year, according to a Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index released May 7.

Generational Differences: New Way to Discriminate? 
There are now five generations in the workplace, and boy, don’t we know it. Seems like you can hardly pick up an HR- or business-related publication these days without some reference to one of these groups: the Traditionalists (1925-45), the Baby Boomers (1946-64), Gen X (1965-80), Gen Y or Millennials (1981-95), and Generation Zen (1996-present).    

Award Programs Can Have Unintended Consequences
Employee award programs can be powerful motivators, but poorly designed ones can lead to unintended and negative consequences that can reduce their value and effectiveness.

Employers' Charitable Programs Need to Engage Millennials
Filling out an annual charitable pledge card in the workplace doesn't cut it for Millennials, who are challenging long-held ideas about workplace giving programs.

Meals That Motivate Workers
Organizations find that breaking bread together—or throwing back a pint—can spice up the workday and feed corporate culture as well as hunger pains.

Boost Employee Newsletter Readership
The most effective newsletters marry the content-delivery preferences of employees with the content goals of leaders to effectively influence worker behaviors. That, of course, is often easier said than done.

Success Linked to Engagement, Regardless of Recession
Despite a global recession that has led to widespread layoffs and restructuring, the link between engagement and key organizational results has remained remarkably consistent regardless of the organization, industry or country, a recent Gallup Inc. study found.

Survey: Employee Needs Unmet

Stop ‘Thinking Outside the Box’
Communication experts and HR executives say the original intent of such workplace jargon as getting “face time” with clients or grabbing “low-hanging fruit” was to coin a smart and succinct term that followed trends set by others. It's now time to lose the lingo.

EEOC Stats Feature Charges by Employment Action
For the first time, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has released a table indicating the type of discriminatory action alleged by statute, and it is a treasure trove of information.

Experts: Show Appreciation for Employees Often

‘Weighty’ Performance Appraisal Dilemmas

Why Corporations Are Coming Out Against DOMA
Wading into the highly emotional but quickly shifting national debate over gay marriage, 278 companies filed an amicus brief Feb. 27 in support of Edith Windsor, the New York woman whose challenge of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) has been taken up by the United States Supreme Court.

How long should written warnings or counseling statements stay on file?

How should employers report telecommuters and remote workers on the EEO-1 survey?