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Halloween at the Office: More Treats, Less Tricks

We may not be kids anymore, but many of us still love Halloween. And workplace celebrations offer more than a sugar rush and the chance to wear something silly — they can be a simple yet effective way to boost morale. As such a widely celebrated holiday, Halloween is unlikely to raise issues of discrimination or offense, so it’s a …

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Preparing for Emergencies: Part 2 – Assisting People with Disabilities

We discussed the importance of thinking through potential emergencies and coming up with a plan to handle them, but an effective plan also must account for the needs of employees with various types of disabilities. During the planning process, there are opportunities for clear and acceptable communication between employees and employers, and usually people with disabilities will be best able …

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Preparing for Emergencies: Part 1 – The Plan

The recent hurricanes that have ravaged coastal parts of the United States can prompt introspection here in the central part of the country, where that particular situation is unlikely, but businesses may want to take a serious look at how they would face the unexpected. The best protection for businesses is to establish an emergency plan in advance so employees …

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Performance Appraisals – Open Letters From A Manager and Employee

There are many companies that have found a wonderful performance appraisal system while others continue to review systems to match their corporate culture. To all those companies that found a great fit, I say bravo. To those who are still looking, take a deep breath. Imagine for a moment if you could say what you truly feel about performance appraisals …

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Recruiting for Culture

Culture is extremely important to any organization. In fact, it’s the glue that holds many organizations together. You hear a lot of companies talk about how important it is to find people that fit in with their culture and potential candidates spend time researching and learning about the company, what they’re about, what’s important to them and what they’re planning …

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Teamwork

We all know the benefits of teamwork; we also know how important it is to your business. But, why can it be so damn challenging and exhausting? There’s so much information out there explaining all the benefits of well-oiled teamwork machines, and how to create effective teamwork. There are also tons of articles on all the I look. Peroxide. I …

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If Your Employees Aren’t Pulling for the Team

Everyone has a critical role to play in a small business; if you have less than 100 employees I doubt you could point to one person on your payroll that you don’t absolutely need. The metaphor of a team pulling together pretty much defines a small business, if you have even one person who is working against the team there …