By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio As a manager, how can I supervise employees at remote locations—particularly when I never see them? If I work remotely, how do I make sure I stay on my supervisor's radar for promotional opportunities? Which employees thrive in virtual team situations? If you manage a virtual team If you manage employees you never meet … [Read more...] about Supervising and Surviving Virtual Teams
Managing the office
100 Top-Grossing Law Firms Published by ALM’s The American Lawyer
The American Lawyer's Am Law 100 ranking of the nation's top-grossing law firms revealed only modest growth overall for key financial metrics, the slowest growth among top firms since the Great Recession. Total gross revenue rose 2.7 percent in 2015 as firms struggled with a leveling-off of legal demand and uncertain conditions in global markets, according to the annual report, … [Read more...] about 100 Top-Grossing Law Firms Published by ALM’s The American Lawyer
Who’s your favorite administrative professional on TV?
By Catherine Jones bio We've all worked with some real characters, but which TV character portraying an administrative professional would most people want at their company? More than a quarter (29 percent) of workers surveyed by staffing firm OfficeTeam said they'd choose Pam Halpert from "The Office," followed by Waylon Smithers from "The Simpsons" (17 percent). … [Read more...] about Who’s your favorite administrative professional on TV?
Changes to watch for in disability and absence management
Employee leave continues to undergo change and become increasingly complex. Although several regulations, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Americans with Disabilities Act and Amendments Act (ADA/AA), have been in place for several years, legal interpretation and application are subject to ongoing clarification. Meanwhile, regulatory initiatives under the … [Read more...] about Changes to watch for in disability and absence management
5 quick and easy ways to show recognition for employees’ good performance
By Catherine Jones bio Happy Administrative Professionals Week (April 24-30). It's that time of year when many members of the office support team will receive special acknowledgment for their contributions. But opinions are divided between employers and their staff on what constitutes effective employee recognition, says an OfficeTeam survey. Nearly nine in 10 (89 percent) … [Read more...] about 5 quick and easy ways to show recognition for employees’ good performance
Top 10 oddball interview questions
Job candidates must be prepared for anything during an interview, according to Glassdoor, the transparent jobs and recruiting marketplace. The company therefore combed through hundreds of thousands of interview questions shared by job candidates over the past year to compile its annual list of the Top 10 Oddball Interview Questions. Here are the questions selected. … [Read more...] about Top 10 oddball interview questions
Buried by paper? Time to crawl out and go digital
In a report dated August 9, 2012, Linda A. Halliday, the Assistant Inspector General for Audits and Evaluations of the Department of Veterans Affairs, called for immediate action to address the “Risks Associated with Veterans Claims Folder Storage, Building Integrity, and Employee Safety at the Winston-Salem VA Regional Office.” In her report, Ms. Halliday described thousands … [Read more...] about Buried by paper? Time to crawl out and go digital
Managing the Gen X/Y employee
By Lynne Curry, Ph.D, SPHR bio If you heard a male employee say "Yo, dude!" to a female employee you'd think the comment (check your choice): Inappropriate; Insulting; Affectionate. Please complete the following sentences: Patience is a ______. Good things come to _____ ___ ____. If you checked "inappropriate" or "insulting" or … [Read more...] about Managing the Gen X/Y employee
Survey: Employees waste 80 hours a year on IT issues
Your employees could be losing more than two work weeks each year trying to get their computer equipment to work. According to a new survey of office workers by Robert Half Technology, employees waste an average of 19 minutes each day, dealing with IT-related issues. For someone who works five eight-hour days for 50 weeks of the year, that translates into a loss of nearly 80 … [Read more...] about Survey: Employees waste 80 hours a year on IT issues
How to get poor performers to commit to improved behavior—without confrontation
Perhaps the most difficult part of being a manager is talking to an employee about poor performance. No manager enjoys the confrontation. But poor performance will continue and likely worsen if left unaddressed. Here's an outline of how to take on that most unpleasant job. It's explained by JoAn Majors, a speaker on people skills. Majors is also author of the book, "Encourage … [Read more...] about How to get poor performers to commit to improved behavior—without confrontation