Four Ways to Make Terminations Less Stressful

In the 2009 movie Up in the Air, George Clooney and Anna Kendrick play corporate downsizers—HR consultants that companies across the country hire to terminate employees for them. The practice wasn’t exactly common at the time, and fortunately never took off, but it...

The Qualities of Great Managers and How to Develop Them

Think about your favorite manager. Now think about what made them your favorite. Was it the success you earned while working with them? Your employer may have evaluated them based on metrics like team productivity or turnover rates. Great managers are usually good at...

Can we deny vacation requests?

Answer from Jenny, SPHR, SHRM-SCP: In general, yes. But you should have—and document—a legitimate business reason for doing so. Denying vacation requests will undoubtedly hurt morale, especially if it happens frequently, and low morale leads to higher rates of...

7 Ways to Reengage Your Workforce and Inspire Loyalty

You’ve probably been hearing about the Great Resignation (or however you want to describe it) for months now. Even if you’re not dealing directly with increased turnover, your employees know they have options. Their friends, family, and people they know peripherally...

Avoiding Burnout When You Work in HR

If you work in HR, you know that employee burnout remains pervasive. You also know that the task of supporting overly stressed employees often falls on your shoulders. But you’re exhausted too. Burnout isn’t just a problem you have to help others solve; you also have...

The Rewards of Trust and How to Get Them

Why do people stop trusting in one another? And what happens to a team when trust disappears? To answer these questions, let’s start with a fable. About a year ago, Abigail began her first day on a new job. She was a software engineer, new to the workforce, and eager...