We all know that bosses can be jerks. Now economists think they understand why — although the reason may surprise you. As it turns out, most companies end up promoting their best-performing employees, giving them responsibility for supervising others workers. The problem, new research shows, is that the skills that made employees succeed at their initial…
Category: Management Tip
Study: This is how much non-compete clauses hurts employees
Blinded by enthusiasm for our new jobs, too many of us do not look too closely at the language within our employment contracts. Fewer than 10% of new employees will try to negotiate their noncompete clauses, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. But buyer beware: those seemingly innocuous paragraphs can have an outsized impact on…
Non-compete agreements: Retention tool or liability landmine?
Non-compete contracts, or restrictive covenants, have garnered a lot of media attention of late. Once considered applicable only to high-level employees, non-competes have trickled down the corporate ladder to the rank and file as companies try to protect their investment in staff. The practice of using non-competes has become so widespread that in March 2016…
What to Know Before Signing a Noncompete or Nondisclosure Agreement
Despite the job market’s uncertainties and unpredictability, most experts say noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements are becoming increasingly common. Why? As the economy becomes more technology-oriented, employers are more concerned about preventing the technical and intellectual property they’ve developed from being copied by others. Rick Levi, a partner in the Midwestern law firm of Earnest, Foster,…
Management Tip: Hiding bad news demotivates employees, study finds
Withholding important information from staff is demotivating, regardless of whether the news is good or bad, according to a new study which suggests the quality and honesty of internal communication may be a crucial factor in engagement. Researchers from Warwick Business School asked participants to play a game of ‘dictator’. This involved one participant trying…
Management Tip: Employee Turnover And Its Staggering Costs
I wrote this article years ago, but thought I would re-introduce it to those who haven’t seen it….
Noncompete Agreements Hurt Recruitment
Experts dispute whether companies are using noncompete agreements more than ever, but they agree on one thing: Many talented job applicants refuse to sign them and choose employers that don’t require them. “Today’s workforce is less loyal than in the past, and movement between employers is a fact of life in modern business,” said Andrew…
Treat Your Employees Like a Customer
In another featured article, I opined about Employee Turnover And Its Staggering Costs and today I’ll opine again… and share some ideas on how to keep your people.
9 Bad Manager Mistakes That Make Good People Quit
If you want your best people to stay, you need to think carefully about how you treat them. It’s pretty incredible how often you hear managers complaining about their best employees leaving, and they really do have something to complain about—few things are as costly and disruptive as good people walking out the door. Managers…
The Tyranny of the Noncompete Clause
Not all the research findings have been bad news for noncompetes: One recent study found that they do appear to stimulate investment in worker training.