March 3, 2010 by Jim Giuliano
Whenever a supervisor has to make a critical decision about an employee, someone’s bound to ask, “You have documentation to support that? It’s not enough just to have documentation; what’s more important is having the right documentation. More…
January 18, 2010 by Sam Narisi

You can’t promote everyone — managers frequently have to say no to qualified candidates, simply because they aren’t the best. Just make sure when that happens that they’ve the documented the real reason. More…
December 11, 2009 by Jim Giuliano

Some of the most expensive discrimination cases against employers in the last year resulted from managers who said the wrong thing at the wrong time — remarks that carried more weight than even the best documentation. More…
October 28, 2009 by Sam Narisi
Warnings about bad documentation often involve high-tech situations — for example, watch what you e-mail, since it creates a permanent record. But managers need to be careful of how they handle more primitive documents, too. More…
August 21, 2009 by Dan Wisniewski
The excuse “The dog ate my homework” didn’t work in school — was there any chance it’d hold up in federal court? More…
July 10, 2009 by Sam Narisi
Even the best employees occasionally turn into poor performers. What should managers be wary of when disciplining or firing employees who’ve gotten positive reviews in the past? More…
November 21, 2008 by Jim Giuliano

You’ve probably mentioned it to managers a hundred times: When there’s a problem with an employee, make sure we have good documentation to back up any discipline. Employment law attorney Penelope Phillips explains a few hints that will make documentation better than “good.” More…
July 31, 2008 by Jim Giuliano
HR manager Holly Thomas and her supervisors got tired of continually making decisions – which often got disputed by employees — about who was eligible for FMLA leave. Then she hit on an idea that made the process easier on everyone. More…
March 21, 2008 by Jim Giuliano
There are two kinds of documentation: good and bad. And small changes can make the difference between the two.
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March 17, 2008 by Jim Giuliano
A poor-performing employee gets fired shortly after filing a complaint about company safety. He sues the company for retaliation. Who won this real-life case?
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