HR SoapBox: Cold Offices Translate Into Lukewarm Performances

December 15, 2005

Volume 5, Number 20

In This Issue...COLD OFFICES TRANSLATE INTO LUKEWARM PERFORMANCES

What happened LAST YEAR when it was time to
conduct employee performance appraisals?

If your organization was like many others...

Managers were ill-prepared and anxious about preparing and conducting evaluations — or maybe they just "went through the motions" without preparation or thought;
Human Resources was frustrated by reviews that did not accurately reflect employee performance, lacked documentation, did not consistently apply performance standards to all employees, or even contained documentation that could land you in legal trouble;
Employees were left confused or simply unmotivated to maximize their performance.

Performance appraisals don't have to be an aggravating, discouraging — and legally hazardous — experience for all involved. When performance appraisals are properly planned, conducted, and documented, they can provide employees with essential feedback, enhance employee development, increase productivity, encourage trusting and respectful relationships, and safeguard your company from legal liability.

That's where we can help. AHI has teamed up with Rebecca Mazin to present a 60-minute, interactive audio conference titled:

How To Conduct Motivating And Legally-Sound Performance Appraisals
Wednesday, January 4, 2006
1:00 PM Eastern Time

Sign Up For AHI's Free E-Mail Newsletters:

• Employment Law Today
• Benefits Alert
• HR Soapbox

Use This Link To Sign Up.

Share The Knowledge:

Forward this newsletter to a colleague.

COLD OFFICES TRANSLATE INTO LUKEWARM PERFORMANCES

I've never considered myself the type of person who is always cold. In fact, my fiancé is usually the one crawling under the covers as I open the windows. When I walk through the workplace door, however, it's as if I lose all of my blood.

This probably has something to do with the fact that the building's air conditioning/heating technician and I are on a first name basis. Why, you ask. Because it seems that every other week, he's climbing into the ceiling in my office to fix the heating.

So when I came across a Cornell University study titled Linking Environmental Conditions to Productivity, I had to keep reading. The more I read, the more I agreed. The study's author expected that as temperatures rose, productivity would decline. The reality was quite different. Typing errors fell by 44% and typing output increased 150% when office temps were increased from 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees.

Take it from someone who has had to stop typing to blow on her hands because they were so cold, these findings make perfect sense.

The next time you see an employee rubbing his hands together or putting her scarf back on, don't immediately dismiss the employee as someone who has an internal thermostat problem. Check office temps. If the thermostat is set for 72 degrees, employees shouldn't be shivering. If they are, call the building's maintenance department.

Respond to this HR Soapbox Complaints of too-cold temps generally mean the ventilation is overworking and too much cold air is being brought into the building. Conversely, complaints of too-warm temps typically mean that the ventilation is not working well.

It's impossible to please everyone when it comes to workplace temperatures. Your best bet is to set the thermostat at a moderate level and monitor to make sure it's working properly. For those who complain it's too hot, encourage them to bring in a small desk fan. For those who complain it's too cold, suggest they leave an extra sweater in the office.

Good luck, stay legal, and be warm!

Melissa V. Hansen
Editor

READERS GET ON THE SOAPBOX

Here's what readers had to say in response to last month's issue on:
EXCUSES...SEEMS EVERYONE'S GOT ONE, BUT ARE ANY LEGIT?

An employee called to say she would be in late because someone took her car. It turned out that she parked her car at the post office around the corner from her house the night before, forgot where she left it, and had walked home. The police found it sitting just where she left it at the post office!!!! Strange, but oh so true. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?
The City of Scottsdale paved the streets this morning and I can't pull my car out of the driveway.

I am locked in my house and the alarm is set and I have to have my keys to unset the alarm and my husband took the keys to work by mistake.

I know it's going to thunderstorm today and I have to stay home to barricade up my windows.

I was in Mexico with my husband for the weekend and we had a fight, he drove home to Phoenix and left me here, and there are no buses back until tomorrow.
Although I have been in the workforce for a lifetime, I'm always looking forward to the next and more creative excuse for not complying with the rules. One that comes to mind is that of the employee who called in at work 14 days after the Loma Prieta earthquake in California in 1989. He called his supervisor to inform him that he could not be at work because he had just discovered a broken pipe in the shower as a consequence of the earthquake and needed to repair it. The supervisor told him that he would approve his unscheduled leave once he provided a copy of the invoice from the plumber. The employee stated that he was going to perform the repair himself because he was an engineer, to which the supervisor replied that he would approve the leave if he provided a copy of the receipt from the hardware store listing the parts he bought for the repair. The employee replied that he always kept spare hardware at home and he would not be providing any receipts. The supervisor disapproved his request for leave and placed him on leave without pay.
My favorite excuse so far has been, "I'm in jail in Mexico and my dad won't bail me out this time."
An employee showed up late with the excuse that she had taken her cat to the emergency vet the night before — and, although she'd gotten home by 10 pm, she didn't get enough sleep to report for her 8:00 start time.
Employee excuse for not coming in to work: "My daughter misplaced something...well, not really, okay, my hair is wet."

Note: Responses may have been edited for clarity and length.

Review past issues of HR Soapbox here.

TOP 5 RESOURCES FOR HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONALS

1.
HR Professionals' Toolkit

This CD-ROM gives you quick yet comprehensive solutions to the toughest HR questions and problems you field every day on topics like: performance appraisals, sexual harassment, discipline, conducting legal background checks, legal pay practices, complying with the Family and Medical Leave Act, overcoming workplace negativity...and more. No matter what urgent problem suddenly lands on your desk, you'll never be blindsided when you have this valuable resource at your fingertips.

2.
Performance Appraisals: The Ongoing Legal Nightmare

Shows you the latest methods for conducting employee reviews safely, including what you can — and can’t — say during a performance review, what safeguards you need to deter legal action, how to skirt the most common pitfalls surrounding the appraisal process, and how the courts view comments made on company appraisal records.

3.
The Complete Policy Handbook

Shows you how to safeguard against the damage that loopholes in your employee handbook can cause. You'll get a CD-ROM containing a complete set of ready-to-print policies for a foolproof manual of your own...policies that have stood up to courtroom challenges...with language that has worked in defending other employers.

4.
Employer's Guide To Record-Keeping Requirements

Covers all the records, files, and documents demands made on employers by state and federal laws and agencies; as well as what you must post on company property to stay on the right side of employment laws.

5.
Employee Problem Solver

Gives you a solid mix of practical advice seasoned with legal experience for attacking the problem, not the personality, in difficult situations that you and your managers face every day. Each general problem area is designed to offer immediate practical steps for preventing, attacking, and solving tough personnel problems.