Staff Meeting Success: Must Do & Definitely Don’t!
#1 “Must Do!” Hold regular, pre-planned and productive staff meetings. #1 “Definitely Don’t!” Without adequate preparation and the right facilitator to ensure employee meetings are productive, positive and efficient, don’t go there. I could stop writing now as the most critical points of my message are listed above. A checklist is offered below, however, with [...]
Does Your Employee Evaluation System Need a Boost?
How do you conduct employee evaluations in your office? Think it could use some updating and/or revamping? If so, please see a recent article written for republication in my workshops, seminar presentations and in Lawyers USA: Does Your Employee Evaluation System Need a Boost (or perhaps a total overhaul)? And, as always, many thanks for [...]
Quick Attorney Self-Audit: Supervising Staff
Most of us are pretty good at judging others…actually we’re downright expert at doing so IF we’re being brutally honest that is…..whether inwardly or out loud to others, we judge others’ looks, their work habits, their personalities, their decisions and the list goes on. What is not so easy to do, however, is to look [...]
Quick Self-Audit: What Kind of Employee Are You?
1. Looking back over the past 12 months, what contributions have you made to your workplace that are not in your job description (e.g. cost-saving ideas, helping co-workers in need of an extra hand without being asked)? 2. Do you make an excessive number of personal calls during the workday? What about personal emails? 3. [...]
Enhancing & Maintaining the Value of Paralegals
How can paralegals maintain their profession’s highly valued niche within the legal system? How do paralegals enhance their individual value to law firms and legal departments? What behaviors decrease their value? How can paralegals collectively enhance their profession for those following in their footsteps? How Can Paralegals as a Profession Maintain Their Highly Valued Niche [...]
Personnel Smarts (starter checklist)
Hold regular, uninterrupted meetings with employees (i.e. We should never multitask during these meetings…employees like clients/customer deserve our full, undivided attention!) Enforce (or ignore!) rules fairly and consistently across the board Treat employees in the same manner you expect them to treat clients/customers & in the same ways you like to be treated Give ongoing [...]
Employee Terminations: Self-Audit Tips from Hiring to Firing
Employee Terminations: Self-Audit Tips from Hiring to Firing…..okay…I know personnel management and especially employee firings are NOT desired or enjoyable subjects for most of us…but it is reality. You can read my partial list of recommendations on the hiring process, the management and supervision of employees and the termination of them when things just [...]
Staff Plays Key Role in Law Office Survival in Tough Times
Many law firms are still trying to recover from the tornado-like aftermath caused by the economic chaos of recent years. Others are in the midst of other challenges. They may be defending allegations of ethical violations or malpractice, in shock and grieving over the unexpected death of a co-worker or trying to stabilize after the [...]
Verbal Violence & Bullying in the Workplace
Click here for one of my articles on these two runaway problems in today’s law firms and other offices. Workplace bullying and verbal violence poison (dilute at best) any other steps taken to reduce office stress and they are serious productivity and morale thieves. Sadly, too many leaders allow these destructive behaviors to continue without [...]
Morale Busters and Boosters
Many things can bring workplace morale spiraling downward. Some all-too-common Morale Busters in law offices (and other offices as well) include: Rules applied sporadically and unfairly among employees (e.g. starting time, length of lunch breaks, # of vacation days) An ongoing frantic pace — day after day — caused primarily by a supervisor’s poor planning [...]
Employee Considerations in Law Firm Mergers
I just sent the suggestions copied below to an attorney looking for merger tips to pass along to a client law firm about to merge w/another firm. Doing so made me realize how often in mergers (whether law firms or other businesses) there’s too little attention paid to our employees and what they are going [...]
More on the Management of Telecommuters
Greetings! I’ve previously blogged about telecommuting in regard to handling in-house employees who may be disgruntled over remote working employees (http://lawbusinesstips.com/2009/06/24/telecommuting-disgruntled-co-workers/) and experiences shared by other companies (http://lawbusinesstips.com/2009/07/08/telecommuting-cost-savings-cisco/). Today, I found this blog post that is also worthwhile reading about the management of telecommuters: http://bit.ly/3NxO3N. In addition to the tips and discussions found in the [...]
Blog Update in the Works, Paralegalmentorblog.com & the Word “Non-Lawyer”
Hello and Welcome! My very heavy summer business travels and client visits to our farm lately have prevented me from posting as often as I’d like. I will do better come September, but in the meantime, grateful for all the business, my GREAT clients and our wonderful farm, family and friends! Be on the lookout [...]
Lawyers USA Online:Nancy's Crusade Against Word,"Non-Lawyer"
Just got the link for my most recent column for Lawyers USA (click here) which I first wrote about in my blog. Wishing everyone a great day in spite of any one or thing that may try to louse it up for you! Don’t let’em!
Respecting Employees: Do You Talk It, Show It or Both?
Ongoing business success stories can only be achieved with certain cornerstones in place. One of these critical foundations is feeling and showing respect for your employees. If it’s genuine (and not just the politically correct thing to say), leaders and managers consistently demonstrate this in many ways including: RESPECT IS 24/7 ….. you appreciate, value [...]
