SHRM Blog

Mistakes. We’ve all made them. Things like missing deadlines, going over budget, botching a product release or even yelling at a client. In most cases, however, it’s not the mistake itself, but how you handle the aftermath that can either cause severe career damage or all but disappear.

Beyond fessing up to a mistake, I’ve put together a list of steps you can take to right your wrong.

Be sincere in your apology.

Half-hearted apologies that imply it was someone else’s fault typically backfire. When you make a mistake, the most...

It is an understatement to say that 2020 was a challenging year for everyone. While the world faced a global pandemic, fear, and uncertainty; so many individuals stepped up to answer the call and face these challenges head-on. This included most importantly our dedicated healthcare workers, heroic first responders, and countless essential workers across so many industries that worked tirelessly to keep our infrastructure and quite frankly, our way of life functioning. We owe these front-line workers a great deal of thanks and gratitude now and always.

Behind the scenes, human resource professionals were assisting their organizations to maintain...

The workplace currently presents some new challenges in need of innovative solutions. According to NFIB’s monthly jobs report, March 2021, 42 percent of small business owners reported job openings they could not fill, a record which is 20 points higher “than the 48-year historical average”. [i]Certain skills roles such as system architects, software developers, data analysts are in high demand. The competition for these roles has driven pay higher and made hiring more difficult. This results in another form of labor shortage.[ii]Additionally, in a February...

This is another kitchen sink case. An employee sued his former employer under the ADA, FMLA, state law and other claims asserting discrimination, failure to accommodate, retaliation, interference and denial of leave.

The employee had a brain tumor and epilepsy. The employer had a policy prohibiting “excessive” absenteeism. Upon his initial diagnosis, the employer provided the employee with a medical leave of absence and exercised leniency by not issuing corrective action for other, related absences. The employer did advise him that his attendance would be monitored and he could be subject to corrective action...