So you think that your employees should just be happy to have a job, a free cup of joe in the morning and the annual company picnic. Well, that shot at winning the three-legged race may not generate as much good will as you might think.

Happy employees are incredibly important to the success of your company. Industry studies show that businesses with happy employees are far more productive than their less happy counterparts, enjoying fewer sick days and increased output.

It makes sense, but what will make your staff happy and what do employees really want?

Click here to read a great article on Inc.com entitled “10 Things Employees Want Most” by Issie Lapowsky.

There is a continuing change in the dynamics of this country’s collective workplace, with more skilled professionals able and willing to accept part-time employment positions. The reasons for this upswing in professional part-time employment are diverse and run the gamut from a still-recovering full-time job market to people at various stages of life seeking work-life balance. Industry experts believe that this part-time employment trend will continue for many years to come.

It is important for employers to understand the best way to manage their part-timers in order to produce the best results both for the company and their staff.

Click here to read “7 Tips for Managing Part-Time Employees” by Tamara Schweitzer on Inc.com

I love the etymology of names. A beautiful surname can send me off on an immediate tangent, “Is that Armenian? Oh, Turkish. Are both your parents from Turkey?” My natural interest in names, accents and cultures leads me to ask these questions of all kinds of people I meet. But make no mistake, I would NEVER-EVER inquire about one’s heritage while conducting a job interview. Regardless of my sincere and innocent interest, questions like these could land my employer and me in some very hot water.

While your intentions might be pure, there are many things that you should not ask a potential employee. Our First Amendment rights guarantee freedom of speech, so in theory you can ask a job candidate anything you darn well please. But not having a throrough understanding of how certain questions may be viewed as discriminatory opens your company up for major lawsuits from disgruntled job candidates.

Click here to read “30 Interview Questions You Can’t Ask” on HRWorld.com

Claiming your Facebook Place is now an important part of your online presence.  “Following in the footsteps of services like Foursquare and Gowalla, the Facebook Places service provides businesses with a platform for marketing and promotion, and provides an opportunity to build customer loyalty,” says Tony Bradley of PC World.

How can you optimize your use of Facebook Places? Click here to read “Three Ways Business Can Take Advantage of Facebook Places,” by Tonly Bradley on PCWorld.com

Nobody would argue that social media has hit its stride and is here to stay. But short of hiring a marketing firm to control their social media endeavors, many businesses find that maximizing results on networking sites like Twitter can be tricky.

For some great tips on how to build your Twitter base to increase your social media presense, click here to read “Twitter Helps You Network, and It Is Easy to Get More Followers” by Steve Strauss on USAToday.com

The last year or so have been trying for U.S. businesses, but many of the big guys have had access to greater survival funds and strategies than smaller businesses. With the economy seeming to slowly turn around, it is crucial that small businesses keep their eyes on the ball and make a well-planned effort to maximize their results without breaking their sometimes limited budgets.

Hiring freelancers or part-time employees to bolster output is a a fiscally smart option for many small businesses. These employees or contractors can readily give your business the manpower it needs, while you only pay for the hours they work, thus saving crucial dollars on pricey compensation packages. Moving forward without breaking the budget is most certainly the key to survival for small businesses… heck, for any business.

Besides the savvy part-time employment model, there are other things that your small business can incorporate into its business plan to help ensure forward movement.

Click here to read a great article on “4 Strategies to Keep Your Small Business One Step Ahead” by Adam Boydan on SmallBizTrends.com

Dynamics in the workplace are changing and the trend is helping both employers and their staff. Companies that allow employees to work from home or who offer scheduling flexibility seem to be winning the HR game on several fronts: Happy employees, increased production and lowered office expenses.

Don’t believe me? A recent study by BYU entitled “Finding an Extra Day or Two” reports that while employers are still somewhat reluctant to adopt remote-flexible work options, those that do are reaping substantial benefits.

Click here to read “Workzone: Flexibility - A No-Cost Boost for Morale, Productivity” by Patricia Sabatini on PostGazette.com

In light of the recent killings by a disgruntled employee at a beer distribution company in Connecticut, violence in the workplace is again front page news. Stories like these often resonate strongly with the public, as many people at some time in their careers have found themselves working side-by-side with a coworker that they don’t feel comfortable with or who simply gives them the creeps.

While having a quirky coworker probably merits no need for alarm, even very subtle acts of aggressive behavior or threatening language need to be dealt with by management immediately. And believe it or not, that doesn’t always mean termination.

Click here to read “When Violence Strikes in the Workplace” by Sarah Needleman on The Wall Street Journal’s website, which includes tips on safeguarding your workplace.

My brother-in-law, who at the time was a manager for a large health insurance organization, was winding his way through the office cubes one day when he noticed one of his assistants painting her nails right smack in the middle of the workday. My brother-in-law later confided to my sister, “That was the last straw. I just had to let her go.” My sister said, “You are absolutely right. She should know better than to paint her nails on company time.” To which my brother-in-law replied, “Yeah, but the deal-breaker really was that awful dark green nail polish. Yuck.”

Funny, frightening or heartbreaking…  firing an employee is never easy. Have you ever had to let an employee go? What went wrong?

Being a boss doesn’t always come with a handbook. Sure, most companies have guidelines regarding management best practices; but what do great bosses have that others might lack?

Whether you manage a full-scale workforce or a few part-timers, the success of your business lies in the productivity of your staff. Being a great boss that respects his employees and nurtures their success will lead to better employee relations and, more than likely, increased profits.

Click here to read “22 Ways to Be a Better Boss” by G.L. Hoffman on the U.S. News & World Reports website.