Spending money on leadership development may seem like a lot to ask during a time when budgets are already tight, but it is critical that employers invest in ways to engage and retain their leaders right now, according to Elizabeth Craig, a research fellow at the Accenture Institute for High Performance in Boston, in a recent Business Insight podcast.

Unfortunately, businesses tend to see employee training and development programs as an expense, making these programs among the first to go when companies look for ways to cut costs. On the contrary, it is these very programs – these investments – that will better position companies’ competitive standing when the economy turns around. (Need a few more reasons to invest in leaders? We got five right here.)

Because executives have been shown to leave their companies when market conditions improve and more job opportunities open up, now is the time for companies to give them a reason to stay. The best way to retain these employees, Craig says, is to provide learning and development opportunities that will not only engage your best people and compel them to stay with you, but help you better attract new talent down the road.

Based on research Craig conducted with colleagues on executive satisfaction levels (which you can read about in more depth here) companies that offer the following opportunities for executives see a higher retention rate:

1. Opportunities to work on challenging tasks and to take on more responsibility.
2. Opportunities to broaden their skills by exposing them to operations outside their areas of expertise, and providing training to polish their business skills.
3. Opportunities to cultivate relationships with their peers, enabling them to learn from their peers and increase visibility. As a bonus for the company, it also enables them to increase their understanding and collaboration among various business units.

What steps are you taking to invest in your leaders?

For me, it raised questions from an employer’s perspective as well:

• Do you encourage “down time” for your employees to help them spark creativity and new ideas?
• If so, do you have any kind of organized process for this?
• Do you think it’s healthier for your employees to be constantly busy, or to have opportunities to be idle and think or explore a topic or project completely different from their normal job duties?

I have included the video below; When you have a moment, it’s worth a watch.

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1.    If you could give one piece of advice to bosses, what would it be?

Kathi: I think they should give every new hire the boss baggage assessment. I think they should not hire people who cannot fulfill their expectations and needs, or whose fears they know they’re going to trip. I just think it’s important.

Katherine: What I would also say is, to carefully state your expectations and find out what theirs are of you. Define the relationship from the beginning. Oftentimes, that never happens. The boss is the one who has to define the relationship, because you could be hired by HR or someone else–that doesn’t matter. What matters is once you’ve accepted the job and you’re in that office or whatever setting, and you’re working for that person, you need to know what the job really is—what’s expected of you and what you can expect from your boss.

Kathi: I also think I’d like bosses to own the fact that there is an unfairness in the power between an employee and a boss. And that that generates issues and fears for people. That they do have power over this person, and to be responsible with that. A lot of bosses misuse it. They put fear in people, and I would just like them to be more responsible with that power.

——————-

2.    Anything else you’d like to tell employers?

Kathi: This is our second bosses on workplace interpersonal dynamics, and this is something we’ve been studying and working on for a long time, and I think it’s getting really, really critical for people to wake up, because the multicultural workplace and multi-generations, it’s so evident that we’re not going to get along if we don’t start paying attention to these things. It’s no longer just white men running companies anymore—it’s really, really changed tremendously, and continues to change. And I think younger generations want more of a work-life balance, they have different priorities. So I think the time has really come to start looking at your employees as people, and knowing if you want to grow a company, you have to understand how to grow your people. I think that was dropped out for quite some time. It’s not that we all need our hands held–I’m not talking about child care. But just to understand that people come to work but they have needs, expectations and fears and they have to be dealt with, not ignored.

Kathi: First of all, there’s no offices anymore, everybody’s sort of out in the open and you hear so much, and then the people who aren’t even in the office, the telecommuting, and then the diversity of freelance, part-time, that whole element–if we don’t start getting this whole communication thing under control, it’s going to be a big problem. As they say, people don’t quit jobs, or companies, they quit bosses. They usually like the company. Usually people like what the company stands for; that’s why they went to work there. But they leave because of the treatment. They don’t leave because they don’t like the work–that’s the easy part.

Kathi: And now, we don’t have that much loyalty to companies–people just jump from one job to another. And part of it is because there isn’t any kind of human loyalty, and we need people in companies to have corporate memory of how things are done, otherwise we’re constantly reinventing the same wheel. But when you have people there who say, no, we did that five years ago, or we can do that again but let’s remember this…  Without that, it’s just not as healthy for a company.

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3.    What is one thing bosses can do right now to start on the path to becoming better bosses?

Kathi: We get into that boss baggage, which is that everybody brings three things to the relationship: expectations, needs and fears.  I think understanding that, even if they don’t take that test, understanding that the employee has needs, they have expectations, and they have fears of authority. It is a set-up relationship, you’re not equals. The boss has the power. So I think if bosses were just to begin to think about that, if they put a little more time into understanding what each person needs and expects and fears…

Katherine: And I would say to give each employee some face time, and in that time to state your expectations. Back to what Kathi was saying before, when we don’t know what’s expected of us, we assume the worst. But even just that one-to-one face time can dispel a lot of the

Kathi: I just had a meeting with an employee, somebody at a pretty high level in the company, and told the employee her expectations, and then she asked the employee, “What are your expectations of me?” and the woman had an amazing answer. She said, “I need you to back me. I need you to stand up for me.” And then come find out what happened. And the boss said, I never would have known that. Thank you for telling me that. And I’ve checked in a couple of times, and she’s doing that, and the employee’s now in love with her–they get along so well now. That’s a simple thing that now she knows, and she can do.

Katherine: There are a lot of cases in which people have been working together for a long time, and those employees need to know that you’re watching out for them-–or that you’re just watching them. And noticing how they’re doing–whether they feel overwhelmed, or whether they need some help.

Missed the beginning of my interview with Katherine and Kathi? Catch up with Part I and Part II.

1.  They’re not afraid to relinquish a little control. Despite reports that over half of employers still ban social networking at work, companies who’ve embraced it have found tremendous reward in enabling employees to use social media. Zappos was one of the first companies to embrace social media, giving employees the freedom to use Twitter.  The strategy has worked well for the online shoe retailer: By enabling employees to talk freely about their jobs, new products, or other interesting aspects of company life, they’ve effectively made their employees into brand advocates, and created buzz about being a great place to work. More recently, Whole Foods has taken a similar approach to social media, believing that letting individual employees’ personalities shine through is essential to for social media to work well and engage people.
2. They embrace new media as a recruiting tool. Staffing firm Kelly Services, a 2008 Best Place to Work in Western Pa., created a virtual community in Second Life to provide job seekers with an interactive experience to see what it’s like to work for Kelly. It has also helped to create buzz about Kelly and differentiate the firm from its competitors. For much the same reason, staffing firm Spherion decided to leverage the current popularity of viral video when it created its Web series, “The Temp Life.”  Seems to be working: the 17-episode series is clearly resonating with audiences, with over 1 million views to date.
3. They embrace new media as an engagement tool. IBM did it with Beehive. Best Buy did it with Blue Shirt Nation.  Now, companies of every size are utilizing online social communities for internal purposes - engaging employees and keeping them informed of important company news, events and projects. Over 50,000 companies worldwide, including Fox and Adobe use microblogging site Yammer, while companies like Starbucks and Pepsico have found success with cfactor’s “enterprise social networking” solution.  
4. They think outside the Facebooks. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of users on Facebook, Twitter and other social media giants? Think “niche.” That’s what Seattle-based Tableau Software did recently when it needed a Web developer with extensive knowledge of Drupal:  the company’s recruiters began surfing social networking sites that catered to Drupal enthusiasts, where they eventually found their new hire.
5. They ask for employee feedback (and actually listen to it).  Feedback from Aetna’s employee surveys – administered regularly to enable employees to voice their thoughts about how the company is doing and where there is room for improvement – led to the establishment of Aetna’s current recognition program, The Aetna Way Excellence Awards, according to CEO Ronald Williams in an interview for our Leadership Series. Leadership recognized that employees wanted more company-wide recognition events, so they delivered. “That whole program came about as a result of employees’ suggestions that came through the survey,” Williams said.
6. They work in partnership with Human Resources. “People decisions are some of the most important decisions I make, so I make those decisions in collaboration with my HR partners,” says Stryker CEO Steve MacMillan in a recent interview with CareerBuilder. “Responsibility for our people may be a human resources function, but we all manage it together.” It’s no accident that Stryker is a three-time winner of the “Gallup Great Place to Work Award,” in addition to other best place to work honors.  
7. They actively encourage learning and development. Smart companies know the power of providing opportunities for professional development and personal growth in helping to retain top talent.  Spectrum Health does both: The company’s relationship with University of Michigan provides opportunities for leadership members to gain experience in project-based work. And its EXCEL Professional Development Model program recognizes and provides monetary awards for nursing staff for academic and professional accomplishments, as well as community service.

What about you? What particular practices make your organization a best place to work?

During Part II of my conversation with “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss” authors Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster, we covered everything from the failure of many bosses to recognize the non-business side of employee relationships, to bosses being terrorized, to what it means for employees to take back their personal power, to learning to accept one’s boss–and more. Read on for interview Part II (of three):

1.    The 8 phases of the distressing employee/boss cycle seems very similar to progression of a non-work toxic relationship. It seems that many bosses forget the interpersonal aspect of employee relationships and focus on the business side only–would you agree?

Kathi: I think we both agree with that, and that’s why we write these books, and why we do executive coaching. Because they don’t want to do this–the people part.

Katherine: And we understand that most people in management today have not received management training, and probably, in addition to being a manager, also have their own workload that they are attending to. That seems to be the way it’s structured right now. And the tendency is to focus on my workload and to wish that my employees will do what they need to do to get their work done.

Katherine: One thing that seems so interesting is when colleagues don’t get along. Again, arguing and conflict tend to mount in stressful times. So when two members of a staff don’t get along, they become furious that, I have to spend part of my day helping them resolve this conflict. Not avoiding those things and stepping in and finding out what’s going on is really the best remedy.

2.    Can the tables be turned? Is it possible for these same things to happen to bosses as a result of their employee behavior?

Kathi: Yes.

Katherine: Absolutely. A boss can be terrorized by an employee.

Kathi: And they also will hire somebody and there will be a honeymoon, thinking that person is what the resume said, and then they get disappointed that the person undersold and is under-delivering. It does happen in reverse.

Kathi: But you know, there’s a power thing-–the boss still has more control. The boss can let them go. We wrote this book with that in mind, that it went both ways.

3.    Is it much harder to deal with and fix a bad boss/employee relationship that’s in the 7th or 8th phase, rather than the 1st or 2nd? Is the process different?

Katherine: These are progressive stages, so by the time you get to 7 or 8, you’ve been in pain for quite some time, you’re caught in this relationship, you feel trapped and have tried all kinds of things to change it. It’s not a pretty picture. A boss, if they realize their employee is in the 7th or 8th phase, could have an a-ha moment and stage an intervention and say we have to change what’s going on between us, how can we do it? If both parties are willing, there’s a possibility of it changing.

4.    In Chapter 2, you talk about boss behaviors that drive employees crazy. We see these personalities and behaviors in our non-work lives too–but in the workplace, do these behaviors have potential to be more toxic?

Kathi: They are toxic in general. But what happens at work is that a boss has a power over you, so it may feel worse at work.

Katherine: I think it can feel more toxic at work. It would be as toxic as if you were having this problem with someone else with whom you depend on for your livelihood. So, in other words, the intensity of the difficult experience is especially great with bosses because you literally feel your survival depends upon this person. Whether it actually does or not, that’s the feeling state, so I think you can have just as toxic an experience in a really bad marriage or with a really horrible parent.

Kathi: In a way, a bad boss/employee relationship is like the parent/child relationship. We have a lot of different authority figures in our life, and sometimes when you get married, that person you also perceive to be the authority figure in your life, and you project, so, it’s very similar.

Katherine: What’s interesting is as adults, generally, we spend more time at work than anyplace else, unless you’re at home, and so one of the things we always notice is that you’re talking about the bosses inside and outside of the workplace, you talk to the grocery check person about it, you’re talking about it at parties—you’re talking about it all the time. I think because we spend so much time in the workplace, the amount of real estate a difficult boss takes up in your brain can be all-consuming, because not only all day are you thinking about it, but when you go home and are with your family or are with your friends, you’re thinking about it.

5.   Do you think a lot of bosses become complacent if employees have been with them for a long period of time, assuming everything is fine–and that’s when they hit a snag in the relationship?

Katherine: I do, only because if you just assume everything is fine–assuming is always just a dangerous activity. And what I’ve found, when I’m meeting with some of those employees, is that no one is checking on them and they’re not being given even some kind of feedback can lead them to look for opportunities elsewhere, or to feel like they’re not measuring up. Again, no information creates too-easy avoid for the employee to assume not pleasant things.

Kathi: I also think that as your career changes, every couple of years, every 5-10 years, we tend to have different needs and wants at work, so while at one point in our life you may have wanted a high-powered TV job, and then 10 years later, maybe you have children and maybe then you want to only work four days a week. So, anything could happen where the employee’s needs change, and therefore the work environment probably has to change. And nobody wants to talk about that.

Katherine: Right. When you have a good employee you don’t want them to change.

6.    Can you talk a bit about the importance of employees taking back their personal power?

Katherine: This idea, about taking back your personal power is our second step, about detaching. The aim of detaching is to get some emotional distance, and the reason why you have to take back your power is the tendency with a difficult boss, to give that person your power, to have their description of you, their reaction to you, define who you are. So taking back your personal power isn’t necessarily about changing the boss; in fact, it’s absolutely about taking care of yourself. So, there are these three areas of restoring your energy, repairing your emotional state, and rebuilding your confidence. And those activities don’t really involve “the boss.”

Kathi: When we coach people, this is what we have found–the boss is not coming in for coaching. They are not the ones losing their sense of  grounding–it’s the employee. So, it’s very difficult for them to look at the situation objectively when they’re not feeling well, and their confidence is below ground, and all of that. And people resort to all those bad habits. When they don’t like the boss, they start drinking, they start not taking care of themselves, isolating, getting depressed. So, it’s really critical that we do get people to understand that they do have control, that the boss only has control over your paycheck, or whether you’re going to keep that job, but you have control over yourself. And you can’t really make smart decisions, or capture this relationship and do well in this relationship, if you’re not taking care of yourself. And then you can build from there.

Katherine: It’s almost like we let difficult bosses hold us hostage emotionally. And so what we’re talking about is letting yourself out of that jail. Here are some actions you can take to reconnect with your physical health, with your emotional health and with your confidence, understanding that you do have skills, you do have value, and you do deserve good things.

Kathi: I mean, you rarely will somebody say, I hate my boss, so I’m going to take up tennis. You don’t think that way. You think, I hate my boss, so I’m going to go get a big bottle of wine and watch terrible TV. You feel like crap, so therefore you’re going to feel like crap. It’s the complete opposite.

7.    You talk about accepting who your boss is at some point, and then focusing on the things that you can do.

Kathi: Acceptance is a really important aspect of this, and no one likes to hear it–-no one wants to accept. But when we’re giving a workshop and we explain it this way, it sometimes helps. Everyone has a family member who they wish wasn’t in their family–-but eventually you grow to accept that person. You accept that they’re going to drink too much at Thanksgiving, that they’re going to do something stupid. Eventually you grow to accept it and it’s part of the family. So we’re all capable of accepting, but we don’t want to. But we’re capable of it, and it’s really important, if you can accept your boss they way they are, then you can build from there. But if you continue to fight it, you’re always in a battle.

Katherine: One of the things we always say to people is, you’re telling me I have to approve of this person, and that’s not true at all. What we’re saying is, acceptance is acknowledging the reality of who the person is. It’s a careful distinction, but it’s a really important one. I can’t work with a chronically late boss if I don’t come to terms with the fact that this person is chronically late.

Kathi: So once you accept that, then you start to build in the time buffers without resentment. You start to come up with strategies that actually make you both successful, without resentment. Because there’s something you have to accept about everybody; no boss is perfect. They may be great at supporting you and communicating but maybe they’re not good at getting you a raise.  There’s always something.

Stay tuned for the final part of our interview next week — and catch Part I here if you missed it.

According to the survey, one third (34 percent) of human resource managers said missing open enrollment costs employees, on average, at least $500 in out-of-pocket expenses. Twenty percent reported that it costs employees more than $1,000 while 10 percent reported it costs employees more than $2,500.

Another major finding from the survey is that one of the main reasons employees don’t participate in open enrollment or take advantage of certain benefits is simply because they’re unaware these programs even exists. 

The impact of employee open enrollment on employers 

It’s to your benefit to make your employees aware of their options – and assist them in making better informed financial decisions – during open enrollment. Taking the following extra steps to make your employees aware of their money-saving options will increase their satisfaction levels, increase productivity and boost their feelings of loyalty (something that, according to Harvard Business blogger Michael Watkins, companies need to foster now more than ever if they want to retain their best performers). 

• Boost internal communications. Send out continual email announcements and reminders encouraging people to enroll, and schedule departmental or companywide meetings to do the same.
• Make the process as easy for them to use and understand, as they’ll be more likely to participate that way.  Have HR host workshops with various groups to demonstrate how to use open enrollment, or post a Web tutorial on the company intranet.
• Be up front about any plan increases.  It’s very likely that health care costs at your company are going up, and while you might not be crazy about the idea of telling your employees this, they will appreciate the honest and open communication.  And with the rising costs, you might…
• Consider offering alternative health insurance.  More employers are including consumer-directed  health savings plans among their options this year, according to the Associated Press, which have the potential to cut down on premium payments and giving consumers a tax break.  Whatever you do, you’ll want to…
• Help your employees choose the best plan for them.  Bring in a financial counselor to meet with employees and help them make better informed decisions. Better yet, request a presentation meeting with your carrier to review benefits with your staff and let them ask questions personally.  

How are you keeping your employees in the know about open enrollment?

During our conversation, we covered everything from boss attitudes in our current economy, to recognizing and understanding employee coping tactics, to the severe lack of communication in today’s workplace, to the one thing bosses need to do right now to become better employers–and more.  Read on for interview Part I (of three):

1.    What are the biggest complaints you hear about bosses from employees?

Katherine: I think the biggest general complaint is a lack of communication–-just in the sense of they not either communicating exactly what they want, or changing what they want, or not letting the employees know what’s coming down from above, or not even being clear about what their expectations are or what their priorities are.

Kathi: Yes, I think it’s that whole piece of, they may have an assignment but they don’t really know how they’re being judged on, they don’t know when it’s due, they don’t know when changes were made–-there’s a whole lack of communication.

Katherine: And a sort of a lack of a feedback loop–-here’s what I expect, here’s how you’re doing, here’s where you should put your efforts, and here, now I’m evaluating you. “Just do it.”

Kathi: And there’s a handful of people out there who don’t need much directive, and bosses are always looking for those people. But there’s very few, and those people are not that self-motivated. They need more input.

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2.    Have you noticed more feedback from employees since the economy has taken a turn for the worse?

Kathi: Yes, because now they’re really feeling more than ever that everything is secretive. So while they may not have known what the expectations of a certain project were, now they don’t know if the company’s going to exist. So that lack of communication is now really red hot.

Katherine: Also, the bosses themselves are under a great deal of stress, and  have to justify both themselves and their staff. And unfortunately, under stress we revert to our less constructive work habits. So if I’m a boss who has a hard time stating exactly what I want, as I get busier I probably communicate even less of what I need from my employees. Or if I have a hair-trigger temper, you’re going to see that temper more when I’m feeling pressured. Or if I give you mixed signals, if I constantly change my mind, I may trust that decision making even less in these conditions.

Kathi: I think employees are looking for all signs right now. If you close your door more often, that’s a worry sign, you look upset, that’s a bad sign, and without the communication, they’ll make it up. So if I see your door’s closed a lot and you’re not telling me why, you’re not saying, look I have problems with my medical insurance so I’m making a lot of personal calls–if you don’t tell me, I’m going to think you’re having discussions about who you’re going to let go. And then I may tell a co-worker, who’s going to tell another co-worker, and that’s how rumors begin. And fear.

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3.    Do you think bosses realize their employees are using coping tactics to deal with them, and are taking a look at themselves and what they may be doing to contribute to employee behavior?

Kathi: No, I don’t think they realize it’s a tactic, I think they just get a headache from it, and they rarely know how to address an employee who’s shutting them out or badmouthing them–-they don’t know how to address it. They just hope that person would go away. These coping tactics are very childish, but yet we all do them.

Katherine: Yeah, bosses really want their employees to be better behaved in tough times.

———-

4.    Do you think some employers are taking advantage more now because of the state of the economy?

Kathi: Absolutely. I think they’re using the power with, I can replace you with somebody younger–-you’re replaceable. We’ve spoken to some employees who are afraid of going on vacation, because if they’re missed, their boss is going to get rid of them. That’s a lot of fear.

Katherine: Right, and a boss can convey that without saying, “Don’t go on vacation,” subliminally, or expecting them to work on vacation.

———-

5.    Is there anything you would tell employers as far as treating employees and addressing their fear? Employers who might be taking advantage of that reality?

Kathi: Yes. That as soon as the economy comes back, they’re going to be looking at an empty office.

Katherine: Fear-based management does not create the best results—that’s all there is to it. Bigger problems arise–-even if that’s handy right now and you think it’s a clever way to keep people in tow, the fact is that if someone is afraid all the time of losing their job, they’re not going to give you their best work, they’re not going to give you their most creative ideas, they’re may not let you know when things go wrong, because they don’t want to get the ax. So, fear-based management, I don’t think, is the most effective tool.

And as Kathi said, with the mobile work force, it really behooves all of us to learn to appreciate differences. What I would say to bosses now is that as difficult as it may seem, your employees need to be seen and appreciated. And disciplined, when it’s required, but they mostly need to be seen. And get some recognition. I’ve met with plenty of employees who know they aren’t going to get a raise this year, but they are happy to work for their employer because they understand that they are valued members of the team. And that means their work is acknowledged, that their ideas are heard, and that the boss, even if that person can’t give them a promotion or a raise, is finding other ways to show their appreciation.

Kathi: In the book, we call managing business parenting. I think if you want to be a manager, you have to be willing to be somewhat like a parent. And you have to be willing to understand that you’re taking on a responsibility of caring for people, and helping them grow. Everybody wants to grow on the job. They don’t want to be stagnant, and that’s a job.

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6.    Is there any specific advice you would give to employers, in light of the recession, to help them improve?

Kathi: Yes, I would tell them to be more open about communication and about what’s going on. And if it’s daily, that’s not a terrible thing. But keep people posted, you know, have more meetings about what’s going on. And if you have to talk to them individually about things, don’t avoid those kinds of tough conversations. They know tough things are going to happen, but people are happier when they are prepared than when it comes as a shock. I just read in the Times that 60 percent of workers were let go with no notice; they were just let go on the spot. That’s a lot. And that’s quite upsetting, but if people know there’s something going on, it’s less shocking.

Katherine: And I would also say, help them prioritize. You know, chances are at many companies now there’s been downsizing, so your four staff members are now doing the job that eight people were before. If you want better work out of your staff, help them manage their workload. Help them look at what’s on their plate and make decisions about where to focus their efforts.

Stay tuned for next week’s Part Two of our interview with “Working for You Isn’t Working for Me” authors Kathi Elster and Katherine Crowley.

As in 2008’s most unusual sick excuses, this year’s list is spotted with strange animal injuries, other bouts with nature or pedestrians, and questionable friendships, as well many head-shakers, like “I accidentally hit a nun with my motorcycle.” In a new twist, however, this year’s survey results are reflective of the effect of our tough economic climate, as 28 percent of employers think more employees have been absent with fake excuses due to increased stress and burnout due to the recession.

Here are 2009’s Most Unusual Excuses for Missing Work:

1. No shoes, no shirt, no work:   I got sunburned at a nude beach and can’t wear clothes.
   
2. We’re not in Kansas anymore:  I woke up in Canada.
3. Scaly situation:  I got caught selling an alligator.
4. With friends like these… : My buddies locked me in the trunk of an abandoned car after a weekend of drinking.
5. Mom knows best:  My mom said I was not allowed to go to work today.
6. Stinging conclusion: A bee flew in my mouth.
7. Meh: I’m just not into it today.
8. Not hot: I have a headache from eating hot peppers.
9. Plant rage: A random person threw poison ivy in my face and now I have a rash.
10. Domestic bliss: I’m convinced my spouse is having an affair and I’m staying home to catch them.
11. Beach fun:  I was injured chasing a seagull.
    

“Longer hours and heavier workloads are common in the current economic climate and employers are becoming more flexible with their time off policies,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Sixty-three percent of companies we surveyed said they let their team members use sick days for mental health days.  If you need time to recharge, your best bet is to be honest with your manager.”

Manager (Over)Reactions?

Managers, however, don’t always give employees the benefit of the doubt, which doesn’t exactly cultivate a culture of honesty and trust. But would you do the same?

• 29 percent of employers have checked up on an employee who called in sick
• Of those employers: 70 percent required a doctor’s note, 52 percent called the employee at home, 18 percent had another worker call the employee, and 17 percent drove by the employee’s place of residence
• 15 percent have fired a worker for missing work without a legitimate excuse
  

So… what are the real reasons workers missed work? (Hint: they have nothing to do with alligators or angry poison ivy-throwing):

• 31 percent needed to get to a doctor’s appointment
• 28 percent needed to relax
• 16 percent wanted to catch up on sleep
• 13 percent wanted to run personal errands
• 12 percent said it was work-related (they wanted to miss a meeting, give themselves some more time to work on a project or avoid the wrath of a boss, colleague or client)
• 10 percent wanted to catch up on housework, and another 10 percent wanted to spend time with family and friends
• But the biggest reason for missing work? About a third of workers (32 percent) just didn’t feel like going to work that day.

What are the most unusual excuses you’ve gotten via phone, text, e-mail, sky message, or carrier pigeon (or, as is the trend above, seagulls)?

Had it not been for the extortion plot against David Letterman by a former CBS employee, the world might never have known of Letterman’s affairs with female “Late Show” staffers. Now, of course, the media are weighing in on the scandal and the rules regarding sex in the workplace. 

But why should the media have all the fun? I’d like to hear your take on all of this…

On the one hand, Letterman claims the affairs he had with his employees were consensual and didn’t violate any of Worldwide Pants’ policies. And in an article for Associated Content yesterday, blogger Cassandra James argues that because these were legitimate relationships, these women aren’t victims of sexual harassment; therefore, this is not a workplace issue.

She makes a good point, but I still can’t help but wonder…When it comes to sex in the workplace, can you ever really separate the two?

Even if an affair with the boss is completely consensual…isn’t there always the risk it might turn ugly at some point in the future (as it has for 7 percent of employees who’ve engaged in office romances, according to a CareerBuilder survey)?

And as BusinessInsider blogger Henry Blodget argues, there’s still no guarantee yet that for Letterman it won’t.

What are your thoughts? Does your organization have rules around office relationships and how has this hurt or helped retention rates?

As we continue to experience the effects of a sluggish economy, many workers are struggling with household budgets. A whopping 61 percent of workers report they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet, up from 49 percent last year and 43 percent in 2007, according to a new nationwide survey of more than 4,400 workers by CareerBuilder. Thirty percent of workers with salaries of $100,000 or more report that they too live paycheck to paycheck, up from 21 percent in 2008.

So, how are workers getting by?

• More than one in five (21 percent) workers say they have reduced their 401(k) contributions or personal savings in the last six months to get by. (Six-figure earners aren’t exempt, either; 23 percent report doing the same to make ends meet.)
• More than one-third (36 percent) of workers say they do not participate in any programs such as 401(k), IRAs or retirement plans at all, up from 31 percent in 2008.
• In addition, one-third (33 percent) report that they don’t put any money aside and into their savings each month, up from 25 percent in 2008
• Of those who do set money aside for savings, 30 percent set aside $100 or less per month and 16 percent save less than $50.

“Workers are employing a variety of tactics to help make ends meet in this economy,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.

“Whether it’s by keeping a tighter budget, finding ways to bring in additional income or adjusting their savings strategies, workers are doing their best to weather the current storm.  These good financial habits will not only help workers in the short-term, but better position them for the future.”

But just because your employees are employing their own survival tactics doesn’t mean you don’t have a responsibility as an employer to do what you can to help. Haefner offers the following tips to help your employees ride out the economic downturn and prepare for the future (full tips here):

• Keep track of spending – Help employees create a spreadsheet to analyze what they spend each month, including the money spent on those inevitable invisible expenses, such as a morning coffee, cab rides or afternoon snacks. Once they can see where their money goes, they can more clearly see where they can cut back.

• Speak up – Set up a meeting with your employees and members of your HR department, in which employees can learn or be refreshed on what is available to help them save on monthly expenses. Is your company still offering flexible spending accounts, wellness benefits, retail discounts, transit reimbursement or anything else employees may not be aware of? An informal meeting in which employees can ask questions and clear up uncertainties may be extremely helpful for them.

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