Sometimes people take it into their heads to rub each other up the wrong way. Nip it in the bud, warns Neville Aitchison. Keep your eyes open and your ears to the ground—and don’t look back to see if the bus is coming.

Staff turnover isn’t an issue for Rotorua machinery maker Hayes International. Its business systems manager, Marion Clarricoats, attributes this to a firm commitment to boosting staff skill levels. Jackie Brown-Haysom reports.

Conflict may start as a minor rumbling, but if nothing is done about it, it may escalate to something more serious. Chris Rowe explains how you can tell when conflict is brewing, and what you should do about it.

Working as the executioner’s assistant is a vital role for HR, but could it also sound the death knell for strategic HR? Employment Today asked a group of senior HR professionals for their opinions on the issue, and the place of HR post-recession.

As the economy improves, workers are checking out job vacancies and making plans to move on. If you’re not yet able to hike up their pay packets to retain them, what else can you do to avoid losing valued staff? Sally Wenley discovers employee benefits can play a key role.

Executive remuneration took a hit last year, but organisations are now looking to ensure this key group of employees remains engaged. Rebecca Grbin outlines the trends in executive remuneration practices.

Employment reward systems are background processes that usually work, ensuring employees do get paid, says Geoff Summers. But how do we know our rewards are still effective in meeting the needs of the organisation?

New legislation affecting financial advisers will also have an impact in the workplace. David Ireland explains how new ground rules will affect employers, and outlines the risks involved in failing to comply with them.

Social networking sites are not only popular among staff, they’re also proving a useful business tool. But what happens when staff misuse such sites? John Hannan and Natalie Shaw examine the issues.

Change leadership is more important than ever as businesses try to do more with less, says Dr Paul Aitken. Leaders need to send strong signals about what the business priorities are, and to role-model desired values, he told Lyndsey Swan.

Changes to the business environment in recent years mean a new set of challenges for career specialists. Kaye Avery discusses the need for new approaches to career development.

Organisations are still grappling with cost constraints, so what is the year ahead likely to bring on the remuneration front? Susan Doughty examines the trends for 2010 and predicts a wild ride.

As people begin to feel more secure about the job market, many will feel the time is right to seek out greener pastures. Ali Tocker looks at how to manage the risk of staff moving on in a recovering economy.

HR professionals from two leading hospitality and service companies tell Lisé Hutcheon what they’ve learned about lifting the reading, writing, maths and oral communication skills of their employees with business-focused training. Their stories are part of a new one-stop shop for information about how to carry out successful literacy training in the workplace.

Conflicts and disputes are not bad in themselves—in fact, well-managed conflict in the workplace can be seen as a glass half-full not a glass half-empty, says Lyn Lockhart. If managed correctly, conflict can trigger desirable change.

One in six New Zealanders will experience a depressive episode sometime during their life. The good news is that treatment does work and early treatment works even better. Vanessa Caldwell says employers should should be aware when an employee is experiencing depression, respond immediately, and help them get assistance.

Performance managing a lecturer after complaints about her teaching and her relationship with colleagues led to her making allegations about bullying. Paul Robertson takes a look at what went wrong.