How do I manage my most technically skilled employee when they're poisoning the team?
One toxic team member can reduce overall team productivity by 30 to 40 percent. Your star might be costing you more than they're making you.
More issues
Americans Spend 35 Minutes a Day Socializing
Down from 43 minutes a decade ago, and your workforce brought that deficit to work with them.
How do I enforce RTO when my best people are the ones ignoring it?
Your top performer isn't in the office. Now what?
2025 Job Growth Was 181,000, Not 584,000
The labor market was 403,000 jobs weaker in 2025 than what was reported.
The Retention Paradox
By the time an employee tells you they're unhappy, the departure is often just a matter of logistics. Yet most organizations spend their retention budget precisely at that moment, when it's least likely to work.
How do I give a raise recommendation when I don't control the budget?
You don't control the budget. But that's not actually what your employee is asking about.
Producer Prices Rose 0.5% in January, Led By Services
Goods prices are falling. Services prices just posted their biggest monthly jump since July 2025. For managers in labor-intensive industries, the inflation story isn't over.
How do I manage someone who thinks they should have gotten my job?
The instinct is to win them over. That's exactly the wrong move.
Benefits Now Cost Employers $13.58 Per Hour
For every dollar an employer spends on a private-sector worker, 30 cents never appears in a paycheck. That gap is growing.
The Hiring Signal Problem
The unstructured job interview predicts job performance at roughly the same level as chance. The science has known this for decades. Most companies have never changed.
How do I motivate someone who's stopped caring but hasn't quit?
This is harder than managing someone who's failing. At least failure is visible.
Union Workers Earn 20% More
Private-sector unionization is at historic lows. The wage premium it commands is not.