INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Talk to the employee face to face in a comfortable, professional space, such as your office or a conference room. Close the door and let others know you are in a private meeting so you are not disturbed. Try not to confront the employee in front of other employees or clients, as this can be seen as unprofessional. Use prompting questions to get the employee to discuss their attitude and demeanor. Keep the questions broad and open ended so the employee can respond. Use a calm, relaxed tone so the employee feels comfortable. For example, you may ask, "How do you feel you are doing at the company?" "Are you feeling comfortable working here?" "Do you have any concerns or questions you'd like to share?" Maintain eye contact with the employee as they respond to your questions. Keep your body relaxed and turned towards the employee so they know you are engaged. Nod to show them you are listening. Pay attention to what the employee has to say, as this will then give you a sense of the type of feedback you can give them to improve their attitude and behavior. You may take notes while the employee talks so you can refer to them in your response. Treat the employee with fairness and generosity so you can build a good working relationship with them. Try not to assume the employee is beyond hope or not worth engaging with. Instead, be empathetic and a good listener for the employee so you can better understand where they are coming from. If you realize you are developing assumptions about the employee, try to check them at the door when you meet with the employee. Focus on the employee's behavior and how they can improve, rather than on them as a person. Discuss ways they can adjust their behavior and attitude so they can thrive at work. Offer at least 2-4 steps they can take to address their behavior and improve it. For example, you may suggest the employee come into work on time every day for the next week to show you, and others, that they are reliable and professional. Or you may suggest the employee refrain from making personal comments to other employees moving forward so they do not cross any professional boundaries. Work with the employee to come up with a solution that you both feel comfortable with. Check that the employee understands your concerns and feels satisfied with the feedback and suggestions you have offered. Make sure they agree on the solution and are clear about your expectations of them moving forward. For example, you may ask the employee, "Do you feel we have reached a fair solution?" or "Are you comfortable with the solution we've come up with?" Write the key points down on a formal document or on your computer. You can also include key points on an official employee feedback form, if that is part of your company's process. Documenting the discussion will help you remember what you talked about with the employee later on during a follow up meeting. Documentation may also be useful later if you end up having to terminate the employee or take disciplinary action against the employee. Wrap up the discussion by setting a follow-up meeting in 1-2 months. Note that you will keep an eye on the employee and support them as much as you can so they do better at work. Suggest that they work on the feedback and suggestions you have provided so you can discuss them again in the follow up meeting. If you notice the employee's behavior has not improved or they continue to be difficult, outline the consequences of their actions. You may move them to a different team or department as a consequence or place them on work probation until their performance improves. In some cases, you may need to consider letting the employee go. Try to do this with respect and care so the employee does not become angry or upset.

SUMMARY: Set up a private conversation between you and the employee. Ask the employee to talk about their work attitude and demeanor. Listen carefully to the employee's thoughts and concerns. Avoid making assumptions about the employee. Provide detailed feedback and suggestions for improvement. Try to reach a mutually agreeable solution. Document the key points of your discussion with the employee. Arrange a follow-up meeting. Discuss the consequences if the employee's behavior does not improve.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Grab a portion of the paracord from the working end (i.e. the loose or non-knotted end). Form an open loop from this portion of cord, that is two to three times as long as the width of the buckle or the length of the buckle bar. Position this new loop directly next to portion of cord wrapped around the buckle bar. Push the newly formed loose loop beneath all four loops previously wrapped around the buckle bar. When finished, this "through loop" should stick out from beneath the wrapped portion and run parallel to the buckle bar. If you cannot easily push the loop through the wrapped portion of the cord, use your fingers or a thin, sturdy tool (skewer, crochet hook, nail, etc.) to loosen the wrapped loops, creating enough space for the loose loop to pass through. Carefully spread the loops wrapped around the buckle bar using your pointed tool. You should be able to see a layer of paracord running beneath the wrapped loops. The paracord running beneath the wrapped loops is connected to the through loop and working end of the cord. Using a sturdy skewer or other pointed tool, grab and lift the under layer of paracord through the first two wrapped loops along the bar, creating a new loop large enough for your finger to fit through. If you started with four wrapped loops, you should pull up a total of three "finger" loops in this manner. Otherwise, the number of finger loops should be one fewer than the number of wrapped loops you started with. Each of these loops should lie between two of the original wrapped loops along the buckle bar. Start at the edge closest to the through loop, then gradually progress to the edge nearest the loose working end of paracord.

SUMMARY: Form a loop with the working end. Slide the loose loop beneath the wrapped portion of paracord. Spread apart the wrapped loops. Pull up several finger loops, one fewer than the number of base loops.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place the ginger into an airtight container. Keep the container in a cool, dark place such as a pantry. Make sure that the pieces are completely cool to touch before you store them, otherwise, they won't keep well. You can keep the sugar that falls away from the ginger pieces and onto the half sheet pan. This can be used for sweetening coffee, topping ginger snaps, or sprinkling over ice cream.

SUMMARY:
Store the candied ginger pieces for up to 3 months.