The government doesn't all stop at once when it shuts down. For example, even though the Department of Health and Human Services will furlough about half of its workforce, the agency will continue critical services, including a suicide-prevention hotline, product recalls and patient care at the National Institutes of Health.

Employers should simplify the application process and consider incentives such as housing for candidates willing to relocate temporarily, Bridget McCrea writes. Increase retention rates by assuring new hires of their value and assigning fulfilling tasks, says Beverly Kaye of Career Systems International.

US public companies are being required to share how CEO compensation compares with the average employee's wage, so they should act now to explain the economic factors behind a CEO's pay, says Ethan Rouen, Harvard Business School assistant professor. His research suggests staff can become upset and less productive if they learn of a compensation discrepancy that isn't explained.

Most problematic employees aren't trying to be disruptive and are often aware of the difficulties they are causing, said Jody Foster, a psychiatry professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She splits troublesome employees into eight personality types, including narcissists and swindlers.