Back in 2012, Google (in classic Google fashion) sought to identify a formula for creating the most successful workplace team. They called this experiment “Project Aristotle,” named after the philosopher credited with the remarkable notion that “there exists a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.” In his Inc. article, which you… Read More
Better Together: Mentor Matchups as a Buffer for Employee Retention
As an employer, there is nothing more disheartening than finding the “perfect employee,” and then losing that employee and having to start the hiring process back at square one. Recently, Forbes contributor Robert Sher delved into this issue and put forth a solution: mentorship. By pairing new hires up with experienced colleagues – not just… Read More
COVID-19 Provides A Chance to Hit the Reset Button on Everything, Including HR
The ongoing global pandemic has invaded nearly every aspect of our lives. Perhaps most notable is the way in which COVID-19 has reshaped the working world. No matter what your industry, chances are it looks starkly different now as compared to the pre-COVID era. Forbes contributor Susan Galer of SAP frames the transformation of the… Read More
How to Prevent WFH (Work from Home) from Becoming BFH (Burnout from Home)
When you’re working from the comfort of your own home (and perhaps – no judgment here! – your pajamas), and sparing yourself the hectic mornings of the past (think alarm snoozes and jam-packed highways), one would assume that you’re doing your mental health a favor, right? Wrong. A Huffington Post article published in July explains… Read More
The “How” and the “What” of Crisis Communication
Let’s face it: the global health crisis brought about by COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon. Here in California, we are almost 6 months into “shelter-in-place,” with no signs of any major changes coming. For most companies, the earlier steps taken in response to the crisis were, understandably, tied mainly to operations and logistics (e.g.,… Read More
Schoolyard Bullying Minus the Schoolyard: How to Mitigate Toxicity in the Virtual Workplace
As an employer, you may think that, during this time of indefinite virtual work, the lack of a shared workspace would mean less bullying amongst your employees. With no common space to congregate, and with less colleague-to-colleague face-to-face time, the sample size for toxic workplace culture would have to decrease, right? Au contraire. In an… Read More
You’re Laid Off Due to Coronavirus – Now What?
Rising layoffs, budget cuts, and business closures are just a few of the widespread consequences of COVID-19. If you have been laid off as a result of the pandemic, you’re likely experiencing—among other things—some level of defeat and/or powerlessness. The emotional toll of a layoff can cloud an employee’s ability to pick up and forge… Read More
Re-Thinking Job Interviews
For the most part, job interviews are daunting for both the interviewer and the candidate. Each has only a limited amount of time to deliver their “pitch” and to make a positive, lasting first impression. It can be tricky on both sides to know how to make the most of the interview process. In a… Read More
“Remote Control”: Management Techniques for Virtual Work
The vast majority of companies are not accustomed to 100% remote work. But this is the indefinite reality many companies now face, due to the ongoing global COVID-19 health emergency. This new reality is posing abundant challenges to leaders who aim to continue supporting their teams as best they can. Our blog has previously covered… Read More
How Well Does “Workplace Wellness” Really Work?
Employee burnout—which we previously blogged about here—is an “occupational phenomenon” characterized by prolonged workplace stress that affects, according to a Gallup survey, about two thirds of full-time employees. Because it is so commonly experienced by the workforce, and because the World Health Organization (WHO) has now exclusively dubbed it a workplace problem, a growing number… Read More
