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
Employers Take Note – To Make Employees Feel Appreciated, Please Don’t Throw a Pizza Party
Sometimes, major life events—the death of a relative, a natural disaster, a global health crisis—help people stop and realize that the little things in life are, in fact, the big things. Perhaps you’ll be more inclined to notice the sweet-smelling roses on your walk; maybe you’ll appreciate the shape of a cloud overhead. As it… Read More
Extreme Makeover 2020, HR Edition
While 2020 isn’t quite as futuristic as is often portrayed in cinema—flying cars, robots aplenty—it has brought dramatic change to best practices in HR. Author and podcaster Lars Schmidt of Fast Company summarizes HR’s new look in a recent article. Inclusion First, inclusion—which we previously blogged about here—is replacing diversity as a key component of… Read More
WHO Classifies Burnout as an Occupational Syndrome
When it comes to wellness in the workplace, responsibility seems to be shifting across the board from the employee to the employer. Similar to workplace stress—which we recently blogged about here—employee burnout is yet another issue that is increasingly being viewed as an issue that employers should be working to identify and combat. As Harvard… Read More
Five Ways to Be a Great Boss
A recent study conducted by LinkedIn asked participants—over 2,000 working professionals—what skills they desired most in their bosses. The results yielded a clear “top 5” list of qualities that people most want to see their bosses exhibit. Problem solving: what your employees most want to see is a boss who models effective problem solving skills…. Read More
