Piece it Together
There’s always something to talk about, so pull up a chair and let’s Piece It Together. Through articles written by our consultants, we share with you our take on the latest news, trends, and changes in HR, leadership and the workplace.
Read our latest posts or peruse our past articles. Please let us know if you have any comments or want more information on how we can help your organization.
Unleash the Power of a Diverse Team
It seems like every day I hear an interview, read an article or have a conversation that somehow (directly or indirectly) highlights the differences between generations, cultures and/or the economic status of those living and working in today’s society. I’ve heard Millenials (those from Generation Y) who find nothing strange about requesting flexible schedules to take yoga classes in the middle of the day. I know Baby Boomers who never accessed or understand the corporate usefulness of Twitter or Vine. And it’s not unusual for half the workforce of a company to be unaware of the dates (or even time of year) when many celebrate Rosh Hashanah or […]
The Importance of Organizational Communications
Communications, both internal and external, can be the lifeblood of an organization. Communications allows for transparency, inclusion and opportunities for employees, partners, clients and prospects.
However, one of the most important aspects of both internal and external communications is consistency. Keeping up with the regular sharing of information, news and resources is an extremely difficult task. It’s one of the first things to get pushed to the side when the To-Do list gets overwhelming.
It happens to us too, and we’re HR consultants! After an insane year of flying coast-to-coast on several client engagements, I sat down and realized that we needed to get our monthly newsletter back in action. […]
The Workplace Impact of 400 Million Wasted Vacation Days
By now I’m sure that you’ve seen the MasterCard commercial loaded with cute kids chanting “One more day!” These adorable kids are bringing to our attention that an estimated 400 million vacation days go unused in America every year. This is an astounding and disturbing number that is certain to have a negative impact on the work/life balance of many American workers.
Not only are Americans not taking advantage of their paid vacation time, according to a survey done by TeamViewer, a leading provider of remote control and online meeting software, 61 percent of Americans planning a vacation intend to work during their vacation time.
Some of you […]
The Silver Tsunami Is Coming – Really
A lot of my family, including myself, lived in Florida over the past 20 years. It’s the land of white sandy beaches, Mickey Mouse, orange juice and snowbirds! Every year after Thanksgiving, retirees would load up their Mercury Grand Marquis, hang their clothing from a rod in the back seat and begin their journey southward on I-95 to their winter homes in the warm recesses of Florida.
Honestly, it’s like clockwork. We who lived in Florida knew these retirees were coming and would plan accordingly. We’d know to avoid restaurants between 4-6:30pm, abandon all morning tee times and add an additional 30 minutes to our work commutes to deal […]
Empathy in the Workplace?
I recently completed the book, “The EQ Edge, Emotional Intelligence and Your Success,” written by Steven J. Stein, PH.D. and Howard E. Book, M.D. to support my knowledge and understanding of EQ and personal development. Empathy, one of the 15 scales (skills) assessed in the emotional intelligence EQ-I 2.0 model originally created by Reuven Bar-On, is identified as a surprisingly valuable tool that successful leaders use with ease and regularity.
Since reading the book, I’ve been thinking a lot about “empathy” and have even experimented with the concept.
As defined in “The EQ Edge,” empathy is the ability to be aware of, understand and appreciate the feelings and thoughts […]
Managing Workforce Reduction
The current government shutdown brought my thoughts back to a recent Dulles SHRM meeting that I attended where Misti Mukherjee of Jackson/Lewis spoke about Preparing for and Managing Employee Terminations and Reductions in Force. Not knowing how long the government will remain shut down and what the impact might be on the many industries that work with the federal government, I thought it would be beneficial for many of our clients to hear some of the points presented in her well thought out and planned presentation. She brought to mind many things that I know our clients have faced or should consider in advance of needing […]
It’s Time to Toss the Traditional Performance Review
It’s that time of year again. The leaves are changing colors, children are back to school, and summer vacation is over. For many organizations, this time of year not only means a return to a workplace routine, but it also means it is time for annual performance reviews. […]
Mapping Your Employees’ Careers – Is It Necessary?
Recently, I’ve asked some of our clients “do you have defined career paths for your positions?” Some say their employees’ career is their own responsibility, others say that they provide a structure for their staff in an effort to succeed. What’s the right answer? Honestly, it depends. Today, more and more organizations are focusing on retention programs to retain their talent and not lose them to a competitor. What will keep people on-board? In my opinion, career development, the opportunity for future growth as well as professional and personal advancement are key.