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.
Gender Pay Equality – Are We There Yet?
Last week, Hilary Clinton became the first woman to claim the status of presumptive nominee for a major American political party. This week, top female influencers in business, politics, entertainment, and the arts met in Washington, D.C. as part of the White House United State of Women Summit. The summit was designed to celebrate what women have achieved to date and how they are going to take action moving forward. On the same day as the summit, President Obama announced that the historic Sewall-Belmont house on Capitol Hill will be a national monument in tribute to all those who have fought for women’s equality. Sounds like exciting times […]
Keeping National Politics out of the Office
Over the past year, the American public has been inundated by our political process, with a large number of potential candidates and ideas vying for votes and support. Although the number of potential candidates have decreased as the national conventions draw near, the nation is increasingly drawn into debates and heated discussions about both candidates and political issues.
While the presidential election is still six months away, many employers are seeing politics brought into the work environment. The question is how to keep the differences of political opinions from becoming divisive in the office. In Susan Milligan’s article for SHRM “Political Debates in the Workplace: Where to Draw the […]
What Do You See Through Your Generational Lens?
Consider these multi-generational facts: In my home, we have three different generations – two Generation Xers (to which I belong), a Millennial and a member of the newly defined “Cloud Generation.” This means we have three generational groups represented, each expecting to coexist, contribute, administer and follow the house rules and receive recognition as part of our total family unit. While we have the same goals, each of us has formative values that were influenced by a different baseline of social, environmental, political and technological factors – – all of which are “normal,” but, different from each other.
Some believe these challenges stem simply from Millennials (those born generally […]
Pay Attention to Me…Quietly
So often throughout my career, I have heard the words, “You were quiet during the meeting. Is everything ok?” The truth is, I’m actually doing great. While you were talking, I was absorbing and processing. While you were brainstorming out loud, I was taking notes and thoughtfully considering your ideas. And at the same time, I was formulating ideas of my own from a different perspective. I’m not shy. I’m an introvert.
My second year in college, I was approached early in the semester by my professor of Shakespeare Literature, who told me that I was failing the class. Completely perplexed and panicked, I set up a time to […]
Move Over, You’re in My Personal Space!
Last week I was confined to my home with my children and husband during the blizzard that pounded the east coast for over a week. I work from my home, which meant there were constant interruptions, requests for activity ideas and more!
Over time and through much self-reflection and personal analysis, I’ve come to realize the importance of having personal space and time alone. As a young adult, I assumed that staying busy with multiple social and networking engagements meant that I was excelling in life. Now I find that when I have a schedule packed with business and social activities I crave my alone time.
Great thinkers such as […]
Mindfulness and Leadership – Go Hand in Hand?
I’ve been in the business world close to 30 years (ugh, let’s not think about that too much), and I’ve seen so many trends in leadership and management. Management by Walking Around (MBO), the 60 Second Manager, 360 leadership feedback, leadership assessment tools, just to name a few. Where does mindful leadership fit in? Would you even associate the two words together?
Often, when people think of mindfulness, they think about meditation, yoga, breathing techniques or some other practice, but they may not necessarily associate it with leadership and/or business in general.
I would contend that the two absolutely go hand-in-hand. We live in a fast-paced society where technology changes daily, […]
Job Descriptions – The New Year Resolution Worth Keeping
The first two weeks of January, 2016 are behind us. Many resolutions have been made, both personal and professional, in the hopes of making our lives healthier, happier and more organized. As you set off to tackle these resolutions, I would suggest an additional one that will have the same impact on your employees and organization – update the job descriptions for all of your employees.
Job descriptions play an integral role within an organization. They set expectations, goals and objectives, are crucial as recruiting tools and help potential candidates and all employees to clearly understand the responsibilities for their position within the organization. However, what I’ve discovered over […]
Be Resolved in Professional Development
I, like so many, often make resolutions at the beginning of every New Year – work out, read more, eat healthier, etc. I, like so many, often find these personal resolutions fall to the wayside at some point over the course of the year. Frustrated with myself, a few years back I decided that my resolutions were going to be professionally focused rather than personally focused. As a business owner, I’m always striving for ways to improve my skillsets, deliverables and professional relationships.
While even professional resolutions can be daunting and fall to the wayside, one of these easiest resolutions to keep every year is to do more networking […]