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 [...]
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 [...]
I’ve spent the last several months facilitating respect in the workplace training to various organizations, discussing strategies to prevent sexual harassment and discrimination. I’ve extracted some incredibly rich lessons from the employees and managers who participated in these trainings which I believe are useful guidance for HR professionals moving into the [...]
Summer is over and fall has arrived, for many HR professionals it’s not all apple picking and pumpkin lattes, but managing the often painful process of their organization’s benefits plan renewal and open enrollment period. The ever-changing landscape of healthcare often leads to many questions for organizations. Is this the right [...]
Over the past several months, I have worked on three employee handbooks which often causes friends and colleagues to groan, roll their eyes and let me know how sorry they feel for me. Ironically, working on employee handbooks is something I really enjoy and find rewarding! I admit, workplace policies aren’t [...]
Great humor can be found in bad management. Hollywood and pop culture has certainly capitalized on workplace rituals and the absurdity of particular management styles. The Office seems like it will always be relevant and let’s not forget about my personal favorite, the 1999 classic, Office Space. The comic strip Dilbert, [...]
I recently had a conversation with a colleague about culture in the workplace. Her firm is experiencing low morale, high turnover, and a general air of negativity. She asked me, “How can we create a positive culture and where do we begin?” For days after our conversation, her question still had [...]
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. [...]
One of the first things we teach our children when they are young is the value of saying thank you. I remind my young boys to say thank you when someone helps them, gives them something they need or compliments them. The list of reasons to say thank you is boundless. [...]
They say the first impression is the last impression. If this is the case, why do so many organizations ignore the opportunity to make the first impression of their company a great one for their new employees?