Practical HR Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
He/him. She/her. They/them. With increasing public attention over the past few years to the topics of gender identity, gender fluidity, and the rights of transgender individuals, it has become more common for people to make their pronoun preferences known to others. In the electronic world, these disclosures commonly occur in social media profiles and, most […]
I can’t quite get Bobby McFerrin’s 1988 song out of my head (by the way, I added the question mark for reasons I will get to in a minute) since reading a May 12, 2022, article in the Wall Street Journal, “Confessions of Your Company’s Chief Happiness Officer” by Callum Borchers. Let my opinion be clear […]
Misunderstandings over an office birthday party recently taught a Kentucky employer an expensive lesson about disability discrimination. A jury awarded $450,000 to the affected employee who didn’t want the party and allegedly suffered a panic attack afterward. The employer’s alleged, repeated mishandling of the worker’s behavior after the episode offers the best explanation for the […]
Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have gained remarkable traction in recent decades. In the final third of the 20th century, DEI was effectively dominated by and focused exclusively on affirmative action—the idea that employee racial and gender demographics should more or less match the population-level demographics. It didn’t necessarily matter whether women and people of […]
Knowing what sets your business apart is vital if you’re going to stand out from your competitors. And as the world grows smaller, differentiation becomes increasingly important to ensure your business thrives. Understanding what your organization’s core competencies are can help to give you a competitive advantage in your market, and if you can identify […]
In 2020, the employer-employee relationship was forever altered. The COVID-19 outbreak disrupted industries, halted travel, and changed the way employees work. Employers have been forced to adapt to a tight employment market and workers’ needs. Some companies have decided to offer remote work opportunities and flexible schedules. With work from home becoming the norm, employers […]
Drinking alcohol has become deeply ingrained in our culture. For women, it’s been especially glamorized through shows like Sex & the City where sophisticated socialites go out drinking cosmopolitans and the Real Housewives series where ladies get together to dish and drink their daily “mommy wine.” Alcohol has become the catalyst that women connect over—it’s […]
There are a number of factors employees look for in corporate culture. They want to work in an environment where they get along with their colleagues and where the company values closely resemble their own, for example. Psychological Safety in the Workplace One factor that’s become increasingly important is psychological safety. The Center for Creative […]
Office slang is great fodder for Internet memes, eye rolls, and coffee mugs, but for those suffering through corporate colloquialisms, that slang can be more annoying than entertaining, research suggests. Communication Habits Can Irk “Almost half of Americans have a colleague they find difficult to work with due to their communication habits, according to new […]
Over the past 2 years, we’ve seen the COVID-19 pandemic impact the workforce in myriad ways. First, companies rushed to adopt remote technologies to support their newly remote workforce. Then, they pivoted to ensure a seamless and secure virtual customer experience. These changes were important to ensure businesses could weather the pandemic, but as it […]