Teresa, who’s the vice president of customer support at an insurance company, decided to cancel her monthly town hall meeting right before the holidays last year. She thought her staff would appreciate the extra hour as they were rushing to meet their year-end goals. It seemed like a logical decision, …
“My friend can’t wait to get to the hotel and spill the latest office gossip,” my friend shared. “I wanted to call you earlier, but my boss was with me in the cab.” “Before you dive into the drama, let me ask you something,” I said. “Do you ever talk …
After the epidemic and the widespread work-from-anywhere policy, 65 percent of employees feel less connected to their coworkers. This disconnection causes many resignations, costing U.S. businesses up to $406 billion each year. Research shows that lonely workers have lower productivity, a higher chance of leaving their jobs, more missed days …
It’s been 50 minutes since our hour-long meeting started. We’ve wrapped up the last agenda item, and it looks like we’ll finish early. While some might be happy about this, I’m uneasy, anticipating the familiar line: “I’m going to give you back 10 minutes of your life!” Every meeting that …
As things change quickly in workplaces due to the aftermath of the pandemic, social changes, and other factors, one crucial question remains: How can we make work better for individuals, companies, and society? Throughout this past year, several research-based articles have tackled this question. As the year comes to an …
As the pandemic unfolded, leaders faced a substantial emotional burden. Over nearly two years, they supported teams in dealing with the grief and loss caused by the pandemic, addressed declining mental health among employees, navigated people’s anxieties, and often openly shared their own vulnerabilities. They became like Counselors-in-Chief. While excellent …
You might have a fantastic idea to improve a product, enhance your team’s productivity, or prevent a looming problem in your business. The challenge is approaching your boss about it, or maybe you’ve tried but haven’t gotten their attention. Even though studies show how important it is for employees to …
Teammates said a coworker wasn’t open to new ideas, so I told her about it. It made her sad and defensive. She listed the new ideas she implemented, but my feedback wasn’t helpful. It only made things worse. Later, I saw the issue during a meeting. I shared my observations …
When groups are told to work with other teams, they often feel insecure. The idea of breaking down barriers, sharing information, giving up control, sharing resources, or losing responsibilities can make teams uneasy. They worry about losing importance in the company and wonder if they’ll ever get back what they …
In 2018, job postings in the United States for roles in IT, finance, and sales needed about 17 skills on average. By 2019, these roles required 21 skills, including eight that were not needed before. Companies are finding it hard to keep up with these changing skill requirements. This is …
