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Create a workplace where everyone belongs. Explore heart-warming ways to build genuine connections and celebrate what makes each person unique. Because when we feel truly seen and accepted, amazing things happen. Let's build those bridges together.
The power of difference: How everyone can be a better team player
Being a “team player” is a pretty standard requirement in most employment, hence its inclusion on seemingly every generic job posting since the beginning of time. While most people can exist as part of a team and perform their duties, some seem to gel just that little bit easier than others - think an office montage of high-fives, team-building activities and jubilant fist-pumping.
Catie McHugh
40+ unique employee appreciation ideas (because your team needs some love right now)
This is broadly a good place to start any discussion on employee appreciation ideas. Any attempts to appreciate an employee -- whether you want to call that employee experience, employee engagement, employee appreciation, employee respect, or just leadership (your choice!) -- can fall into one of two buckets.
Ted Bauer
Son of a pitch! 10 ways you can totally nail your next business pitch
It’s never terribly pleasant, the ‘pitch’. All eyes are on you, the up-and-coming entrepreneur, and it feels like the room is looking for any excuse to stop listening. Oh god, is that a rejection on the horizon?
Catie McHugh
The benefits (and challenges) of a team with high tolerance
Tolerance. It’s something that we all should practice, something fundamental to harmony between humans from all different walks of life - all those different ideas, expectations and ways of simply existing all have to live side-by-side somehow!
Catie McHugh
8 Employee Engagement Trends for 2024 (for the 'New Normal')
Much has been written and theorized about employee engagement since it first appeared as a management theory in the 1990s. Since then, consulting firms and experts have devised definitions, surveys and strategies that many business leaders have devoured and implemented with eager anticipation. Unfortunately, many employee engagement strategies then end up being side-lined by managers and ignored by employees.
Bev Campling
How to start managing your boss (with no hard feelings)
Managing your boss, often referred to as “managing up” (with the idea of “managing down” being conventional management, i.e. you as a manager to your direct reports), is a very important aspect of work -- and, honestly, of happiness at work.
Ted Bauer
Generational differences in the workplace — and how to embrace them
35%: The percentage of millennials (1981-2000 birthdays) currently in the workforce, the most of any generational cohort at present. [1]39%: Among Millennials, around four-in-ten (39%) of those ages 25 to 37 have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared with just 15% of the Silent Generation, roughly a quarter of Baby Boomers and about three-in-ten Gen Xers (29%) when they were the same age. [2]66%: In the past five years, the majority of Gen X leaders (66%) had received only one promotion or none at all — significantly fewer than their younger millennial counterparts (52%) and more senior baby boomers (58%) who were more likely to have received two or more promotions during the same period of time. [3]58%: Only 58% of Gen X feels that they are advancing within their organization at an acceptable rate, in comparison to 65% of Millennials. [4]37%: Of Gen Z believe that technology is weakening their ability to develop strong interpersonal skills and build relationships. [5]10,000: The number of Baby Boomers retiring every day at this point. [6]67%: The percentage of Gen X leaders who would like more external coaching. [3]Emerging data from Fingerprint for Success shows that Millennials have a very strong bias towards Shared Responsibility (average score of 80 and higher) and very low motivation for Sole Responsibility. [7]Generational differences in the workplace: Defining the generationsThis can actually be somewhat of a tricky part to discussing generational differences in the workplace, because there’s not necessarily consensus on what date of birth ranges constitute each cohort. Within a few years on each side, the most commonly-accepted birth year ranges for each cohort are:
Ted Bauer
How to Deal With a Disgruntled Employee (A Complete Guide)
As much as we’d like to believe life is a perfect Instagram post/Kumbaya-singing drum circle, it’s unfortunately not. Look at 2020. There was a global pandemic, numerous iterations of social unrest, massive layoffs in some industries, and entire pivots in working style for some people. Sadly, it’s going to lead to some disgruntled employees.
Ted Bauer
The 5 characteristics of emotional intelligence in leadership
Have you ever known someone who was highly intelligent, yet struggled socially and seemed to get in their own way when it came to their career progression?
Tiffany Franklin
HR employee retention strategies: 14 tactics that work
Recruiting top talent is a huge accomplishment for any business leader. But unless you have a strategy for retaining those talents, your efforts are more or less pointless.
Ifeoma Ogbonnaya
The truth about personality tests (according to a 20-year study)
The use of personality tests to identify character traits and predict human behaviors has grown exponentially since the early 1900s. The first mainstream test was probably the Rorschach test created by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach in 1921. It’s based on how a user identifies a series of inkblots. Analysis of the user’s perceptions is believed to give insight into their thought patterns.
Bev Campling
Rethinking “cultural fit” (in 21 interview questions)
Cultural fit has long been a key factor in hiring decisions. But is it still relevant? The answer is complicated. Cultural fit still matters, but to put it bluntly, many companies have it back to front. In the past, culture fit has referred to hiring a team of similar people, who ‘fit’ a certain mold. This often resulted in cognitive, gender, or ethnically homogenous groups who were prone to bias and blind spots. Culture fit is still important, but consider what you mean when you say fit, and what, exactly, you want new hires to fit into. Rather than looking for new hires who fit a mold, you should look for candidates who fill gaps in your workplace culture. This reduces organizational silos, increases diversity, and builds a more vibrant company culture.
William Haigen
24 fun team building activities for remote or hybrid teams
Let's be real: team building activities get a really bad rap.
Amy Rigby
Relationship building is more important than ever—here's why
In our global world of work, all of us are interdependent on one another in some fashion. Even seemingly solitary jobs are part of a larger ecosystem of intricate moving parts where we must interact to deliver our service, product, education, or research.
Tiffany Franklin