It hasn’t been a good year for Goodyear. COVID concerns disrupted operations, second-quarter sales were down 41% from a year ago, and to add insult to injury, last week, company officials found themselves in crisis management mode. A slide from a Topeka diversity training session, labeled “Zero Tolerance,” itemized two columns of permitted and banned...
Talking with a friend about the advantages and disadvantages of remote work, I was struck by his observation that what he missed most about working with colleagues in the office were the serendipitous ideas shared during face-to-face interactions. While isolation does not necessarily dampen creativity, smart companies have worked hard to create novel,...
A quote by Richard C. Morais, author of The Hundred-Foot Journey, perfectly sums up the grit and resilience required in these uncertain times of COVID-19: “There are many points in life when we cannot see what awaits us around the corner, and it is precisely at such times, when our path forward is unclear, that we must […]
The only certainty about anything today is that coronavirus has created an unholy mess for business owners and workers. Leaders, unprepared for a pandemic, are forced to make decisions with information that changes daily. Business owners are worried about lost productivity and healthcare costs, while their employees are feeling more stressed than ever. They...
Etiquette is a must-add to your business skills portfolio, especially at office holiday party time. If you feel a bit stressed by your less-than-formal comportment, take heart. With a few tips, you can shine at your company gala without becoming tomorrow’s water-cooler entertainment! Job One: Attend! Yes, many corporate functions can be tedious, but there...
If there was ever a time to focus on your recruiting or job-hunting strategies for fall, it’s now! As hiring ramps up and the labor pool continues to shrink in this record-breaking economic expansion, talented people are increasingly harder to find. And here is why: July’s jobs report released August 2 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), showed...
In the dating world, ghosting seems a handy way to facilitate a lucky escape after a cringe-worthy, worst-date ever. You know you’ve been ghosted when texts go unanswered, and you’ve been unfriended on Facebook. But in this record-setting job market, business ghosting, e.g., crickets when a finalist asks if she got the job or the sudden disappearance of […]
Years ago, I took some time off to stay at home with my young boys. Previously, I had worked in a demanding position in editorial for a publishing company. After I married, I moved overseas, had children, and when my youngest turned two, I knew it was time to rejoin the working world. Since there were no publishing […]
Why it’s important to combat incivility in the workplace Most of America cringed when SNL’s Pete Davidson said that newly elected Texas Republican Dan Crenshaw, the decorated former Navy SEAL who lost an eye in an IED explosion in Afghanistan, looked like a “hit man from a porno movie.†Helped by a humorous, but a […]
There’s nothing like voter fear to get politicians moving! In an unusual show of bipartisanship, the Mass legislature quickly came together in June and produced Bill H.4640, commonly called the “Grand Bargain.” Signed immediately by governor Charlie Baker, the public-private collaboration places Massachusetts in the company of seven other states that have...
A consultant, who works out of her home office, used a software security service as part of her internet package. After upgrading to a fiber optic system, the software wouldn’t work.  As the problem repeatedly recurred even after reinstalling, she called her internet company’s helpline. While she shouldn’t have been too surprised given the technical...
It’s what Americans have been waiting for: Great news, right? Unfortunately, not for everyone… For hiring managers with increasingly urgent personnel needs, positive jobs growth means a shrinking labor pool of permanent and temporary workers, leaving many small and large businesses desperate for help. Despite this positive economic news, could the...
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