Do the right thing

May 31, 2023

It’s Impossible to Explain – Managing Hybrid/Remote Work Part III

Several times we’ve talked about how remote work is being monitored by software and over-controlled by policies. The stated outcome for doing this is the desire to assure people are being productive. But what are they measuring?
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May 18, 2023

It’s Impossible to Explain – Managing Hybrid/Remote Work Part II

In our last blog on this topic we tried to understand why companies would use elementary school policies for monitoring work as well as treat people as commodities when recruitment and retention are major challenges today. Since that post a few weeks ago, more of the same types of examples continue to roll in.  Here’s the most recent.

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May 16, 2023

What Are the Key Advantages of Leadership Development Training

The simplest definition of “leadership” is the action of leading a group or organization. However, this definition doesn’t detail the many ways that great leaders contribute to the success of their teams and organizations.

Great leaders take the initiative to develop and effectively communicate the organization’s mission, steering subordinates toward common goals. Importantly, they motivate and guide their teams to achieve great things.

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May 6, 2023

It’s Impossible to Explain – Managing Hybrid/Remote Work

It’s Impossible to Explain – Managing Hybrid/Remote Work

One of our family members is working remotely 100% of the time.  Her company fully supports this as a remote position BUT has written a number of policies to assure productivity and efficiency.  For example:

  • Two 15-minute breaks are granted per day at specific times as well as a 30-minute lunch break. She must log in and out.  The policy states that if an employee is “unresponsive”, they will be listed in the system as MIA with an associated code of TIME OFF NO PAY which, the company states, will impact overall performance.

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May 4, 2023

Does a Shorter Workweek Actually Work?

The concept of a short workweek is not a new one. In the 1900s, unions advocated reducing the number of working days from six to five, which birthed the idea of “weekends.” The turn of the 20th century saw weekly work hours reduced from 60 to 40 per week. Economists in the last century, including John Maynard Keynes, predict that weekly work hours will compress even more and that a 15-hour workweek could happen in a few generations.  (more…)

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April 26, 2023

It’s Impossible to Explain – Why Meetings Still Suck

This past weekend, CBS Sunday Morning featured MEETINGS on their Money Issue – because it is such a significant cost issue.

An estimated $37 billion is lost per year to unproductive meetings. (more…)

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April 4, 2023

It’s Impossible to Explain – the Progressive Disciplinary Process

Sadly, the progressive disciplinary process is alive and well.  And, by progressive, I mean a series of actions that expect an employee’s performance to get better while treating them progressively worse.  (A good friend of ours who is unfamiliar with this draconian approach to dealing with people thought progressive meant “advanced” or “cutting-edge”.)  He was shocked to learn that this punitive practice is a common approach to dealing with adults on performance issues. (more…)

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March 1, 2023

It’s Impossible to Explain – How We Treat People During Layoff’s

It seems more and more often, things occur that are impossible to explain.

Here’s an example.  Amid the mass layoffs currently occurring, one long-term employee posted her recent layoff experience on LinkedIn.  She did not do this to argue specifically with the decision – but wanted to take the opportunity to say goodbye and thank those she had worked with for so many years.
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February 28, 2023

The Top 5 Benefits of a Flat Organizational Structure

An organizational structure is a framework for how business activities are performed and identifies each role, function and person in the organization’s operation within a set hierarchy. Having the right kind of organizational structure in place is critical to achieving your company’s mission. (more…)

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