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…)
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…)
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…)
November 18, 2022
The Right Way to Measure Employee Performance
Employee performance reviews are a regulated assessment method used by companies to evaluate an employee’s work. They are a means to identify a worker’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to set goals for future improvement. Also called performance appraisals or performance evaluations, these procedures have been the primary employee productivity and efficiency measurement for many organizations. And that sounds about as excited as the average employee feels about the process. (more…)
September 1, 2022
Are You Being Watched?
When Covid 19 required employees to work from home, companies (some very reluctantly) had to comply. At that time, I learned that productivity software was “flying off the shelves”. If the software is needed to measure productivity, then we might as well dispense with leadership.
The first thing that’s wrong with this approach is the notion of measuring activity vs. results. Long ago as the Corporate training manager for a large company, I was required to write a monthly activity report. With a team of 17 trainers, this would have taken many non-value-added hours. However, we were focused on results and if our team members couldn’t describe an outcome from the activity, it was not included.
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August 19, 2022
A Persuasive Case for Flexibility
Just about everyone finds the need to persuade action from another on almost a daily basis. Yet, often within companies, the front line to middle management are more reserved in promoting change if it hasn’t come from the senior executives. Everything about business is changing and team members and leaders should take heart in following the path of a team at PAM Transport.
The following is a depiction of a persuasive presentation delivered by a team of leaders as part of their participation in a High Performance Leadership Workshop. It is worth sharing as it is data-driven, passionate, and convincing. It may be useful to you in persuasively gaining alignment in your organization.
The topic was how to get leadership alignment on how to deal with flexible work schedules and the future of work.
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September 8, 2021
Why a Committed Workforce is Better than a Compliant Workforce
Sue Bingham (founder and principal of HPWP Group) says that, in her experience, 95% of employees are responsible individuals that take pride in their work. They care about the overall success of the company and genuinely want to do a good job. Unfortunately, the other 5% are the bad apples. And it’s these bad apples who don’t care and make dishonest decisions.
Sadly, many organizations create a culture with those bad apples in mind. Strict rules apply, with no wiggle room for a more flexible and ‘human’ working environment. This means that 95% of your workforce feels demoralized in a school-like environment rather than valued individuals.
July 22, 2021
How Employees Shape Your Company’s Legacy
When thinking about an organization, the term ‘legacy’ often conjures up images of dedicated silver-haired leaders at the tail-end of their careers. However, a legacy is something that leaders and employees (no matter their age) can achieve through everyday patterns throughout their careers. In fact, your employees can start to form their own legacies from their very first day on the job.