by CHRC | Aug 26, 2020 | Competencies, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Human Capital, Productivity, Skilled Labor, Work Place
Everyone predicted it back in the spring. We even addressed some of the childcare issues that concerned people back in May on our blog.
But, we’re still here. Summer is ending, some schools have started (even if only virtually), and the picture isn’t any prettier. Are you willing to lose one of your best workers over two hours a day? Have you ever had someone resign when their mother died? Well, get ready…
An executive was stunned by the number of times that female employees resigned when their mother died. He couldn’t figure it out. Fortunately, other females connected the dots for him: their mothers had provided essential childcare; without mom/grandma, they could no longer work. This executive then connected other dots too. Leaving children at home, with no way to get to and from school, or no way to get to after school activities, was worth losing income and childcare.
And all of this was Pre-Covid.
This article from HR Executive provides some ways to start thinking differently, so that you and your company might be able to be as prepared as possible, and put all those agile thinking skills to use when your star performer comes in ready to quit. Read More Here
by CHRC | Aug 19, 2020 | Compensation, Corporate Culture, Skilled Labor, Work Place
Back in May when we first warned of the quicksand that awaited employers flirting with basing pay on where people lived, we approached it from a technical compensation perspective. When I came across this article last night, I knew we had to revisit the topic from the right point of view—corporate strategy.
I had never heard of this CEO or company before, but looked up both after reading this article. Ian White has many quote-worthy quips in this article, but up front he reminds ALL employers that:
Companies have a responsibility to pay their employees fairly and on time, but that’s where their control ends. The manager who chooses to move into an expensive high-rise downtown doesn’t deserve to make more money than their peers who choose to buy a modest home in the suburbs or live with their parents to save on rent.
He echoes many of the sentiments we made back in May, but most importantly he reminds all of something that we often stress—don’t copy a practice that another company is doing if it doesn’t fit with your culture. Read More Here
by CHRC | Aug 5, 2020 | Covid-19, Productivity, Work Place
Photo Credit: ©Jeremy Stenuit
For those of us old enough to remember when there were just three networks, summer TV meant reruns. If you had missed an episode, or had a favorite one, you didn’t mind reruns.
In the case of our blog, we are rerunning one from January 22. We are not sure if you missed it or it was a favorite; but in retrospect, it is downright eerie. When I composed the first paragraph, it was merely an intro to an interesting article we had seen about how to make the workplace healthier and more immune from the common winter cold. We could not have imagined how life would change here in Chicago a mere seven weeks later. Now, walking around Chicago, I see more masks than I ever did when living in Tokyo.
In the early 1990s, I lived in Japan, and was taken aback the first few times I saw people get on the subway, and go about their daily business wearing surgical-type masks whenever they were sick. Over time, I started to realize what a smart practice this was. This time of year, I wish my fellow Americans would put medical masks on as they sneeze and cough spreading their germs all around. Read More Here
by CHRC | Jun 12, 2020 | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Leadership, Work Place
Obviously that it’s hard.
It all starts with understanding. And understanding begins with listening. We’ve been doing a lot of listening, a lot of reading, a lot of absorbing. There is a lot of listening, reading, and absorbing still to do before this country reaches better understanding.
Here are three articles that we think might be helpful.
The first is from a managing director at Goldman Sachs who has opened up about his experiences as a black man; perhaps because he feels like people are finally listening. In 2011, Frederick Baba had an incident with the police because he “matched the description of an individual who had reportedly stolen from a residence in the area. The description was of a black male in shorts and a T-shirt, with no other details. No color for either article of clothing, and in a city with just under one million black people, I was obviously the culprit.”
The second is an article from the Harvard Business Review about what makes a good listener. Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman describe good listeners being more like trampolines rather than sponges. “[Good listeners] are someone you can bounce ideas off of — and rather than absorbing your ideas and energy, they amplify, energize, and clarify your thinking. They make you feel better not merely passively absorbing, but by actively supporting. This lets you gain energy and height, just like someone jumping on a trampoline.”
The third is a letter from Tim Ryan, US chair and Senior Partner at PwC, outlining the firm’s continued steps to addressing the injustices that too often occur to Black Americans. Ryan states, “It is my responsibility as a leader to not only stand with [Black colleagues] against racism to condemn these killings, but to use my privilege to be a part of the solution and take action – to help dismantle the racism and injustice that has become so pervasive in our society.” From the time Mr. Ryan co-founded the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, PwC lost an employee, Botham Jean, to mistaken identity and police violence, PwC has gone way beyond a fancy ad campaign and is committing their people and hours—and applying peer pressure to other corporations to do the same.
I can’t help but think of the lyrics to the Nick Lowe song that Elvis Costello made famous. The song asks, “So where are the strong and who are the trusted? And where is this harmony, sweet harmony?” Perhaps if we all do our homework, we can be strong and the trusted for one another and bring some of the much-needed harmony to one another, our workplaces, and our world. Read More Here
by CHRC | Jun 10, 2020 | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Leadership, Work Place
Imagine running a marathon. After crossing the finish line, you’re expected to go straight to the office for the day and lead a meeting or present a new proposal to your company. You’d be exhausted—physically and mentally drained. It sounds crazy not to be able to rest and catch your breath after such a daunting and strenuous task.
And yet, this is exactly what many companies are asking of their Black employees. Already overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted, many are often asked to lead the charge against racism. In a recent Fortune commentary, Najoh Tita-Reid, a senior executive of marketing reinvention at Logitech, urges that “while this is indeed a unique moment, the responsibility of dismantling systemic racism must not be placed solely on black employees by asking them to fully lead diversity and antiracism efforts.”
Tita-Reid encourages non-Black leaders to accept responsibility to lead the charge, rather than asking Black employees and leaders—who might already be burnt out. She suggests a few ideas to protect the emotional wellbeing of Black peers, while actively tackling racism in the workplace. Don’t expect Black co-workers to teach you all about race issues; they carry this burden every day. It is your job, as their coworker/boss/peer, to do some emotional heavy lifting, educating yourself on these issues and how to best become a good ally.
Equally important is being respectful of Black colleagues who don’t want to discuss race issues. Once you’ve completed your marathon for the day, you may have no interest in talking about running for a while. Are you suggesting another 5K at the end of the day, or are you handing out Gatorade at the finish line? Read More Here
by CHRC | May 27, 2020 | Competencies, Leadership, Work Place
Recently, when speaking with another woman of a certain age, we were both lamenting the loss of civility in the workplace. This loss of civility far predates working from home, Covid-19, and Zoom Meetings. As we grappled with this loss and tried to determine just what seems to be missing from the workplace—it came to us: deference.
Our conversation and the death of deference had been sitting in the back of my mind for days. Then enter Memorial Day weekend filled with articles and stories about military heroes.
One piece that appeared in my newsfeed over the weekend was about PT 109, the ship that President Kennedy skippered in WWII. At first I couldn’t understand why there would be a new item about PT 109; when I looked more closely I realized it was a reprint of one penned in 1944, shortly after he had recovered from the injuries sustained in that accident. This piece was written more to educate the readers to the terrors of the war in the Pacific Theatre, than it was to make a hero out of a young lieutenant. But as we all know, the rest is history.
I recently read how much President Obama admired President George H. W. Bush, and visited him just three days before he passed away. I re-watched the remarks and interaction when Number 44 awarded Number 41 the Medal of Freedom, and he began those remarks with “From a decorated Navy pilot who nearly gave his life in World War II …”
It’s history. How can you have deference without history? You might still find deference in families, because in families we tend to know people’s ages and their histories. We used to have it in companies, because people stayed in organizations their entire careers. I once was with a group of Nabisco professionals and one leaned over to me and whispered of another, “He is the guy who got the bubbles out of the Oreo cream”—not only with deference, but with awe! When I was a youngster at Coopers & Lybrand, someone confided about the nicest partner I’d met, “He was the youngest person to ever make partner.”
When people worked together for longer periods of time, folks remembered who had saved your behind—and it didn’t need to be as dramatic as tugging you behind them while swimming three hours in the Pacific. It was the opposite of having to sing your own praises, people sang YOURS because everyone worked together long enough to know your strengths and weaknesses, why you could be counted on, and when you’d been a hero and saved the day.
