By Lynne Curry If you think the national division over guns hasn’t hit your workplace, you haven’t been listening. Not only are the employees who advocate for increased gun control, including a ban on assault-style rifles like the AR-15, engaged in an active argument with those who argue for fewer restrictions on gun owners’ ability to carry concealed firearms—but some of … [Read more...] about Are there guns in your workplace?
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Signs of potential disaster were present at Walmart—Are they at your workplace?
By Lynne Curry There were signs of potential disaster that later erupted in six deaths when Walmart supervisor Andre Bing shot and killed six coworkers in November. There always are. Four decades of investigating violent workplace incidents have convinced me of this. “I didn’t want to say anything,” someone always says, “but….” “That was just ‘Jon,’ but we all sort of knew … [Read more...] about Signs of potential disaster were present at Walmart—Are they at your workplace?
Inflation’s impact on employees and the workplace
By Lynne Curry What keeps your employees and coworkers up at night, and what does it mean to you as their employer or colleague? According to the U.S. 2022 Inside Employees’ Minds Report conducted by the HR consulting firm Mercer, which surveyed 4049 employees between Aug. 26 and Sept. 9, 2022, it’s financial worries, … [Read more...] about Inflation’s impact on employees and the workplace
5 lessons employers can learn from Elon Musk’s Twitter crises
By Lynne Curry When multi-billionaire and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk acquired Twitter on Oct. 27, he assumed leadership of a company that hadn’t earned a profit in eight of its ten years, By Nov. 4, eight days later, 1.3 million users had fled Twitter. Revenue dropped dramatically as advertisers, Twitter’s main revenue source, pulled out. One could feel sorry for Musk—except … [Read more...] about 5 lessons employers can learn from Elon Musk’s Twitter crises
Digital presenteeism: Faking you care, faking you’re even there
By Lynne Curry A surprising number of employees, determined to hold on to their “work from home” status and aware that managers and others suspect remote employees of working less than their required hours, practice digital presenteeism. Digital presenteeism involves remote employees demonstrating they’re hard workers by responding to additional emails, attending additional … [Read more...] about Digital presenteeism: Faking you care, faking you’re even there
What to do when an employee uses FMLA to cover drinking
By Lynne Curry Question: We suspect one of our employees of using intermittent FMLA leave to cover her abuse of alcohol. We see a clear pattern. She takes leave two to three Mondays a month. Prior to her requesting FMLA leave, she claimed occasional sick days on Mondays. Other employees have noticed her leaving early on Fridays as well. With this fact pattern and given the … [Read more...] about What to do when an employee uses FMLA to cover drinking
Make online team meetings work for you
By Lynne Curry If you dread online meetings–attending them, hosting them–and long for meetings to become more than a necessary evil, you can make it happen. Recently, I hosted a two-day, 15-hour meeting that the 17 attendees said “zoomed by,” “was fun, kept me engaged the entire time;” and “made an hour seem like five minutes.” Here’s how we did it. A “you” start We started … [Read more...] about Make online team meetings work for you
Learn to recognize ‘gaslighting’ in the workplace
By Lynne Curry In the end, what saved “Ella” was a friend’s love of old movies. Worried about what she heard in their last call, her friend sent her a link to classic psychological thriller film "Gaslight" and texted, “I think this is what’s happening to you.” Ella had joined a large company headquartered in Chicago, with branch offices in Anchorage, Seattle, San Francisco. … [Read more...] about Learn to recognize ‘gaslighting’ in the workplace
Speaking truth to power
By Lynne Curry What happens when you imagine marshaling your courage and telling the medical practice owner or someone else in a position of authority that he’s made the wrong judgment call? Do you fear retaliation or making a problem situation worse? If speaking the truth to power feels as risky as jumping out of an airplane without a parachute, you’re not alone. … [Read more...] about Speaking truth to power
Your work honeymoon is over: What now?
By Lynne Curry The job that was so exciting when you landed it now bores you. A year ago, you would have joined the throngs of employees exiting their employers in the Great Resignation. Now you hesitate. What if media accounts about the looming recession result in any shiny new job you accept evaporating within months if you’re laid off as “last hired, first let go”? Maybe … [Read more...] about Your work honeymoon is over: What now?