Joanne Kaldy

Most organizations have certain rituals, whether that means monthly staff meetings, annual retreats, quarterly team-building activities, or weekly check-ins. At a time when staffing is short and people are taking on more work, it may seem to some that these rituals are wasted time. However, they actual play a positive role:

• They provide psychological safety. They give workers a safe space to talk about issues or concerns that are troubling them, share fresh ideas and innovation ideas they have, and bond over shared experiences and feelings.
• They provide a sense of purpose. Rituals give leadership an opportunity to make sure the company’s values are clear and actionable and that everyone understands their role in the organization and its mission.
• They increase engagement. Rituals done right can be therapeutic for workers and give them a sense of belonging in the organization.

Your employees who are working moms continue to face mental health and other challenges even as the pandemic eases. According to a new survey:

• 37% of working mothers expressed concerns about their own mental health.
• 40% are worried about family finances.
• 73% said they often put on a brave front so that their families don’t see their stress.
• Only 23% of respondents said they’re getting the care and support they need from a behavioral health professional. They indicated that they face barriers such as lack of time, fears of being negatively judged, and uncertainty about where to start.

• Connect employees with resources and benefits.
• Create a maintain a workplace culture that values mental health.
• Make accommodations such as scheduling flexibility or remote or hybrid work opportunities.

People are changing jobs and looking for new opportunities, so now is your chance to attract the best and the brightest. A new survey suggests way employers are making the most of the hot labor market:

• 50% of employees who are currently working remotely say they’ll look for another job if they were required to make a full-time return to the office. If you can offer remote or hybrid opportunities, you can appeal to these workers.
• Over half (55%) of employers report using raising starting salaries as a strategy for enticing skilled workers, and 44% say they’re prioritizing sign-on bonuses.
• 65% of workers say they plan to start job hunting before year’s end and that they’re looking to make more money.
• 57% of employers say they’re helping employees hone leadership skills, and 39% are expanding professional development opportunities.

So much has happened in the past two years that most of us never anticipated. We’ve had to change, pivot, evolve, and rethink how we lead our teams. Moving ahead, we face more uncertainties. How will inflation shake out? Will there be new supply chain shortages? Will staffing shortages get better or worse? Will COVID bounced back or will there be a new pandemic? Here are some keys to being an effective leader in these uncertain times:

• Build transparency through trust.
• Have the courage to take calculated risks and resist the urge to second guess your decisions.
• Have grit: Dig deep and ignore your critical inner voice. Resist the urge to turn back or quit out of fear.
• Expect short-term setbacks; see these as learning opportunities and not failures.

In survey after survey, workers identify flexible schedules as a highly desired benefit. A rotating schedule gives workers an opportunity to work different shifts across scheduling cycles. Currently, only 2.4% of workers in the U.S. work rotating schedules. These numbers are somewhat higher in the wholesale, retail, leisure, and hospitality industries. There are three kinds of rotating schedules:

• DuPont schedule. This is used by organizations that need 24/7 coverage and involves two 12-hour shifts spread among four teams. Each team works four consecutive nights, followed by three straight days off; then they work three day shifts and one day off. Finally, they end the rotation working four nights. The fourth week gives seven full days off before the cycle repeats.
• Pitman schedule. Also called the 2-3-2 schedule with four teams working two 12-hour shifts over a two-week cycle. One advantage of this is that it enable greater rest between shift cycles.
… [Read more...] about (8/12) How To Create a Rotating Schedule for Fair, Flexible Shift Work

Practicing effective self-leadership -- intentionally influencing your own thinking, feelings, and actions toward your objectives -- can help you be a more effective team and/or organizational leader. Successful self-leadership involves:

• A strong self-awareness and knowledge of who you are and how you function, think, act, and make decisions.
• The ability to identify desired experiences. What would the ideal as well as the most likely scenarios or experiences look like? How do these align with your values and contribute to your growth and personal/professional objectives.
• Constructive thought and decision-making. It is essential to rationally stay on top of your decision-making process and thinking before you act.
• Planning and goal -setting skills. Have a strong sense of where you want to go and what you want to accomplish.

Knowing your habits when it comes to making decisions can help you be more effective and decisive. So what kind of problem solver are you?

• Adventurer. This is a person who makes decisions quickly and trusts their gut. Whether a challenge is big or small, they prefer to follow their instincts than spend time thinking through all the possibilities.
• Detective. This type of decision-maker values information, facts, and data. They want to see what all the evidence says before they make a decision. They believe that they’d rather have too much information than not enough.
• Listener. This person seeks insights from a variety of trusted confidantes. They rely on these people and feel comfortable knowing they don’t have to decide by themselves.
• Thinker. This individual is thoughtful and resists the urge or pressure to make quick decisions. They weigh options, pros and cons, and possible outcomes. They are less concerned with speed than they are … [Read more...] about (8/10) What Are Your Decision-Making Strengths and Blind Spots?

According to a new survey, employers are taking diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seriously:

• 49% of HR respondents said they have a leader in place dedicated to DEI efforts. This compares to 43% from last year’s survey. Over half of respondents indicated their leaders have access to the right resources to succeed in their efforts.
• Respondents indicated that the areas most in need of improvement are candidate pool diversification (particularly for leadership positions), training/education on DEI topics, data tracking, and prioritization of time, resources, and budgets for DEI initiatives.
• Some companies are tying executive compensation to DEI metrics, while others are responding to external pressure to improve their DEI efforts.

In a tight labor market, consider the wisdom of not locking the door when employees leave. Instead, think about the value of letting them (the good ones, at least) know that they can come back if they want. Here’s how:

• Build deep, meaningful relationships. Don’t just treat employees as a means to an end. Get to know them as individuals and learn about their motivations, goals, dreams, and concerns. Ultimately, you should show exiting workers that their value goes beyond what they do for the organization and that you care for them as people.
• Probe outgoing employees. Conduct exit interviews that are meaningful and productive instead of just a matter of policy. By using the intel you get from these conversations, you may be able to keep more of the employees you have.
• Leave the door open. Let exiting workers know that they can come back if they want. If they discover that the grass isn’t green on the other side, don’t shame or question them. Welcome … [Read more...] about (8/8) Creating a Company Culture That Welcomes ‘Boomerang’ Employees

There was a time when it was considered normal and appropriate for employees to stay with their companies for many years. In fact, multiple jobs and employers on your resume were considered red flags and raised concerns on the part of hirers. Today, job hopping is more the norm that an outlier:

• It’s increasingly common for workers to leave after as little as a year.
• Younger workers are more likely to hop. In one survey, 25% of Gen Zers and 23% of Millennials said they were thinking about leaving their employer within the next 2 months.
• Job hopping may give employers access to a larger pool of experienced workers. However, they will have to figure out how to keep them from jumping again.
• To prevent job hopping, remember the loyalty is a two-way street. Promoting from within, offering regular wage increases/bonuses, and implementing pathways to advancement are all ways to increase worker loyalty. At the same time, employees consistently … [Read more...] about (8/5) The Normalization of Job Hopping