30 years of sexual harassment and the system that continues to fail us It’s been more than 30 years since the United States first passed laws to help protect employees from sexual harassment. Strikingly, just as many people experience harassment today as they did back then (EEOC). Routinely, U.S. employers have provided training to educate…
“It’s not the tools you have faith in—tools are just tools—they work or they don’t work. It’s the people you have faith in or not.” – Steve Jobs Over the last decade, organizations have discovered something crucial: employee empowerment is critical to the organization. Companies like Disney and Google empower their employees to deliver exceptional…
I once had the pleasure of working in what you might call a utopian workplace. We were a mission-driven organization, disrupting a traditional marketplace with more efficient products. We had a vision for the future that could improve the lives of millions of people. We were evangelical about our new approach. After many years of…
Rapid social and economic changes. Sizeable population increase of non-white, non-western European people. Women fighting for more power and opportunity. Technological advances that eliminate jobs and trigger a big focus on growth, but little focus on social impact. Sound familiar? These dynamics describe today’s environment, but they also describe the dynamics in the early 1920s.…
2019 was a big year for HR departments. Workplace norms are changing and there were a number of new laws enacted that employers should be paying attention to. Legislators ramped up harassment training requirements, limited independent contractor classification characteristics, and extended family medical leave. At this rate, it’s safe to say we can see a…
In the last 5 years, toxic workplace cultures have cost U.S. businesses greater than $223 billion, according to SHRM. This year, some major companies faced their worst nightmare – negative headlines and bad publicity leading to a bad reputation and even, CEO’s are being pushed out of their own companies. “Reports of a Toxic Culture…
Diversity and Inclusion During The Holidays Ah, the holidays… Christmas music in the air, shopping sprees with reckless abandon, and sweet treats around every corner. For many, this is a time of year for family and friends to come together, be thankful for each other’s company, and relish in whatever yearly traditions they may have.…
Too often, a new job posting goes up on a company’s careers website without anyone other than HR and the hiring manager having known about the new position. Why is this bad? Because it all too often creates unnecessary workplace drama. Employees with similar positions worry they are getting a new boss, or, worse yet,…
It’s almost Thanksgiving and we’re looking back at some of the game-changing laws that passed recently and for which we’re thankful. We’re not biased, but our home state of California blazed a trail in changing the game and raising the bar for improved, healthier workplaces. Whether improving corporate governance by mandating that public companies diversify…
Let’s just start by acknowledging there’s a lot of free lunch. And snacks and games and happy hour celebrations. At the other end of the spectrum is unlimited vacation. There are more opportunities to have fun – to play hard and work hard – these are the perks of the modern workplace. And yet workers…