Insights from a talent development project with a large US metropolitan public works department have highlighted the key learning challenges faced by managers in today’s hybrid workplace. In May 2022 confidence in managing hybrid employees showed 53% of managers rated their confidence 3 or below on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being high. In the same month, 57% of managers … [More]
Suntec’s Philanthropy Benefits Community – and Employees
Suntec Concrete and its employees have been doing their part since 2008 to help vital members of the community: teachers. Again this year, Suntec, the largest commercial concrete contractor in the Southwest, delivered care packages to nearly 100 teachers across Arizona, Utah and Colorado as part of its Teacher Appreciation program. Suntec adds a special touch to this … [More]
How to Have Difficult Conversations About Race
Negotiation expert Kwame Christian’s motto is, “The best things in life are on the other side of difficult conversations.” If we want a more equitable workplace, and a more equitable world, we have to talk to each other about race. But, for so many of us, that’s easier said than done. Many people avoid conversations about race because of fear — fear of discomfort, damaging … [More]
Look Both Ways Before Hiring
It’s no secret that the staffing shortages facing most businesses today are extremely challenging. It is also highly unlikely that these challenges are going to resolve in the near term. So, the problem facing businesses now is what they should do when they just cannot find the talent they need. It is time to rethink all staffing options. The key is to make the most of their … [More]
Next-Level Team Building to Enhance Company Culture
In a recent business poll by the research company i4cp, more than 71% of respondents stated that their organizations either already emphasize or aim to emphasize corporate culture in their day-to-day practices. Longtime proponents of a positive corporate culture have argued that it can enhance long-term prospects, but it is equally true that a negative one is linked to … [More]
Businesses Can Focus on Employee Advocacy
While global efforts to make the world a better place from a culture and climate perspective continue to make noteworthy strides, they have also paved the way for entrance into corporate America, as employees, consumers, investors and communities hold companies to higher standards and expect accountability in business operations. Although each group can have a significant … [More]
Biased?
Please don’t ask to touch a person of color’s hair, say they speak well or ask where they are really from and other harmful and egregious implicit bias acts. It’s the same early morning grind that most Americans participate in on a weekday morning, the dreaded coffee run! Not glamorous or exciting, it becomes a necessary part of kicking the day off right, says every coffee … [More]
Tough Talks – How to Have Difficult Conversations with Employees
One of my clients, a business owner, reached out to me and said, “How do I tell this person that they need to keep their personal stressors from impacting everyone at work without sounding like a jerk?” The situations may change, from telling employees they are underperforming to telling them their attitude is alienating everyone around them to telling them they are being … [More]
Feedback: July 2022
Q: Looking at how this plays out in the workplace, how have you used sports and/or gaming for team or morale building? Greg Hague Founder and CEO 72SOLD Sector: Real Estate At 72SOLD, sports has played a huge role in our team morale building. Through our partnership with the Arizona Cardinals, we host fun pre-game events for our agents and employees on the Great Lawn at … [More]
Work-from-Home: Deal Breaker?
The pandemic changed the way we work, and, as the work-from-home lifestyle became the norm, employees began to re-evaluate their expectations for work-life balance. Many workers quit their jobs because their needs weren’t being met. It’s clear that employees don’t want to go back to the way things were pre-pandemic. So we asked the question: What’s the future of remote work? … [More]
55% of WFH Employees in America Have Never Met Their Colleagues in Person, Says Survey
Let's Face(time) it, when you're working remotely and behind a screen all day, it leaves no opportunity to bump into coworkers throughout the day and grab a coffee break together. And for those who have started new jobs since the start of the pandemic, some may have never even had their first physical team meeting opportunity at all. As we enter unchartered waters in a … [More]
Tasks, Tasks – and Non-Promotable Tasks
Anyone reading this article has done work that wasn’t promotable. Maybe it was handling a low-revenue client or spending another day dealing with that one customer who can’t be satisfied. Or staying late one night to reformat the very unprofessional-looking budget spreadsheet created by a co-worker. Or perhaps it was being “voluntold” to organize a fund-raising event. We … [More]
