Library

October 24, 2021

Make Shift Happen

Remote and hybrid work arrangements have shifted the role of manager in our uncertain COVID world. This shift is likely to threaten managers of knowledge workers. Our brains constantly scan for threats to keep us safe. The limbic system fires up when it perceives danger. A social threat may be more intense than a physical threat according to David Rock, Ph.D. founder of the Neuroleadership Institute. Rock developed the SCARF model to  identify social triggers. Status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness is the framework that activates social threat or reward. The brain distinguishes whether to avoid or approach something based […]
September 23, 2021

It’s Nice to Put a Face to a Name

Working in an office for forty-plus hours, Monday through Friday, is outdated. It’s so 2019! Virtual work is here to stay. The pandemic transformed work-life, and the transformation isn’t over. According to a recent survey by The Conference Board, more than a third of U.S. workers may leave their jobs within six months to find a flexible work arrangement. Flexible work location was ranked higher than better pay and career advancement. Rebecca Ray, Executive Vice President of Human Capital at The Conference Board, said, “…Employees are much less willing to embrace the rigid, conventional work policies of the past about […]
August 17, 2021

Vax No Vax

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) allows employers to require employees to have COVID-19 vaccines. Houston Methodist Hospital made headlines in June when the court upheld their termination of employees who did not comply with the vaccination mandate. The plaintiffs argued the hospital was violating public policy since the vaccines were distributed under Emergency Use Authorization rather than following the Food and Drug Administration’s usual processes. Federal Judge Lynn Hughes dismissed the case stating it was the hospital’s judgment to provide a safer environment for their employees and patients. Hughes also stated employees have a choice to work elsewhere. Employers […]
June 21, 2021

Help Wanted!

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Statistics this month. The national statistics reflect what local employers feel. There are more job openings than people to fill them. Job openings increased by nearly a million (+998,000) to 9.3 million from March to April. The number of people hired remained unchanged at 6.1 million. The gap increased. There are half as many people available (1.4) for every open position as there have been in the past twenty years (2.8). The largest number of increased job openings at the end of April was in food services (+349,000), […]