The global pandemic is hard on everyone. But it’s especially hard on women. The ill and dying, and those watching their loved ones suffer, are of course experiencing the worst of it (by many magnitudes). But I’m talking about those who don’t have the virus, and are simply trying to soldier on under dramatically new […]
Is Your Company a “Summer Soldier” or a Hero?
“These are the times that try men’s souls,” Thomas Paine famously (if sexistly) said. It was the middle of the American Revolution, and he meant “try” in the now-archaic sense of “test,” contrasting “summer soldiers and sunshine patriots” with real heroes willing to put their lives on the line. In 2020, a soul-trying year if […]
Don’t Expect the Office Life You Left Behind
In late February, just before the U.S. began shutting down, I took on a new project: helping a client develop employee communications relating to their upcoming move to an open-plan office. Not surprisingly, that project soon ground to a halt. By early April, a different client had hired me to research how to prepare their […]
In Unique Times, What Makes A Great Employer?
Pity Great Place to Work! For nearly two dozen years, the global consulting firm has been producing “best workplace lists” around the world, including the best known one here in the United States, Fortune’s annual “100 Best Places to Work.” As I have described in past posts, the entire process and approach got a makeover […]
When Every Day is Take Your Child To Work Day
Google tells me, without a hint of irony, that “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day” falls on April 23 this year. Of course, by the time that day rolls around, millions of children will have been deeply entwined in their parents’ workdays for weeks. Take heart, though. From what I know about how […]
Why This Remote Work Is Different From All Other Remote Work
One enormous, if tangential, effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been businesses’ wholesale embrace of remote work. Perhaps embrace is the wrong word—most of the many thousands of organizations that have sent their employees home have had little choice in the matter. But even for those for whom at least a portion of their workforce […]
Great Leadership Communications and “America’s Governor”
Every day now, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo spends an hour or more before the press and television cameras, detailing horrifically bad and frightening news. And people love him for it. How can this be? Because in all times, but especially crisis times, what people need more than anything is strong communication from leadership. And […]
In a Pandemic, Employee Communications Are More Important than Ever
Sometimes, communication can truly be a life or death concern. As local and national authorities struggle to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and businesses tackle the myriad issues it raises on every front, good employee communications can fall by the wayside. Yet, what employees need more than anything right now is to know just what […]
Why Some Employers Deserve a Valentine, Too
Last year, in a moment of cute synergy, Fortune published its annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list on Valentine’s Day. It seemed so fitting! After all, if you’re lucky enough to work at one of those great companies, then perhaps you really are a member of that shockingly rare breed—people who love their […]
Here’s What the Best Law Firms Do for Women
What makes a great firm for women lawyers? That’s the question Working Mother asks each year in its 60 Best Law Firms for Women recognition. Over the years, the media company has introduced a growing number of “best company” lists: 100 Best Companies, Top Companies for Women, Best Companies for Multicultural Women, Best Companies for […]