An opinion piece in The New York Times a few weeks ago really jolted me. I’ve had my head buried in “best company” applications all summer—helping clients put together strong submissions for the Fortune 100 Best Companies list. It’s time-consuming work, which is why I haven’t managed to post a blog in months. Heck, I’ve […]
great workplaces
Next Year’s Father’s Day Gift? How About Paternity Leave?
Father’s Day may have come and gone, but the question of working fathers remains as intractable as ever. This once invisible group (“working father” was pretty much redundant 50 years ago) is now the stuff of cute commercials and rom-coms, but there remains a tremendous disconnect between what we say, as a society, and what […]
Has the Customer Service Pendulum Swung Too Far?
Remember when great customer service wasn’t necessarily a given? When if you bought something that didn’t fit right you couldn’t assume it was returnable? And if you needed something the next day, you’d better go get it yourself? Lily Tomlin’s iconic telephone operator, Ernestine, exemplified at least a strain of “customer service” in the bad […]
Not On Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For List? There’s Always Next Year!
Fortune’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list came out today. You’ll recognize a lot of the organizations on the list—they’re the Googles and the Whole Foods and the REIs—companies in the news year-round for their off-the-charts benefits, HR policies and worksite amenities. They’ve been on the list many times before, and will be on […]
Happy 2017! Here’s What U.S. Employees Still Need
Happy New Year, everyone! Back at Thanksgiving, I wrote a post about work-life-related progress in 2016. This week, like many of us, I’m thinking ahead. I’m not much of a believer in New Year’s resolutions, and, in any case, the kinds of things I’m thinking about aren’t in my (sole) power to bring about, so […]
What Makes a Company One of the “Best”?
Every year, I work with companies to help them tell their stories on the Working Mother 100 Best Companies application, among others. Although I have been steeped in the work-life field for nearly all my professional life, I am still frequently surprised and impressed by the smart ways my clients find to support their employees […]