Archives

marijuana

Virginians Will Be Lighting Their Joints on July 1

Starting July 1, Virginia will be the first state in the southern United States to allow the use of recreational marijuana. That’s because on April 21, at the close of this year’s General Assembly session, Governor Ralph Northam signed a historic marijuana legalization bill allowing adults to possess small amounts of pot. Although the original […]

hiring sign

The Benefit of (Some) Turnover

Employers, given their preference, would love to keep most employees around indefinitely—to have their top performers spend their entire careers with the company. Not only would that tenure demonstrate dedication and commitment to the company, but it would also reduce the time, effort, and cost of recruiting and onboarding new staff and help retain institutional […]

The Pandemic Has Taken a Toll on Manager Wellbeing

Managers have often seen themselves as dispassionate observers of their employees, implementers of systems and protocols, and enforcers of time management—all in the name of productivity and efficiency. This past year proved a major challenge to all those systems, ongoing work assignments, ways of working, and job roles as the pandemic brought dramatic change at […]

training

What is Skill Data?

Skill data, as the name implies, is any data point that is in reference to an individual’s skills and includes data that measures what someone can do. Some examples of skill data include:

Self-Improvement to Cult Initiation: How Not to Lead a Training Session

You would hope employers know the difference between a training session and a cult initiation ritual, but you may be surprised. A Panda Express took trust building exercises and loyalty tests too far during a four-day “self-improvement” session that started with beratement and ended with employees in their underwear.

smiling worker

Striving to Excel at Any Job and Any Task

Almost everyone has had the experience on a job of just not being able to get motivated. Maybe the work itself is boring or unrewarding. Maybe the boss or coworkers are toxic. Or maybe the employee is just unhappy with the way his or her career has unfolded. This feeling of malaise isn’t just a […]

Putting the Humanitarian into HR

Note: Jignasha was an HR Works Podcast 5-Minute Friday guest. Listen to that here. HR is one of those jobs that provides the opportunity to be more than just a job. HR professionals interact and engage with whole organizations and therefore often have a significant amount of influence over the employees and leaders. People-oriented HR […]

resignation

How to Manage an Employee’s Final Two Weeks at Work

Getting off to a great start is important in any job, which is why managers and human resource professionals understand how important those first few weeks on the job are. But in the lifecycle of an employee, there is another period that is also crucial; it just happens to be on the opposite end of […]

service

Handling ADA Requests for Service Animals at Work

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many remote employees have no doubt strengthened their bonds with and emotional dependency on their pets and, in some cases, service animals. As a result, you should expect to see a surge in animal-related accommodation requests as workers return to their physical workplaces. Here are some ideas to help you properly […]

The Evolving Role of HR: Redefining Responsibilities Post-Pandemic

As a tenured HR employee, you’ve likely worn a variety of proverbial hats over the years. HR inherently requires its people to stretch themselves and fulfill many different roles and requirements—from talent scout to employee therapist to conflict mediator. The pandemic forced many in HR to explore their adaptability further. In 2020, HR professionals had […]