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diversity and inclusion

Eliminating Pedigree Bias Is a Winning Strategy for DEI Hiring

Over the last 2 years, employee churn and unprecedented job openings have caused the software engineering sector to rethink its hiring strategies. It is more important than ever for organizations to demonstrate their commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. This commitment includes recognizing an enormous problem in recruiting today: pedigree bias. With the […]

now hiring

A Closer Look at How Serious the Employee Recruitment and Retention Challenge Is

Many readers are likely aware of the challenges businesses across the country are having finding and keeping qualified workers. Maybe it’s the long wait and less-than-stellar service at a favorite restaurant, the local small business owner lamenting his or her inability to fill an open position, or one’s experience carrying an additional workload because a […]

automation

Designing Workplace Culture in the New Normal, Automation-Driven Era

We are unexpectedly in the middle of a new transformation in the way we work. It was always expected that by the end of 2021, nearly half of all global businesses would use robotic process automation (RPA), software “bots” that work side by side with humans and automate the manual, repetitive work we do. But […]

Help Wanted at Yellowstone Ranch

One of my current vices is the television series Yellowstone, which I’ll admit I was drawn into in a big binge-the-first-3-seasons-in-3-weeks way. For those of you who are not familiar with the show, it centers on patriarch John Dutton and the Dutton family, who for generations have owned the Yellowstone Ranch in Montana on which […]

Tackling the ADA—‘Affordable’ and ‘Minimum

[Go here for yesterday’s Q&A] How does an employer know whether the coverage it offers is “affordable”? If an employee’s share of the premium for employer-provided coverage would cost the employee more than 9.5% of that employee’s annual household income, the coverage is not considered affordable for that employee. If an employer offers multiple healthcare […]

The ‘Work Uniform’ Trend for Women Isn’t New; A Fashion Icon Started It Almost 50 Years Ago

“The Today Show” just reported on gender inequality in fashion for the workplace. Men have been coasting along for years wearing the same few suits, some shirts, and several ties that they select from every day, mixing up the pairing for variety, while females in the workplace are expected to wear the latest colors, hem […]

shower

Are Employee Bridal Showers a Work-Related Function?

Most of the time, the employer is the one who gets burned by timekeeping troubles. Here, though, an employee was told to clock out before attending a bridal shower at work but chose to ignore the direct order and clocked out at her normal time (after the party). When she was fired for the falsification […]

How Workplace Drama Can Impact a Company’s Bottom Line: How to Avoid It

We know it when we see it—the drama that insidiously creeps into our workplaces, chipping away at morale, well-being, productivity and, yes, the bottom line. This drama can include both gossiping about co-workers and undermining institutional change. In other words, workplace drama is everything that commandeers mental energy, directing it away from the organization’s mission […]