Thought Leadership Articles: 2019 – 2020

• March 3, 2020
  Create an Employee Experience Like Mr. Rogers
  by Arend Boersema, PHR, SHRM-CP
  “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood” might not be the first thing you think of when you arrive at work on a Monday morning. As you browse over your daily calendar chock full of appointments, meetings, deadlines and flagged action items, the lyrics of Mr. Rogers’ theme song are probably far from your mind. You’re not alone. 66% of the workforce report being not engaged at work to some degree. In Won’t You Be My Neighbor, the recent documentary about Mr. Rogers, viewers were reminded of a time when “being nice” was sufficient. Whereas simply being nice is probably not a sufficient business strategy, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a notable place in our workspaces. Mr. Rogers meet Mr. Rogers. View more…
• November 17, 2019
  The Case for Developing Quiet Professionals
  By: Lorraine McCalmley
  The leadership team is huddled around the white board that has a 3×3 grid drawn on it, with boxes labeled from 1 – 9. The two axes are potential and performance for an employee’s ability to transition laterally into new areas with broader responsibilities and the degree of mastery of a role. The leadership team is discussing Joan and Charlie, two of their employees, to decide on where to invest development dollars. The group unanimously places Charlie in that coveted Box 9, as he not only has shown great performance, but he shows the leadership skills the team thinks will make him successful at the next level—engaged and vocal in meetings, great at keeping his boss updated, enjoys a vast network within the organization, and is always walking the halls saying hi to people. When the leadership team begins discussing Joan, the story is a bit different. “She is pretty quiet,” one leader says.
  View More »
• November 1, 2019
  Marijuana Legalization the HR Playbook
  By: Brisilda Doma and Brian Madalion
  Marijuana legalization is one of today’s hottest topics, which raises questions for the Human Resources community. HR professionals have questions about marijuana; if it is legal can we still test for it, can someone be terminated for use, or can we refuse to hire someone with a positive test? Other concerns include how to handle the effects of this substance and the risk that it poses on workforce performance. These were just some of the questions addressed at the “Marijuana Legalization and the HR Playbook” workshop on October 17, 2019. 
  View More »