This weekend, as the COVID funding for childcare expired, the conversation around RTO mandates turned back again to a core issue facing working families for decades: is going to work “worth it” when it’s such a significant challenge to find reliable, affordable childcare? Lately, I’ve written a lot about what leaders are getting wrong with […]
What’s behind the most recent round of post-holiday RTO mandate headlines? Since the calendar flipped to September, I’ve been asked to weigh in on this important topic with CNN This Morning, USA Today, and WorkLife. We have a historic opportunity to be strategic and intentional in reimagining and recalibrating work to meet the needs of the business AND the […]
“How do we do this?” How do we execute a flexible work model that works? Stories help. They can inspire, even if the path chosen wouldn’t work for anyone else, what matters more is the process they followed. Chip Cutter shared a great story in The Wall Street Journal this past weekend. It shows how The J.M. Smucker Co. continues to evolve its […]
As a strategist whose purpose is to support others through the process of transforming into a high performing flexible organization, I’m mostly asked about what we do at the Flex+Strategy Group. I’m rarely asked about how and why we do it. That changed recently when I was interviewed by Michael Zipursky on his Consulting Success Podcast. Michael’s a consultant’s consultant with over 20 years of experience helping “entrepreneurial […]
What makes an effective manager? How do we foster and advance employee engagement? Is flexibility just about young people trying to protect their ability to work remotely in this new post-COVID landscape? I had the opportunity to delve into these important workplace topics and more in a lively discussion on KFNX Phoenix’s The Bill Brady Show. […]
Let’s be honest. Work before the pandemic wasn’t exactly awesome. Even then, training, talent development, and technology were just a few workplace challenges. It’s no surprise we’re struggling with those same issues now. So, why are organizations mandating employees return to the office and to a work model that was already flawed?! And what should […]
I can’t say it enough – return to office mandates that force a set number of days are often doomed to fail. Even so, now that COVID public health emergencies have expired, companies are increasingly doubling down on mandates – and many are accompanied by “or else” threats. Thankfully, the national media notices this trend. […]
As questions about hybrid workplaces and how, when, and where we do our best work continue to take center stage moving forward from COVID, one of biggest reasons leaders give for seeking a return to the office – either by mandate or by guessing on a magic number of days – is the need for […]
The return to office (RTO) mandates keep coming while the most important questions that determine how, when and where we do our best work are not being asked or answered. This time it’s AT&T’s requirement that managers will be in the office three days a week. I shared my thoughts about this with The Washington Post’s […]
Recently, I joined leadership coach and author Marney Andes as a guest on her Community Good podcast. We covered so many topics bookended by two important concepts: First, acknowledge that the traditional work model was already disappearing before the pandemic and how the pandemic accelerated that trend in a really disruptive and chaotic way, and… […]