3 Ways to Change the Message in a Bottle

Kathy Rapp Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Culture, Current Affairs, Employee Communications, Employee Engagement, Engagement and Satisfaction, HR, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Managing People, Retention, Talent Strategy, wellness 0 Comments

Just a castaway, an island lost at sea, oh Another lonely day, no one here but me, oh More loneliness than any man could bear Rescue me before I fall into despair, oh These are the intro lyrics to “Message in a Bottle” by The Police. It’s about being alone on an island and sending a message in a bottle …

The Strategic Evolution of HR

Kathy Rapp Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Current Affairs, Executive Search, Good HR, HR, Influence, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Organizational Development, Risks, Talent Strategy, The HR Profession, Workforce Management Articles 0 Comments

Anyone else feel like they’ve lived through 2 years in the last 4 months? Are you apprehensive about the next 6 months? You are normal if you answered “yes” to the above. You work in HR if you answered “HELL yes” while raising your beverage of choice in hand. HR leaders I know, and others who I’ve had the opportunity …

3 Reasons Not to Botch Breaking Up

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Candidate Pool, Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Culture, Current Affairs, Driving Productivity, Employee Communications, Employee Engagement, Employee Relations, Employment Branding and Culture, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, HR, Job Market, Kathy Rapp, Layoffs, Leadership, Managing People, Offboarding, Retention, Talent Strategy

We’ve watched in disbelief as unemployment spikes to record highs – with over 20.5 million jobs lost in April. In addition, there are many more with reduced hours or cut pay not represented in unemployment figures. Suffice it to say, a lot of breakup conversations are being had. By now we’ve all read about some very public horror stories, and …

Protect Your Assets – Your People

Kathy Rapp Analyst, Change, Change Management, Communication, Corporate America, COVID-19, Culture, Current Affairs, Good HR, HR, in the news, Influence, Job Market, Kathy Rapp, Layoffs, Leadership, Recruiting, Retention, Risks, Talent Strategy

How many of you are in your guest rooms/living rooms/patios “behind closed doors” working on a RIF spreadsheet? It’s a horrible exercise I’ve done too many times, and especially tough right now. With an unimaginable amount of uncertainty across most businesses, cost-savings levers are being pulled. As part of looking for cost-savings, how much quantitative analysis is taking place? It’s …

HR’s Greatest Opportunity to Support Gender Diversity

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Career Advice, Career Paths, Change, Change Management, Corporate America, Current Affairs, Diversity, Employee Development, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, HR, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Learning and Development, Organizational Development, Retention, Succession Planning, Talent Management, Talent Strategy, The HR Profession, Women, Women in the Workplace

As a mom of a young daughter, I’m paying more attention to the gender diversity push than ever before. I personally never felt passed over for roles or promotions due to my gender – nor afforded them because of my gender either. That said, until the last half of my career, I worked in corporate HR where a lot of …

Focus! Maybe An Accountability Partner Would Help

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Career Advice, Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Culture, Driving Productivity, Employee Coaching, Engagement and Satisfaction, HR, HR Tech, HR Technology, Innovation, Kathy Rapp, Learning, Learning and Development, Mental Health, Performance, Talent Management, Training and Development, wellness, Work Life Balance, Workplace Flexibilty

I am a big believer in the power of focusing. “Focus and finish” is a phrase you’ll hear me say to myself, my daughter – and perhaps occasionally to my husband. Most of us in the HR space know year-end and the fast start once January 1 rolls around = bust your a$$ while everyone else is taking time off. …

Kick-Start Your HR Creativity in 2020 with these Two Lessons

Kathy Rapp Career Paths, Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Driving Productivity, Engagement and Satisfaction, HR, HR (& Life!) Advice, Innovation, Kathy Rapp, Leadership, Pop Culture, wellness, Work Life Balance

The Thin Red Line. Fight Club.  American Psyco.  These are films that solidified Jared Leto‘s success as an Oscar-winning actor. Then, as his star was rising, he basically stopped making movies. “I think it was about focus. I knew that I needed to commit everything to music at that point in my life,” said Leto. Fast Company interviewed Jared Leto and …

Hello 3-Day Weekends!

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Benefits, Change, Change Management, Compensation/Cash Money, Corporate America, Culture, Current Affairs, Diversity, Driving Productivity, Employee Engagement, employee experience, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, HR, Onboarding, Performance

If you’ve been in the workforce for 20+ years, you probably grew up thinking working longer hours meant you were more productive, or helped you advance your career. I spent many years arriving at and leaving an office in darkness. Microsoft has put a bit of data behind the fact longer hours do not equate to higher productivity (or happiness). …

4 Critical Steps for Success as a New CHRO

Kathy Rapp Assessments, Career Advice, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Corporate America, Culture, Driving Productivity, Executive Search, Good HR, HR

Starting anything new is a bit daunting. A new exercise program. A new school. Sporting a new hairstyle. The internal questions of “Am I ready for this? Will I make friends? Is the “Rachel” really back?” will bubble in the pit of your stomach. Starting a new gig, especially a leadership role, builds even more intense emotions. Starting a new …

10 Things HR Should Have Given Up by Now

Kathy Rapp Audacious Ideas, Change, Change Management, Coaching, Communication, Contingent Workforce, Corporate America, Culture, Driving Productivity, Employee Engagement, Engagement and Satisfaction, Good HR, Harassment, HR, Uncategorized

I attended an awards luncheon where the nominees were asked the question, “What would you have expected to have given up by now?” Answers involved a lot of childhood sweets, biting nails and imaginary dogs (that was not mine). Slap that question on the HR profession and I have a few ideas around the answers. Some are common sense and …