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 …
The Weight of the Matter
Of all the topics that are taboo in the inner sanctum of the Talent/HR world, weight may be the toughest to be honest about. Especially here in the US and especially with female HR executives, although today’s quip is coming from the cliché Overweight, Caucasian, Over 50 former C-suite dude. Today I will weave a true and humbling story of …
Should You Call Your Co-Workers Family? Depends on the Family.
Mike: We’re all family here. Archie: Don’t remind me! —All In The Family I saw an excellent Twitter chat that discussed if people should use the term “family” at work. For instance, do you work for an organization that claims “we are all one big family”? Or if the company is really high on itself, they may say, “We are …
The 996 Recruiting Schedule!
If you didn’t see it, Jack Ma, the co-founder, and billionaire behind Alibaba, was out promoting his own work schedule that’s been dubbed “996”! Basically, Jack works 9 am to 9 pm, six days per week, and sees absolutely nothing wrong with it. The internet lost its mind. And by ‘internet’ I mean mostly soft, not so hard working folks …
Just Leave Us Alone
I read a quote last week that I would surely butcher if I tried to recall word-for-word, but the overall theme of the quote was this: People are not required to be constantly available to you, or you to them. And yet, there I sat at 8 AM on a Thursday morning with 57 notifications on my phone. By 7 …
What Are You Telling Employees When You Send Them Late Night Emails?
I learned long ago that you should always be ready to take good advice — no matter where it comes from. This month, it came from a guy named Michael Dermer who touts himself in his blog and newsletter as The Lonely Entrepreneur. His words of wisdom were short, sweet, and spot-on. He said: “Turn off at a respectable time, …
The 3 Types of Work/Life Balance You’ll Encounter in Your Career
I did an interview for an open position at a client yesterday–during vacation, on the beach. That probably tells you where this post is going. Go ahead and fire up the comments about feeling sorry for me. About how my priorities are out of whack. About how I need to take care of myself. I’m not going to go all …
Can You Choose Your Work/Life Balance? 3 Actions To Take.
Can you? In this world where we are always on, is it possible to draw a line in the proverbial sand and give yourself that desired balance? Is it possible to feel like you have mastered being a super employee and super (mom/dad/spouse/partner/person)? More and more as I screen senior-level candidates, I find this to be a struggle for them. …
Workplace Fairy Tales: Why There’s No Such Thing as “Unlimited” PTO
It drives me crazy when I hear people touting “unlimited” PTO. That’s because “unlimited” time off is really just one big fairy tale. I know, I know; that sounds harsh, because there are a number of companies that will defend “unlimited” PTO to the death, and on the surface, it sounds like a good idea. But what often gets lost …
To Support Mental Health, Let Employees Walk out the Door.
Do you know what really makes my heart hurt? The fact so many employees are still miserable at work. It’s not the fault of any one “thing,” but rather a systemic issue. In the US, both depression and loneliness epidemics are in full swing, which is exacerbated by many working environments. Somewhere in the intersection of technology, the demanding speed …