HR Happens

Returning to work after back-to-back Holidays can be a tough transition. Here are a few tips to help your employees (and yourself!) get into the work groove. For the most part, the holidays are a joyous time where employees can take a few days to spend time with family, friends, travel, etc. However, the holidays are also overwhelmingly stressful. Most likely, employees already worked their tail-off to hit those end-of-year goals and wrap-up any lingering projects. Then they go home, decorate their entire house, spend way too much money, spend three days with Aunt Margaret and get out of any sense of routine they had. So, how do you switch from absolute chaos back to work-place grind? Well, I am not saying it is easy, but here are a few tips to help ease the transition. 1. Do not plan anything on employee's first day back to the office. Yes, I said it. I see you goal-driven business owner trying to take on the world January 2nd. Just don't. Everyone will need a day (at least) t

Video conferencing software is a necessary evil in the current business landscape. It helps us connect on a virtual level, but it also comes with some serious drawbacks. Cue the dreaded "Zoom Fatigue". It's real! Your employees, coworkers and colleagues are not just making excuses to avoid video contact. This new-found workplace issue has been researched, and here are a few reasons why it causes us so much stress: Problem #1. Absence of Non-Verbal Cues In daily, face-to-face conversation, we rely on non-verbal cues to let us know when someone is excited, or concerned, or has finished speaking. These allow us to continue the conversation flow and get our points across to colleagues. Without these non-verbal cues, our brain has to go into overdrive to analyze every word that is spoken. This is similar to text and email. Without these non-verbal, in-person cues, comments and presentations can become something they are not meant to be. Problem #2. Performance Anxiety

Having a diverse workforce-team members with differing backgrounds, knowledge, experience, socioeconomic situations, etc- can be a great thing! Co-workers are able to bounce ideas back and force and work together to come up with even more innovation than if all of your employees were cut from the same cloth. However, sometimes, this diversity can lead to very strong, differing opinions, which if not managed properly, can turn explosive and cause a lot of issues including turnover, poor culture, aggression and even lawsuits. Our experts have seen the good, bad and ugly side of a diverse workforce and have some tips on how to keep your team together, while allowing them to continue to express their individuality. 1. Create an Open-Minded Environment Human brains are wired to find similarities and differences in every situation. We are constantly comparing thoughts, situations and conversations to events or situations we have experienced in the past. This can lead to some very pers

Have you ever received a text or e-mail and wanted to immediately celebrate, but were worried those around you would look at you funny if you started doing a happy dance at your desk? What about bad news that ruined your day, but you didn't have an outlet to talk about it? These types of scenarios are best handled in person. Written messages can be interpreted differently by each individual, and having a conversation face-to-face will allow all parties to get their thoughts across clearly and concisely. As a general rule of thumb in our tech-savvy world, the following types of conversations are best delivered face-to-face: 1. News to be celebrated! This can be anything from a promotion or raise to the company being recognized as the top in the industry. Whatever the news, this should be done in person so that employees feel like a team and can celebrate together! This does not have to be a big production. Grab employees for a quick five minute huddle and announce the news.