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How Workplaces Can Support Employees After Racist Violence

What One Executive Wishes They Could Tell Employees About Return-to-Office Plans

What In-Home Daycare Educators Know About Making Remote Work Better

7 Steps to Design a Flexible Work Arrangement

Netflix's Layoffs and Worker Ultimatum Lead It into the Culture Wars

Netflix's layoffs and its revised culture guidelines spark praise from Fox News and criticism from social media.

By Suein Hwang May 20, 2022

Ellen Pao on What Asian American Women Need from Workplaces

Asian American women are disproportionately left out of corporate leadership. Four women explain what companies can to do fix it.

By Michelle Peng May 13, 2022

Now Is the Time to Push Companies on Abortion

Look to the rise of fertility benefits to understand how workers can demand more from their employers.

By S. Mitra Kalita May 10, 2022

Asking the Right Questions and Embracing Discomfort Make Workplaces More Inclusive

The current return to office period is rife with questions about inclusion. Principal among them is how do you use the shifts around work to make workplaces more inclusive for workers of color especially? We spoke with Daisy Auger-Domínguez, who wrote the 'Inclusion Revolution' and is the chief people officer at Vice Media Group.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 15, 2022

Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation Hearings Just Landed Differently for Some of Us

Last week’s confirmation hearings of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court, were undoubtedly historic. And yet the image of Jackson patiently providing information to a group of...

By S. Mitra Kalita March 29, 2022

The Problem with Training Programs Targeting People of Color

There’s an uncomfortable scenario that keeps coming up in my journey as an entrepreneur in community media. I’ll be in a business meeting with someone and suddenly the tone shifts. They’ll say something like: “I’m...

By S. Mitra Kalita March 8, 2022

When No One Really Wants to Return to the Office

We’ve recently heard from leaders who are finding the coming return to office even messier than they anticipated. Some share a set of core problems: Employees don’t want to come back more than occasionally. They...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 14, 2022

How to Talk About Diversity

Organizations sometimes talk about diversity as desirable because it has business benefits. Diverse teams of workers are more creative, or more likely to know their customers’ needs, the argument goes—which logically makes companies more successful...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 9, 2022

How to Find a Sponsor to Boost Your Career

If you ask any successful person how they advanced in their careers, you’re likely to hear at least one of a few common themes: strong performance, passion to excel, and a tireless work ethic. But...

By Samantha Ross Saperstein January 24, 2022

Your Company's Diversity Efforts Need to Include Learning Differences

There’s no denying that the past two pandemic years have been uniquely challenging for managers and employees alike. But amid all the upheaval Covid has brought to our working lives, it’s also sparked two trends...

By Fred Poses January 10, 2022

What the Future of Work Looks Like to Top Researchers and Executives

Most weeks, we feature an interview with a researcher or expert practitioner who has special insight into how to reset work and management. To start off this new year, we’ve gone back to people we...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 4, 2022

The Best Advice From 2021 for Managing Yourself and Your Team

Each week over the past year, we’ve sifted through the latest research and management writing to bring you insights and tips for managing yourself and your team. The selections are informed by our belief that...

By Kevin J. Delaney December 28, 2021

To Make Work More Parent-Friendly, Think Like a Designer

The mindset that creates more humane workplaces not only for caregivers, but for everyone.

By Emily Goligoski December 16, 2021

6 Workplace Lessons to Carry Into Next Year

The trends that emerged in our second pandemic year can be guiding principles for our third.

By S. Mitra Kalita December 14, 2021

Why Abortion Access Is a Workplace Issue

A reversal of Roe v. Wade is likely to place an outsized burden on workers and, by extension, their employers.

By S. Mitra Kalita and Jon D. Michaels December 7, 2021

What Gen Z Can Teach Employers About Diverse Hiring

A new generation is entering the labor market with different ideas about how their identities inform their work.

By S. Mitra Kalita November 30, 2021

This Season, Refresh How You Support Black Business

Advice for moving beyond identity-based gift guides and toward more sustainable year-round action.

By S. Mitra Kalita November 23, 2021

Briefing: Week of November 21, 2021

What to know this week about hybrid meetings, the future of office spaces, returning to the workplace, and managing yourself and your team.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 22, 2021

The Best Work and Management Books of 2021

Over the past year, we've read more than 10,000 pages to cover 41 books. Here are our recommendations and takeaways.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 19, 2021

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Lesson from JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs: Take a Hard Line on Return-to-Office at Your Own Risk

Organizations can learn many lessons from the return-to-office approaches of Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.

By Suein Hwang May 16, 2022

The Pioneer of the Modern Workday Overhauls Its Schedule Once Again

How Ford Motor plunged into the future of work by unveiling a hybrid work plan for 25,000 salaried employees and converting millions of square feet into collaboration centers.

By Suein Hwang April 18, 2022

Asking the Right Questions and Embracing Discomfort Make Workplaces More Inclusive

The current return to office period is rife with questions about inclusion. Principal among them is how do you use the shifts around work to make workplaces more inclusive for workers of color especially? We spoke with Daisy Auger-Domínguez, who wrote the 'Inclusion Revolution' and is the chief people officer at Vice Media Group.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 15, 2022

What Libraries Say About the Future of Offices

Discussion about how office spaces need to change often focuses on the need for better meeting and gathering space—so that hybrid workers can more easily collaborate and build social connections when in the office. But...

By Kevin J. Delaney March 30, 2022

How to Make Hybrid Work for Everyone

Lynda Gratton of London Business School has been one of the leading academic voices on what work should look like after the pandemic. This week she published Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organization &...

By Kevin J. Delaney March 21, 2022

An Inside Look at Harry's Return to Office Plans

Harry’s is offering a look into its detailed plans for bringing employees back to the office. The New York shaving company has posted online the 81-page “How to Hybrid” guide it has distributed to employees...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 28, 2022

We Must Physically Reconnect in a World of Remote Work

Many of us have spent little time in physical proximity with our colleagues over the past year, and this next chapter of work is likely to still include reduced in-person interaction. How do we minimize...

February 22, 2022

Embrace the Breakout Room

How can we translate the lessons organizations have learned over the past two years into a structured approach for moving forward? That’s a core question behind Competing in the New World of Work, published this...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 18, 2022

When No One Really Wants to Return to the Office

We’ve recently heard from leaders who are finding the coming return to office even messier than they anticipated. Some share a set of core problems: Employees don’t want to come back more than occasionally. They...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 14, 2022

The Great Return: It's Showtime for the Future of Work

Catch your breath. Rest up while you can. We’re on the precipice of what looks to be one of the most important chapters for work in our lifetimes. The US peak of new Omicron cases...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 31, 2022

What the Future of Work Looks Like to Top Researchers and Executives

Most weeks, we feature an interview with a researcher or expert practitioner who has special insight into how to reset work and management. To start off this new year, we’ve gone back to people we...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 4, 2022

Here's How Companies Are Handling the Omicron Surge

Plus: Booster mandates, fierce competition for vaccinated childcare workers, and why you should rethink your Fridays.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 20, 2021

The 70/20/10 Rule For Improving at Your Job

How to use small daily habits to learn—and grow—from your own experiences.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 13, 2021

How to Craft a Healthier Relationship With Your Job

Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen's 'Out of Office' offers ways to create distance from work and nourish hobbies, relationships, and ties to the people around us.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 10, 2021

What We Know About Omicron and Workplaces

Epidemiologist Dr. Michael Osterholm explains how organizations should be thinking about the new variant.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 6, 2021

Briefing: Week of November 28, 2021

What to know this week about the Omicron variant, the status of return-to-office plans, and the rules for resolving conflict over Zoom.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 29, 2021

Slack's CEO on What the Platform Means for Workplaces

Stewart Butterfield discusses what's ahead for Slack and for workplaces, and how he responds to employers who regret using the service.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 29, 2021

What Shang-Chi Can Teach Us About Layoffs

What onetime accountant Simu Liu learned from his layoff and the critical lessons we all need as we enter a period of economic uncertainty.

By S. Mitra Kalita April 26, 2022

What Your Gen Z Colleagues Wish You Knew

Generation Z is getting antsy at work. Nearly two-thirds of job seekers born in the late 1990s into the early 2010s have switched industries or are considering doing so, according to a recent LinkedIn survey....

By S. Mitra Kalita February 22, 2022

What People Are Paid Is About to Change

With the new New York City law requiring disclosure of minimum and maximum salaries for any job posting, companies are scrambling to sort out how to prepare for and handle the broader pay transparency that...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 24, 2022

The New Rules of Quitting

“It’s not the Great Resignation; it’s the Great Awakening.” That’s the characterization of the current workplace exodus from Mita Mallick, head of inclusion, equity, and impact for financial-tech startup Carta. A lot of norms around...

By S. Mitra Kalita January 11, 2022

The Year of the Raise Is Coming

Plus: Microsoft's new retention strategy, workplace booster requirements, and the best time to tackle difficult tasks.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 13, 2021

Briefing: Week of December 5, 2021

What to know this week about omicron's impact on office holiday parties, the current state of business travel, and achieving "optimal busyness."

By Kevin J. Delaney December 6, 2021

Make Every Conversation a Stay Interview

The best retention strategy is one that doesn't have managers scrambling to play defense.

By Lee Ann Prescott December 3, 2021

The One Question LinkedIn's CEO Thinks All Managers Should Ask

It's also a valuable tool for anyone looking to reassess their own career.

By Annaliese Griffin November 24, 2021

This Is the Moment for Employee-Led Culture Change

At the Charter Workplace Summit, speakers emphasized that the top-down model no longer works.

By Lee Ann Prescott November 19, 2021

Why the Best Managers Ask More Questions

LifeLabs Learning co-founder Tania Luna on what the research says about the key skills of great managers.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 17, 2021

Briefing: Week of November 14, 2021

What to know this week about the Great Resignation, corporate vaccine mandates, returning to the workplace, and managing yourself and your team.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 16, 2021

How to Use Rituals to Connect with Work and Retain Colleagues

We spoke this summer with author Priya Parker about how we should rethink gathering in the workplace as organizations return. A related consideration is how companies and teams can use rituals to raise morale and...

By Kevin J. Delaney November 16, 2021

The Urgent Case for Sabbaticals for All

Research shows that extended time off isn't just a break—it can be a life-changing period that helps us reset our understanding of who we are.

By DJ Didonna November 16, 2021

Creative People See the World Differently

A new book on creativity by Matt Richtel of The New York Times covers the latest science and the stories of creators.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 23, 2022

The Three Myths About the Return to Offices

As much of the world begins to shift from the pandemic phase of Covid to the endemic, many executives see an opening to implement their “return-to-office” plans. But employees have spent over two years proving...

By Brian Elliott April 20, 2022

Asking the Right Questions and Embracing Discomfort Make Workplaces More Inclusive

The current return to office period is rife with questions about inclusion. Principal among them is how do you use the shifts around work to make workplaces more inclusive for workers of color especially? We spoke with Daisy Auger-Domínguez, who wrote the 'Inclusion Revolution' and is the chief people officer at Vice Media Group.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 15, 2022

How to Identify a Coming Tectonic Shift in Culture, Business, or Technology

'Whole Earth,' a biography of Stewart Brand by John Markoff permits reflection on where good ideas come from, and how one individual spotted generation-defining developments before others latched on to them.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 15, 2022

New Research Explains What Triggers Corporate Action on Social Issues

We focused last week on employees’ roles in some US companies’ exits from Russia, and noted the internal backlash at Disney over CEO Bob Chapek’s initial unwillingness to take a stand on LGBTQ+ rights in...

By Kevin J. Delaney March 21, 2022

How to Make Hybrid Work for Everyone

Lynda Gratton of London Business School has been one of the leading academic voices on what work should look like after the pandemic. This week she published Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organization &...

By Kevin J. Delaney March 21, 2022

How to Have an Effective Partnership in Work and Life

Some of the biggest business successes are attributed to unique partnerships at their origin: Microsoft's Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s....

By Kevin J. Delaney March 4, 2022

How Business Can Evolve with Women of Color Leading

Large companies have under-promoted women of color and still pay them on average a fraction of what they pay white men. But women of color are the fastest-growing segment of the corporate workforce, and have...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 28, 2022

An Inside Look at Harry's Return to Office Plans

Harry’s is offering a look into its detailed plans for bringing employees back to the office. The New York shaving company has posted online the 81-page “How to Hybrid” guide it has distributed to employees...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 28, 2022

Embrace the Breakout Room

How can we translate the lessons organizations have learned over the past two years into a structured approach for moving forward? That’s a core question behind Competing in the New World of Work, published this...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 18, 2022

When No One Really Wants to Return to the Office

We’ve recently heard from leaders who are finding the coming return to office even messier than they anticipated. Some share a set of core problems: Employees don’t want to come back more than occasionally. They...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 14, 2022

When societal purpose truly defines an organization

Workers are attracted to companies and stay at them when they feel like they’re connected to a motivating purpose, surveys have shown. And so managers have turned to “purpose” as a tool to deploy amid...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 11, 2022

How to Talk About Diversity

Organizations sometimes talk about diversity as desirable because it has business benefits. Diverse teams of workers are more creative, or more likely to know their customers’ needs, the argument goes—which logically makes companies more successful...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 9, 2022

How to Build Better Jobs

Last month IBM announced that it was selling part of its Watson Health business to a private equity company, reportedly for a fraction of the price it had invested. Watson’s artificial-intelligence—which wowed the world when...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 8, 2022

The Great Return: It's Showtime for the Future of Work

Catch your breath. Rest up while you can. We’re on the precipice of what looks to be one of the most important chapters for work in our lifetimes. The US peak of new Omicron cases...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 31, 2022

How Regrets Can Lead to Smarter Decisions

Tumultuous financial markets, like the ones we are experiencing now, create endless opportunities for regret. Investors can regret sinking funds into bitcoin or Netflix, for example, before their falls—or regret not investing in them before...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 31, 2022

How to Approach Confrontations With Care

All management, sooner or later, involves confrontation and difficult conversations. You might, for example, have to deliver critical feedback, tell a colleague they’re not getting promoted, fire an employee, ask someone to perform an unpleasant...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 27, 2022

How To Ensure Your Feedback Actually Says Something

It’s time to stop giving “blurry” feedback. “Most people, when they're giving feedback, might say something blurry like 'I really liked how helpful you were during that conversation,'” says Tania Luna. She is the co-founder...

By Annaliese Griffin January 26, 2022

How to Find a Sponsor to Boost Your Career

If you ask any successful person how they advanced in their careers, you’re likely to hear at least one of a few common themes: strong performance, passion to excel, and a tireless work ethic. But...

By Samantha Ross Saperstein January 24, 2022

The Key to Good Offsites at a Time When Everything Feels Off

In this moment of Omicron-fueled uncertainty–filled with closures, sickouts, postponements–workforces are craving clarity and connection. So even though many of us aren’t working onsite, we could really use a good offsite to start 2022, perhaps...

By S. Mitra Kalita January 18, 2022

Creative People See the World Differently

A new book on creativity by Matt Richtel of The New York Times covers the latest science and the stories of creators.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 23, 2022

How to Identify a Coming Tectonic Shift in Culture, Business, or Technology

'Whole Earth,' a biography of Stewart Brand by John Markoff permits reflection on where good ideas come from, and how one individual spotted generation-defining developments before others latched on to them.

By Kevin J. Delaney April 15, 2022

How to Make Hybrid Work for Everyone

Lynda Gratton of London Business School has been one of the leading academic voices on what work should look like after the pandemic. This week she published Redesigning Work: How to Transform Your Organization &...

By Kevin J. Delaney March 21, 2022

Reshma Saujani on How Workplaces Can Work for Women

Saujani’s new book 'Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (and Why It’s Different Than You Think)' is her attempt to wake people up to the unequal burdens that working mothers have shouldered—even more intensely during the pandemic—and put forward agendas to fix them.

By Kevin J. Delaney March 15, 2022

How to Have an Effective Partnership in Work and Life

Some of the biggest business successes are attributed to unique partnerships at their origin: Microsoft's Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Google’s Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s....

By Kevin J. Delaney March 4, 2022

How Business Can Evolve with Women of Color Leading

Large companies have under-promoted women of color and still pay them on average a fraction of what they pay white men. But women of color are the fastest-growing segment of the corporate workforce, and have...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 28, 2022

Embrace the Breakout Room

How can we translate the lessons organizations have learned over the past two years into a structured approach for moving forward? That’s a core question behind Competing in the New World of Work, published this...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 18, 2022

When societal purpose truly defines an organization

Workers are attracted to companies and stay at them when they feel like they’re connected to a motivating purpose, surveys have shown. And so managers have turned to “purpose” as a tool to deploy amid...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 11, 2022

How to Build Better Jobs

Last month IBM announced that it was selling part of its Watson Health business to a private equity company, reportedly for a fraction of the price it had invested. Watson’s artificial-intelligence—which wowed the world when...

By Kevin J. Delaney February 8, 2022

How Regrets Can Lead to Smarter Decisions

Tumultuous financial markets, like the ones we are experiencing now, create endless opportunities for regret. Investors can regret sinking funds into bitcoin or Netflix, for example, before their falls—or regret not investing in them before...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 31, 2022

How to Approach Confrontations With Care

All management, sooner or later, involves confrontation and difficult conversations. You might, for example, have to deliver critical feedback, tell a colleague they’re not getting promoted, fire an employee, ask someone to perform an unpleasant...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 27, 2022

How Billionaires Are Devouring the World

Until Omicron forced a late change of plans, the World Economic Forum was expected to hold its annual meeting in person in Davos, Switzerland this coming week. That was to be the context for the...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 14, 2022

Find Your “Unicorn Space” to Combat Burnout

It’s been a challenging week for a lot of parents, who’ve experienced uncertainty, concern and distraction, as the Omicron wave has swamped schools and daycare facilities—not to mention its spread through families and groups of...

By Kevin J. Delaney January 9, 2022

To Launch a Successful Product, Focus on This Strategy First

Just like it’s harder to start a car's engine when it’s cold, it's harder to get momentum when there are no existing users. Here's how to tackle the "cold start problem."

By Kevin J. Delaney December 17, 2021

How to Craft a Healthier Relationship With Your Job

Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen's 'Out of Office' offers ways to create distance from work and nourish hobbies, relationships, and ties to the people around us.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 10, 2021

Fred Reichheld's Manifesto for Customer Capitalism

The creator of the Net Promoter Score makes a clear and passionate argument for companies focusing singularly on making the lives of their customers better.

By Kevin J. Delaney December 3, 2021

The Best Work and Management Books of 2021

Over the past year, we've read more than 10,000 pages to cover 41 books. Here are our recommendations and takeaways.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 19, 2021

The Misunderstood Dynamic Behind Tech’s Impact on Business

'The Exponential Age' argues that there's a growing gap between changes to society and the slower responses of institutions.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 16, 2021

How to Reclaim Your Time and Make the Best Use of Networking

'Beyond Collaboration Overload' offers timely cautions about overdoing the connection and communication that are hallmarks of modern workplaces.

By Kevin J. Delaney November 16, 2021