Dilemma of The Month: Coaching An Inexperienced Manager

I’m in my 50s and the HR manager for a startup — about 80 people and the average employee is under 30. I’m dealing with a 20-something problem employee. She’s dramatic, often disrupting work with her grievances. Despite my recommendation, her manager (also young) won’t put her on a performance improvement plan over concerns it will reinforce the idea we have a toxic environment. What can I do?

Jan 3, 2019 Suzanne Lucas

Office Culture Overhaul

Change is messy and difficult — try these 8 steps for updating office culture

Whether due to toxic culture, ineffective leadership, poor results from an employee engagement survey, lack of trust or high levels of attrition, many organizations will find themselves asking how to strategize culture change at some point. But even the most well-crafted strategy is no match for entrenched cultural norms. As the popular saying goes, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

Dec 17, 2018 Jessica Kriegel

Dilemma Of The Month: How To Handle An Activist Employee

One of our employees is a vegan activist, and has started posting material on the “evils of eating meat” outside his cubicle or leaving them strewn around shared spaces (in the kitchen, near the copier, etc.). Is there anything I can do about this behavior?

Dec 6, 2018 Suzanne Lucas

Why You Need a Digital Detox

As a millennial and small business owner, you can expect to find me on the internet all day, most days. It’s how I find clients, communicate with my community and stay up to date on the lives of friends around the world.

Nov 9, 2018 Kelly Azevedo

Won’t You Be My Guide?

New adventure tourism platform connects visitors to locals

For a typical day trip to Nevada County, a tourist might visit a few wineries, do some window shopping and then call it a day. But when Robert X Trent launched Outlandish Experiences in August, he wanted to use unique, unforgettable experiences to help visitors fall in love with the area he’s called home for 20 years.

Nov 7, 2018 Jessica Laskey