Fuel or friction?

Last week I went to my 30-year business school reunion (How is that even possible?!) My time at Kellogg was one of the best chapters of my life, and it was amazing to reconnect with so many classmates. One of the highlights was sitting in on a class with Professors Loran Nordgren and David Schonthal, […]

The topic no one wanted to talk about

Last week, I was the emcee at the HR Innovators CHRO Summit. The theme was creating the conditions for performance—pretty wide open, right? Five minutes into the first session, the first presenter said, “I’m done talking about ‘return to office,’” and I saw heads nodding and eyes rolling. I was happy for the break because […]

Maybe happiness isn’t the only goal

A CHRO recently told me that their employees want full flexibility around when and why they come to the office, and that’s what they’re getting. And no big surprise: these employees are happy! The company was even featured as one of the Great Places to Work—the holy grail of a great culture. However, the CHRO […]

my 2020 prediction came true

Four and half years ago, I was asked this question in an interview: What will work look like in 2025? My answer, which I gave from my kitchen in my pandemic mullet—business on top, sweats on the bottom—was, “I think it will look close to what it looked like in 2019.” Enter Andy Jassy, President and […]

Don’t be lonely at work 💛

I recently came across a Wall Street Journal article called “The Loneliness of the American Worker,” which included some pretty bleak stats about our modern work lives. Take a look: Which is to say—very little about work is working. People—parents especially—feel stuck at home and lonely, and many people are spending their work day in back-to-back Zoom […]

Make your time together count

As a workplace strategist over the last 25 years, I’ve come to expect the unexpected. So it doesn’t surprise me that employees who come into the office three, four or even five days a week may still feel isolated and alone. While companies who gather employees three times a year may feel more connected than […]

Let them have a snow day

Last Tuesday, February 13th, was NYC’s first official “snow day” of the year. While kids in the burbs got to bask in the childhood ritual of sleeping late, staying in their jammies, and having a cup of hot cocoa after sledding, city kids had to go to remote school. As if that wasn’t bad enough, […]