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Ideas & Insights
We would like to share some of our latest thinking about the big issues in HR. Please let us know what you think …
The Hidden Cost of Bad Internships
Every summer, organizations across the country welcome a new cohort of interns. For many employers, internships are viewed as a valuable talent pipeline, acting as a chance to identify future hires while giving students practical experience. But there’s another side to the story that deserves more attention: what happens when the internship experience falls short? […]
The Rise of Career Minimalism: Why Less Climbing Doesn’t Mean Less Commitment
For decades, career success followed a familiar formula: work hard, earn promotions, manage larger teams, and keep climbing the corporate ladder. Today, however, that definition is evolving. A growing number of employees are embracing what has become known as ‘career minimalism’, a mindset that prioritizes meaningful work, balance, and long-term sustainability over titles and constant […]
The Mediocrity Trap: Are We Overstandardizing Leadership?
A lot of leadership development and management training relies on leveraging standard models, and recently we found ourselves asking an interesting question: does this mean we’re taking away the opportunity for managers and leaders to bring their authentic selves to their roles? It’s a fair challenge. After all, leadership development is full of familiar frameworks. […]
Why Mediation Should Be Every Organization’s Secret Leadership Skill
Conflict is an inevitable part of work. Bring together people with different experiences, personalities, priorities, and perspectives, and disagreements are bound to happen. So the question isn’t whether conflict will arise, it’s whether organizations have the skills to address it before it escalates. Recent research from Acas suggests there’s still work to do. A survey […]
What We’re Reading: Coaching as a Leader by Jennifer Kidby
For this month’s reading pick, we explored a book that focuses on one of the most valuable skills modern leaders can develop: coaching. Coaching as a Leader by Jennifer Kidby examines how adopting a coaching mindset can help leaders build stronger relationships, develop talent, and create more engaged, high-performing teams. Jennifer Kidby, an experienced executive […]
The Case for Strategic Disengagement
For years, employee engagement has been treated as the gold standard of workplace success. Organizations have invested heavily in engagement surveys, recognition programs, culture initiatives, and leadership development, all with the goal of creating highly motivated, emotionally invested employees. And for good reason. Engaged employees are generally more productive, innovative, and committed to organizational success. […]
Are Younger Workers at Risk of Losing Intellectual Curiosity?
For generations, employers have looked to younger workers as a source of fresh thinking, creativity, and intellectual energy. Early-career employees have often challenged conventional wisdom, asked difficult questions, and brought new perspectives into the workplace. But as generative AI becomes embedded into everyday life, a new question is emerging for business leaders: could unlimited access […]
Should Employees Have a Relationship with Generative AI?
Workplace relationships are changing, and it can feel like we’ve stepped into a science fiction story. For decades, collaboration meant working alongside managers, teammates, clients, and stakeholders. Today, many employees are adding another working relationship into the mix: generative AI. Whether it is used to draft emails, summarize meetings, generate presentations, analyze data, or brainstorm […]
Why Employers Should Be Concerned About Rising NEETs
For many employers, conversations about talent shortages have become routine. Organizations across industries continue to struggle with recruitment, skills gaps, and workforce planning, while simultaneously trying to adapt to rapid technological and economic change. At the same time, another workforce trend is quietly growing in the background, and this is the rise in young people […]
Are You Showing Candidates the Culture You Claim to Have?
Organizations spend enormous amounts of time crafting employer brands. Career sites are polished. LinkedIn content is carefully curated. Employee Value Propositions are refined into compelling statements about purpose, flexibility, growth, and belonging. But candidates rarely judge organizations by what they say…they judge them by what they experience. And nowhere is that more visible than in […]
When Perks Create Problem: Managing Conflict in Pet-Friendly Workplaces
I have seen firsthand how quickly a well-intentioned perk can evolve into a complex workplace challenge. What begins as a progressive, people-first initiative can (without the right structure) create tension, distraction, and even conflict. A great example of this is the pet-friendly workplace. There’s no question that pet-friendly workplaces are on the rise, albeit still […]
The Most Effective Wellbeing Policy Might be Boring…
With World Wellbeing Week in full-swing, many organizations will naturally be reviewing their wellness offerings. New apps, mindfulness sessions, wellbeing webinars, and employee challenges are likely to feature prominently in the conversation. And there is certainly a place for these initiatives. However, after years working in HR, I’ve come to believe that some of the […]
