41 results for author: Michael Stallard

Having an Old-fashioned Nervous Breakdown Might Be a Good Thing

Should the term "nervous breakdown" be embraced again? One of my (Michael’s) favorite journalists, Jerry Useem, provides a fascinating look at the history of the nervous breakdown in this article he wrote for The Atlantic titled “Bring Back the Nervous ...
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To Cope with Labor Shortage, Raise Emotional Compensation

The current labor shortage and employee retention are concerning issues for organizations. Many leaders are scrambling to attract and retain the workers they need. A combination of factors has resulted in an insufficient number of workers to meet available ...
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Should You Allow Employees to Continue Working Remotely?

As the world opens up again following COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, employers that were previously accustomed to a steady hum of activity in the cubicles and corridors must decide if they are going to bring people back into the office full-time, continue to ...
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Connect Your Remote Team Through Personal Knowledge

Remember doing "Show and Tell" or presenting to your classmates as the "Student of the Week" when you were in elementary school? As it turns out, our teachers were on to something. Bringing back an updated version of this practice would be more than merely an ...
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Thriving Through the Ongoing Pandemic

As the pandemic moves into year two, would you say that overall you are thriving, barely surviving, or hanging in there, treading water, but feeling worn down or worn out some days? Is thriving even possible in the midst of this period of adversity, when life ...
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How to Prepare for Rising Stress Ahead

When a big storm is forecast to come our way, Katie, my wife, starts to plan ahead, just in case we lose power: non-perishable food in the pantry (check), flashlights with working batteries (check), gas in the car (check), some cash on hand (check). She ...
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Protecting Remote Workers’ Productivity and Performance

Practically overnight the vast majority of office workers became remote workers when social distancing measures put in place in March to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus dramatically changed the way we go about our days. If that was you, over the last ...
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Protecting Employees from COVID-19 through Connection

How can we protect people in the workplace so they don’t contract COVID-19? The Centers for Disease Control just released guidelines for offices that include temperature and symptom checks; encouraging employees who have COVID-19 symptoms or sick family ...
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Why Relational Connection is So Important During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the need for social distancing, quarantine and isolation so that vulnerable individuals are not exposed to the virus and healthcare systems are not overwhelmed. Collectively, we understand the goodness ...
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Boost Connectedness to Reverse Rise of Suicides in America

With the exception of America, suicide rates over recent decades have declined in most of the world.  Suicides in the US have risen more than 50% from 2005 to 2017 and now exceed deaths by motor vehicle incidents. In 2017, the most recent year data is ...
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The #1 Obstacle to Great Workplace Culture

“The level of toxicity in the workplace is at an all-time high,” warns Johnny Taylor, president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (“SHRM”). Taylor’s organization recently set up a pop-up coffee house in the middle of the Oculus at ...
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America’s Loneliness Epidemic: A Hidden Systemic Risk to Organizations

Much has been written about America’s loneliness epidemic, including in the workplace. The word “loneliness” in the work context is a misnomer. It doesn’t capture the whole story. What about all of the individuals who might not think of themselves ...
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