Employee Engagement: Why the Small Things Can Really Make a Difference

“There is still hope”

That quote came in an email from a friend last week. He was referring to his company giving all employees Friday off. This was due to the heat wave, which on that day, was projected to be over 100 degrees.

My daughter’s company also gave employees that day off. So as is my wont, I started reaching out to my network and, lo and behold, I found that there were quite a few companies in New York City that were either letting their employees go home half-day or decided to let them stay home with no work at all.

These type initiatives always bring a smile to my face, because they are a kind of human interest stories from the organization.

Managing a Business Crisis: What HR Can Add to the Company Strategy

“I do not think employees should have to go home and watch the news to find out what is going on inside of the company they work at every day.”

That was a comment from an employee as we rode the elevator one morning.

I was the VP Human Resources/OD at Martha Stewart Living during the upheaval that we went through that caused the organization to ride a roller coaster at warp speed. This was due to the founder being found guilty on all four counts she faced in her obstruction of justice trial.

The Mark of a True Leader: Helping Talent to Find Another Opportunity

Friday is picnic night.

My wife and I pick up food, bring it home, sit on the floor in our TV room and have a picnic. This is our little way to wind down from the week.

This week was no different, at least until we sat down, and that was because the news was on TV, which is normally a no-no. There’s just too much bad news.

I noticed the bottom of the screen that said 14 million plus out of work. My wife then mentioned that someone at her job was also let go today. The latest jobs numbers were just released, and they appear to be getting worse.

At that moment, I glanced at my phone and there was an email from a friend who “was” the chief marketing officer of a New York based company. The subject line read “Need your sage advice.”

She was now part of that unemployed statistic.

As a Manager, You Need to Build Your Relationship Before You Need It

“Every situation is different. In medical school you are trained on certain basic emergency situation. One you begin your practice, basically everything that comes before you is a variation of your medical training. Emergency room doctors are creative in their approach, there is never really a situation that is the same.”

That was a quote from the Emergency Medical Doctor this past weekend.

My son and I decided to start back the tradition that we had when he was younger. We would go deep sea fishing, which we had not done in years.

On the boat we had an accident, when my son was trying to unravel fishing lines, someone pulled from the other end. The hook went straight through his thumb. Once we got off the boat, we headed for the emergency room.