There’s a great deal of discussion on trust in the workplace today – why it’s declining, how important it is, how to build it among your teams. And no wonder. For decades, leaders have often succeeded or failed largely based on their ability to establish trust. That’s why the often-quoted line, attributed anonymously, still rings so true: “Trust takes years to build, seconds to break, and forever to repair.” Renowned investor Warren Buffet put it another way: “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” And philo ..read more

In a highly competitive job market where every applicant is qualified and somehow has at least five years of experience, more companies turn to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to expedite the hiring process. Every applicant’s resume gets “scanned” into this software, and based on the keywords it finds and other technical jargon, the ATS selects the best candidates for the role to then be seen by a real person ..read more

There’s been a power shift as employees in many industries have the upper hand in a tight labor market and look for companies that meet their needs above and beyond traditional benefits and compensation. Accelerated by COVID-19, many got a taste of extra flexibility with remote work, confronted burnout and re-evaluated how they want work to fit into their lives. It was fight or flight. Some flew and are only now discovering what their company and culture is and whether there was truth in advertising. For others, their jobs got even harder. Those who can’t work remotely crave the flexibility t ..read more

The 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer is hot off the presses and chock-full of valuable information. This tried-and-true resource for more than two decades provides data-based insights on trust and credibility by helping readers to understand those institutions that people turn to most when they need information, guidance, or a general pulse on decision-making influencers. This year, the Barometer shows that the most trusted sources of information are: Scientists (76%) My coworkers (73% among employees) My CEO (64% among employees) Notably, the Edelman Trust Barometer also looks at the level of ..read more

Following the "Great Resignation” and “quiet quitting,” America’s workforce is grappling with a new era: “loud layoffs” – shocking reduction in force announcements (RIFs) that are taking employees by surprise and dominating media headlines. Top global companies – including Twitter, PepsiCo, Buzzfeed, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce, and Amazon, just to name a few – have recently made headlines for mass layoffs. While coverage of these layoffs has focused on job market ramifications and signs of economic recession, a more worrying trend for communication professionals is the lack of importance orga ..read more

“How do I be a better leader now?” As I sit in discussions with leaders these days, I inevitably get some version of this question. We may be meeting about communication, discussing how to navigate change, or working to define a new strategy, and inevitably the conversation evolves to this critical point. Leaders want to know how to lead such that employees feel compelled to follow. They want to know the secrets behind motivating employees – through all forms of communication and action – to be “all in.” In my decades of advising leaders at top companies, the answer comes down to one core co ..read more

Employee engagement falling. People leaving their jobs in record numbers. Burned out employees seeking a new sense of purpose in their work. All these major trends can often be traced back to a lack of one key ingredient in work culture – trust in leadership.   In our newly revised eBook, 7 Critical Traits for Building Trust Inside Companies, we offer new data, examine the trust problem and offer leaders a go-to playbook for how to reverse these trends and build a powerful new level of trust within the culture ..read more

Hybrid work leads to a greater level of satisfaction but does not impact turnover, according to a new study. The findings also indicate that fully remote work has no link to increased job satisfaction but actually with higher levels of intent to leave a company. Given those findings, and our experience with clients, it’s critical to examine how remote work affects the level of engagement among your employees, which is a key driver for your success. Leaders need to be mindful that remote work, at varying levels, is not a strategy in of itself rather a component of the overall corporate culture ..read more

The “big quit” continues to accelerate in the U.S., with another 4.4 million workers reported to have resigned from their jobs in September, bringing the total to more than 24 million since April 2021. This historic departure of workers isn’t expected to abate any time soon—a recent McKinsey & Company survey found that 40% of employees are at least somewhat likely to leave their employer in the next three to six months. Perhaps even more telling, it identified a disconnect between employers’ perceptions and the actual reasons why employees are leaving. What is most important to employees ..read more

As organizations plan for the post-COVID workplace, many are considering a hybrid approach with good reason: It’s what employees want. Of more than 30,000 workers surveyed in the Microsoft 2021 Work Trend Index, 73% wanted flexible remote work options to continue and 67% wanted more in-person time with their teams. Perhaps to help their employees enjoy the best of both worlds, two-thirds of business decisionmakers are considering redesigning physical spaces to accommodate hybrid work environments. Yet while more collaboration space, better videoconference technology and “hotel” desk space may ..read more