A mid-August batch of links
Since the last batch of links went out, paying subscribers received a column about why it’s not necessarily a good thing to backfill roles and then some personal reflections on the passing of a dear friend. This coming weekend, they’ll read about how to approach performance reviews even when performance reviews aren’t approaching.
Below, you’ll find a batch of links to peruse on the subjects that this newsletter covers: professional development, community building, and self care.
Don’t Return to the Office for Your Boss. Go Back for Yourself. This article burns through all of the classic reasons to return to the office, some of which I don’t agree with completely, before finally settling on the right reason for it: You might like it. It’s good for us to be a part of something tangible and material.
Can a city be redesigned for the new world of work?
Should startup employees set their own salaries? This feels like a bigger deal than he makes it out to be.
“As a founder, it’s very difficult to raise money, especially as a tech company, and then all of a sudden salaries are one of the biggest costs of the company. They think, ‘If I have no control over this cost, then it’s going to be a disaster’,” says Gałkiewicz.
Hiring Gets Easier for Some Employers Despite Hot Job Market. Good analysis of what’s happening this summer to prompt people to grab a job and hang onto it. The period when HR types were describing a market when employees had the leverage is now over.
To fill open jobs, find people who are curious and love learning.
Are You Sure You’re Not Guilty of the ‘Millennial Pause’?
Now that Gen Z has all the attention, the internet quirks that Millennials have called their own for years can feel a bit stale, if not downright cringey. The first generation to grow up with social media in the mobile web era, Millennials are now becoming the first generation to subsequently age out of it, stuck parroting the hallmarks of a bygone digital age.
Data Show Gender Pay Gap Opens Early.
The Right Way to Vent at Work. I’d never support any kind of or level of venting at work. I learned this one the hard way when I was a soccer coach, surviving the 2008-09 recession. I vented my frustration to the head of the facility where I taught kids, and she told my manager, the head of the program, that I was frustrated. He chewed me out. He was right. Go for a run. Talk through the problem with your manager in a productive way. That’s it.
Americans Are Vacationing More, but Staying in Work Mode.
Business Is Booming for Layoff Specialists: 'Never Seen Anything Like This'. I’m convinced there’s no way to do layoffs well, only worse ways than others. The incident is the need to layoff, the message around the layoffs can be done gracefully to avoid unwanted further attention. I don’t envy the people in those positions to decide whether to manage them in-house or to outsource to experts. It’s less personal, which I presume is the point.
How leaders can support their teams in times of crisis.
How to design a hybrid workspace. This is the right idea:
“As you think about office space experimentation, double down on short-term plays,” Lelinho says. “For HubSpot, it was how can we learn quickly and iterate quickly without too much investment upfront.”
How Employers Benefit From Offering Unlimited Paid Time Off.
Meet a 39-year-old remote worker making $116,000 who says he could quit and get a job that pays more — but he'd rather have the flexibility to work from home. This is where I believe the ongoing discussions will naturally land, that people will have different needs and choose companies around the lifestyles they offer. The pay will be secondary for many, who feel richer with the life they’ve selected. Companies will fall into place where they are, then attract talent to match their offerings. Seems like everyone can get what they want that way.