An early April batch of links
Since the last batch of links went out, paying subscribers read about my reformed view on charitable giving and then a short Q&A about what company culture means going forward. This coming weekend, I’ll reflect on how I’ve made strides to empower others to do the right thing - and you can, too! - when it comes to weekend community-building. This stuff isn’t all that hard, in my experience, you just have to do it.
Here’s a batch of links for you to review on the key topics addressed in this newsletter: professional development, community building, and self care. I hope you enjoy.
How one company embraced the four-day week — and actually made it work. I really enjoyed how this reporter goes deep into what happened when a company, Bolt, moved to the four-day workweek. Some of it was expected, other exceptions surfaced and had to be addressed by management. It’s the first example I can recall of reading about what happened next after someone adopted this new policy.
Tech companies cautiously bring people back while contending with hesitant employees.
Wall Street’s Rigid Culture Bends to Demands for Flexibility at Work. We need more companies and managers to stop thinking about most roles as desk jobs and more companies and managers to treat people as in control over how and when their work gets done. Through that lens, being called back to the office on a part-time basis becomes an effort not to convince or coerce rather to encourage and empower people to make the most of those days, too, separately.
Better.com teaches us how not to downsize a company.
This Is What Happens When There Are Too Many Meetings. This article cites research confirming what I’ve realized about myself: I can’t work in the late afternoon. So I leave my desk then, whether to hit the gym or go out for coffee with others. This has been a blessing of the past two years, to work when my heart is in it and to leave it behind when it’s not.
Masks Come Off, Mandates Loosen as Companies Relax Covid-19 Protocols.
Your hybrid office will see you now. It’s weird to me that an HR tech company decided the best way to entice people back to the office is with cupcakes and pizza? Sorry to meme-ify you, but you had one job…
Inflation poses new challenges for recruiting and retention.
The Kids Are Right About Email, Too. This op-ed screams of ‘I was on deadline, didn’t have any good ideas, stared at my screen, saw something, and wrote about it.’ I believe email can be a chore, if used improperly, but it remains my go-to communication tool. Maybe I’ve mastered it unlike others. I didn’t see any of myself in this op-ed. I recognize YMMV.
More companies shifting to four day workweeks.
How I Made $117K A Year Cooking Jamaican Food | On The Side. I love that she was able to turn this hobby into a side hustle that has allowed her to cut back on her day job in favor of what she’s also passionate about. She explains in detail how she tallied up the money and offers advice to the next person to do it, too.
Caring for aging parents, sick spouses is keeping millions out of work.
How to Get More Women in Leadership Roles? Don’t Ask Them to Apply. Some science to show what happens when some people step up and ask and others wait for their turn to be called on. And also some suggestions about what companies can do to steer clear of underlying issues.
Customer service workers endure abuse, threats, from hostile callers, report says.
Why everyone has this chair. I found this fascinating because it’s not something I had known was as ubiquitous as it is. The 60s “hybrid, futuristic look” made me laugh because we’re now living it for the first time.