Management Insights
Is Your Company Single-Friendly?
We have come a long way since senior executives, mostly men with stay-at-home wives, reluctantly caved against the pressure to offer work-life policies. Viewed as an unavoidable hassle, organizations started offering flexible work times, onsite daycares, and remote work arrangements to retain talented female workers with children.
Today, work-life policies are viewed as a strategic asset rather than a nuisance. Flexible work arrangements and parental leave are often accessible to men and women now that it is generally accepted that many men want to care for their children. In this positive trend, however, the focus is on employees who are married with children. This begs the question of what policies exist for single, childless employees. They too, surely, have a life outside of work that needs support.
How To Avoid Vacation Stress
White sandy beaches, some palm trees, a pool, and endless sunshine. Most people can’t wait to leave work behind and start their dream vacation. The reality of vacation is often different. In a poll of 2,000 Americans conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Exodus Travels, 55% of respondents said their most recent vacation did not live up to their expectations. Another study published in Tourism Review showed that many U.S. vacation travelers experience significant stress at their destination. What makes some vacations stressful?
How To Motivate Gen Z, A Generation That Wants More Life Than Work
Millennials (born in 1981 - 1995) now take up the largest share of the labor market, while Gen Z (born in 1996 - 2012) is gradually joining the workforce. Work-life balance is a key factor for Gen Z when choosing a job, and millennials value family life more highly than previous generations.
What does this mean for organizations? Should we brace ourselves for a workforce that views their job as a ‘nice to have’ pastime? Will employees do the bare minimum at work? Research suggests that the future is not so bleak.
Why It Pays Off To Be a Kind Leader
In many workplaces, masculine traits are celebrated and encouraged. The best leaders are thought to be strong, decisive, and agentic. When describing leaders, we are less likely to use feminine traits such as communion, communication, and kindness.
Yet kindness is often precisely what is needed at work. There is a clear business case for kind leadership. To find out how kindness drives results, I researched what kind leadership is, its return, and how we can practice it.