It's almost Halloween, and for some organizations, the thought of another round of performance reviews is downright frightening! If your process feels more like a dreaded annual exercise than something that actually improves performance, it may be time for a change. Here are four ways to take the fright out of performance management: 1. Make feedback more frequent. An annual review shouldn't be the first time employees hear how they're doing. Regular check-ins help address co

October is Menopause Awareness Month, and menopause is finally getting some much-needed attention in the workplace. You might even say it's becoming a HOT topic (see what I did there?). And it's about time. A few states have introduced legislation addressing menopause in the workplace, and some have already enacted protections. As someone who's been through it, I can tell you it's no walk in the park. Yet despite being a natural stage of life that affects roughly half the pop

Have you ever had a really good employee who just seemed to change? They were still doing the job, but the energy was different. That employee who used to speak up in meetings no longer does. The person who always had ideas suddenly just does what they're asked. The employee who used to go above and beyond starts doing exactly what's required—and nothing more. They haven't necessarily become a bad employee. They may have just stopped caring. And that usually doesn't happen ov

Make employment-related decisions for legitimate business reasons, and be able to explain what those reasons are.

Growth is exciting. It can also expose cracks in the way an organization manages people. What worked when the company was smaller may not work as it grows. The owner or business leader can no longer be involved in every decision. Managers are expected to handle situations they may never have been trained to address. And processes that once lived in someone’s head need to become clearer, more consistent, and easier for others to follow. The problems may show up as turnover, po

Employees need to know who to talk to when they have a concern.

Good documentation isn’t about creating a paper trail for termination. It’s about capturing expectations, conversations, and follow-up so decisions are based on facts instead of memory. When documentation is simple, timely, and clear, it supports better management and reduces risk.

We often promote our best individual contributors to management, but don't give them the tools to be most successful. Learn more in this post.

“Turnover is too high. We need to increase pay.” “Employees aren't accountable. We need accountability training.” “Our teams aren't working well together. We need team building.” Maybe. But maybe not. One of the most common mistakes organizations make when dealing with people challenges is moving too quickly from problem to solution. I see this all the time in my consulting work. The problem that is initially presented is rarely the real problem. Leaders often see a symptom,

One of the most uncomfortable things I hear from a manager is: “They’re going to be completely shocked when we let them go.” If that’s true, there’s a good chance something has gone wrong long before the termination meeting. 1. The manager has been talking about the employee instead of talking to the employee. Everyone in leadership knows there’s a problem. The employee doesn’t. Managers often avoid difficult conversations because they don’t want conflict, hope the situation

This post is about the importance on consistency in avoiding legal risk and in building workplace culture.

This post provides 8 signs to look for in a potential future leader.

Have you ever had to lead—or simply work alongside—someone who was never happy, stirred up drama, and seemed to drain the energy from everyone around them? Most leaders can identify that employee. The harder part is knowing what to do about it. One difficult employee can have a big impact on morale, productivity, trust, and even retention. Recently, I've been helping several clients work through situations like this, so I thought I'd share a few strategies that can help. 7 Ti

Discover the people issues that quietly impact performance, retention, and results.

Over time, gossip damages trust, morale, and culture more than many organizations realize. There are ways you can reduce gossip and encourage direct, respectful communication. Learn more about the hidden cost of gossip—and what leaders and employees can do

Stress is not always bad. In fact, some stress is necessary. Healthy stress can motivate us, help us focus, push us to grow, and even improve performance in short bursts. But when stress becomes constant, overwhelming, or feels impossible to escape, it can turn into something much more harmful and impact physical health, mental health, and more. And unfortunately, many employees are operating under that kind of pressure every day. According to the American Psychological Assoc

Mental health support at work is essential in today's world. Employees aren't just workers. They're whole people and so many are struggling.

Here’s why that matters—and what to do about it More than a third of employees say they don’t feel comfortable sharing feedback at work. Let that sink in for a minute. That means in many organizations, a significant portion of your workforce is holding back—not sharing concerns, offering ideas, or telling you what’s really going on. But when employees don’t speak up, the problem doesn’t go away. It just gets more expensive, more complicated, and harder to fix. What’s Really

The U.S. has seen one of the biggest surges in layoffs in the last decade. While reducing headcount is sometimes necessary, I’m seeing too many organizations go there too quickly, before fully exploring other options. I’m also seeing something else. Layoffs handled by email. Quick virtual meetings. Little thought to the ripple effect. A friend of mine had their entire department eliminated in a Zoom meeting. It was explained that the work was being outsourced. After the mes

This post shares information around tolerating small things that can result in disengagement, frustration, and even turnover over time.