SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

I have had the pleasure of working from home through a few of my roles. But still, for me, COVID-19 has shaken social norms to the core and business with it. Generally speaking, with workplaces having less face-to-face time, the quality of email communications and preparedness to receive communication is essential. I thought I would share some of my insights on this issue and how I have dealt with the ‘not-so-great’ aspects of working from home. While some of us will be lucky enough for these things to be a non-issue, I want to raise awareness in the hope that it might alleviate some of the problems I have had to overcome in the past. Written communications can easily be misinterpreted at the best of times, which typically can be addressed with a simple meeting to clarify. However, now that we are working from our place of residence, we must take additional care – if we offend, we offend in someone’s home. If a person is made to feel defensive in their home setting, it can be a...

Corporate downsizing can occur for a number of reasons, like a slump in profits, plant closure, or business acquisition. And unlike common belief, it typically has  nothing  to do with employees’ performance. Rather, it’s a strategic business move to cut operational costs, maximize production, and increase profit. The way we see things is that corporate downsizing is just another part of business. And when it does happen, it’s up to HR to pick up the slack. So it’s vital that HR teams are prepared to properly plan, manage, and execute workforce reductions when the time comes. This brings us to an important question: How should HR handle corporate downsizing while  maintaining a strong corporate image  and making the process as stress-free as possible for displaced employees? We can think of a few ways to help you conduct successful workforce reductions. Let’s dive right into our ultimate corporate downsizing guide for HR. Managing Corporate Downsizing V...

While the pain of downsizing-related layoffs can’t be avoided entirely, it can be mitigated. Anticipating the duration and depth of an industry downturn, for example, can definitely help a manager prepare and deploy HR practices that will, in turn, help both employees and firms adjust to difficult times. This author discusses some responses that have been known to be effective. Downsizing has been a pervasive managerial practice for the past three decades. Over the years, a firm’s standard response to finding itself in financial difficulty was to reduce its workforce. While there is ample evidence suggesting that downsizing activities rarely return the widely anticipated benefits, there is also a sobering understanding that downsized firms are forced to deal with the human, social, and societal aftereffects of downsizing, also known as secondary consequences. Research shows clearly that the human consequences of layoffs are costly and particularly devastating for individuals, their...

At various points in a company’s life cycle, an organizational restructuring will be necessary for growth, to accommodate a shift in company strategy, or to become more competitive. In the case of a merger or acquisition, for example, the company may restructure to focus on new lines of business. During a spin-off of one or more business lines, there will be restructuring implications for a range of front-line and support roles. Other kinds of restructuring strategies can include divestments, cost restructuring, or reorganization of the company’s legal structure. No matter the type of restructuring activity, there will be important implications for the company’s culture, processes, and employees. There is no shortage of news about organizational restructuring, as it is part of the life cycle of any organization and can impact companies in any industry. Restructuring can be as simple as changing reporting relationships across departments, and it can also include tweaking internal de...