You've got our vote, Kid President! Especially, right now.
These past few months have highlighted the power of a people-first approach to business. The organizations poised to return stronger are those that care about and take care of their employees, their customers, and their community during the good and the bad.
That care doesn't necessarily mean happily-ever-afters. Sometimes it means pay cuts or furloughs or layoffs. But it always means supporting people during difficult decisions.
So in this newsletter, we're putting a spotlight on organizational compassion and how it impacts our post-covid future.
💡 Big Idea: Organizational Compassion
Compassion is a bedrock of resilience. The research is in. Businesses that foster compassionate management emerge from crisis stronger. And luckily, there's a familiar acronym to help staff foster those practices within themselves: NEAR. Link.
Notice the suffering of colleagues
Empathize with their feelings and emotions
Assess and understand the circumstances of their struggle
Respond to alleviate their distress
Keeping individuals in mind. Right now, it'd be easy for leaders to hide behind a Zoom recording when laying off employees. And while some have, many are stepping forward to personally care for those let go. Even when they number in the thousands. Link.
Returning workplaces to their "warm and welcoming selves." Twitter's CEO made headlines with a WFH-forever-if-you-choose announcement. But what caught our attention was his commitment to redesigning spaces to which people actually want to return. Link.
🤔 Food for Thought
Planning a personal post-covid strategy. You've thought deeply about what comes next for your business. Have you thought as hard about what comes next for you? Link.
A case study in accelerated hiring. Through unlikely brand partnerships and plenty of red-tape slashing, CVS was able to pivot its hiring practices virtually overnight. Link.
Replicating CVS. Hiring success today looks dramatically different than it did in January. To keep up requires building new flexibilities into your talent acquisition strategy. Link.
Plugging in new remote team members. While virtualizing hiring can speed up the process (see CVS), virtualizing onboarding requires slowing down your approach. Link.
Crowdsourcing a safe return. Quickly identifying and mitigating community covid flare-ups is key to minimizing re-entry disruption. Cue Kent County Back to Work. Link.
📆 Save the Date: Tuesday, May 19
Join us for not one, but two webinars! Both are free, open to everyone, and will be recorded. So even if your Tuesday is jam-packed, RSVP and you'll be able to watch both whenever works best for you.
From 11 am to 12 pm, we'll share practical tips, tools, and templates to understand the pulse of your organization with Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance. RSVP.
From 2–3 pm, we'll be discussing strategies for keeping your organization compliant, empowered, and innovative in the return with Kennari Consulting. RSVP.
📚 Additional Resources
Relax at Rosa Home. The typically-held-in-Rosa-Parks-Circle entertainment series is back (at a safe live-streaming distance). Tune in and unwind Thursdays at lunchtime. Link.
HR Collaborative covid templates and guides. We've put together several comprehensive resources to guide you through currently common people challenges.
Emergency Preparedness & Response Plan Template. Link.
Quick clip tips for right now. We're answering your frequently asked questions in bite-sized videos on our social channels. ICYMI, recent ones include:
Top Priorities for a Safe Re-Entry to the Workplace. Link.
4 Professional Development Tips for Students This Summer. Link.
We're here to talk, whether you have leave management questions or need someone to help you decompress. Call,email, or schedule a free consult with us.
Disclaimer: We're a team of experienced HR experts. But by no means are we legal experts. This newsletter is not intended to contain legal advice. Please, consult your attorney for that.