Do you suspect that someone you manage is lying to you? In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine discuss how to handle it when someone you supervise lies to you. It may be a junior co-worker or a member of your staff. What do you do when you know they are not telling the truth?
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On this week’s My Crazy Office podcast, Kathi and Katherine talk about returning to work; specifically returning to the office after working remotely. Join them as they consider the pros and cons of commuting as well as whether some people might prefer finding a remote job instead of returning to the office.
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In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine talk about job hunting, and how to decide which job to take. They start with a question from someone who has to choose between a job that has no work/life balance, but is at a high-status company, versus a job that encourages work/life balance but is at a less prestigious company.
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One of the things that can be more difficult to establish when we work remotely or in hybrid situations is a feeling of trust. Because we can’t see each other, it’s harder to verify what is really going on.
In this podcast, Kathi and Katherine examine the qualities of two kinds of work environments: Trustworthy and lacking trust. Join us and see which one you relate to.
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The world is changing at a rapid pace. The pandemic shook up the way we do business, our work routines, and how we think about our lives. Add war, inflation, political unrest, and climate change, and you’ve got a lot of uncertainty. In this episode of My Crazy Office, Kathi and Katherine offer concrete ways to manage uncertainty on the job and in general.
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It’s not enough to hire someone with the right skill set. You want to hire the right personality — for your company and the job. In this My Crazy Office episode, Kathi and Katherine discuss why personality, in the form of work ethic, professional behavior, and interpersonal skills, is what employers really pay for.
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Kathi and Katherine talk about unrealistic expectations on this week’s episode of the My Crazy Office podcast.
First we give advice to someone whose boss makes promises to clients that cause his staff to overwork themselves.
Then we examine what a manager should do if they keep taking on demanding projects to keep the staff employed.
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In the post COVID world, a return to the way things were in our traditional workplace is most likely not possible. The new standards of how we work at an office are being set for at least the next one to two years, or is it forever?
Is having an office space necessary?
Will we return to the office at all? Between 2005-2007 we saw a 5% increase in remote workers and by 2019 43% of Americans said they worked remotely occasionally. Today most of us are experiencing firsthand working from home. How many of you are realizing that not having to commute is a nice way to go? From my perch, I am hearing that many of you are disinterested in going back to the way things were.
We are also bound to hear that office hours are a thing of the past, as workers will be forced into staggered hours to allow for the safety of six feet of separation between people. The normalization of fewer workers in the office on any given day may mean that less space is required.
Are open floor plans over?
I never understood how anyone thought the open floor plan was a good work environment. Now it looks like a bad fad that has become downright dangerous. Like shag carpet, that trend is over and out, and I’m not sad about it. Originally the thought behind this design was that clustered seating would encourage collaboration. Instead, it fostered conflict and disruption to the point of a distracted workforce. Bye, Bye.
Business Travel – when is it necessary?
Last year before the pandemic, 62% of American workers traveled to another state for work. That means that roughly 1.1 million people traveled for business each day. Now, this once normal version of work in which we travel distances for face-to-face meetings is not going to return for some time, if ever. Video conferencing is working for now; the cost and logistics around business travel may be prohibitive – not to mention the cost to our environment.
Companies Must Embrace Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility
If there is one lesson to take away from a worldwide pandemic, it’s the fact that we are all connected. It’s time to understand that we have a moral and ethical obligation not only to ourselves and our workers, but also to humanity. Companies who have always addressed the broader concerns for humanity will be on-purpose while other organizations will have to figure out their place in this new normal. I believe this will matter. Think outside of your community and client base to how you can help make a difference.
Being Authentic at Work
Let’s stop pretending that work and life exist in separate spheres. I’m not talking about work-life balance I’m talking about being more authentic and free to be yourself at work. Now that we are all videoconferencing from home, we are seeing how our co-workers live. Perhaps you are seeing your colleagues’ pets and kids and extended family. Maybe you are learning more about your coworkers’ hobbies or taste in art. These are all things that you might not have been exposed to in the past. The opportunity here is to realize that people are not disembodied humans who come to work. We are whole people with whole lives. This is a moment where we could get to know one another differently.
Kathi Elster – Executive Coach and co-owner of K Squared Enterprises.
Contact us at info@mycrazyoffice.co for any further help around this topic.
Join Kathi and Katherine as they answer real workplace questions with solid advice, and a great sense of humor.
Bestselling authors Katherine and Kathi use humor and a slue of engaging techniques to mediate solutions for individuals at every level of employment — from executives to managers to frontline employees.
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