Tag: workplace culture

onboarding

Priming the Canvas: How to Make Your Cultural Onboarding Stick

Before the first brushstroke lands, a painter stretches and primes the canvas. Without this step, the paint won’t stick, the colors won’t hold, and the art won’t last. The same is true for onboarding. If your people aren’t primed to learn about your values and culture, it fades away into the busyness of their daily […]

age

The Unattended Prejudice of Ageism

We live in an age of -isms.  Some communicate community and common interests, like feminism or nationalism. Many signal prejudice, oppression and alienation, like racism, antisemitism, nepotism, and sexism. Others simply categorize, like absurdism, cubism, and socialism. Some are ancient, like Catholicism, while others are newer, like lesbianism or transsexualism. Isms are philosophical categories that […]

Your Secret Weapon: How Simple Recognition Fuels Success

In today’s fast-moving work world, the key to winning isn’t just about cool tech or smart processes. It’s about truly putting people first. Dr. Meisha-Ann Martin, VP of People Research at Workhuman and speaker at SHRM 25, recently showed us just how powerful this can be. She highlighted that when done right, recognition isn’t just a […]

How HR Teams Can Meet New Workplace Expectations this Summer

Over the past several years, there has been a revolution in how employees work. The COVID-19 pandemic drove an overnight shift to remote work, and many employees became accustomed to the flexibility and freedom this shift provided. While a growing number of companies are now requiring employees to return to the office, this doesn’t mean […]

Faces of HR: Joshua Cansler’s HR Blueprint

Meet Joshua Cansler, SHRM-CP, the dynamic HR leader overseeing human resources at LRS Architects, Portland, Oregon’s largest majority women-owned architecture firm. With a career built on strategic vision and a deep commitment to people, Joshua embodies the impactful blend of human touch and operational excellence. A Career Built on Connection Joshua brings over two decades of […]

Building an Inclusive Culture: An HR Leaders Guide 

For Human Resources professionals navigating the turbulent landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the path forward requires a new playbook. As organizations retreat from politicized DEI labels, HR is uniquely positioned to lead a more sustainable and effective strategy: implementing science-based decision-making frameworks.   This approach moves beyond contentious rhetoric to focus on what HR […]

Faces of HR: The “Squiggly” Path to People Success—Meet Deel’s Alice Burks

Alice Burks, Deel‘s Director of People Success, is a leader with a mission: to make sure everyone at Deel thrives. With ten years of experience guiding teams, both within companies and as a consultant, Burks has worked with fast-growing companies like Danish tech giant Trustpilot, plus global clients in IT, manufacturing, and retail.  At Deel, […]

Building Workforce Resilience Amid Constant Change 

Disruption today is now business as usual. HR leaders are no longer responding to isolated events. They’re instead leading through a nonstop stream of workforce, reputational and regulatory disruptions. The business stakes are high and employee expectations are even higher.  This moment demands more than a tactical response and reaction. It requires strategic foresight, cultural […]

Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Applying the “Cheers” Principle to Employee Engagement 

The iconic theme song from the sitcom Cheers captures a fundamental human desire: to be recognized, valued, and part of a close-knit community. The lyrics, “Where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came,” encapsulate a culture of belonging and camaraderie. While Cheers was a fictional Boston bar, its underlying principle can be […]

How Neglecting Culture Hurts Retention, Engagement, and Performance

Leaders understand financial debt and technical debt. But many overlook a more subtle, equally corrosive liability: culture debt. Culture debt accumulates when leadership delays difficult conversations, ignores misaligned behaviors, or fails to reinforce company values. It’s not always visible right away—but it compounds. Left unchecked, it erodes trust, weakens engagement, and increases turnover. What Culture […]