Building Better Workplaces

?? I’ve Been Thinking…

…about the students entering the job market and people who are new in their careers.?

I brought this up with my colleague Natalie Lorenzo this week. I started off saying that newer workers often don’t have the experience of working in an office or physical workspace. I thought it was a distinct disadvantage to be remedied. But flipping it, Natalie reminded me younger people were attending school remotely and learning new ways of collaborating when working together in-person wasn’t an option. Rather than being disadvantaged, perhaps they have advantages to be leveraged and shared. Love that perspective!

And taking it further, how do we make work cultures more supportive and engaging for all new hires? Their coworkers may be working in different locations with different frameworks and expectations for interpersonal engagement and applying technology to their work.?

Most of this week’s shares are around these thoughts. I’ve also included current best practices from recruiting experts to share with job seekers in your network.

?? Stories to Help You Drive Change

Here are my shares for this week:

SPECIAL NOTE: If you hit a paywall on any of the stories I share, go to Google Search, enter the name of the publication and something about the story (author, title, subject) to get a natural search link that usually by-passes the pay wall.

• For your interns: I love this advice from Arjay McCandless, a software developer at Amazon. He shares the first 3 things a new intern should do to win a permanent role with a company. 100%!

• Job scams are flourishing. Despite being savvy, a number of younger job seekers are falling for this one. Read up. And here’s a short video by Erin McGoff on avoiding these types of scams.

• ?? Special Gift for You: here’s an evolving tip sheet we’ve created for job seekers looking for respectful work environments. Hiring? Use this tool to align your offerings with criteria the best candidates are using to find companies sharing their values.

• If you ask me why I’m so passionate about bringing more respect to workplaces, this one sums it up: Who’s zoomin’ who? Dr. Raghu Krishnamoorthy asks if employees are commoditizing their organizations after years (decades?) of employers treating employees like “just a number.” Good POVs and questions to pursue.

• Brilliant take on toxic behavior in the workplace: if you see something, say something. And the worst tolerated behavior sets the tone for the organization. Thanks Sally Pedlow for a great net/net on this.

• Here are ChatGPT prompts for job seekers via Your ChatGPT Guide.

• I have not researched this further, but it makes sense: how to optimize LinkedIn searches to find active and verified job openings.

Do Good Spotlight ?? RefuSHE ??

RefuSHE champions a powerful, life-changing mission to protect, educate and empower refugee girls and women. Based in Kenya, they have offered services to over 3,150 refugee girls, women and their children in East Africa. They offer services in mental health, legal aid, education, safe housing, and more. Read more about what they do: RefuSHE.

Noteworthy ?? Trashie

Have you heard about “The Take Back Bag” or TrashieCash?? If not, you’re going to love this! You buy a bag, they come in various sizes. You fill it with clothes you don’t want anymore. Trashie diverts it from landfills and finds a new home for it. You get $30 in TrashieCash? for each bag you send to them. TrashieCash? can be redeemed for deals at cool brands. Want to know more, here you go.

?? Better Workplaces Intention Pod

Want to guarantee a smoother transition from Sunday to Monday? Invest the first 15 minutes of your work week with my intention-setting group. Here’s how it works: we meet via Zoom from 9:00-9:15 a.m. ET each Monday. (Email me for the Zoom link.) Say hi (camera on or off, your choice) and then I lead a guided, 3-minute intention-setting session. We each privately set our individual intentions—no need to share. And that’s it! We head off refreshed and refocused. Easy, calm, stress-free, and oh so good for you. Try it out!

Email Niki

?? On a Personal Note

• Is your car insurance at risk of major increases because you break hard or drive fast? Oh, you didn’t opt into sharing your driving performance with insurers? Check again. And thanks to Jess Perry for the share.

?Until Next Time…

If you like this weekly briefing, please share it with like-minded colleagues and friends. There are bigger things brewing and the more people in our community, the stronger it will grow.?

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Thanks!

Please take care and give yourself the gift of time when you need it. Remember, there’s only one of you, and you need good energy to help yourself and others. May you focus forward with boundless energy. ??

Niki