Jun 15, 2021Re-enty into the Physical Workplace: Lessons from NASAAstronaut crews living and working in space experience as a matter of course what many of us experienced unexpectedly during the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic. Consider these similarities: ● They are physically isolated for a long period of time from family, friends, and the majority of their work colleagues. ● Their…Postcovidworkplace8 min read
May 26, 2021Hope Employees Will Return to the Office? Start Here.As the world opens up again following COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, employers that were previously accustomed to a steady hum of activity in the cubicles and corridors must decide if they are going to bring people back into the office full-time, continue to allow them to work remotely, or come up…Work Culture5 min read
Apr 1, 2021Having an Old-Fashioned Nervous Breakdown Might Be a Good ThingShould the term “nervous breakdown” be embraced again? One of my (Michael’s) favorite journalists, Jerry Useem, provides a fascinating look at the history of the nervous breakdown in this article he wrote for The Atlantic titled “Bring Back the Nervous Breakdown.” …Stress7 min read
Mar 16, 2021Connect Your Remote Team Through Personal KnowledgeRemember doing “Show and Tell” or presenting to your classmates as the “Student of the Week” when you were in elementary school? As it turns out, our teachers were on to something. Bringing back an updated version of this practice would be more than merely an entertaining way to enliven…Remote Work4 min read
Aug 4, 2020How to Prepare for Rising Stress AheadWhen a big storm is forecast to come our way, Katie, my wife, starts to plan ahead, just in case we lose power: non-perishable food in the pantry (check), flashlights with working batteries (check), gas in the car (check), some cash on hand (check). She reminds family members to charge…Stress6 min read
Published in The Startup·Jul 2, 2020Protecting Remote Workers’ Productivity and PerformancePractically overnight the vast majority of office workers became remote workers when social distancing measures put in place in March to slow the spread of the Covid-19 virus dramatically changed the way we go about our days. If that was you, over the last several months, you have had a…Remote Work7 min read
Jun 9, 2020Protecting Employees from Covid-19 through ConnectionHow can we protect people in the workplace so they don’t contract Covid-19? The Centers for Disease Control just released guidelines for offices that include temperature and symptom checks; encouraging employees who have Covid-19 symptoms or sick family members to stay home; prohibiting hand-shaking, hugs, and fist bumps; wearing face…Covid 19 Protection5 min read
May 19, 2020Connecting at Home During Covid-19Are you home and feeling alone? Are you home and wishing you could be alone for even a few minutes? The Covid-19 virus has caused many organizations to move large numbers of employees from working together at the office to working remotely at home. For other organizations, it has meant…Covid 198 min read
Mar 19, 2020Why Relational Connection Is So Important During the Coronavirus PandemicThe novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the need for social distancing, quarantine and isolation so that vulnerable individuals are not exposed to the virus and healthcare systems are not overwhelmed. …Coronavirus9 min read
Feb 12, 2020Boost Connectedness to Reverse Rise of Suicides in AmericaWith the exception of America, suicide rates over recent decades have declined in most of the world. Suicides in the U.S. have risen more than 50% from 2005 to 2017 and now exceed deaths by motor vehicle incidents. In 2017, the most recent year data is available, the U.S. Centers…Suicide8 min read