Do you currently pay people who live farther away from headquarters less, simply because they wanted to save a little money on housing? Companies apparently believe that people will…

More than ever, now is an opportunity to be an extraordinary leader, and honestly, we need you! We need your skills to help lead through this tumultuous time. How are your leadership skills as a manager? Are you up for the task? Whether you have been managing for 25 years or a few months, answer the following question. Has anyone trained you how to lead, or are you trying to figure it out as you go? Leading employees effectively can result in impressive outcomes and unparalleled team success, but how do you know if you are doing it right?

Healthcare organizations are struggling to make the best workforce decisions in response to the financial strains brought on by COVID-19. Like so many, you are probably applying traditional block and tackle measures to maintain your workforce, reduce costs, sustain, and eventually restart your business.

As we start to see a return to the workplace, many employees are feeling uneasy about what work-life now means. Whether you sit at a desk or wait on customers, one common theme that we hear is – it is just bizarre. We now wear masks, socially distance, and in some cases, work behind plexiglass dividers. This environment can truly have a dystopian feel. How do you avoid a dystopian workplace while keeping employees engaged but not weirded out by the whole thing? FutureSense is here to help!

Listen. Reflect. Learn. Stand. Act. 

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.  

Understanding gives us the opportunity to perceive the significance, explanation, or cause of something.

I, for one, need to do more to be truly empathetic. 

We are challenged with a workplace transformation unlike any we have experienced since women fully entered the professional workforce in real numbers more than 60 years ago. This change is faster and more dramatic than the addition of desktop computers or the internet.

I don’t know anyone who couldn’t use an extra dose of inspiration these days. It’s been over six weeks of living, teaching, caring, and working in a state of suspended animation. And, even though there seems to be a glimmer of hope as different areas of the country “open back up”, the time has come to consider what is needed to keep moving forward. It all starts with a little inspiration or psychological nudge to stay focused and motivated.

As we continue to re-envision our future, the biggest question is, what’s next? What should we expect as it relates to our businesses? How should we coach and lead our staff now, and as things progress? Furthermore, how do we support so many of our staff who have never experienced work in a recession?

Comparing incentive plans to a pandemic response seems like a stretch, but great incentive plans are all about stretching. Stretching people's expectations. Stretching company performance. Stretching your compensation budget. The list is long.

As our country begins a slow opening amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, let’s use this time to reflect. This unprecedented time of the pandemic allows many of us the luxury to consider the activities of people around us and the difference they make. We are seeing people go beyond their job descriptions. We are seeing people go beyond their own self-expectations. Are they receiving the recognition and gratitude they clearly have earned?

Equity will always seem like it’s too much when the path is easy. The key is whether it can get your staff off the sled to help push during the hard climbs. If it does this, you have a chance, with a little luck, of accomplishing your goals. Without equity, you are likely to have a group of people sitting on the sled asking why it’s going so slow.

As the COVID-19 numbers begin to fall in many areas, it is time to contemplate the new normal. Organizations across the world are deliberating the new normal and what it means. Among these considerations are how we work, support clients, and re-invest in the economy.

As we navigate this new normal (BlueFire HR included), we find ourselves balancing ever-changing laws, employee relations issues, and above all, keeping nerves calm. Regardless if you are an executive, a CEO, an HR leader, a parent, or anyone just there for everyone else, this is an overwhelming time. None of us have ever seen anything like this. No other natural disaster, recession, or health concern has asked as much of us as these unprecedented times.

On April 1, 2020, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced new action regarding how American workers will benefit from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“the “Act”). The new regulations will help implement the Public Health Emergency Leave (“Emergency FMLA Leave”), and Emergency Paid Sick Leave (“Paid Sick Leave”) benefits available under the Act. The new regulations take immediate effect and will expire on December 31, 2020.

Start with words and support them with compensation. Many companies are faced with austerity measures right now. Do not let those measures stop you from doing something special for the most special at your company. If an individual has been amazing in the past and currently continues to be amazing, you can probably assume they will be amazing for the foreseeable future.

The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) raised many questions and the DOL has issued additional guidance on many previously unanswered questions.

Oil-producing countries are locked in a historic battle over the control of supply and prices. Stock markets are swinging erratically and dramatically while the entire globe is in some state of human lockdown. These are confusing times for everyone. Incentive plans and equity compensation can be confusing pay elements for anyone to understand. In the best of times, companies often struggle to find the time and resources to communicate their incentive programs properly. In the worst of times, communication can become a distant afterthought. The companies who successfully navigate these unchartered waters will invariably be those who communicate often and well.

Tonight, my husband will come home, immediately enter the bathroom next to the garage, strip off his scrubs, and stick them in an old bag. He will shower and scrub, wear a new set of clothes, and disinfect every doorknob he’s touched. Then, he will lock the bathroom from the inside and hide the tool we use to open it from the outside, so our kids won’t enter. And while at home, there will be a different cadence to our evenings as we try to keep a reasonable distance from him just in case, he has been exposed to this virus that has the entire world on its knees.

The world is facing and fighting its most significant health challenge in more than a century. As a result of the global battle against COVID-19, we have seen stock markets in turmoil and companies dealing with business challenges that would have seemed insurmountable only a few weeks ago. One of the critical health objectives has been the effort to “flatten the curve.” Essentially this is a process of acting before things get worse to provide the time and resources to overcome the disease properly.