Recognition. We've been trained to believe that everyone needs it. Do they? I think so, but something that's lost in the recognition/engagement market is that for many blue collar workers, getting recognition in front of their peers actually makes them feel Blue collarlike a dork/brown-noser. Some notes from my life follow... My dad, Kent Dunn (RIP CKD), was a lifetime telephone/telecom lineman. One of the...

Note to readers: This is the third post in my new series based on questions I frequently hear about managing millennials — those ongoing management challenges that can really make or break workplace relationships. Each month I’ll tackle a question and provide some advice for managers and millennials (and millennial managers!). I hope the advice I share is helpful for all generations. Have a question you&rs...

As a long-time partner of Staples and Xerox, I just traveled to New York City to spend National Small Business Week with the two organizations, learning how they’re helping small business customers and entrepreneurs be more productive with the new multi-function self-serve machines in Staples stores across the country. By 2030, more than half of American professionals will no longer go to an office every day. Gett...

Are you struggling to find the formula to attract and retain millennials? If so, you’re not alone. Managers in every industry wonder how to nab high-performing employees and then keep them engaged, productive and satisfied once they’re on the job. The challenge is doubly confounding when would-be bosses realize they can’t always solve the problem with money. In fact, a bigger salary is not as important...

Love has always been good business. No, I’m not talking about the world’s oldest profession. That’s not love. I’m talking about the kind of love that leads to wedding bells – businesses that cater to people who want to find true love or who have found it and want to celebrate it. But what can those types of love-focused businesses teach us about how we can use love as a principle that shapes...

Last week, SilkRoad presented a webinar, Employee as Consumer: Building a Differentiated Experience Through the Lifecycle, with HR Daily Advisor. We talked about the consumerization of HR, the creation of a meaningful employee experience throughout the lifecycle, and how design thinking, talent activation, and employer branding play into it. At the end of the session, Jennifer asked: How do you create an experience that...

We started talking about the consumerization of IT several years ago, as employees began to demand technology solutions at work on their own terms, via their own devices. It was natural, then, that the discussion eventually moved to the consumerization of HR. People now expect an experience at work that is comparable to the experience they have at home via apps like Netflix and Amazon. To be more explicit, employees are...

Financial compensation (salary/wages) might not be the only measurement you use to determine whether you’re in a good place in terms of career success, but it’s often one of the top factors you look at. If you’re out of work and looking or considering a move from your current job for some reason, you’re probably including compensation as something to think about. It’s a complex situation and...

For those that are considered procrastinators, time management can be seen as a dirty term. The reality is, without changes to their frame of mind, procrastinators aren't going to be helped by traditional time management techniques. Jane Burka, psychologist and co-author of "Procrastination: Why You Do It; What to Do About It NOW," joins Tim Muma to break down the reasons this group of people struggle with procrastinating....

Have you ever thought about how you learned to do your job? While there are new challenges every day, of course, there is also so much that you seem to just “know.” That proficiency not only inspires your clients and team to trust you, but it creates a self-confidence that boosts you to perform even better, day after day. But when you think back, it’s hard to remember how you figured out the ins and out...