The Growing Impact of Freelancers and Temp Workers

Decades ago, our workplace model looked like this: you went to college, accepted a job at a company, worked there for the next forty or fifty years, then retired. That has obviously changed. People are changing jobs more frequently; sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of desire for variety, flexibility, or growth. And the role…

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The Chicken or the Egg?

Can you hire a replacement for someone before you fire them? Or, should you fire them, then replace them? We’ve observed companies (our clients and others) thinking about this more carefully before deciding how to handle a replacement. We applaud this, because it considers the needs of the company, the team, and the current employee.…

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How to successfully merge staffs after an acquisition

Some say yes, some say no. It seems from everything we see that it’s currently successful about half the time. Why? Because generally the two companies tend to look almost exclusively at the bottom line. Big surprise, right? Financials and stockholders generally drive the desire to merge with or buy another company. The reason is…

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How do I respond to negative feedback?

None of us like to be criticized. We’re only human. But the important thing to remember when you’re receiving less-than-glowing feedback is feedback is good. It is your friend. How else would you know if you’re doing something wrong? How else would you learn about a better way to accomplish a goal? How else would…

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Corporate Culture vs. Cults – what’s the difference?

We all know about cults – the Moonies, drinking the Kool Aid, Branch Davidians, and on and on. Unfortunately, the same things that cause cults to exist and sometimes flourish, are the same things that may occur and flourish in corporate cultures today. We all want to be a part of something greater than ourselves.…

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Post-Traumatic Job Disorder

We got a call from one of our favorite people a few weeks ago (used to be a hiring client, then became a jobseeker/candidate) and she was flummoxed over getting to work one morning to her new job. She had experienced some car trouble late the night before and had concerns that she would have…

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The State of the Union in dress codes

Within the last several days, I’ve visited the offices of several clients. These firms are oriented around marketing and creative, so it’s natural that there would be a relaxed atmosphere. I was struck with the diversity of what I saw, although I was immediately able to make assumptions and draw conclusions about roles based on…

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Is there such a thing as corporate DNA?

Although the phrase “corporate DNA” can be irritating to some, we think it has some meaning in the context of talent discussions. It refers to the traits of the aggregate culture and personality of the organization, including the talent it attracts, the way it treats its clients and employees, and the behavioral imprint it makes…

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