This Week in Talent (12th May)

Hello there!

I went along to a virtual Culture Amp event last Friday that focused on mental health and leading a mentally healthy workplace. I’ve seen lots of these events popping up recently, and chatting to my friends about how they are feeling … I can see why this is the topic of the moment. It’s a thing, particularly in the HR space. We don’t really feel loved at the moment.

HR and TA have been so busy supporting their businesses during the pandemic, that they’ve ended up burnt out and mentally unwell. I shared this article in last week’s TWIT … but WHATEVER –  I’m sharing it again now because YIKES! 98% of HR professionals have felt burnt out in the last 6 months, across the globe. This was a conversation topic at our Talent Day Out last month, and a popular one at that. How can we best support ourselves, and our teams, in a hYbRiD wOrLd? Being in the office is a hard slog when we’ve become accustomed to solo life.

Something I’m really struggling with when working in the office is getting distracted – WAY too easily. Then because I’ve been so distracted all day, I end up having to work really long hours to try and get the work done that requires my focus. I don’t have any focus left!!

I found this article on Mind Gardening really helpful. My brain retains useless information and forgets all the important things. My brain wants to chit chat and socialise, and does NOT want to sit down and write that fancy memo. My brain just wants to have fun. LET MY BRAIN LIVE, GOSH DARNIT!

Mind Gardening sounds good to me – planting and cultivating seeds (aka good ideas), harvesting them once they are grown, removing the weeds. Writing and taking notes is the key – I have a Trello board, next to my every day “to do” list, that is literally a brain dump of ideas that have sprung into my mind that I’ve jotted down quickly before I forget (usually within 2-3 seconds). I will plant those ideas eventually, and cultivate them later on once I’ve hacked through the weeds. I call them “brain farts” because the thought disappears as quickly as it arises (like a fart), but the smell lives on forever (in the form of my Trello board).

MIND GARDENING RULES!

Enjoy your gardening, peeps.

IVF Patients Benefiting From Flexibilities Meant For Working Parents

An interesting take on work flexibility, from a lens that we don’t often think about.

Maybe Having “No Filter” At Work Is A Good Thing, Actually

Anyone that has met me knows I can have my “no filter” moments, and need to heat check myself every now and then to reign it back in. But could it actually be a good thing and filtering myself a bad thing?

Why workers are leaving Big Tech for more purposeful career, and life, paths

These are really nice stories of people that took a step back, weighed up the pro’s and con’s and decided to pursue a different life that aligned with their values.

As CEO, I apply to jobs at my own company every year. This is how it’s transformed hiring

I don’t know the whole context here (ie. company size/structure) … but not sure how I’d feel about my own CEO applying for jobs as a “secret shopper” to assess my team without our knowledge, then claim their actions as “transforming the hiring process”. Am I too cynical?

What if the future of work is exactly the same?

A sobering read for those of us that feel like we’re experiencing the “future of work” and everything is all so exciting … there are others that are finding things are either the same or harder than before the pandemic.