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Google is testing swapping out the Gemini button at the top right of the Chrome browser, with a "Browse with AI" button. The button is more colorful and in your face, which probably gets more users to notice it.View the full article

Google's John Mueller questioned the need for all websites to use ccTLDs, different domain names, to take their websites international. He said on Reddit, "you both make things harder on yourself, but you also make it harder for search engines to understand each of these sites."View the full article

Throughout 2025, we’ve watched companies treat employees with a stunning disregard: rolling layoffs (with thousands let go at a time), unchecked workloads, turning a blind eye to burnout—with 76% of U.S. workers reporting at least one health condition today—and a near-gleeful rush to replace people with AI. Over 200,000 American women quit their jobs this year, many citing inflexible policies and lack of support for balancing work and life. Relentless rounds of cuts have destabilized employee trust and left employees uncertain and questioning leadership at every level. Across industries, leaders have routinely prioritized short-term efficiency over human impacts, sending a clear signal that employee well-being is treated as irrelevant to how most CEOs define organizational success. Despite a year in which many companies acted as if they were actively anti employee well-being, there’s clear evidence that 2026 will be the year everything changes. This isn’t wishful thinking or naivete. It’s grounded in hard business realities that CEOs can no longer afford to ignore. First, investors—the same ones who have historically applauded employee layoffs—are beginning to reward companies that prioritize employee flourishing because multiple years of research show that firms with high well-being scores consistently outperform peers in stock performance, profitability, and innovation. Second, the talent market is unforgiving—top performers now demand workplaces that offer trust, growth, and the conditions to thrive; ignoring this risks losing the very people who drive competitive advantage. Additionally, we’ve reached a point of destabilization—a crisis—where people are hitting a “no more” moment and simply won’t continue in the old way any longer. This will be a major catalyst for change. Third, the AI-driven transformation of work depends on human adaptability; organizations that fail to foster well-being, learning, and resilience will sabotage their own investments in technology. Finally, the reputational and financial costs of ignoring well-being are increasingly visible, from mass departures of key employees to heightened public scrutiny. Taken together, these forces create a perfect storm: 2026 is the year CEOs will have both the incentive and the imperative to finally make employee well-being a central strategic priority. The Reckoning Arrives If 2025 will be remembered for the callousness and disregard organizations showed their people, 2026 will be remembered as the year CEOs felt the consequences of those decisions and were forced to pivot. And this shift won’t happen because leaders suddenly became more empathetic. It will happen because the data is now unequivocal: employee well-being isn’t a “soft” idea—it’s a hard, proven driver of performance, retention, customer experience, innovation, and long-term value creation. When people feel genuinely valued, respected, supported, treated humanely, and that they truly belong, they don’t just perform more optimally—they think more clearly, solve problems more creatively, and bring far greater energy and commitment to their work. Research from leading business schools and global workplace studies demonstrates this; 2026 is simply the year the evidence becomes impossible for CEOs to dismiss. The Well-Being–Performance Link Is No Longer Debatable For years, employee well-being was treated as a feel-good afterthought—something leaders knew mattered but never put on the same level as profits and shareholder returns. That era is over. Rigorous, multiyear research from investment firm Irrational Capital—analyzing thousands of public companies, including the entire S&P 500 and Russell 1000—shows that organizations in the top 20% for employee well-being have outperformed the market by hundreds of basis points. Oxford research finds that a single-point increase in employee happiness correlates with billions in additional annual profit for large enterprises. McKinsey on burnout, Deloitte on retention, Gallup’s global workplace data—all of it points to the same conclusion: when people feel genuinely supported, productivity, profitability, innovation, and customer loyalty surge. Harvard leadership professor Arthur C. Brooks puts it bluntly: “Happier employees are more profitable, more productive employees. That’s just the way it is.” Investors are now baking these realities into their models. The gap between human flourishing and financial flourishing isn’t philosophical anymore—it’s mathematical. Where Companies Have Gone Wrong Most organizations spent the past decade conflating well-being with wellness programs. They handed out meditation apps, gym stipends, and yoga classes while ignoring the root causes of poor well-being: uncaring and untrustworthy managers, a lack of connection and belonging, expectations of always being on—and feeling unappreciated for one’s hard work. The result was predictable—burnout soared, engagement flat-lined, and the best people walked away. The damage is undeniable in 2025’s data. Trust in senior leadership has fallen to its lowest point in years. Employees are using words like “disconnect,” “misalignment,” “distrust,” and “hypocrisy” in record numbers. The power shift back to employers has been used to push return-to-office mandates, endless restructurings, and the “forever layoff”—small, rolling terminations that keep everyone fearing they’ll be next, exhausted, and diminished in what they can contribute. Why 2026 Changes Everything 2025 exposed the cost of treating people as expendable. 2026 will reveal the cost of continuing to do so. The forces now converging leave CEOs no room to hide: Investors have begun rewarding cultures of genuine care. The same financial logic that once justified layoffs now proves that sustained well-being creates superior performance. Boards are asking hard questions about turnover, culture risk, and the long-term sustainability of workforce models built on burnout. The cost of neglect is now impossible to hide. The U.S. Surgeon General has warned that workplaces are a major driver of the nation’s mental health crisis. The result is spiking turnover, steep drops in productivity, skyrocketing medical claims, and a workforce whose resilience has been systematically eroded—losses that dwarf the cost of actually supporting people. Young talent is reshaping the expectations of work. Gen Z and millennials, who will soon be the majority of the workforce, refuse to accept fear, overwork, or indifference as normal. They demand growth, stability, and humane leadership—and they walk quickly when they don’t get it. The mistake leaders continue to make is by framing this attitude as entitlement. It’s not. It’s clarity. Younger generations simply refuse to tolerate what older generations accepted as normal. The battle for talent has become a battle for well-being. AI is accelerating—not reducing—the need for well-being. The belief that technology could replace people and eliminate the need for authentically supportive leadership has been proven wrong. AI demands adaptability, creativity, emotional intelligence, and resilience—capacities that collapse under chronic stress. Organizations that want their people to master the tools of the future must first keep them energized and trusted today. A new leadership mandate is forming. This is the shift Deloitte calls “human sustainability:” the deliberate choice to build organizations where people can thrive for the long haul, not just survive to the next quarter. It means embedding respect, growth, and genuine care into every system—hiring, development, compensation, communication, and even the way difficult decisions are handled. Most importantly, well-being must become a leadership competency. Leaders must learn the importance of trust, how team cohesion gets built, how psychological safety is created, how meaningful work is designed, and how human energy is sustained. Leaders must embrace new practices known to support human thriving. The companies that make this pivot in 2026 won’t just repair the damage of 2025. They’ll dominate the decade. They’ll keep their best people and attract everyone else’s. They’ll turn AI from a source of fear into the greatest amplifier of human potential we’ve ever seen. They’ll build resilience that no disruption can break. In my new book, The Power of Employee Well-Being, I lay out exactly how this transformation happens and why it’s the single greatest untapped performance lever left in most organizations. The evidence is settled. The investors are watching. The talent is voting with their feet. And 2026 is the year the old excuses finally die. Leaders who still treat people as costs to be managed will be left behind. The rest of us will be building the future—and it’s one where people are flourishing, trusted, and bringing everything they have to work every single day. Happy New Year! View the full article

2025 was notable for GEO, Google patents, and research papers. WordPress entered the year with uncertainty and ended it roaring into 2026. The post Review Of 2025: Highlights & Lowlights For SEO (& WordPress) appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Last December, Modern CEO named the inaugural Modern CEO of the Year. The goal was to recognize a business leader who embodied the traits frequently covered in this newsletter: inclusion, accessibility, humility, and innovation amid unprecedented uncertainty. We looked for a person with vision and grit, someone who is growing a company sustainably. The methodology isn’t scientific, but this year, one name stood out: Flex’s Revathi Advaithi. Meet the Modern CEO of the Year Advaithi didn’t set out to ride the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. After becoming CEO of Flex (formerly known as Flextronics) in 2019, she zeroed in on the contract manufacturing company’s power-focused business, which makes components that manage, regulate, and distribute power for advanced semiconductors and systems. Advaithi understood that business segment well from her years working at Eaton, the power management company. She bet that technology companies would continue to need more power and compute—the processing power and other resources needed to run applications—plus systems to cool equipment to keep it from overheating. She quietly began to build a portfolio of products and services to design, manage, and deploy power, compute, and cooling infrastructure. Today, that business is growing 35% year-over-year, and Advaithi expects it to generate about $6.5 billion of Flex’s fiscal 2026 annual revenue, projected to reach $26.7 billion to $27.3 billion. As Modern CEO went to press, Flex stock was up 65%, outperforming the broader market and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index. “Either we were very smart, or we got lucky,” Advaithi says. “But when [generative] AI emerges and people start talking about power-hungry compute, the strategy we put together looks like it’s a winning strategy.” Strategic leadership, personal adversity Advaithi is quick to point out that her remaking of the power portfolio was part of a strategic approach she applied to all parts of Flex’s business, which includes supply-chain management and manufacturing of components for electronics and automobile makers and the healthcare industry. Indeed, Flex did more than simply capitalize on AI in 2025. This year, the company also helped its clients figure out strategies for dealing with new tariffs. And Advaithi led the company while undergoing treatment for breast cancer for part of the year. She’s currently in remission. Advaithi says her board of directors supported her decision to keep working after she was diagnosed with cancer in August 2024 even though intense chemotherapy would mean missing travel and interactions with employees and customers. But Advaithi says she’s never been a “24/7” CEO and has always made time for family, friends, and activities, so she felt confident that the company could thrive without her being constantly on call. For Advaithi, the decision was affirming. “Having that purpose, keeping myself grounded, having something to push myself out of bed, kept me going in a pretty significant way,” she says. She also says she wanted to show the business world and other patients that those undergoing treatment, especially women, were capable of reliance and strength. “I felt like I had a duty and obligation to show that it could be done,” she says, acknowledging the support of her family and the ability to access high-quality care. A guide for uncertain times With manufacturing facilities in 30 countries, Flex this year found itself consulting with clients on how best to navigate the new tariffs announced by the The President administration at the start of the year. Using sophisticated software that analyzed everything from labor costs to rare-earth mining risks, Flex offered customers different options to make and deliver goods as well as develop longer-term manufacturing and supply chain strategies. That dispassionate, disciplined approach is not unlike the way Advaithi is thinking about the AI growth opportunity, which many now feel is approaching bubble territory. Rather than building her business around speculation about investment needed to support AI hyper-scalers, Advaithi says she’s focused on the power needs of data centers that have already been announced for 2026. “The constant decision that CEOs have to make today is looking at growth, risk-taking, and discipline,” she says. “I’ve only worked with industrial companies, so I feel like you have to [ask]: Where are you five years from now? Where are you 10 years from now? And have you built a business that’s viable and sustainable?” More Modern CEOs Who would have been your pick for Modern CEO of the Year, and why? Send your submissions to me at stephaniemehta@mansueto.com, and we’ll highlight readers’ choices in an upcoming newsletter. Read more: top CEOs YouTube’s Neal Mohan is Time’s CEO of the Year Barron’s 2025 Top CEOs Inc.’s 2025 Business Leaders of the Year View the full article

Every December, millions of people pause to take stock of their lives before the new year. Some gather for vision-board parties, others sketch out New Year’s resolutions, and many quietly vow to “finally get organized” before the clock hits midnight. But this year feels different. We’re closing out 2025 in an economic climate defined by weekly corporate layoffs, social media posts from people with excel trackers archiving hundreds of job applications, and sidelined workers hopelessly looking for jobs for over a year. Families are being pushed to the brink by rising prices, and a generational affordability crisis—fueled by a shortage of three to four million homes nationwide, according to analysts by conservative estimates—has made it harder than ever to build stability. Across platforms, people describe the ground shaking beneath them: seasoned professionals struggling to get callbacks, families displaced by rent increases, and workers in every sector worried that technology is reshaping roles faster than organizations can adapt. Americans are questioning not just their career trajectory, but their worth and stability in an economy where the rules keep shifting. Yet history shows—from the Industrial-boosted Gilded Age to the social media–driven reality-show era—that moments when disruption and innovation collide also create unexpected openings. These periods force society, and individuals, to reconsider not just what they want from the world but what tools they already possess, or can rapidly develop, to navigate it with greater agency. That’s where a concept I call the Economy of Self becomes essential—and freeing. The Economy of Self isn’t manifestation or hustle culture. It’s the intentional practice of viewing yourself as an entity with specific value and designing a personal economic ecosystem that enables you to gain ground at best, or protect the ground beneath you at worst. It’s the acknowledgment that while no one can control the macroeconomy, we can engineer our microeconomy in ways that produce clarity, resilience, and optionality. First, establish clarity The foundation of the Economy of Self is clarity. In an unpredictable job market, individuals need an honest inventory of what they know, what they can do, and what they can deliver in an instant, transactional mass environment. Too many people underestimate their expertise because their worth has long been defined by job titles and affiliation instead of outcomes. Thinking like an entity allows you to see your value from an outside perspective and helps you highlight what you individually have to leverage. Clarity is the first act of economic power—because you cannot price, position, or promote what you cannot articulate. Clarity creates the conditions for structure. Once you understand your value, you can package it. For some, that means turning expertise into discrete service offerings—products instead of retainers—that solve specific pain points for clients or employers. In a landscape where many workers are bridging employment gaps or supplementing income through project work, productization of personal expertise becomes a viable stabilizing tool. When you articulate your work as something a customer can buy, not just something an employer can assign, you reclaim the power to shape your own market. Next, supply chain development Finally, the Economy of Self requires supply-chain development—intentionally strengthening the channels that connect your skills to real-world opportunities. That means engaging consistently rather than virally: showing up in your professional networks, posting subject matter ideas regularly, participating in events and conferences, and cultivating relationships that keep your name active in the rooms you want to be in. Supply chains aren’t built on sudden bursts of visibility; they are built through repetition, reliability, and presence. If this sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. We are living through an economic and technological convergence that rewards intentional self-design more than ever. But the Economy of Self isn’t about perfection or reinvention. It’s about adapting strategically when the external environment becomes unpredictable. It’s about reclaiming agency when traditional structures feel increasingly fragile. As we enter 2026—with all its uncertainty and possibility—many people won’t have the luxury of waiting for stability to return. The future belongs to those willing to treat themselves not just as workers or job candidates, but as dynamic economic actors with assets, supply chains, and value propositions of their own. In a world where the ground keeps shifting, the most powerful thing you can build is an economy that starts with you. View the full article

The human resource recruitment process is a systematic approach organizations use to find and hire the right candidates for job openings. It involves several key stages, starting with identifying hiring needs and creating detailed job descriptions. Next, effective sourcing of candidates occurs, followed by screening applications and conducting structured interviews. Comprehending this process is essential for aligning new hires with your organization’s goals and culture, but there’s much more to explore about each stage and its impact on your workforce. Key Takeaways The recruitment process identifies, attracts, and hires candidates aligned with organizational goals and culture. Key stages include identifying hiring needs, creating job descriptions, and establishing a recruitment budget and timeline. Sourcing candidates involves using job boards, social media, and networking to reach a diverse talent pool. Screening candidates utilizes pre-screening questionnaires and structured interviews to assess qualifications and fit. Effective onboarding integrates new hires into the organization, enhancing productivity and long-term retention. Definition and Importance of the Recruitment Process The recruitment process is vital for organizations, as it systematically identifies, attracts, and hires candidates who fit job openings effectively. In HR management recruitment, the recruitment definition in human resource management emphasizes the importance of aligning potential employees with organizational goals and culture. A well-structured human resource recruitment process directly impacts workforce quality, improving overall performance and productivity. Effective recruitment strategies help you attract highly qualified candidates, giving your organization a competitive edge in the market. Furthermore, thorough selection processes contribute to employee satisfaction and engagement, ensuring that new hires not only possess the necessary skills but also resonate with the company’s values. In addition, compliance with legal standards during recruitment is critical to mitigate risks and protect your organization from potential liabilities related to hiring practices. Key Stages of the Recruitment Process To kick off the recruitment process, you need to identify your hiring needs by analyzing skill gaps in collaboration with department heads. Once you’ve defined the roles, you can implement effective candidate screening techniques, such as pre-screening questionnaires and structured interviews, to narrow down your applicant pool. These key stages set the foundation for attracting and selecting the right talent for your organization. Identifying Hiring Needs Identifying hiring needs is crucial for aligning your recruitment efforts with organizational goals and guaranteeing the right talent is brought on board. Start by analyzing your company’s objectives and current team structures to pinpoint skill gaps and required roles. Collaborate with department heads to clarify specific qualifications and competencies for each position. This assessment should align with your company’s strategic direction and future growth plans, helping to reduce turnover and improve retention. Regularly updating your hiring needs guarantees your recruitment efforts reflect current market conditions and evolving business demands. A clear comprehension of these needs additionally informs the creation of detailed job descriptions, making it easier to attract the right candidates during the hiring process in HRM. Candidate Screening Techniques Candidate screening techniques play a vital role in guaranteeing that organizations find the right talent for their needs. To effectively evaluate candidates, consider implementing the following techniques: Resume Evaluations: Assess qualifications and experience through a thorough review of resumes. Pre-Screening Questionnaires: Use targeted questions to gather critical information about candidates’ fit for the role. Structured Interviews: Conduct interviews using a consistent set of questions aligned with job requirements to guarantee fairness. Assessment Tools: Implement technical skill tests and personality assessments to objectively evaluate competencies. Regularly reviewing your screening criteria based on recruitment metrics helps refine the process, making it more efficient in identifying top talent during the reduction of time-to-fill and cost-per-hire. Identifying Hiring Needs When evaluating your organization’s hiring needs, it is vital to start by reviewing the current team structures and collaborating with department heads. This partnership helps you pinpoint gaps in skills and roles that need filling. It’s important to outline the required skill sets, including technical competencies and soft skills that align with your organizational goals. Analyzing future growth potential for each position can greatly reduce turnover, ensuring that new hires can adapt and grow within the company. Regularly revisiting and updating your hiring needs keeps pace with changes in the business environment and workforce requirements. Here’s a simple table to help you visualize the process: Key Area Action Required Outcome Expected Team Structure Review Assess current roles Identify skill gaps Skill Set Outline Define competencies Align with goals Growth Analysis Evaluate future needs Reduce turnover risk Creating Detailed Job Descriptions Creating detailed job descriptions is vital for attracting the right talent to your organization, as these documents serve as a roadmap for potential candidates. To craft effective job descriptions, consider the following elements: Responsibilities: Clearly outline the primary duties of the role using active language to engage potential candidates. Qualifications: Specify the key qualifications, drawing insights from top performers and managers to guarantee relevance. Performance Goals: Incorporate measurable goals or key performance indicators (KPIs) to clarify expectations and align with organizational objectives. SEO Optimization: Optimize job descriptions for search engines to improve visibility on job boards, attracting a broader pool of qualified candidates. Regularly updating job descriptions is equally important, as it guarantees they reflect the evolving needs of your organization and the specific role being filled. This attention to detail helps you find candidates who aren’t just qualified but also a good fit for your team. Establishing a Recruitment Budget and Timeline When establishing your recruitment budget, you need to evaluate both direct and indirect costs to get a clear picture of your total expenses. Alongside this, managing a realistic hiring timeline is crucial, as it affects each stage of the recruitment process from job analysis to onboarding. Budget Allocation Strategies Establishing a recruitment budget and timeline is crucial for any organization aiming to streamline its hiring process. A well-planned budget helps you manage costs effectively. Consider these key strategies: Identify Direct Costs: Include advertising and recruitment agency fees. Account for Indirect Expenses: Factor in staff time and technology tools used in the recruitment process. Engage Stakeholders: Collaborate with key team members to align on financial expectations and improve candidate experience. Utilize Recruitment Metrics: Analyze data like time-to-fill and candidate quality to make informed budget adjustments. Regularly reviewing and adjusting your budget based on actual spending can lead to more efficient resource allocation in future hiring efforts, ensuring your organization meets its recruitment goals. Timeline Management Techniques Managing a recruitment timeline effectively can considerably improve the overall hiring process. Start by establishing a recruitment budget that covers both direct costs, like advertising fees, and indirect costs, such as employee time. By tracking these expenses, you can calculate the cost per hire, helping identify efficiency gaps. Next, develop a detailed hiring timeline that includes each recruitment stage—job posting, candidate sourcing, interviews, and final selection. Guarantee all stakeholders are aligned to avoid miscommunication and delays. Regularly review and adjust your budget and timeline based on feedback from past processes to improve future efforts. Stage Time Estimate Responsible Party Job Posting 1 week HR Team Candidate Sourcing 2 weeks Hiring Manager Interviews 1 week Interview Panel Developing a Strategic Recruitment Plan A well-developed strategic recruitment plan is crucial for attracting qualified candidates and aligning with your organization’s goals. To create an effective plan, consider these key steps: Outline methods and timelines: Clearly define how and when you’ll attract candidates, ensuring alignment with your organization’s needs. Utilize diverse sourcing strategies: Incorporate methods like employee referrals and partnerships with local universities to maximize your candidate reach. Regularly review and adjust: Stay competitive by analyzing market trends and recruitment metrics, making necessary adjustments to your strategy. Establish a recruiting budget: Track direct and indirect costs related to recruitment, which helps in efficiently allocating resources and comprehending cost-per-hire. Sourcing Candidates Effectively Sourcing candidates effectively requires a strategic approach that combines various platforms and techniques to reach a diverse talent pool. Start by utilizing a mix of traditional job boards, social media platforms, and industry-specific sites to maximize your candidate reach and engagement. Don’t overlook passive candidates; engage with them through networking opportunities, as they often represent a substantial talent pool not actively seeking jobs. Attending industry events and job fairs allows you to connect with potential hires in person, enhancing relationship-building and candidate engagement. Moreover, collaborating with recruitment agencies can be beneficial for specialized roles, as they possess industry insights and networks that expedite the sourcing process. Finally, it’s essential to regularly monitor your sourcing effectiveness and analyze outcomes. This helps you adapt and refine your strategies, ensuring they align with changing market trends and organizational needs. Screening and Shortlisting Applicants In the screening and shortlisting phase, you’ll want to implement a standardized process to filter applications effectively. Using pre-screening questionnaires can help you quickly identify candidates who meet key qualifications, whereas initial phone interviews allow you to assess their interest and fit for the role. This structured approach not just streamlines your selection process but guarantees fairness and objectivity in evaluating all applicants. Standardized Screening Process Implementing a standardized screening process is vital for ensuring a fair and efficient evaluation of job applicants. By establishing consistent criteria, you can objectively assess resumes and applications, reducing bias. Here are key steps to contemplate in your process: Define Evaluation Criteria: Create clear standards for qualifications and skills relevant to the job. Conduct Initial Phone Interviews: Use these calls to gauge candidate interest and overall fit before in-depth evaluations. Utilize Assessment Tools: Implement tests to measure fundamental technical skills and competencies, ensuring candidates meet job requirements. Maintain Consistency: Apply the same evaluation criteria across all applicants to support fairness and legal compliance. This structured approach not only streamlines hiring but also improves the quality of your selected candidates. Pre-Screening Questionnaires Pre-screening questionnaires serve as an effective tool for filtering candidates before they reach the interview stage, ensuring that only those who meet the necessary criteria move forward in the recruitment process. These questionnaires often include multiple-choice, true/false, or open-ended questions designed to assess your qualifications, experience, and cultural fit with the organization. By implementing these tools, hiring managers can noticeably reduce the number of applicants to interview, saving time and resources. Standardized questionnaires promote a fair and objective evaluation, minimizing bias during the initial screening. Furthermore, utilizing automation tools can improve efficiency, allowing for quicker processing of applications and timely feedback to all candidates. This systematic approach finally streamlines recruitment and enhances the overall hiring experience. Initial Phone Interviews In the process of evaluating candidates for a position, initial phone interviews play a crucial role in determining their suitability before inviting them for in-person discussions. These brief interviews, lasting 15 to 30 minutes, help assess candidates’ interest, fit, and qualifications. Here’s what to focus on during these screenings: Use standardized questions to guarantee a fair assessment. Evaluate candidates’ communication skills and clarify any resume discrepancies. Utilize pre-screening questionnaires to filter out unqualified applicants. Document feedback consistently to aid in the shortlisting process. Conducting Structured Interviews Conducting structured interviews offers a systematic approach to evaluating job candidates, as it relies on a predetermined set of standardized questions customized to the specific requirements of the position. This method guarantees consistency in candidate evaluation, allowing you to compare responses fairly. It’s vital to train interviewers on effective questioning techniques and evaluation methods, as this helps obtain reliable answers. Using behavioral interview techniques can provide insight into a candidate’s past performance, offering clues about their future behavior in similar situations. Including multiple interviewers in the process is beneficial, as it gathers diverse perspectives and reduces bias, enhancing decision-making. Moreover, documenting interview feedback systematically is significant for maintaining a clear record of evaluations, which can inform your final hiring decisions. Onboarding New Hires Onboarding new hires is a critical phase in the recruitment process, as it sets the foundation for their success within the organization. A well-structured onboarding program helps integrate new employees smoothly into the company culture and expectations. To maximize effectiveness, consider these key elements: Training and Resources: Provide crucial training that can boost new hire productivity by up to 54%. Mentorship Programs: Assign mentors or buddies to improve engagement and retention rates during the initial period. Feedback Mechanisms: Gather feedback on the onboarding experience for continuous improvement and increased employee satisfaction. Performance Monitoring: Track early performance and engagement to promote long-term retention and guarantee alignment with organizational goals. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Recruitment Process in Human Resources? The recruitment process in human resources involves several key steps. First, you identify staffing needs and create detailed job descriptions. Next, you source candidates through various channels, then screen applicants to shortlist potential hires. After that, you conduct interviews to assess fit and skills. It’s crucial to maintain communication throughout this process to guarantee a positive candidate experience, aligning your hiring strategies with your organization’s goals and culture for effective talent acquisition. What Are the 7 Steps of the Recruitment Process? The recruitment process involves seven crucial steps. First, you identify a need within your team. Next, you conduct a job analysis and create a detailed job description. Then, you plan your recruitment strategy, outlining methods and timelines. After that, you source candidates through various channels. Once you have candidates, you screen and shortlist them, followed by interviews to assess their fit. Finally, you finalize the hiring process by extending offers and completing necessary checks. What Are the 5 C’s of Recruitment? The 5 C’s of recruitment are crucial for effective hiring. First, Clarity guarantees job roles and expectations are well-defined, attracting suitable candidates. Next, Consistency standardizes practices, promoting fairness in selection. Candidate Experience focuses on creating positive interactions to improve employer branding. Communication involves maintaining open dialogue with candidates throughout the process. Finally, Cultural Fit assesses how well candidates align with your organization’s values, contributing to a harmonious workplace environment. What Is the 70 Rule of Hiring? The 70 Rule of Hiring states that candidates should meet at least 70% of the qualifications listed in a job description to be considered viable. This approach encourages you to look beyond strict qualifications, allowing for diverse applicants with potential for growth. Conclusion In conclusion, the human resource recruitment process is essential for organizations aiming to find and hire the right talent. By systematically identifying hiring needs, creating clear job descriptions, and sourcing candidates, you can streamline the selection process. Screening and conducting structured interviews further guarantee candidates align with your organization’s goals. Finally, effective onboarding helps new hires integrate smoothly, nurturing long-term employee retention and contributing to overall organizational success. This strategic approach eventually improves workforce quality and productivity. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is the Human Resource Recruitment Process?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The human resource recruitment process is a systematic approach organizations use to find and hire the right candidates for job openings. It involves several key stages, starting with identifying hiring needs and creating detailed job descriptions. Next, effective sourcing of candidates occurs, followed by screening applications and conducting structured interviews. Comprehending this process is essential for aligning new hires with your organization’s goals and culture, but there’s much more to explore about each stage and its impact on your workforce. Key Takeaways The recruitment process identifies, attracts, and hires candidates aligned with organizational goals and culture. Key stages include identifying hiring needs, creating job descriptions, and establishing a recruitment budget and timeline. Sourcing candidates involves using job boards, social media, and networking to reach a diverse talent pool. Screening candidates utilizes pre-screening questionnaires and structured interviews to assess qualifications and fit. Effective onboarding integrates new hires into the organization, enhancing productivity and long-term retention. Definition and Importance of the Recruitment Process The recruitment process is vital for organizations, as it systematically identifies, attracts, and hires candidates who fit job openings effectively. In HR management recruitment, the recruitment definition in human resource management emphasizes the importance of aligning potential employees with organizational goals and culture. A well-structured human resource recruitment process directly impacts workforce quality, improving overall performance and productivity. Effective recruitment strategies help you attract highly qualified candidates, giving your organization a competitive edge in the market. Furthermore, thorough selection processes contribute to employee satisfaction and engagement, ensuring that new hires not only possess the necessary skills but also resonate with the company’s values. In addition, compliance with legal standards during recruitment is critical to mitigate risks and protect your organization from potential liabilities related to hiring practices. Key Stages of the Recruitment Process To kick off the recruitment process, you need to identify your hiring needs by analyzing skill gaps in collaboration with department heads. Once you’ve defined the roles, you can implement effective candidate screening techniques, such as pre-screening questionnaires and structured interviews, to narrow down your applicant pool. These key stages set the foundation for attracting and selecting the right talent for your organization. Identifying Hiring Needs Identifying hiring needs is crucial for aligning your recruitment efforts with organizational goals and guaranteeing the right talent is brought on board. Start by analyzing your company’s objectives and current team structures to pinpoint skill gaps and required roles. Collaborate with department heads to clarify specific qualifications and competencies for each position. This assessment should align with your company’s strategic direction and future growth plans, helping to reduce turnover and improve retention. Regularly updating your hiring needs guarantees your recruitment efforts reflect current market conditions and evolving business demands. A clear comprehension of these needs additionally informs the creation of detailed job descriptions, making it easier to attract the right candidates during the hiring process in HRM. Candidate Screening Techniques Candidate screening techniques play a vital role in guaranteeing that organizations find the right talent for their needs. To effectively evaluate candidates, consider implementing the following techniques: Resume Evaluations: Assess qualifications and experience through a thorough review of resumes. Pre-Screening Questionnaires: Use targeted questions to gather critical information about candidates’ fit for the role. Structured Interviews: Conduct interviews using a consistent set of questions aligned with job requirements to guarantee fairness. Assessment Tools: Implement technical skill tests and personality assessments to objectively evaluate competencies. Regularly reviewing your screening criteria based on recruitment metrics helps refine the process, making it more efficient in identifying top talent during the reduction of time-to-fill and cost-per-hire. Identifying Hiring Needs When evaluating your organization’s hiring needs, it is vital to start by reviewing the current team structures and collaborating with department heads. This partnership helps you pinpoint gaps in skills and roles that need filling. It’s important to outline the required skill sets, including technical competencies and soft skills that align with your organizational goals. Analyzing future growth potential for each position can greatly reduce turnover, ensuring that new hires can adapt and grow within the company. Regularly revisiting and updating your hiring needs keeps pace with changes in the business environment and workforce requirements. Here’s a simple table to help you visualize the process: Key Area Action Required Outcome Expected Team Structure Review Assess current roles Identify skill gaps Skill Set Outline Define competencies Align with goals Growth Analysis Evaluate future needs Reduce turnover risk Creating Detailed Job Descriptions Creating detailed job descriptions is vital for attracting the right talent to your organization, as these documents serve as a roadmap for potential candidates. To craft effective job descriptions, consider the following elements: Responsibilities: Clearly outline the primary duties of the role using active language to engage potential candidates. Qualifications: Specify the key qualifications, drawing insights from top performers and managers to guarantee relevance. Performance Goals: Incorporate measurable goals or key performance indicators (KPIs) to clarify expectations and align with organizational objectives. SEO Optimization: Optimize job descriptions for search engines to improve visibility on job boards, attracting a broader pool of qualified candidates. Regularly updating job descriptions is equally important, as it guarantees they reflect the evolving needs of your organization and the specific role being filled. This attention to detail helps you find candidates who aren’t just qualified but also a good fit for your team. Establishing a Recruitment Budget and Timeline When establishing your recruitment budget, you need to evaluate both direct and indirect costs to get a clear picture of your total expenses. Alongside this, managing a realistic hiring timeline is crucial, as it affects each stage of the recruitment process from job analysis to onboarding. Budget Allocation Strategies Establishing a recruitment budget and timeline is crucial for any organization aiming to streamline its hiring process. A well-planned budget helps you manage costs effectively. Consider these key strategies: Identify Direct Costs: Include advertising and recruitment agency fees. Account for Indirect Expenses: Factor in staff time and technology tools used in the recruitment process. Engage Stakeholders: Collaborate with key team members to align on financial expectations and improve candidate experience. Utilize Recruitment Metrics: Analyze data like time-to-fill and candidate quality to make informed budget adjustments. Regularly reviewing and adjusting your budget based on actual spending can lead to more efficient resource allocation in future hiring efforts, ensuring your organization meets its recruitment goals. Timeline Management Techniques Managing a recruitment timeline effectively can considerably improve the overall hiring process. Start by establishing a recruitment budget that covers both direct costs, like advertising fees, and indirect costs, such as employee time. By tracking these expenses, you can calculate the cost per hire, helping identify efficiency gaps. Next, develop a detailed hiring timeline that includes each recruitment stage—job posting, candidate sourcing, interviews, and final selection. Guarantee all stakeholders are aligned to avoid miscommunication and delays. Regularly review and adjust your budget and timeline based on feedback from past processes to improve future efforts. Stage Time Estimate Responsible Party Job Posting 1 week HR Team Candidate Sourcing 2 weeks Hiring Manager Interviews 1 week Interview Panel Developing a Strategic Recruitment Plan A well-developed strategic recruitment plan is crucial for attracting qualified candidates and aligning with your organization’s goals. To create an effective plan, consider these key steps: Outline methods and timelines: Clearly define how and when you’ll attract candidates, ensuring alignment with your organization’s needs. Utilize diverse sourcing strategies: Incorporate methods like employee referrals and partnerships with local universities to maximize your candidate reach. Regularly review and adjust: Stay competitive by analyzing market trends and recruitment metrics, making necessary adjustments to your strategy. Establish a recruiting budget: Track direct and indirect costs related to recruitment, which helps in efficiently allocating resources and comprehending cost-per-hire. Sourcing Candidates Effectively Sourcing candidates effectively requires a strategic approach that combines various platforms and techniques to reach a diverse talent pool. Start by utilizing a mix of traditional job boards, social media platforms, and industry-specific sites to maximize your candidate reach and engagement. Don’t overlook passive candidates; engage with them through networking opportunities, as they often represent a substantial talent pool not actively seeking jobs. Attending industry events and job fairs allows you to connect with potential hires in person, enhancing relationship-building and candidate engagement. Moreover, collaborating with recruitment agencies can be beneficial for specialized roles, as they possess industry insights and networks that expedite the sourcing process. Finally, it’s essential to regularly monitor your sourcing effectiveness and analyze outcomes. This helps you adapt and refine your strategies, ensuring they align with changing market trends and organizational needs. Screening and Shortlisting Applicants In the screening and shortlisting phase, you’ll want to implement a standardized process to filter applications effectively. Using pre-screening questionnaires can help you quickly identify candidates who meet key qualifications, whereas initial phone interviews allow you to assess their interest and fit for the role. This structured approach not just streamlines your selection process but guarantees fairness and objectivity in evaluating all applicants. Standardized Screening Process Implementing a standardized screening process is vital for ensuring a fair and efficient evaluation of job applicants. By establishing consistent criteria, you can objectively assess resumes and applications, reducing bias. Here are key steps to contemplate in your process: Define Evaluation Criteria: Create clear standards for qualifications and skills relevant to the job. Conduct Initial Phone Interviews: Use these calls to gauge candidate interest and overall fit before in-depth evaluations. Utilize Assessment Tools: Implement tests to measure fundamental technical skills and competencies, ensuring candidates meet job requirements. Maintain Consistency: Apply the same evaluation criteria across all applicants to support fairness and legal compliance. This structured approach not only streamlines hiring but also improves the quality of your selected candidates. Pre-Screening Questionnaires Pre-screening questionnaires serve as an effective tool for filtering candidates before they reach the interview stage, ensuring that only those who meet the necessary criteria move forward in the recruitment process. These questionnaires often include multiple-choice, true/false, or open-ended questions designed to assess your qualifications, experience, and cultural fit with the organization. By implementing these tools, hiring managers can noticeably reduce the number of applicants to interview, saving time and resources. Standardized questionnaires promote a fair and objective evaluation, minimizing bias during the initial screening. Furthermore, utilizing automation tools can improve efficiency, allowing for quicker processing of applications and timely feedback to all candidates. This systematic approach finally streamlines recruitment and enhances the overall hiring experience. Initial Phone Interviews In the process of evaluating candidates for a position, initial phone interviews play a crucial role in determining their suitability before inviting them for in-person discussions. These brief interviews, lasting 15 to 30 minutes, help assess candidates’ interest, fit, and qualifications. Here’s what to focus on during these screenings: Use standardized questions to guarantee a fair assessment. Evaluate candidates’ communication skills and clarify any resume discrepancies. Utilize pre-screening questionnaires to filter out unqualified applicants. Document feedback consistently to aid in the shortlisting process. Conducting Structured Interviews Conducting structured interviews offers a systematic approach to evaluating job candidates, as it relies on a predetermined set of standardized questions customized to the specific requirements of the position. This method guarantees consistency in candidate evaluation, allowing you to compare responses fairly. It’s vital to train interviewers on effective questioning techniques and evaluation methods, as this helps obtain reliable answers. Using behavioral interview techniques can provide insight into a candidate’s past performance, offering clues about their future behavior in similar situations. Including multiple interviewers in the process is beneficial, as it gathers diverse perspectives and reduces bias, enhancing decision-making. Moreover, documenting interview feedback systematically is significant for maintaining a clear record of evaluations, which can inform your final hiring decisions. Onboarding New Hires Onboarding new hires is a critical phase in the recruitment process, as it sets the foundation for their success within the organization. A well-structured onboarding program helps integrate new employees smoothly into the company culture and expectations. To maximize effectiveness, consider these key elements: Training and Resources: Provide crucial training that can boost new hire productivity by up to 54%. Mentorship Programs: Assign mentors or buddies to improve engagement and retention rates during the initial period. Feedback Mechanisms: Gather feedback on the onboarding experience for continuous improvement and increased employee satisfaction. Performance Monitoring: Track early performance and engagement to promote long-term retention and guarantee alignment with organizational goals. Frequently Asked Questions What Is the Recruitment Process in Human Resources? The recruitment process in human resources involves several key steps. First, you identify staffing needs and create detailed job descriptions. Next, you source candidates through various channels, then screen applicants to shortlist potential hires. After that, you conduct interviews to assess fit and skills. It’s crucial to maintain communication throughout this process to guarantee a positive candidate experience, aligning your hiring strategies with your organization’s goals and culture for effective talent acquisition. What Are the 7 Steps of the Recruitment Process? The recruitment process involves seven crucial steps. First, you identify a need within your team. Next, you conduct a job analysis and create a detailed job description. Then, you plan your recruitment strategy, outlining methods and timelines. After that, you source candidates through various channels. Once you have candidates, you screen and shortlist them, followed by interviews to assess their fit. Finally, you finalize the hiring process by extending offers and completing necessary checks. What Are the 5 C’s of Recruitment? The 5 C’s of recruitment are crucial for effective hiring. First, Clarity guarantees job roles and expectations are well-defined, attracting suitable candidates. Next, Consistency standardizes practices, promoting fairness in selection. Candidate Experience focuses on creating positive interactions to improve employer branding. Communication involves maintaining open dialogue with candidates throughout the process. Finally, Cultural Fit assesses how well candidates align with your organization’s values, contributing to a harmonious workplace environment. What Is the 70 Rule of Hiring? The 70 Rule of Hiring states that candidates should meet at least 70% of the qualifications listed in a job description to be considered viable. This approach encourages you to look beyond strict qualifications, allowing for diverse applicants with potential for growth. Conclusion In conclusion, the human resource recruitment process is essential for organizations aiming to find and hire the right talent. By systematically identifying hiring needs, creating clear job descriptions, and sourcing candidates, you can streamline the selection process. Screening and conducting structured interviews further guarantee candidates align with your organization’s goals. Finally, effective onboarding helps new hires integrate smoothly, nurturing long-term employee retention and contributing to overall organizational success. This strategic approach eventually improves workforce quality and productivity. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is the Human Resource Recruitment Process?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Wave of arrests and fines are in apparent response to online anger over reforms to social security benefitsView the full article

A little while ago, I’d submitted my article to a well-respected publication that I’d done a lot of research for. I was beyond excited and delighted when, following an encouraging meeting with a senior editor, I’d heard that they accepted it for publication. It had taken months to get the article to this point, many previous failed submission attempts, and over a decade of expertise and experience—but I’d finally done it! And it was going to be career-changing. Unfortunately, what happened next was anything but. After an initial follow-up email from the editor, I was informed that the article was under revision and would be sent for review shortly. Weeks went by, and I politely followed up and heard nothing back. A month passed, and another polite follow-up resulted in silence. Another month passed, and then another. Over a period of six months, my follow-ups resulted in total silence. Finally, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d been professionally ghosted. I’d expect this from a Tinder date, but not from an editor of a prestigious journal. I felt shocked, confused, and disappointed. When I confided in a close colleague, they shared a recent experience of being ghosted for a promotion. A senior manager had made that promise but never spoke about it again. That made me wonder: Is professional ghosting becoming the norm rather than the exception? The definition of ghosting “Ghosting” is a term that originally stemmed from internet culture, and people use it to describe when one party abruptly ceases communication without explanation. People often talk about it in the context of online dating, but it has made its way to the professional context. Now, it’s a description for a job interview you never hear back from, clients pulling contracts abruptly and ceasing all contact, or a colleague simply ignoring email after email. Being ghosted is confusing at best, and at worst, it can completely kill your confidence. That’s because ghosting creates what psychologists call an “ambiguous rejection”—a rejection that lacks clarity and closure. An ambiguous rejection is distressing because our brain has no resolution, so it stays stuck in a loop of hope and disappointment, and is unable to complete the “ending process.” Professional ghosting is exactly that: an end of a relationship without an actual end. And the uncertainty this creates is malignant. Neuroscience shows that it triggers our threat response, which activates our nervous system and spreads anxiety and stress in the body. And if it’s happening within a company, research shows that it can kill employee trust quicker than you can say “boo.” It’s no wonder that being ghosted can feel utterly destabilizing. Is professional ghosting on the rise? Research suggests that ghosting has become more commonplace since the pandemic. In Meghan Walsh’s recent article for the global consulting firm Korn Ferry, she cites data showing that three-quarters of employers were ghosted by a new hire in the past year, with an even higher percentage of job seekers saying they’d been ghosted during the interview process. So what’s causing this? There are a multitude of reasons why ghosting might be on the rise. It might be due to an increasingly competitive job market, shifting digital communication norms, and the seemingly ever-increasing time constraints of modern life. But in any case, in the age of artificial intelligence and automation—where you can literally have a bot write an email for you in less than three seconds—I’m calling BS on these excuses. I think it’s time we found our courage and relearned what quality communication looks like. The politeness paradox—why silence feels safer (even when it’s much worse) The psychological phenomenon called the politeness paradox explains why you might think it’s okay to ghost someone. The politeness paradox is when you avoid giving someone bad news out of fear that it will be more hurtful than silence. However, in actuality, people overwhelmingly prefer clarity over nothing at all. It feels worse to be dealing with the ambiguity of being ghosted rather than being told a simple “no.” Let this be a call to action: Have the courage and the respect to communicate thoughtfully and transparently—and close the loop so people can move on. Your moment of discomfort delivering “bad news” saves someone else from agonizing over a lack of closure. As someone who’s been on the receiving end of ghosting, I assure you that the kindest thing to do is to put someone out of their misery—rather than leaving them in the brutal “what if’ limbo. Here are five steps to help you move forward from professional ghosting. 1. Acknowledge the disappointment Ghosting is an emotional roller coaster. You’ll experience a wave of different feelings as you try to make sense of it: hurt, disappointment, and rejection. Don’t gaslight yourself by minimizing your experience. Being ghosted absolutely sucks. Acknowledge your emotions and confide in a trusted friend—this helps process the experience and regulate your nervous system. 2. Don’t take it personally Ghosting says more about someone else’s avoidance patterns, and nothing about your worth. Your mind will create stories about your inadequacies or capabilities—none of these are rooted in the truth of the situation. 3. Meet yourself with self-compassion Be the friend you need right now rather than your own worst enemy. The experience of being ghosted can quickly descend into negative self-talk, overanalyzing what we might have done wrong, or berating ourselves. In Buddhist teaching, we call this the second arrow. By judging yourself harshly, you amplify your suffering. Instead, offer yourself comfort, words of kindness, and gentle encouragement, as you would a friend. 4. Let go of finding closure The reality is that you might never get an explanation. That is outside of your control. Closure becomes something you need to offer yourself, not something you wait for others to give you. This takes you from feeling powerless to reclaiming your agency. 5. Move forward with intention Being ghosted was a moment of clarity for me. I refuse to replicate this behavior to others. Instead of letting my anger drive my future behavior toward others, I’m allowing it to transform my perspective so I can do better by others. I’d rather have an uncomfortable conversation than leave someone else in the distress of ambiguous loss. Silence is easy, but kindness takes courage. Ghosting may be becoming more common, but that doesn’t mean we should normalize or accept it. To create workplaces that are more human, we need to invite humanity back into how we communicate. That means replying (even if briefly), closing loops, delivering an honest message with kindness, and recognizing that our own discomfort is not an excuse for disrespect. Professional ghosting can leave a real scar. But it was also a moment of clarity for me—a choice to lead from a place of clarity, courage, and empathy. And if you’ve been ghosted, let it sting, but don’t let it shrink you. Take the lesson, and let it remind you of the kind of person you want to be. View the full article

All the changes to the White House over the past year read like a reality TV drama. Clashes with architects. A lawsuit over the East Wing demolition. Paving over the beloved Rose Garden and turning it into an exclusive club. President The President’s promise (or was it a threat?) to make federal buildings beautiful again primarily played out at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Now it has become the prime exemplar of “Magatecture,” whose aesthetic expression revolves around three key traits: Make it big, make it gold, and make it monetizable. It is tradition for presidents to redecorate the White House—the Oval Office and first family’s private quarters typically get a refresh with each incoming administration—but for the most part, they serve as stewards of a public building. The White House of modern memory is largely the result of Jackie Kennedy’s belief that it should be a living museum furnished with the finest American art, furniture, and decorative objects. In fact, the executive mansion hasn’t seen such dramatic structural change since Harry Truman had it rebuilt in the 1940s when it was on the verge of collapse. What separates the renovations happening today from the ones of the past is just how slapdash they are. The President seems keen on making his mark with little regard for design integrity—taping up a paper sign with “Oval Office” printed in gold Shelly Script, affixing gaudy gilded appliqués on just about any empty surface, and releasing error-laden digital renderings of the new ballroom with stairs leading to nowhere and misaligned windows. Ranking near the top of the downgrades is the refurbished Lincoln Bathroom, once a subtly art deco interior with seafoam green tile (courtesy of the Truman renovation) now sheathed in white statuary marble and accented with gold fixtures, like a three-star hotel powder room. President Donald The President The President speaks the language of opulence, with little grasp of the vocabulary that makes rooms designed to this sensibility actually sing. Instead, Magatecture is most comfortable with superlatives, expressing itself through scale and the appearance of expense. To wit: The President proudly installed two “nearly 100-foot-tall” flagpoles (the actual height is closer to 80 feet). The changes don’t support the language within the Make Federal Architecture Beautiful Again executive order he issued in August, which proclaimed that all federal buildings ought to “inspire the human spirit, ennoble the United States, and command respect from the general public.” When those excessive gold embellishments are ridiculed as cheap Home Depot products (though The President says he brought in his “gold guy” to fabricate them) it’s hard to argue that they represent distinguished design. Money talks, wealth whispers, and this spit shouts “Temu Versailles.” For a president who knew how to channel grandeur, look to Chester A. Arthur. In 1882, he hired Louis Comfort Tiffany to renovate the White House. One of his most indulgently furnished spaces was the Red Room, a parlor and sitting room occasionally used for small dinner parties. Tiffany painted the walls a rich Pompeiian red, blanketed the ceiling with copper and silver stars, installed a cherry-wood mantle adorned with glass tile, and commissioned a pink frieze. The furniture was equally lavish and included mirrors encrusted with gemstones, screens from East Asia, tall urns, and chairs upholstered in fringed damask. It was so lavish that Theodore Roosevelt had most of the decor stripped out during his administration’s renovations, which the architecture firm McKim, Mead & White oversaw. Even more modest chapters in White House history reflect rigor. Michael S. Smith, President Barack Obama’s “decorator in chief,” balanced the home’s formal nature with more comfortable, approachable, and modern details, including an Oval Office done up in demure earth tones. While initially dismissed as an “audacity of taupe,” it was still thoughtfully composed and respected the architecture. White House historian William Seale told The New York Times that the calmed-down space felt welcoming, while interior designer Sheila Bridges noted that its understated look was appropriate considering the economic recession at the time. There isn’t any sensitivity at play now. Amid a government shutdown, The President ordered the demolition of the East Wing—a highly unusual command from the president, but a routine developer tactic—which is now the subject of a lawsuit from preservationists who argue it violated numerous laws. What will take its place, if all goes according to The President’s wishes, is a ballroom of monstrous proportions; at an estimated 90,000 square feet, it would be roughly the same size as the West Wing and main house combined. To fund the Palladian-style building done up with Corinthian columns, Venetian windows, and crystal chandeliers, The President has solicited an army of corporate donors to bankroll the $400 million bill. But the buck certainly does not stop here. Ever the businessman out for personal benefit—some estimates say The President and his family have earned $3.4 billion from the presidency—he converted a small room near the Oval Office into a MAGA merch display in which he proudly slings baseball caps to foreign leaders. President @realDonaldThe President showing President Zelenskyy and President Macron his 4 More Years hat 🤣🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/c7dhAkZMuF — Margo Martin (@MargoMartin47) August 19, 2025 If anything, pettiness seems to be the modus operandi. He’s talked about building a new ballroom since 2010, and even pitched the idea to the Obama administration. David Axelrod, Obama’s chief adviser, said The President called him with his credentials. “He said, ‘You know, I build ballrooms. I build the greatest ballrooms and you can come down to Florida to see them,’” Axelrod told NPR. Nothing came of the call. The President brought up his proposal on the 2016 campaign trail, and afterward then-White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that the idea was never seriously considered. “I’m not sure that it would be appropriate to have a shiny gold The President sign . . . on any part of the White House,” he said. None of the ballroom renderings so far have shown a The President sign on them, but given how he had his name added to the Kennedy Center facade, it’s not a stretch to imagine the final building similarly branded. Then there are the changes to the West Wing colonnade. The President hung portraits of previous commanders in chief (except for Joe Biden, who is depicted with an autopen signing his signature and labeled it “The Presidential Walk of Fame” in—you guessed it—big gold letters). Then came more gilded embellishments. And just last week, he installed plaques beneath each president’s portrait with his take on their legacy, written in the style of his Truth Social rants, often laden with misinformation. One year down, three more to go. If the renovations so far are any indication, expect to see a lot more gold. View the full article

As commissioner of Virginia's Bureau of Financial Institutions since 1997, Joe Face emphasized strengthening the dual banking system. View the full article

National Mortgage News takes a look back at some of the major or unique transactions which went on, or in some cases didn't happen, in the past 12 months. View the full article

Talks about ending the war are really about securing US punishment of the other sideView the full article

As always, many of this year’s best apps are ones you’ve probably never heard of. Sure, there are some big names on this list, particularly in the buzzy field of artificial intelligence, but the real standouts of 2025 innovated on a smaller scale. They give you better ways to take notes or remember things, write with just your voice, have fun snapping photos, or even indulge in some gaming classics. For this list, “apps” include desktop and mobile software, along with browser extensions and web tools. Some apps are entirely new, while others received transformative updates that make them worthy of a fresh look. Hopefully, you’ll discover something that quickly becomes a must-have. Productivity Raycast: Open Raycast with a keyboard shortcut, and you can quickly find files, search the web, access your clipboard history, paste frequently written text snippets, reposition your windows, look up emojis, ask AI questions, and more. It’s a Swiss Army knife of time-saving tools for power users, and it finally arrived on Windows and iOS this year to complement the long-running Mac version. (Windows, Mac, iOS) Payload: Cloud storage is great, but sometimes you need a faster way to send files to yourself. Payload checks your Wi-Fi network for any devices where its app is installed, then uses that connection to transfer files almost instantly, without ever leaving your local network. Previously desktop-only, Payload arrived on mobile devices this year and launched an optional online service for remote file sharing. (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android) Ghost Capture App: This free app streamlines the act of adding items to your to-do list. Just long-press the little ghost icon and say what you’re trying to accomplish, and it will create a task that syncs to either Apple Reminders or Google Tasks with no extra buttons to push. (iOS) Monotype: Typewriter Simulator: If you miss (or, for that matter, remember) the feel of writing with a typewriter, this app is for you. It provides an on-screen typewriter that produces a satisfying clack with each key press, followed by a ding and the need to hit Enter (or, more appropriately, Return) at the end of each line. When you’re finished, you can copy the text into whatever document editor you normally use. Thankfully, the app allows you to delete without any Wite-Out. (Mac) Antinote: Apple’s default TextEdit app is too clunky when you’re just trying to jot down some quick thoughts. Antinote speeds things up with a clean, plain-text scratch pad, which you can pop open with a keyboard shortcut (Option+A by default). You can also create to-do lists by typing “todo” at the top of a note, or perform calculations by typing “math” at the top. It’s a $5 onetime purchase after a free trial. (Mac) Orb: Most internet speed test tools just give you a snapshot of upload and download speeds. Orb instead lets you run persistent speed tests throughout the day, providing a clearer view of overall reliability. You can even set up the app on multiple devices around the house to see where the connection is weakest. (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android) AI Proton Lumo: While most AI companies keep a record of your chat history and may even share conversations with human reviewers, Proton’s Lumo AI makes a point of being oblivious. Proton doesn’t log users’ chats or use them to train its models, so the company has no way of accessing your chat history. (iOS, Android, web) Perplexity Comet: Amid a wave of AI web browsers, Perplexity stands out for its ability to navigate the web on your behalf. Try letting it cancel your subscriptions, search across multiple flight deal sites, or even put a single question to multiple AI tools to see how their answers differ. Just be careful about letting it access sensitive data. (Windows, Mac, Android) Wispr Flow: Your phone or computer’s built-in voice dictation features are fine if you don’t mind doing a lot of manual cleanup. Wispr Flow manages to be a lot more accurate—sometimes eerily so—as it uses AI processing to both clean up your text and learn from your writing tendencies over time. It’s also just convenient to use in short bursts with push-to-talk keyboard shortcuts. (Windows, Mac, iOS) Superwhisper: Another voice dictation app, Superwhisper stands out by letting you use on-device speech-to-text models with no online processing. This allows for unlimited usage without any privacy concerns while still offering handy shortcuts for push-to-talk mode. (Windows, Mac, iOS) Google Gemini: Google’s AI assistant isn’t new, but its built-in “Nano Banana” text-to-image model that arrived this year would be a killer app on its own. Start by uploading any image, then ask to render it in a different visual style, remove objects (including chain link fences), zoom and enhance, or add more images to the scene. You can even draw around parts of the image to show where the edits should go. (iOS, Android, web) Dia: The most thoughtful of the AI browsers, Dia lets you @ mention your open tabs to synthesize information from them, ask questions about your browser history, and take action in web apps like Gmail and Google Calendar. Its smartest feature, though, is its search box, which automatically routes your queries to AI or web search, based on what you write. (Mac) Sora: What if there was a social network where you didn’t need to stop and wonder if something was generated by AI—because everything was generated by AI? That’s the premise behind OpenAI’s Sora. You can even create an AI doppelgänger of yourself and control who can use it in their videos (just you, just your friends, or everyone). Yes, deceptive Sora deepfakes leaking onto the rest of the internet with their watermarks removed is an issue. But at its best, the app itself is silly, fun, and not at all misleading. (iOS, Android) Photo and video Affinity: Serif’s image editing suite is a popular subscription-free alternative to Adobe’s Photoshop, Illustrator, and Designer, so users got nervous last year when the company was acquired by Canva—itself a subscription-driven business. This year, Canva didn’t just honor its promise to offer Affinity without a subscription, it released the entire desktop suite for free. The only catch is that you need a Canva account—and a subscription if you want to use some AI tools. (Windows, Mac) Not Boring Camera: This iPhone app offers a more fun way to take photos, with skeuomorphic buttons and knobs for zoom, exposure, focus, and more. The two-second preview of snapped photos that appears in the viewfinder is an especially nice touch, allowing you to quickly discard a bad picture while staying in photography mode. (iOS) Cassette: The self-proclaimed “Home Video Player” app offers a fun way to revisit all the footage you’ve captured on your iPhone. The app groups your videos by year, presenting them as VHS tapes on a shelf. Tapping on a cassette gives you a stream of auto-playing videos, which you can either swipe through TikTok-style or advance through with the fast-forward and rewind buttons. (iPhone, iPad) Google Vids: Google’s foray into multitrack video editing lets you combine multiple video and audio clips with transitions, voice-overs, and subtitles. Of course, there’s an AI angle, with an option to generate video clips using Google’s Veo 3 model, but otherwise it’s just an easy way to edit videos online for free. (Web) Detail: Apple’s winner for “Best iPad App of the Year,” Detail is a handy tool for professional (or aspiring) content creators. It helps record video in a variety of ways, including making reaction videos and reading script from an on-screen teleprompter, and its AI editor can help trim out unwanted bits. The real power, though, comes from being able to combine multiple iPhones and iPads for things like split-screen video podcasts, live monitoring on an iPad while shooting on your phone, and recording top-down iPhone footage while speaking into an iPad. (iOS, Mac) Camo Streamlight: The free Windows app makes you look better on Zoom calls by surrounding the outer edges of your screen in bright white. It takes inspiration from those ring lights you can attach to your screen, and while the effect is subtle in a well-lit room, it can make a big difference when the room lightning isn’t great. (Windows) Shutter Declutter: If your Apple Photos library is swimming in tens of thousands of images you couldn’t care less about, you’re not alone. Shutter Declutter can help you finally make progress at pruning them. It lets you efficiently swipe to delete the detritus, and reminds you each day to review pictures you took on today’s date in previous years. The fewer fuzzy and/or accidental shots that remain, the more you can enjoy the photos worth preserving. (iOS, iPadOS) Security and privacy UBlock Origin Lite: Apple’s Safari browser finally has the free, open-source, customizable ad-and-tracker blocker it’s been missing. This offshoot of the venerable uBlock Origin does a great job decluttering web pages, and you can dig into its settings menu to tailor the filtering rules to your liking—for instance, to hide cookie notices or social media widgets. The same extension is also available for Chrome. (iOS, Mac) Have I Been Pwned?: For more than a decade, Have I Been Pwned? has been invaluable for checking whether your email and passwords have been exposed in data breaches. (The answer is almost certainly “yes.”) This year, the site added a personal dashboard with a full history of breaches for your email address, the types of data exposed, and optional email addresses for the next time your email is compromised. (Web) Proton Authenticator: Proton’s two-factor authentication app is what Authy used to be before it discontinued its desktop apps. It allows you to set up 2FA codes that add an extra layer of protection to your online accounts, then back up and sync them to your other devices. This makes 2FA more convenient while reducing the odds of getting locked out. (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android) Leisure time WikiTok: This clever website takes the addictive infinite scroll of TikTok and applies it to random Wikipedia pages, so you can swipe through until something catches your interest. The experience is far less scintillating, but that’s kind of the point. Try using it before bed. (Web) Iconfactory Tapestry: If you’re feeling burned out by social media, Tapestry lets you stitch together a chronological feed of your favorite internet content sources. Those can include publications, YouTube channels, Reddit forums, Bluesky accounts, and even custom sources such as a Gmail inbox. (iOS, Mac) Pocket Casts: This venerable podcast player continues to establish itself as the best option that works on any device, not just those made by Apple. This year, Pocket Casts made its web player free, and it syncs your progress from the mobile app for picking up where you left off. It also overhauled its search function, added recommendations for similar podcasts, and launched searchable transcriptions as a paid feature. (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, web) DOSBox Pure Unleashed: This free app drastically simplifies the previously complex task of running old DOS games on your computer. Instead of having to deal with command prompts, you can just drag and drop the files into the DOSBox window and select the .EXE file you want to run. All you need to do beyond that is supply the games, which are easily obtainable from sources like the Internet Archive and My Abandonware. (Windows, Mac, Linux) View the full article

Two years ago, a $575 million battery factory planned in St. Louis, Missouri, was set to be the first large-scale lithium iron phosphate (LFP) facility in the U.S. This November, after the The President administration withdrew a grant for the project, it was cancelled—becoming one of more than 50 major clean energy projects to be scrapped or scaled back in 2025. From January through November, as federal policy turned against clean energy, companies abandoned more than $32 billion in investments, according to the most recent data from E2, a nonpartisan organization that tracks clean energy projects in the U.S. Some companies are still announcing new projects, but lost investments are now outpacing them by three to one. “The scale of cancellations shows how fragile this moment is for America’s clean energy economy,” says Michael Timberlake, director of research at E2. The list includes a new $4.3 billion General Motors EV plant in Michigan that’s being retooled to make gas-powered vehicles, a $3.2 billion Stellantis battery factory in Illinois that was cancelled, and a $2.6 billion battery factory in Georgia that was scrapped by a Norway-based manufacturer, among dozens of other projects. The majority of the cancelled projects are factories, not clean energy generation plants, though some solar or wind farms may not show up on the list because their cancellations are harder to track. (Though there is some evidence the administration is changing its mind about batteries, specifically.) The cuts add up to nearly 40,000 lost jobs, according to E2. Republican congressional districts lost the most large-scale projects, 37 in total. What’s harder to track than cancellations is how many projects might have been announced under different political conditions that now won’t ever break ground. Up until the 2024 election, Timberlake says monthly announcements consistently exceeded $1 billion in investment. Last month, that total was $550 million—less than the value of the cancelled battery project. “We’ll never recover those jobs and those investments that were going to be announced in 2025 under a different political environment,” says Timberlake. “And that’s going to add up over time to a significant loss in step with the rest of the world. We’ve now lost a lot of what could have been, and it’s going to be hard to ever get that back.” It’s not clear yet what will happen in 2026. Still, despite the setbacks, the industry still has strengths. The fact that the list of cancelled projects wasn’t longer “is a good sign of the health of the clean energy economy and how robust it is and how the economics still work,” Timberlake says. Nearly all of the energy added to the grid in 2025 came from solar, wind, or batteries, despite the The President administration’s efforts. As the surge in energy demand continues, driven in part by data centers, clean energy is still a quick, affordable way to meet that demand. And some projects are continuing to move forward. “The market is still there,” he says. View the full article

Damaging climbdown on cutting benefit taught me pensioner spending can be changed, but only with great careView the full article

Culture rot is when everything that once made a company good gradually starts to disappear—resulting in sinking morale, low productivity, lots of gossip, quiet quitting, and overall cynicism. And it can cause big problems for everyone. View the full article

The end of the year is the perfect time to take stock of where you are, what you’re good at, and what you want to develop in the new year. The job market continues to be intense and competitive, so you’re wise to consider hiring trends and how you can best prepare and set yourself apart. There is one skill that tops the list for getting the job, building your career, and becoming indispensable: resilience. Resilience has many forms. At a general level, resilience is about adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness to multiple situations. But when you consider it through a few lenses, it brings terrific focus to what you must be wicked good at for the brightest future. RESILIENCE WITH PEOPLE Topping the list of which skills will set you apart are people skills also known as soft skills. And while they’re called soft skills, they’re actually not soft at all since they are hard to find, hard to master, and it’s hard to get anywhere without them. In particular, a survey by Resume Template found that 24% of hiring managers believe soft skills are most important, followed by 62% who say they are just as important as technical skills. And data from TestGorilla found that 60% of hiring leaders believe soft skills are more important today than they were five years ago. But what’s helpful to consider is that soft skills are really made up of an ability to be resilient with people. When you can listen with empathy, you’re better able to respond. When you can communicate effectively with diverse groups of people, you can get more done. When you can demonstrate teamwork and collaboration, you’re able to move others to action and effectively achieve objectives together. And when you show professionalism through tough issues, you’ll generate a lot of panache. These are all among the top-ranking skills that hiring managers want, according to Resume Template. Ultimately, resilience is required with people because you’ll need to be constantly adjusting to their moods or their styles. You’ll also need to flex your style if you face conflict, staying calm when you feel angry, or finding a way to talk with someone even if you disagree. Build your resilience with people by focusing on listening and tuning in when you’re interacting, rather than getting distracted by devices or your internal chatter. Also ask for feedback from a trusted colleague about how you interact and how you can improve. Look around for people you believe are especially good at building relationships and rapport. Consider how you can learn from what makes them effective, so you can put new strategies into practice. RESILIENCE WITH SITUATIONS Another way that resilience is a primary skill for success is that it helps ensure you’re adaptable to whatever situation you face. You’ll need to be contextually aware, staying in tune with shifts that might be occurring with customers or with an emerging problem. In fact, in the Resume Template survey, problem-solving was one of the top skills that hiring managers are looking for in candidates. You’ll also need to manage time effectively, and this is rarely linear or predictable, requiring flexibility. The project will take longer than you thought, or you’ll need to wait for a teammate to give you key information before you can make progress on your task. Or you may finish with a set of responsibilities more quickly than you planned and be ready to position yourself for what’s next. Time management is one of the most important skills, according to the Resume Template data. Resilience with situations also requires you to take initiative. When you see a barrier, you’ll need to step up and figure out how to get past it. Or when you see an opportunity, you’ll want to lean in, raise your hand, and volunteer to get involved. This kind of approach will get you noticed so you can get promoted or secure the next opportunity. You can think of situational resilience as grit. It’s the ability to stick with things and adapt to what’s needed in the moment. It’s also the ability to be flexible in terms of how you apply your skills based on what the team or the organization needs and based on where you want to head with your career. Build your resilience with situations by staying aware of what’s going on around you in the world, in your organization, and with your customers (whether they’re internal or external). Consistently ask yourself how you need to respond and how you can take initiative with what’s changing. You can also build your situational resilience by reminding yourself that you’re capable and that you can learn all the time. If you stumble, reflect on what happened and make plans for how you can improve. This will keep you in a learning mode and a resilience mindset. RESILIENCE FOR THE FUTURE Resilience is also the most important skill as it relates to your ability to learn, grow, and develop. The landscape of work is changing at breakneck speed, largely because of technology. As a result, the very best candidates are those who can figure out how to make things happen in the midst of uncertainty and keep their skills fresh and continually developing. There is also an element of optimism and energy that is part of resilience for the future. When you’re investing time and effort in your own growth, you’re necessarily anticipating what’s next and planning on where you can go. This is a hope-filled strategy, and people are drawn to others who are powering through and engaged with the team in moving forward together. This is the true essence of leadership, another in-demand skill, in which you’re motivating and inspiring others. When you demonstrate resilience for the future, you’re also staying aware of trends, markets, customers, and competitors. Whatever job you do, you’re constantly sensing what’s changing, what’s coming, and how you can respond. In the Resume Template survey, among the top 10 hard skills that leaders wanted candidates to have were data analysis, project management, and AI. A survey by Resume Builder agrees that AI is the most important skill that hiring managers want to see on résumés. But the nuances of these skills and how they’re applied will change over time. The ability to learn what’s new and flex over time will be most critical to success. Build your resilience for the future by staying optimistic. There are always plenty of barriers as you look forward, but try to focus on the opportunities that are also coming up. Make plans for the new skills you want to learn. Also lean into how you use technology. Try, test, and experiment so you can develop both skills and a point of view about what works best. And engage other people, involving them and sharing the positive energy you’re feeling to move ahead. THE ACTION HERO EFFECT Resilience is an action-hero skill. Think of MacGyver, who was an action hero who could solve any problem to get himself out of thorny situations. Or consider Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible, surviving and achieving the objective no matter the challenge. Resilience allows you to make things happen in spite of challenging colleagues, conflicts, problems with projects, or changes in direction. You won’t avoid difficulty, but you’ll be able to work your way through by adapting, flexing, and demonstrating resilience. Building this ability in the new year will allow you to stand out and set yourself apart whether you’re interviewing for a new job, getting noticed for a promotion, or expanding your credibility in your current role. View the full article

I’m on vacation. Here are some past letters that I’m making new again, rather than leaving them to wilt in the archives. 1. Employer is angry that I didn’t show up for an interview I didn’t know about There is a job I really want. I applied and didn’t hear back for a while. After a few months, they emailed me stating that my interview would be on X date with no time nor location. They had scheduled it for the next day and it was already evening. I wasn’t in town and wouldn’t be back until the next week. I sent an email in reply, letting them know and that I would be happy to reschedule. Fast forward to today, which is five days later. Last night they sent me an email with today’s date, time, and a location for the interview. I am still away and hadn’t checked my email. I only saw it because I woke up this morning with several angry phone calls and emails asking where I was and why hadn’t I shown up yet. My morning is their afternoon, which is when they had the interview set up. I had no idea they had an interview set up! At first I thought the voicemails were for someone else because they didn’t mention my name but the emails do. I have no idea how to respond. Help! It’s bizarre to simply assign the time and date for an interview via an email the night before. Some employers do just assign interview times (which is problematic for obvious reasons — people have lives and other commitments), but it’s absurd to do that the night before the assigned date. Plenty of people wouldn’t even see the message in time (as happened to you), and many/most others would already have commitments for the following day (for example, their current jobs that it’s too late to get time off from). I would rethink your assessment that this is a job you really want. This is an organization that acts without regard for people’s time — and does so in a particularly irrational way. It’s annoying enough to deal with that as a candidate; think about what it would be like to deal with as an employee. But if you really want to pursue the job, you could say, “I typically need a few days notice for an interview because of my work and travel schedule. I’m currently out of town, but will be back on (date). I would love to set up an interview for any time after that, as long as I have a few days notice and time to make sure the time works on both ends.” If they find that very reasonable statement to be overly demanding, please please pay attention to what you’re learning about how they operate. – 2019 2. My coworker showed up at my house when I wasn’t there and served my housemates bad food I’ve been working for my company for two years, alongside my coworker “Laurie.” Laurie’s a bit of an odd bird, but we’ll save the encyclopedia of her antics for another day. When I first started, I was broke and didn’t have a car, so Laurie gained my trust and friendship by sharing some of her lunch and driving me home every day until I was back on my feet. Fast forward to about a month ago, and I’m now working in a different department but we still talk. I went out of town for my birthday, and as I’m eating brunch with my friends, I received a text from my roommates. Laurie is at my apartment, unannounced, feeding my roommates Chinese food that she was “trying to hide from her husband” (it gave my roommates food poisoning) and leaving out gifts for me that were toxic to my cats. She never contacted me saying she was going to do this, and according to my roommates she just invited herself in, which they were very uncomfortable with. I’m mortified. I never invite people over to my place without making sure it’s okay with my housemates first, and the fact she thought her actions were okay in any way has me questioning my friendship with her. I’ve known for a while that she thinks that we’re closer friends than I’m comfortable with, but this crossed a major line. Is this something I can bring up to my boss? And how do I go about it? Nope, but it’s something you can bring up to Laurie. If you raised it with your boss, her first question would be whether you’d addressed it with Laurie directly — and it would look odd (and frankly bad) if it turned out you were complaining to her without first attempting to resolve it directly. Talk to Laurie! Tell her you’re a stickler for making plans in advance and not having guests drop by uninvited and ask that she not do that again. There’s also advice here about creating more social distance with a coworker. (But keep in mind that it’s not unreasonable that Laurie considers you a friend, after sharing her food with you and driving you home every day! Barging into your house without permission and when you weren’t there is decidedly strange and something you can set clear boundaries around, but her overall belief that you’re friends doesn’t sound unfounded.) – 2020 Read an update to this letter here. 3. My coworker pounds on the door while I’m in the bathroom My coworker, Jane, and I have jobs that are very interdependent. She is more or less a salesperson, and sees clients first to sell them things. Then the clients come over to me, and I do paperwork and such with them. I have, for lack of a better term, bathroom problems. I have never been diagnosed with anything, but when I have to go, I have to go. Right then. And it usually takes me a while. I can be in the bathroom for up to 30 minutes sometimes. Needless to say, I find this issue to be kind of embarrassing. If I happen to be in the bathroom when Jane is finishing up with a client who needs to see me, she has this habit of coming into the bathroom and pounding on the door. I’ll say “occupied” or something like that (because I don’t know for sure who it is) and then she’ll then announce to me that I have a client waiting whenever I’m done, and sometimes she’ll ask me how long I think I will be. I do not like to be talked to while I’m trying to use the bathroom, especially about work. Nor do I like being asked how long I think I will be. It really upsets me, probably because I am embarrassed about my problem. A few times, I have chosen to just not respond to the pounding on the door, and she just continues to pound until I say something. Am I crazy? Do I need to just get over it? Or is she as out of line as I think she is? No, you’re not crazy, and you don’t need to get over it — Jane is being really rude! And ineffective — I can’t imagine how she thinks you’re suddenly going to finish up more quickly just because she’s pounding on the door. You should say this to her: “Please don’t knock on the door to tell me I have a client when I’m in the bathroom. I can’t speed things up in there — I’ll be out when I’m able to be out, and it’s weird to have someone pounding on the door and asking me for a time estimate. I don’t want to talk while I’m in the bathroom. Instead, please tell the client I’m not available yet but will be with them as soon as I can.” In fairness to Jane, it’s true that 30-minute bathroom visits are long, and so if that’s regularly delaying clients, the two of you should decide how to best handle that — is there another piece of the process that can happen while you’re indisposed, is there better messaging to use with them, etc.? But the solution shouldn’t be that she just bangs on the door and demands answers from you while you’re on the toilet. – 2019 4. I’m being kept in the dark during my notice period After two years at my current company, I decided to leave. I found a great opportunity and am now in the position of having told my team — who I admire very much — and getting through another three weeks before I move on. I gave my employer and close colleagues six weeks’ notice. I’ve done my best to say my goodbyes in person or through thoughtful email. I’ve created written documentation of what is going on, what I oversee, processes, important contact information, etc. But now, in attempting to organize and strategize with the leadership team around my exit and how to help support my team, there are conversations going on without me and leaving me completely in the dark. This is a pattern and a large part of the reason that I am leaving to begin with, but what am I supposed to do? I have no knowledge or information for my team, yet they are being pulled into transition conversations. Should I just sit silently and not manage anymore? Do I leave early? Do I just tolerate it for that time? I feel so angry and am afraid of letting my emotions get in the way of a professional and graceful exit. It feels like a total assault on transparent communication and I’m afraid of bringing down my already frustrated and wondering-about-the-future team. Do you have any advice? This isn’t that uncommon when someone is leaving — the work often starts moving on without you, before you’re actually gone. That’s okay! It’s not personal, and it’s actually useful for them to start moving on while you’re still there, because if they do run into things they need to ask you, you’ll still be there to ask. That said, it’s a little trickier because you’re a manager and you of course want to be able to fill in your team on what’s going on. If you haven’t already, try saying to your own manager, “My staff are asking questions about what to expect in the transition and I don’t have answers. Can you give me any info I can share with them, or if there isn’t a solid plan yet, can you give me a sense of when they’ll likely hear something?” If that doesn’t produce much of use, then be straightforward with your team (without being grumpy about it): “I haven’t gotten a solid sense of the plans yet, but once I hear something I’ll fill you in. If that doesn’t happen before I leave, then Jane is the best person for you to talk to once I’m gone.” But basically, this is just how it sometimes goes when you’re leaving. Don’t leave early over it or get angry over it— look at it as if you’re being paid to still be available if they need you (which they may not). – 2018 The post I didn’t show up for an interview I didn’t know about, coworker showed up at my house when I wasn’t there, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

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