Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges

 

Question: I didn’t have a home office when my employer issued WFH orders last March, but I managed to set up a niche in my apartment for work. By December, the space had accumulated 9 months’ worth of clutter from things like office supplies, books, boxes, and papers. The messier my workspace got, the more anxiety I had about dealing with it. So, I spent an entire day during the last week of 2020 tidying it up. I feel so much better, but I’m afraid that I’ll slide right back again. How do I keep from repeating a pileup of pandemic clutter?

(more…)

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges

 

Question: Help!  I have an underperformer who thinks she’s doing great.  I inherited her from another department after a recent downsizing effort, and she’s completely unaware that her performance is not at the level that it needs to be. I really need every one of my team members to perform well, so I really need advice on how to help her improve her performance.

(more…)

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges

 


Question: I was hired as an intern with the HR team at a public accounting agency when I was a senior in college.  They offered me a full-time position as soon as I graduated two years ago, and I’ve been working there since.  Both COVID and the racial unrest that we’ve experienced this year have greatly increased my workload.  In addition to my normal role, I was asked to add protocols to our Health & Safety Procedures and serve on the new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Steering Committee.  I’ve been putting in a ton of extra hours on these projects and keep up with my regular workload, and I’m starting to feel serious fatigue. On top of that, my manager often volunteers me at the last minute for additional tasks, and, although I say no in my head, I can’t seem to tell her no.  Do you have any advice for how to how to push back without getting passed by?

(more…)

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges



Question: I started a job at a large nonprofit in April. I worked remote for the first few weeks then was told that my team needed to start working together for a few days each week.  We were told that masks, social distancing, and handwashing would be strictly enforced. Soon after we returned to work, the executive director and other senior directors started taking their masks off.  In staff meetings, people pull down their masks to talk. I live with my aging parents and don’t want to infect them, but I can’t afford to lose my job either.  How do I stay safe at work without looking like the mask police?

(more…)

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges


Question: I’m beginning to notice that, because of the course that 2020 has taken so far, the managers who I work with have developed a new level of fear that could actually drive our firm out of business. The time that we should be using to brainstorm is now overrun with why we can’t or shouldn’t pivot. What can I do to help re-spark my team’s ability to innovate?

(more…)

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky Solutions

Sticky solutions to your everyday business challenges


Question: I manage a team of seven for a marketing agency on the east coast.  One of my team members was struggling with performance before the pandemic, and he hasn’t improved since we’ve been working remotely. He came to us with glowing recommendations from his previous employer, and I’m not ready to give up on him. Can you give me any tips on how to manage an underperformer remotely?

(more…)