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 Hiiii, Is it starting to feel like summer yet?? 🌞 I’m doing my absolute best to enjoy the outdoors before it’s like 500 degrees outside. A/C is about to be my BFFL, so I hope you’re staying cool, wherever you are! Anyway, we've got a packed one this week, and none of it is particularly relaxing beach reading, but it’s important nonetheless! We're getting into the alarming data around the disconnect between front-line workers and leadership, which should come as no surprise to HR folks at this point. Chris Hagood is also dropping some gems about what toxic workplaces actually do to people that I will never get tired of hearing, and there's a stat about toxic bosses that’s gonna have you sharing this to your CHRO with zero additional context needed. Basically, the theme is toxic workplaces today! 😅 Sponsored by Quantum Workplace Imagine reviewing data on two managers. 💭 Alex looks like the star with high engagement and strong performance ratings, and Jordan looks like the problem with fluctuating scores and mixed reviews. Naturally, you'd reward one and put the other on a PIP, but you could be wrong on both counts! When you start connecting data in a way that tells the full story, you see that Alex's 1:1s and feedback ratings show he's carrying his team straight into burnout. It's the same data with different insights and opposite decisions! 🤯 Quantum Workplace's free ebook shows what's possible when you finally see the full picture. 🗞️ Here's the Tea: 👀 The disconnect between front-line workers and leadership is growing, report says The TL;DR: Front-line workers and leadership are operating like they're in two completely different companies, and the gap is getting worse. The share of front-line workers who feel understood by leadership dropped from 62% to 42% in a SINGLE YEAR. And 71% of those workers have thought about quitting because of it!! My POV: This is a topic I could write an entire book series about at this point! HR is usually the one stuck in the middle of this disconnect, hearing from both sides and somehow expected to fix a structural problem with a culture initiative and a few good vibes. The compliance risk angle is what I'd be taking straight to the executive team, because saying "our front-line workers feel unseen" doesn't always move the needle, but "67% of executives are reporting compliance risks from shift-level issues" tends to get people's attention real fast! 🎙️Mic Drop Moment: “If you're gonna have the power to say it, you better have the power to put it in writing.”On the mic this week: Chris Hagood is a people strategist, advisor, and creator of The Professional Villain Era. Known for blending HR expertise with sharp observations about identity and leadership, Chris helps orgs navigate people challenges while never shying away from difficult truths. Pin this:
My H*ly Sh*t Moment: The most dangerous thing about a toxic workplace is how easily it can convince you that the damage it caused is actually who you are. Being in survival mode can really rewire your brain, ya know! ▶️ Press Play 📊 Data Is My Love Language: Stat: 6 in 10 workers say their boss is toxic My spiral: The part that gets me is that employees and HR have been asking for leadership training, so this is nothing new. And now, you have companies out here investing more in AI than in coaching actual humans who manage other humans, which is going to hit different if you've ever sat in a budget meeting and watched that exact trade-off happen in real time. Meanwhile, people are quitting and going to therapy over their managers while leadership sits back, wondering why their engagement scores are in the basement. 😒 🛠️ In Your Toolkit If there's one thing I know about you, it's that you are carrying a lot and you rarely get a room where everyone around you actually understands that. 😮💨 That's what the Safe Space Summit is gonna address! Oct 13 - Oct 16 in Huntington Beach, we’re gathering 200 HR people for 3 days of fun in the sun, interesting keynotes and connection unlike anything else. Bonus: it’s free. Yup, you read that right!! Only catch is that you have to submit an application since we genuinely have limited capacity and we’re trying to fill the room with people who are experiencing similar things that you’re dealing with in your day-to-day. 😇 🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF HR people are some of the most capable advocates in any org, and also somehow the ones most conditioned to swallow their own instincts to keep the peace. You know things about your company that nobody else knows, and you have thoughts about what needs to change that you probably haven't said out loud to anyone. “What would you fight for at your company if you weren't worried about your job?” 🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW: The to-do list that lives in your head rent-free is doing way more damage than the one you've actually written down. As you’ve experienced, avoidance has a way of turning small tasks into giant anxiety monsters the longer they sit there unaddressed. So here's something to try tomorrow: “Write down one thing you've been avoiding, then decide: delegate, defer, or drop it.” Sponsored by Go1 Here's a fun fact that might make you wince a little: 👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE  I only needed to read this one time to know the type of exhaustion you feel. 😮💨 Read what members had to say here. See ya on Friday! | |||||||||||
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