I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… If our employees aren’t safe at work, we don’t have the right to be talking about anything else. This is exponentially more true since the pandemic began.

Most workplace policies read like the instructions on a shampoo bottle. “Apply to hair, lather with water, and rinse.” Thank you, Captain Obvious. We write infantilizing company policies to target that one employee, out of dozens or hundreds, who needs that level of detailed instruction on basic human behavior. Let’s call him Chad.

When the concept of anonymous reporting first crossed my radar, I was skeptical. As an HR professional, I believed in creating safe spaces for employees to report any issue. But how was I supposed to investigate or resolve a misconduct issue if I didn’t have all the details? As a business leader, you may share these concerns. But I’m here to tell you, with all respect and sympathy, that I was wrong — and so are you.

I had a conversation the other day with an HRuprise client who’s in a jam. He’s the GM of a close-knit organization built on family connections, whose founder has been exhibiting some problematic behaviors. It’s the GM’s job to hold the founder accountable - but in this intimate setting, it feels way more personal than this GM would like. Sound familiar?

This is a painful time for small business leaders. The Great Resignation has rightly shifted negotiating power into the hands of employees. I for one am celebrating this with no holds barred! But while this power shift is holding corporate America’s feet to the fire, it’s also caught small businesses and startups off guard.

Lots of leaders and entrepreneurs have fantastic business ideas, but feel lost when it comes to hiring employees — especially when they’re first starting out. It can be daunting if you’ve never hired before, especially if your business doesn’t have an HR department.

As an HR leader, I used to think company policies were the most boring part of the job. In fact, when I launched HRuprise I vowed not to let it become just another HR consulting firm that writes employee handbooks. I. WAS. WRONG.

Uggghhhhhh omicron. As a working parent, I just…can’t anymore. Schools are overrun with cases. Teachers are calling out in droves. I’m so damn tired. I never planned to be a stay-at-home mom, much less a homeschool teacher while I build a business. Yet here the fuck I am. Here the fuck we all are.

Rebecca Weaver was a guest on The Leadership Mind podcast. Click to listen!

Well, friends, it was a hell of a year. Again. As I look back, I’m reflecting on not just one, but two years and all that we’ve learned since our lives and careers were hijacked by a deadly disease. The verdict is in: employees are done with being treated like productivity robots. Life is just too damn short.