Managing People at Work

Sign in Subscribe

Managing People at Work

2026 workplace negativity detox starts with you

Is one of your goals for 2026 to create a more positive work environment? Good for you! Such a mission can make a significant impact on morale, productivity and employee retention—especially considering current political, social and economic conditions. Just don’t expect those around you to immediat

11 do’s and don’ts for first-time mentors

Sharing expertise, boosting confidence, assisting in problem-solving, helping to explore career paths... being a mentor provides the opportunity for you to truly make a difference in someone’s life. For those who haven’t held the position before, though, the prospect can be a bit overwhelming. In ho

How to pivot when others derail your time-management plans

While your time-management plans may work perfectly under ideal conditions, life intrudes. Instead of lamenting a lack of control over others, smart managers take steps to improve what they can. Try these strategies.

Avoid these management habits that foster employee dependency

The fastest way to identify a thinking problem on a team is to observe what happens when something goes wrong. If the first move is always “Ask the manager,” the issue usually isn’t a lack of capability—it’s conditioning.

Steps to recalibrate your team after the holidays

The return to work after the holidays presents a management challenge that extends far beyond clearing inboxes. Employees face measurable cognitive strain when resuming high-demand work after extended breaks, and some carry additional weight from family tensions, financial stress or inadequate rest.

Unemployment hits four-year high amid labor market transformation

The latest employment data paints a sobering picture: Unemployment hit 4.6% in November 2025, the highest rate since September 2021, as employers added only 64,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the numbers tell an incomplete story, they reveal a labor market under str

How to bridge the gap between big-picture goals and daily tasks

Many organizations spend a considerable amount of time developing mission statements and devising strategies to achieve those objectives. But while defining who you are as a company and what success looks like is a smart thing to do, the words mean little if employees don’t understand their role in

Why culture lives or dies at the manager level

Many organizations talk about culture as a company-wide priority, but employees experience it much closer to home. The 2025 EY US Generation Survey from multinational professional services network EY shows that culture plays a major role in whether people stay, and employees across all generations a

From boomers to Gen Z: Managing fairly and legally

With four generations intermingling, the modern workforce resembles a holiday dinner table. Baby boomers, Gen Xers, millennials and Gen Zers come together for a common purpose, but their variety of opinions, preferences, abilities and communication styles make for an interesting (though not always h

How managers signal stability when employees fear job cuts

When employees worry about job security, they don’t wait for your all-hands presentation or HR’s email blast, particularly in an uncertain labor market where unemployment has hit a four-year high. They watch what you do, how you respond to questions and whether your day-to-day decisions suggest stab