5 Workplace Culture Blogs You Need To Follow

I am all about workplace culture over here. As a freelance writer for human resources technology companies, I often write about company culture and employee engagement. When I am writing this content, I am always looking for new inspiration. I turn to these blogs often for that. If you are interested in workplace culture, keep reading for my favorite blogs!

1) Buffer’s Open Blog

If you are not following Buffer’s Open blog, what are you doing? The Buffer Open blog is seriously one of the best blogs you can read if you are interested in workplace culture and employee engagement. Buffer is so open about everything from employee pay to diversity. Have you seen their transparency dashboard? The team is an open book about what they have going on.

One more cool thing about Buffer? They are a completely remote team! They manage to do so much with their fantastic company, all while having a dispersed workforce. You’ve got to check out this blog!

Must Read Pieces On The Buffer Open Blog

• Closing For 6 Days: Here’s Why We’re Taking The Last Week Of The Year Off As A Company

• Step-by-Step: How We Planned A Retreat For a Remote Team of 75 (seriously one of the most in-depth pieces I have ever read on company retreats!)

• 12 Essential Remote Work Tools We’re Using at Buffer

2) OfficeVibe’s Blog

The team at OfficeVibe is stepping up the content marketing game. They have dozens of pages of content, and it’s all very beneficial, in-depth information. They have a ton of excellent material on things like employee engagement, diversity, random OfficeVibe experiments they are running, and more. You should add this to your blog feed reader of choice (I am fond of Feedly!)

I even scrolled back to one of their first articles, “7 Secrets of Google’s Epic Organizational Culture,” and it was terrific, so you know they have their stuff figured out over at OfficeVibe!

Must Read Pieces On The OfficeVibe Blog

• 5 Game-Changing Diversity and Inclusion Activities for Teams

• The 10 Employee Engagement Metrics That Matter

• 5 Obstacles That Will Stifle Your Recognition Program

3) CultureIQ’s Blog

With a name like CultureIQ, it makes sense that this blog made it on my list of workplace culture blogs.

Do you need quick, easy to digest articles that give you the vital info you need to know about subjects that impact company culture? CultureIQ’s blog is a great place to start for any HR leader who wants to absorb information quickly. The CultureIQ team has talked about some cool subjects since they started like performance reviews, wellness, culture, engagement surveys, et cetera.

I encourage you to check out this blog for some valuable information you can use to catch your HR team up to speed. HR is always changing, so any resource that will help your team understand new concepts/ideas is welcome.

Must Read Pieces On The CultureIQ Blog:

• Employee Engagement: Do Your Benefits Reflect the Diversity of Your Workforce?

• 6 Simple Ways to Improve Workplace Wellness at Your Company

• What is a High-Performance Culture And How Do I Create One?

4) TINYpulse’s Blog

Are you dealing with workplace culture issues? TINYpulse is there to help you understand the various components of your company culture. While the company provides surveying tools for HR professionals, their blog is a valuable space you can go to learn about the things that will help you keep your employees happy and prosperous.

Each TINYpulse article leans on excellent research and visual aids that help you understand the topic at hand. You need to check out this blog for some of their great research on the subject of workplace culture.

Must Read Pieces On The TINYpulse Blog:

• 7 Simple Ways To Motivate Your Employees

• 10 Ways Technology Can Increase Workplace Productivity

• Top 10 Reasons For High Turnover Rates

5) 15Five’s Blog

15Five is an excellent website that helps companies master employee feedback every day. This company also has a fantastic blog that helps companies by sharing relevant information about the things that shape company culture like paid time off, one-on-one meetings, company leadership, and more.

The team behind this company has helped countless companies become better versions of themselves through their feedback and goals platform. Even if you aren’t ready to take the leap and check out their platform, their blog is a fantastic and free resource for human resources professionals.

Must Read Pieces On The 15Five Blog:

• Why Paid Parental Leave And Generous Paid Time Off Benefit Everyone

• How To Prepare Your Employees For The Unknown Future Of Work

• Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Employee Feedback But Were Literally Afraid To Ask

Conclusion

There are a plethora of workplace culture blogs out there, and I couldn’t mention every single one. These blogs are a great place to start if you are looking to upgrade your HR knowledge today. As an outsider to this field, I depend on awesome blogs like the ones I’ve mentioned to get me up to speed on the latest HR trends and topics. I love this field, but I couldn’t be a great writer for HR technology companies without the help of excellent content like I shared today.

I am always looking to delve deeper with workplace culture and employee engagement. Do you have any other blogs I should read? Feel free to leave a comment with your best workplace culture reading recommendations!

How To Attract And Retain Quality Employees

Attracting and retaining quality employees is not easy. You may be so worried about just filling a vacancy that you don't have time to worry about employee quality. I completely understand that mindset, but that thought-process won't work. Hiring is expensive. Did you know that in some industries, hiring a worker could cost as much as $5,000+ per hire? That's a lot of money! The cost to hire isn't the same in every industry, obviously, many times this cost can be much lower. Either way, though, you are still spending quite a bit to hire talent.

Bad hires impact our companies more than just by leaving a vacancy. When you are short-staffed, this could lead to:

• Lower productivity

• Negative employee morale

• Negative client interactions

That's just the tip of the iceberg! You need to hire quality employees because your company depends on it, especially if you work in a small business. So, let's figure out how to attract and retain those quality employees.

Before We Get Started

I recorded a podcast version of this article for you, if you ever want to listen to this article on the go:

Also, if you ever need any human resources content written for your company, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I love researching this topic and writing helpful guides just like this one.

Related Reading: Fifteen Effective Human Resources Blog Post Topics by Amanda Cross Co. (hey, that's me!)

How To Attract Quality Employees As A Company

First, let's talk about how to attract those employees to your company. If you want to attract high-quality talent, you need to focus on culture, stellar recruiting, and the benefits you offer employees.

Evaluate Your  Company Culture

Company culture is everything! No one wants to work in a toxic environment, no matter how much you pay them to do so. They may stick around to collect their check, but they will not be staying long much longer after they have found a new place to work.

I know you may have had a job with unspoken rules. Rules like:

• That group of people is always promoted.

• Reply all should never be used.

• We always celebrate all our birthdays once a month.

• You should never approach that person with questions.

Not all of your company cultural practices are good. You may have a fantastic company culture or a less than stellar one. If you want to retain quality employees, though, you have to work on the culture and politics of your work environment.

Related Reading: 5 Simple Ways to Assess Company Culture by The Engage Blog

Make Your Company Vision, Values, And Goals Known On Your Website And Social Media Pages

Now, it's time to be honest with your potential employees. You need to sit down and set your company vision, values, and goals. What does your company look like? When you set your company vision, values, and goals then proclaim them on the internet, you will attract the talent that agrees with those statements.

Do not lie when setting these items for your company. You have to be able to follow through on the vision, values, and goals you have for your company. You don't have to be there yet, but you can't be so far off that those statements aren't even on your radar.

An example of lying to attract employees? Maybe you say that you value ambition, but the company structure you have stifles it through a lack of ways to be promoted. You may have those issues when you sit down to proclaim your values, but once you say something is a value, you need to act like it.

Related Readings: How To Create Your Company Vision by Cleverism; 190 Brilliant Examples of Company Values by The 6Q Blog; The Ultimate Guide to Small Business Goal Setting by The Balance Small Business

Create A Referral Program For Employees

Your employees know best! An employee referral program will give your employees the tools they need to refer their friends and acquaintances to work for your company. If you already have an amazing batch of employees, why not let them take the wheel on recruiting for you?

When you create these referral programs, you are giving your employees the chance to become brand ambassadors for your company. We know that hiring can be expensive, so you may even want to provide them with a bonus if someone they recruited is hired.

So, how do you make sure that employees are acknowledged as being the person who recruited an employee? Well, you could give the employee a form to fill out with their recommendations so you can reach out to the potential employee, or you can put a "Were you referred by an employee? If so, who?" question in your job application. Either way, you want to make this process as easy as possible for everyone, that way you are guaranteed to receive quality referrals.

Related Reading: How to Create An Employee Referral Program by Emplo; 6 Ways To Build An Employee Referral Program That Works by Workable

Recruit Constantly

There are many usual places to recruit, but you never know when you may find someone who would be an excellent fit for your company. You should create a recruiting-themed business card using a site like Moo or Vistaprint. When you have a conversation with someone you think would be a great fit for your company, give them a card.

You never know when you might go into recruiting mode. You could be in the line at the grocery store, at the library, or even at a coffee shop. It's important to recognize those people who could be hidden gems for your company. Once you find those hidden gems, talk with them, and get them to at least fill out an application so you can learn more about them.

Related Reading: 29 Creative Ways to Find Employees Online & Off by FitSmallBusiness

Pay For Quality Employees

While I have and will talk about how money isn't everything, you still need to pay your employees appropriately. If you want to attract quality talent, you need to pay them a decent wage. Salary is significant because if your employees don't have enough money to survive and thrive, it's hard for them to get excited about your job.

If you are a smaller business, it may be hard to provide fantastic compensation. Along with a decent salary, offer a path to yearly promotions, and maybe even a tiny percentage of the company if you have a small, scrappy team. This will help you create some salary incentive without paying everything up front.

Related Reading: 7 Reasons You Should Pay Your Employees Above-Average Salaries by Inc.; The Importance of Pay Philosophies by Salary.com

Offer A Nice Benefits Package

What will you offer your employees besides financial benefit? Money is fantastic, but as we covered earlier, even a decent salary won't keep quality talent. Here are just a few benefits you might consider:

• Education Budget: Will you invest in your employee's future education by allowing them to take college classes, online courses, attend conferences, etc.?

• Technology Stipends: Technology is critical for employees. By providing a technology stipend, your employees can get the pieces of tech that will make their jobs easier.

• Healthcare: We all know that healthcare isn't cheap, providing decent healthcare can be an amazing benefit to your employees.

• Paid Time Off: We all want to take a vacation now and again. By providing PTO, you are helping your employees soak up the sun in financial peace.

• Maternity/Paternity Leave: It's not all about the mothers, both moms and dads want to be home with their children for a while, without fear of losing their job.

• Work/Life Balance: Your employees shouldn't have to carry a ton of baggage home with them. Make sure they can leave their inbox and problems at work!

Related Reading: Top Workplace Incentives Your Employees Actually Want by Aventr

Create A Breezy, Informative Application Process

Have you ever lost a quality employee because you didn't keep them informed during the application process? As a potential employer, it's your job to make the application process as comfortable as possible.

What does this mean? You need to keep your employees updated on your company actions! Lucky for you, there are a lot of ways to automate this process. One of the biggest things you can do is send out an automated thank you note soon after you get an application from an applicant. In that note let them know that you are excited about their interest, give them a brief overview of the hiring timeline, and let them know you'll be in touch.

I know that managing hundreds and sometimes even thousands of applicants can be overwhelming. Communication with applicants is vital, though, because you never want to lose a great employee to a competitor because you didn't keep them in the loop.

Related Reading: 5 Steps to Improve Communication with Applicants by ApplicantPro

How To Retain Quality Employees As A Company

Now that we have talked at length about attracting quality employees let's talk about keeping them at your company. It's not just about attracting high-quality talent; your company needs to be ready to keep those talented people once you have them. Let's see what it takes to do just that.

Create An Amazing Onboarding Process

Onboarding is essential. The way you introduce an employee to your company sets the tone for how the rest of their time with you will be. You want to make a strong first impression!

So, this is where you need to work closely with the HR department to get your employees up to speed with your company culture, trained to do their job, and excited about the months ahead.

Now, many tools can help you with onboarding. You need a tool that's easy for you and your employees to use. You also want something that makes it easy to gather all your paperwork in one place. New hires take a lot of paperwork, and you don't want to miss anything.

WorkBright is a potential tool you may want to consider using for your company. It helps make the onboarding process more manageable and paperless! You can upload all your necessary documents, it sends your new employees reminders to fill out paperwork leading up to their hire date, and it just helps your process move much faster.

Remember, onboarding doesn't stop in the first week of an employee being there. You need to create a more intensive program so that you understand the needs of your employees and you can watch them grow!

Related Reading: New Employee Onboarding Guide by the Society for Human Resources Management

Invest In Your Employee's Education

Now that you have a wonderful set of new employees onboarded, you need to invest in their education. You should never want employees who cease learning when they get in a position at your company. Your industry is continually changing, and if your company doesn't become a leader, you become a follower. Worse than a follower, though, your company could become obsolete. It's important to keep up with the Jones' in a sense, but more so when it comes to education, over which CEO has the fanciest car.

Here are some ways to invest in your employee's education:

• Offer an education budget (like we talked about earlier in the benefits section.)

• Create online courses that teach your audience more than just how to do their jobs correctly.

• Get a monthly speaker to come to your office to educate your employees about industry topics.

• Host a yearly retreat for your employees with lots of education built in.

• Produce a monthly educational industry newsletter for your employees with the information they need to know.

Related Reading: Why It Is Essential To Invest In Employee Education by CultureIQ

Create A Mentorship Program For Your Employees

I know what you are thinking, "My employees will naturally find their mentors, why do I need to offer a program for this?" Well, because not all of your employees will naturally find a mentor, and even if they do it could take weeks for that to happen. What happens during the first few weeks of their employment when they feel that they don't have anyone to talk to?

You should create a simple six-month to a year mentorship program for your employees. Here's a timeline of how that six-month program might work.

Note: This is just a suggestion, not a definite mentor plan. You want to research mentorship programs so that you can make the best decision for your company.

• You pair up your employee to a higher-up employee that you think they will get along with based on the interview process.

• Your higher-up employee reaches out to your new employee during their first week to set up their first meeting.

• For the first month or two of the mentoring program, your employees meet weekly and chat over email/text (whichever they prefer.)

• During month three and four, your two employees meet at least every two weeks and have email/text conversations

• During the last two months, your employees meet at least once a month along with discussions via email/text.

• At the end of six months, you and your two employees have a conversation to address the mentorship program, how it went, and how it could go better.

• Your employees can either decide to continue with the mentor relationship, be friends, or whatever they'd like to do.

Related Reading: How to Design an Employee Mentorship Program That Doesn’t Suck by Hubspot

Provide A Path To Success For Each Employee

After each employee has been at your office for a few months, you and their immediate manager should be able to understand more about who they are and how you can help them.

At this stage, after your employees have settled into their new roles and you can evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, you should sit down with each employee to develop a path to success with them. In this conversation, you can ask them things like:

• What do you struggle with that you feel wouldn't be a struggle if we had more effective policies and procedures? How would you fix those issues?

• Is there any part of your current job that makes you particularly excited in the morning?

• Have you gotten to see what other people do in the company? Are there any jobs they do that excite you?

• Do you have any programs that you'd like to see implemented in the office?

• What is your vision for your department or this company in three years?

Once you get them talking about what they love, their struggles, and their hopes/dreams you will get a better picture of how they can succeed at your company. Maybe you have a scholarship program they should apply for, or you may even want to slightly change their position or build a role for them to go further in your company.

You should prepare you and your employees for this conversation. You may find some answers you don't want to hear, but you could also find more clarity in your business.

Related Reading: 5 Steps To Creating Employee Development Plans That Truly Work by Insperity

Listen To Employee Feedback And Act On It

When people are told to listen to feedback, often they listen, but they don't act. You can listen to complaints and feedback until the cow's come home and do absolutely nothing about what you are hearing.

Employees don't want to just be heard, they want to be acknowledged, and they want you to make changes to your company based on that feedback.

Employee feedback isn't always easy to implement. Sometimes it takes time, and employees understand that. The best thing you can do is say something simple:

"Thanks for your feedback about _____. We are currently working with _______ to figure out how we can resolve this issue. I will update you in ______ with more information."

If you need more time on that date, alert them with a more actionable date. Don't use this to keep kicking the can down the road.

You don't have it all together. You can pretend that you do, but when real life takes hold of our ideas, it often shakes it up. Listen to your employees and use that feedback to grow your business!

Related Reading: How To Get, Process, and Act On Employee Feedback by Process Street

Find Ways To Acknowledge And Reward Quality Employees

People are not praised for a job well done enough. It's easy to talk to employees about what they are doing wrong, but have you ever stopped to think why we don't encourage and praise employees enough? Think about your last few interactions with employees: how many of those were neutral or negative, how many positive?

There are a few ways you might go about implementing this positive acknowledgment. You might strive to have at least 3-5 positive, reward-themed interactions with your employees each day, or you might use technology to help people feel appreciated.

One Slack integration that I love for feedback and rewards is Disco. Disco allows anyone at your office to give stars to other people for a job well done. On the backend, you can see who your companies rising stars are as well as the people supporting their coworkers with lots of stars. Disco isn't free; you pay per employee per month or year. There is a free trial so that your team can sign up to see if it's right for you!

Related Reading: 39 Thoughtful Employee Recognition And Appreciation Ideas For 2018 by SnackNation

Check In With People Who Seem To Be Disengaging

Did you know that only 1/3rd of the American workforce is engaged in their work? Now, this isn't always a bad thing, but you want a workforce that is as involved as possible.

One way to retain employees is by reaching out to people who seem to be disengaging. It may have nothing to do with your company. Your employees may be they are dealing with issues at home that bleed into work! You still need to check in on your workers though. You don't want them facing problems when they could just as quickly come talk to someone who works at your company.

Approach the topic delicately. Don't call anyone out in a public meeting. Call your employee into your office and have a serious conversation one-on-one. Give them a space to chat about their issues, and help them come up with a plan to move forward and re-engage with your company.

When it comes to engagement, an outstretched hand is your best weapon.

Related Reading: 10 Employee Engagement Statistics in 2017 You Can’t Afford to Ignore by Aventr

Conclusion

Whew! We talked about a lot of topics today! Attracting and retaining great employees is critical for the growth of your company, and I hope today's blog post has helped you grow closer to that.

Employees are your greatest asset. Instead of treating them like pawns in a chess game, you should treat them like humans who will help you advance your companies vision. You cannot run a company by yourself!

What are your best tips for attracting and retaining quality employees?

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Fifteen Effective Human Resources Blog Post Topics

As you all know by now, one of my favorite areas to write content for is human resources. I started my love affair with human resources content last year when I wrote a few pieces for the excellent company, Aventr, which is an employee engagement Slack integration. Since then I have written content for a couple of different companies in the HR world (and I am always looking for more HR clients whether you are an HR tech company, HR expert, or something in between. Check out my hire me page for my services and contact me for more information.)

Today, I wanted to delve deeper into this world of human resources by offering 15 human resources blog post topics that you can tackle on your website today. I hope these topics get your brain churning for what posts you could write on your blog.

Let’s get started!

1. X Tips For More Effective Group Meetings

We have all gone to one of those meetings that could have been an email. That's never a fun experience for anyone involved. Running a useful meeting is a learning curve that we all have to face if we want to be taken seriously by employees. This post will break down how to have an effective group meeting so you can showcase your experience running meetings that everyone loves to attend.

Thought Starters:

• How to create an agenda for the meeting, so people know what's happening.

• Don't host meetings just because it is tradition, have a reason for the meeting.

• Make sure everyone knows proper meeting protocol so you have civil meetings where you can get through things without talking over people.

2. X Cheap Snacks You Can Stock For The Best Office Kitchen Ever

A perk that many offices are investing in is the food in office kitchens. You don't have to supply anyone's full lunch, but having a few snacks around the office like chips and granola bars never hurt anyone. Share some cheap office snacks you love stocking in the cabinets or fridge at your job. Extra points if you can link directly to where people can purchase the snacks.

Thought Starters:

• Create a few different categories in your snacks post. (For example: Snacks Under $5 per serving, Snacks $5-$10 per serving, etc.)

• Get over people's possible complaints about stocking snacks. Talk about the importance of snacking throughout the day on productivity and health.

• Think about allergies and alternative diets. Either steer away from snacks with gluten, nuts, etc. or mark them. You may also want a section for vegetarian or vegan snack options.

3. How To Incorporate A Flexible Work Week Without Losing Productivity

Many companies are experimenting with four-day work weeks or work from home arrangements. These can be an extremely beneficial perk, but there is fear around losing productivity in these flexible schedules. Create a blog post about the best ways to be a flexible employer while prioritizing productivity.

Thought Starters

• What have you done to prepare your workers for a flexible work week? Be sure to include this advice in the article.

• There are so many different types of flexible work weeks. Be sure that you give lots of examples of how this flexibility could come to fruition in the workplace.

• How do you measure productivity to make sure it stays consistent? What would you tell other employers about measurement and keeping tabs on workers without micromanaging?

4. X Signs You Are An Awful Boss (& How To Become A Boss People Admire)

There are many blogs addressed to employees on how to spot a bad boss, but there are far fewer blogs on how to tell if you are a terrible boss. I like this topic idea because it not only shares some signs that the reader is a bad boss, but it shows them how to fix it, or at least become a more admired boss. Most people don't set out to become a lousy boss, but over time work effects them. Set the record straight on what makes people a great boss so we can have more awesome managers in the world.

Thought Starters:

• Tell a story! We have all had a bad boss in the past. Let the reader know how it is working under a bad boss and let them see the flipside of their behavior.

• Share statistics. Working under a tyrant or a bully is no fun and can have real side effects. If the boss cares about the company, they should turn around quickly.

• Stop sugarcoating. Don't yell at the reader, but be honest. This is no time to soften the blow. Sometimes you have to be stern with your readers and give them the information their workers may have been too afraid to share.

5. X Reasons People Aren't Taken You Seriously As A Leader

Being a new leader is frustrating. Each team you lead is different, and there isn't exactly a handbook on being the best leader ever. For most new leaders, there is a long road of trial and error ahead. Shed some light for new leaders and share with them how to be taken seriously as a leader, especially when they are young.

Thought Starters:

• Share some things that take away from your credibility as a leader. What should new leaders be looking out for?

• What's one simple trick that new leaders can do to be taken seriously? There are no shortcuts in life, but if you have any quick suggestions, that's always awesome.

• What has your transformation been like? We have all been young before, so if you have a story of how you transformed from a fresh-faced, young leader to one who was taken seriously, that's a definite plus for the article.

6. How To Set Your Office Up For Productivity While Showcasing Your Personality

Whenever I get a new office, one of my favorite things to do is decorate my new space. You can tell a lot about a person by how they decorate their office, and when I worked as a graduate assistant, one of my favorite things to do was to see how my professors decorated their office. Trinkets are cool, but you still need to get work done in your office (as that's what it's for.) How do you balance between a quirky space to showcase your personality and a productive office?

Thought Starters:

• How much quirk is too much quirk? Should you keep office decoration to a minimum or become a part-time interior decorator?

• What things in your office make it the most productive? What couldn't you live without when it comes to getting work done daily?

• Should employers provide a decorating budget for employees? Do you think this could have a positive impact on closeness to work?

7. X Inexpensive Ways To Celebrate Office Birthdays

Ahh, the office birthday! I never pass up an opportunity for cake, and I am sure most people feel the same. It can be difficult to celebrate everyone's birthday though. This post would go in-depth on celebrating so you can transform office birthdays from a money suck into a celebration that everyone's excited about.

Thought Starters:

• What tools do you use to remember everyone's birthday? Do you opt for Facebook stalking, a Slack integration like BirthdayBot, or do you look at employee forms when they apply to your job?

• When do you celebrate office birthdays? All at once during one day a month or do you create smaller celebrations?

• Do you get anything for workers celebrating birthdays or do you bring some food into the office?

8. The #1 Thing That Helped Us Cut Our Employee Turnover Rate

Employee turnover is the absolute worst. The cost of continuously hiring and onboarding new employees can be detrimental to growing businesses. You may not have all the answers, but doing a deep dive on one thing you did to reduce employee turnover would be fantastic.

People love a quick win. You can use this same quick win blog post method to talk about other topics like increasing employee engagement, onboarding new employees, or getting your office finances in order.

Thought Starters:

• How much does your method of cutting employee turnover rates cost? If this is something that didn't take any money at all, you have to share that with the world on your blog!

• Statistics are key. Your readers don't need all the receipts but paint them a story they can hold on to as they read your post.

• Get some quotes from people in your office that show how this method worked on them. Don't just tell the audience, show the audience that your approach is incredible. This is the only method you are discussing in this blog post, after all.

9. X Things You Should Look For In Any Job Candidate

It seems like there is a never-ending stream of job candidates out there. Some have all the right qualifications on paper, but when you meet them in real life, something seems off. Many employers are leaning toward hiring people who work well with others over people who have all the right skills. Shed a little light about how you hire. What are the things you require of your potential employees?

Thought Starters:

• Give some examples: Show how your hiring practices have manifested in real life. Don't use real names of course and change some details to keep everyone safe!

• Acknowledge that skill is at least somewhat relevant. It's not always the primary factor, but a person who hasn't gone to school for medicine won't become a doctor in a hospital.

• Keep the list short, but go in-depth on each part of the list. You don't have to share everything you look for, but don't be afraid to share some details.

10. How To Be A Stellar Team Player In The Office Even If You Are Not A Morning Person

There are two types of people in the world: people who are naturally chipper in the morning, and everyone else. Unless you have an extremely flexible job, one of the downsides of an office job is the morning commute and waking up extra early to be on time. We all need advice on how to be a little more excited in the morning. Share the secrets you or your officemates use to becoming a morning person (or at least sort of a morning person.)

Thought Starters:

• What does your morning ritual like? Do you do certain things every day? How did you develop this routine?

• If you are not a morning person, how do you combat your tendencies, so you get work done in the morning?

• What advice would you give to people who have to wake up extra early, like commuters, who need to have some quick and productive wins in the morning?

11. How To Get Your Team Out Of A Creative Rut

There are many benefits to creativity in the workplace, especially when your team is tasked with pitching current and potential clients. Even the most creative people run into roadblocks every blue moon. When that happens, it's essential to have a few tricks up your sleeve for dealing with ruts. This post will help many managers lead their teams to victory when it comes to creativity.

Thought Starters:

• Focus on a variety of ways to get your team out of a creative rut. Your first suggestion may be to switch up your space, but what if you don't have the flexibility or money to make that happen? Think about tips to help a variety of businesses.

• Be a little scientific. Don't be afraid to summarize some psychological research on creativity. Your readers will love that you aren't focused solely on anecdotes.

• Take your reader's on a journey. Sympathize with them. Show them how creative ruts have played out in your company and truly paint a picture for your audience while giving them the keys to solving ruts in their office.

12. Should Your Company Take A Stand On Political Issues?

We are living in incredibly divisive times. Often it's easy for bigger companies to take a political stand, while small businesses are left high and dry because they need all of the current customers they can get. How do you walk the line between standing up for what you believe in and getting customers to come through the door?

Thought Starters:

• Share your thoughts and experiences. How has taking a stand (or not taking a stand) affected your bottom line?

• What is one thing that companies can do to take a stand without alienating the other side? Is it possible to take a position without alienation now?

• Who is taking a stand the right way? Do a little case study on companies big and small who are taking a stand without damaging the brand they have built.

13. X Tips For Managing Diversity In The Workplace Without Tokenism

Ah, diversity, something companies love to add in their mission statement. Often companies who claim to be diverse, though, lack in many ways that would make them genuinely diverse. One person of color or one woman on your board does not make you diverse. When diversity comes in such small doses, it's easy for those people to become tokens. Has your business truly focused on diversity initiatives? Well, share your expertise with the world! Many companies and leaders truly need to read your insights. For example, look at this wonderful article from HBR about what this company learned from creating a diverse workplace.

Thought Starters:

• Think about diversity dynamically. Yes, it can be about adding people of color to your workplace, but there are so many other types of diversity to consider. Diversity in gender, thought, income background, school background, etc.

• Are there some thought leaders on diversity that you can turn to? Look for people who have talked about how diversity shaped their office and share their quotes in your article.

• Be open about the process. Truly investing in diversity initiatives might make some people in your company upset, and you need to be honest about potential backlash.

14. X Mistakes All New Companies/Startups Make & How To Learn From Them

We all make mistakes. Starting a company on your own can be intimidating and lonely. Small businesses can make a significant impact on the economy, though, so it's important to make sure that more small businesses are thriving. Share your mistakes, how to learn from them, or even how to avoid them entirely in this post.

Thought Starters:

• Appeal to your reader. We have all heard the same lessons from our parents throughout our lives, but for some reason, it was like we were destined to make the same mistakes. Show your readers about why they shouldn't make these mistakes.

• Be honest about the cost of these mistakes. Did you lose a grant, a year of your business, or did you get in trouble with the government? Include the negative consequences that lead you to know that these mistakes were more than just minor mishaps.

• If you share other people's mistakes, don't make it cliche. Name them, get quotes, and point to an actual person versus just a buddy you knew. It's hard to appeal to your readers if you aren't forthcoming with the examples you are using.

15. X Perks You Can Offer Your Employees That Won’t Break The Bank

One of the first human resources articles I ever wrote was talking about the trend of the "open office" as something that employers offered employees. In this article, I chatted about how this goes far beyond an open floor plan and cool office perks and instead references the transparency that workers want. Yes, ping pong tables are cool, but to be honest, there are many more perks that employees actually want such as a clear pathway to success in your company or work/life balance.

You could spend thousands of dollars on office perks your employees might love, or you could work on the ones your employees genuinely want and need. Share your thoughts on how you can work with employees to create office perks that are truly spectacular.

Thought Starters:

• Keep your list small. When it comes to a list like this when you are trying to avoid breaking the bank, the more perks you add, the more suspicious your list becomes. There aren't honestly 20 perks you can offer that won't break the bank. Try to focus on the BEST perks and keep your list under 5!

• What are/were your favorite perks of your job? Dig deep to think about the ones that had the biggest impact on your career and life. Write about those in this article.

• Implementation is key. Focus on advising your readers on how they can implement these perks in their offices, not just talk about them.

Conclusion

What a journey we have been on today! Human resources is a great topic to discuss online. We can all learn from each other so that we can build a future we can all be proud of. I know that you have the power to create a workforce that is happy, healthy, and diverse in thought.

What was your favorite human resources topic we discussed today?

I have SO many more HR blog ideas so you can look out for a part two coming out on the blog in the next few months.