Author: Gabriela Quintela

Marius Silenskis and Tomáš Halász share expert insights on hiring, communication, and well-being for effective remote team management

Remote work can feel like the eighth wonder, offering comfort, flexibility, and cost savings while empowering workers to manage themselves and their time. However, with great power comes great responsibility, and staying focused when working from home poses a challenge for many. Some have kids, some have dogs, some have both; and then there are the delivery people needing your signature, and personal calls that demand attention… Or maybe you simply can’t fight the temptation to browse random stuff or check your social media, knowing no co-worker can look over your shoulder and see your computer screen. As a manager,…

Explore the key features and aspects of seven tools (Discord, Gather, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Voov Meeting, and Zoom) and find the best fit for your team.

Engaged employees translate to increased profits, higher retention rates, and improved customer service, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2024 Report. The document reveals that within a typical organization, the top-quartile teams or business units on engagement have 78% less absenteeism and 23% higher profitability than the bottom-quartile. Low employee engagement is not just a concern for individual companies, but it also has a severe impact on the global economy: according to the survey, it costs a whopping USD 8.9 trillion, which is equivalent to 9% of the global GDP. The facts and data above are compelling, and…

What comes to your mind when you hear “Sweden”? According to the platform Sharingsweden.se (managed by the Swedish Institute, a public agency), the essence of the Swedish brand is “sustainability, innovation, and democracy.” Sweden is often regarded as an oasis of stability, welfare, quality of life, equality, moderation, and trust. Indeed, amid the world’s many turmoils, you can almost count on the Swedes to be there, peacefully celebrating Midsommar with floral headpieces, savoring juicy strawberries and delectable gravlax, living in functional homes of minimalist design, spending time outdoors and enjoying nature, balancing work and life, awarding Nobel Prizes, and listening…

Maybe you’ve already walked into an office at 10 a.m. and seen employees briefly grabbing coffee before they mysteriously vanish for the rest of the day. Or maybe you’ve noticed that some remote workers keep their messaging app’s green, active status no matter what, even after finishing their workday. These behaviors are not isolated and are two ongoing work trends, referred to as “coffee badging” and the “green status effect,” respectively. They reveal how in-office, hybrid, and remote employees resort to performative displays when the work environment values appearances over actual productivity. According to a recent report from HR software…

As top IT professionals with in-demand skills often juggle multiple offers, a company’s reputation is an increasingly important factor in their decision-making process. To secure tech talent, it has become essential to establish a strong employer brand, which means having a solid reputation as an employer among former, current, and potential employees. Of course, these days, much of the conversation about an employer happens on the internet. There are several websites and platforms where employees and, at times, interviewees can leave reviews or engage in discussions about a company. Glassdoor is arguably the most well-known among them. Other notable platforms…

Since the official end of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2023, the work landscape has seen a surge in return-to-office regulations across different industries — to the disgust of many employees who are reluctant to return to the way things were before. Amazon’s big RTO announcement last September sparked outrage on social media and a wave of “rage apply.” According to a poll conducted by the anonymous job review site Blind, 73% of Amazon staff are considering looking for another job because of the in-office work policy. Amid the intense debate, one aspect that even some ardent champions of remote…

In recent years, intersectionality has become somewhat of a buzzword in conversations about diversity and inclusion. However, its frequent use often comes along with misunderstandings or oversimplifications. Let’s start with what most people agree on: in our society, various characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, ability, immigration status, and economic background shape different experiences of privilege or disadvantage. These characteristics intersect, with some combinations contributing to opening doors and others creating barriers. American activist and professor Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the term intersectionality to refer to how these overlapping identities interact to create unique forms of discrimination or privilege. Even…

The new rules bring new responsibilities for employers, as the burden of proof in pay discrimination cases now falls upon the company.