Working Conversations

Episode 43: 5 High Performance Communication Habits for WFH It’s been nearly two years since the massive wave of office workers moved into home offices. Like with any transition, habits followed, and some of them not good. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson suggests five high performance communication habits that those working from home should work to develop. Doing so will supercharge your effec...

Episode 42: 7 Ways to Retain Top Talent The massive wave of resignations has not ebbed and in this episode we take a look what managers and organizations can do to retain their high performers and high potential employees. From gratitude to money to flexibility – and not just in work schedules – to where you live to a four day work week and so much more, Dr. Janel Anderson offers compelling strate...

Episode 41: The 5 Toughest Challenges in Managing Remote Workers In this episode we take a look at the most difficult challenges managers face in leading and supervising remote employees. From attracting and retaining talent, to building and maintaining relationships, to burnout, to handling performance issues at a distance, Dr. Janel Anderson covers the big issues. Stick around to the end of the...

Episode 40: Predictions for 2022 Work Life  In this episode, Dr. Janel takes the bold step of making three predictions for work life in the coming year. Her predictions range from how values will impact work life on both the personal and the organizational level, to hybrid work and figuring out WHAT to do when we come to the office and HOW to do it, to the new superpower that leaders must have to...

Episode 39: What We Got Right in the Workplace in 2021 In this episode, Dr. Janel looks back on the year 2021 and culls out the things workplaces got right during the year. While everyone thought the tumultuous year of 2020 would make 2021 feel like a new start, the actual year played out very differently. Dr. Janel acknowledges a few things that really haven’t been addressed in the workplace and...

Episode 38: How to Avoid Burnout During the Holidays (and anytime) The holiday season is upon us and many people will be taking time away from the office. Most people report high levels of productivity right before they leave for a vacation or an extended time away from the office. That extra push of effort could be contributing to burnout that will get in the way of you enjoying those vacation da...

Episode 37: A Sneak Peek into a Typical Week in My Life + My Morning Routine In this episode we deviate from our typical programming and instead, I answer two questions that I get frequently: What does a typical work week look like for you? and What is your morning routine? I take you through last week’s schedule with it’s ups and downs. My week included four training sessions for client organizat...

Episode 36: Get a Jump Start on 2022 For most people, 2020 felt like an unmitigated disaster. Many of us had our hopes pinned on 2021 as being a much better year, but between a pandemic that just won’t quit, lots of people who are quitting (their jobs), and supply chain problems that are snarling up both our businesses and personal lives, it hasn’t really panned out all that much better than 2020....

Episode 35: One Big Thing You Might Be Doing Wrong on Video When it comes to online meetings, trainings and conferences, I’ve seen it all. And more than anything, this one thing gets me riled up: virtual backgrounds that just don’t work. In this episode, I share why virtual backgrounds don’t work. And, for those of you who insist on using them anyway, stick around to the end when I share a few tip...

Episode 34: New Lessons from the Pandemic Think you’ve learned all the lessons there are to learn from the pandemic already? Guess again. In this episode, Janel takes us through some of the most recent lessons she’s learned based on the cascading impact of the pandemic. Global factory shutdowns due to the pandemic, plus local labor shortages in the US equals inconvenience for many Americans. Janel...

In this episode we have a real treat for you: Alix Magner. As we continue examining the Great Resignation, we find people who are creating passion and meaning in their work. My guest this week is Certified Financial Planner, Alix Magner, someone who has NOT been tempted by the Great Resignation. She is full of passion and excitement for the work she does. A self-declared career late-bloomer, she s...

In this episode we continue examining the Great Resignation, this time, by interviewing someone who has made a significant shift in their industry during The Great Resignation. My absolutely delightful guest is Dre Lindsey, a finance professional whose career shifted from retail banking to public sector work. He shares how the shift came about and what it means to him personally and in terms of th...

Episode 31: She’s Not Tempted by the Great Resignation  In this episode we continue examining the Great Resignation, this time, by interviewing someone who is not tempted by the Great Resignation. My guest is Julie Westerlund, a water and soil scientist. She shares her career journey and describes how her commitment to her area of expertise is what has driven her decision to stay put during the pa...

Episode 30: The Great Resignation   In this episode Janel gets an up close and personal account of the Great Resignation in an interview with Pam Longfellow, Senior Project Manager at Be The Match. Pam discusses her decisions to change jobs early on in the pandemic and provides an inside look at the factors she considered when making a change. She offers sage advice for others who are considering...

Episode 29: The Great Resignation   In this episode Janel continues her exploration of the pandemic as it stretches on by looking at the phenomenon of Americans leaving their jobs in large numbers, affectionately known as The Great Resignation. Whether career or organizational misalignment has been present for some time or whether reflecting on one’s priorities as a result of the pandemic, many pe...

Episode 28: The Dark Side of WFH Part 2 – Employees Who Don’t  In this episode Janel continues her exploration of the dark side of working from home and takes on a challenge that she’s heard more and more as the pandemic stretches on: managers getting frustrated and fed up with work from home employees who don’t. Don’t work, that is. She offers some analysis of what might be gong on with work-from...

Episode 27: The Dark Side of WFH Part 1 – SOOO Over Being Alone  In this episode Janel takes on the dark side of working from home. Alongside all the work-life balance promoters who love working from home, are many people who don’t love it. Working from home is not for everyone. While some employees love it and don’t want to give it up, others have found it incredibly socially isolating and are cl...

Episode 26: How to Talk About Returning to the Office  In this episode Janel shares her ideas in a slightly different format. She’s been asked to speak to several of her client organizations recently on how to hold conversations about returning to work in the office environment, whether that be on a rotating/hybrid schedule or a full-time schedule. This episode was recorded live as Janel gave that...

Episode 25: The Big Thing that Needs to Change in Job Descriptions  In this episode, Janel addresses some of the uncertainty and ambiguity that permeates this “new normal” of work-from-home and hybrid work. She presents a revolutionary new idea that will change the expectations of both managers and employees in this brave new world. It’s a simple addition, that comes to us from existing job descri...

Episode 24: Your Step-by-step Reentry to the Office In this episode, Janel takes you step-by-step through a checklist of critical things to address as you venture back into the office. Whether you need to be in the office every single day, on a rotating schedule or (and especially) just once in a while, this checklist will help ensure you make the transition smoothly and easily – wearing clothes t...

Episode 23: Where Am I Supposed to Be: Questions about Hybrid Teams from Managers In this episode, we continue the conversation on hybrid teams as Janel shares the most frequent questions she’s received from managers as they prepare to begin leading their teams in a hybrid work arrangement. From fairness to scheduling to unrealistic expectations above and below, Janel responds to eight of the most...

In this episode we continue the conversation on hybrid teams as Janel shares the most frequent questions she’s received from employees as they prepare to transition from a largely work from home environment into a hybrid work arrangement. From scheduling to logistics like commute time and packing a lunch to a fear of missing out, Janel responds to eight of the most common questions she’s received....

In this episode we turn the tables on the host as Janel is interviewed by a friend and colleague, Jason Hunt, CEO of Eye Squared Leadership. Jason wants to know more about the challenges of returning to a hybrid workplace, as organizations continue to repopulate their buildings. He asks provocative questions and the conversation ranges from the logistical to the emotional challenges of a hybrid wo...

This is part 1 of a 2 part series. In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson and Dr. Amy Jauman, both experts on workplace communication and leadership, continue to tackle the tough questions they’ve been fielding throughout the pandemic and this grand work-from-home experiment. Questions about remote work, hybrid work, sensitive management issues, annoying colleagues and so much more. Originally record...

In this episode, Dr. Janel Anderson and Dr. Amy Jauman, both experts on workplace communication and leadership, tackle the tough questions they’ve been fielding throughout the pandemic and this grand work-from-home experiment. Questions about remote work, hybrid work, sensitive management issues, annoying colleagues and so much more. Originally recorded as part of a St. Mary’s University of Minnes...