Workhuman Radio

Leeatt Rothschild is the founder and CEO of Packed with Purpose, an organization dedicated to curating gifts with meaningful impact. She is an expert in employee engagement and an advocate for building human connections in business settings. She joins Steve Pemberton to talk about her company’s objectives and share tips for businesses on how they can express gratitude to their employees.

The Mission

Packed with Purpose is a corporate gifting company on a social mission to create impact by helping organizations and individuals give meaningful gifts to their employees, clients, partners, etc. Each product in their gift boxes comes from a purpose-driven company or social enterprise. Leatt launched Packed with Purpose when she realized that they could impact numerous different communities by sourcing products primarily from the US. Also, recipients of gifts curated by Packed with Purpose are impacted by receiving a gift.

COVID-19’s Impact

Steve asks Leeatt how her company has been affected by the pandemic. Business has increased exponentially during COVID, she reports. More and more companies are seeing the need to express their gratitude to their employees for their continued hard work and productivity despite the challenging circumstances. The silver lining in the pandemic for her company, she says, is being part of an opportunity to do good and connect with other people.

Moving Forward

Steve and Leeatt discuss tips and things for companies to consider when moving forward during and post-pandemic. Due to COVID, people have been forced to work remotely, something previously thought impossible. Leeatt shares ways for employers to keep employee engagement up as well as convey gratitude to employees: part of doing so is expression and the other part is action. The pandemic has also provided a great opportunity for companies and employees to think about their work culture and decide whether it’s a right fit. 

Resources

Leeatt Rothschild on LinkedIn

PackedwithPurpose.gifts

Mary Ellen Slayter is a publisher at Managing Editor magazine and the owner of Rep Cap. Robin Schooling is the Managing Partner in HR and People Strategy at Perdius Group. They join Steven Pemberton to discuss how the world of human resources is navigating through these unprecedented times.

Their State of Affairs

Mary Ellen and Robin describe the minimal impact that the pandemic has had on their businesses. Their companies were already intimately familiar with operating remotely, so there were little to no changes in how they operated. Robin says that her company is still hiring, and Mary Ellen shares that some of her employees have been receiving more work.

HR Professionals are Architects

Steve asks Mary Ellen and Robin what changes they think HR will need to make. Mary Ellen replies that HR has the power of being the architect of the way a company works, which should be embraced to bring about significant change. We need to rethink the way we treat our frontline workers, she says. Current events have made it clear that they are essential, and she hopes that they will be given the pay, dignity and respect they deserve post-pandemic. In addition, current events have also revealed that more flexible, remote work models are achievable. Robin adds that HR teams have been forced to pay attention to the General Duty Clause, and that there is now a heightened need to maintain a safe work environment. The pandemic has created a greater sense of awareness and understanding about employee well-being; we have learned that the stressors people have in their lives intersect with their work and jobs to a large extent. 

Skills

Leaders are discussing what specific skills will be necessary to deal with similar emergencies, Steve says. Robin urges leaders to assess their efficacy during the pandemic in order to highlight and improve those skills, and shares that communication is one of them. 

COVID-19 has highlighted underlying societal and systemic issues that will hopefully be addressed when things calm down, Robin says.

Resources

Mary Ellen Slayter on LinkedIn | Twitter

RepCapitalMedia.com

ManagingEditor.com

Robin Schooling on LinkedIn | Twitter

RobinSchooling.com

Laurie Ruettimann is the founder of HRBooks and LFR LLC. She is also a podcast host, an instructor at LinkedIn, and an author at Henry Holt & Company. She joins Steve Pemberton to share details about her upcoming book, Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career, and to discuss current events.

Working Environments

If, more often than not, you don’t find work enjoyable, it impacts your entire life negatively. Laurie sees it as her mission to help you work in a healthy environment or at least create positive work experiences where a healthy environment is absent. Organizations often push for productivity without acknowledging that their employees are humans and should be treated as such, Laurie says. 

The Effects of COVID-19

The current pandemic has given us a deeper understanding of where contributions live within organizations. Steve believes that there will be a renewed emphasis on appreciation and gratitude for essential workers who aren’t often labelled heroes, but truly are. He adds that this shift in perspective is a social correction that will pull our focus away from things that aren’t important. Laurie says that COVID-19 has presented us with the opportunity to recognize and celebrate our mutual humanness.

Betting on You

Steve asks Laurie to give an insight into what her upcoming book will be about. Betting on You is a guide to taking control of your life, putting yourself first, and being your own advocate, Laurie replies. She shares snippets of topics covered in the book, and the stories behind them. She gives advice to aspiring writers, saying that when writing a book, you should start with micro-stories that help communicate who you are and what you believe in. Not everybody can write a book but everyone has a story to tell, Laurie says. By chronicling your journey, you may inspire others to share their experiences and learn from yours. Oftentimes the pain of our past is a present reality for someone else. 

Resources

Laurie Ruettimann on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

LaurieRuettimann.com

Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career

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