Workplace Perspective Raising the Bar at Workplaces Everywhere!®

Today's guest is Dr. Natale M. Marr, Clinical Psychologist, and Life Transition Expert at Learn to Love Your Story. Teresa and Dr. Natale talk about "Selfish is the new Selfless."

In this episode, Teresa and Dr. Natalie discuss what it means to be selfish and how sometimes the best thing that we can do for ourselves and those around us, is to put ourselves and our well-being first, in order to be the person everyone else needs us to be.

Dr. Natalie gives us her Tips for Getting on the Road; being aware, being compassionate, and making empowered choices.

For more information on Dr. Natalie or to connect with her, click here.

The idea that, honestly to be selfless, you have to be dialed into your self care"

Dr. Natalie M. Marr

Episode Timeline

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:40Rethinking selfish

11:00Break and Public Service Announcement

11:35Tips for Getting on the Road

23:58Teresa’s Closing Remarks

In today's episode, Teresa gives her annual Legal Update for changes happening on January 1, 2024. Out of the 1,046 bills sent to Governor Newsome for signature, 890 were signed and 156 were vetoed. 80 employment-related bills were signed with 26 vetoed. All bills, except those designated as emergency measures or as otherwise noted, take effect January 1, 2024. 

Legal Update Topics Discussed Today:

Minimum Wage Increases - The minimum wage in California will increase to $16.00 an hour. (Review the UC Berkeley Labor Center’s detailed list of local minimum wage ordinances for additional guidance.)

AB 2188 Discrimination in Employment: Use of Cannabis (Chapters 2 and 5) - AB 2188 makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment, or otherwise penalize an individual if the discrimination is based on the individual’s use of cannabis off the job and away from the workplace.  

SB 700 – Employment Discrimination: Cannabis Use (Chapters 2 and 5) - SB 700 expands existing lawful use of cannabis outside the workplace by making it unlawful for an employer to take any adverse employment action (i.e., take any action that would negatively impact the employee’s terms or conditions of employment) against an employee for off-duty cannabis use.

Fair Chance Act (Ban the Box) Regulation Update (Chapter 2) - The California Office of Administrative Law approved amendments to the California Fair Chance Act regulations, as proposed by the California Civil Rights Council. These changes impact employers with five or more employees and involve inquiries into an applicant's criminal history before a job offer or in other subsequent employment decisions (e.g., promotion, training, discipline, layoff, and termination) and the criminal history of current employees.  

SB 497 – Protected Employee Conduct (The Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act) (Chapter 4) - SB 497 amends various sections of the Labor Code by creating a rebuttable presumption in favor of an employee’s claim of retaliation if the employer takes any adverse action against the individual within 90 days of the employee’s having engaged in protected activity. 

SB 616 – Sick Days: Paid Sick Days Accrual and Use (Chapters 4 and 5) - SB 616 amends the Healthy Workplace, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (HWHFA) by increasing accrual/frontloading paid sick leave mandates from 24 hours (3 days) to 40 hours (5 days) and increasing cap amounts to 80 hours.  

SB 848 - Leave for Reproductive Loss (Chapter 5) - SB 848 makes it unlawful for a covered employer to refuse to grant Reproductive Leave (“Leave”) following a miscarriage, failed surrogacy, stillbirth, unsuccessful “assisted reproduction” (i.e., artificial insemination or embryo transfer), or failed adoption.

SB 553 – Workplace Violence: Restraining Orders and Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (Chapter 7) - This law takes effect July 1, 2024 -

SB 553 requires covered employers in California to; develop and implement a workplace violence prevention plan that meets the law’s specific standards; maintain a violent incident log to record any violent workplace incidents or threats; provide comprehensive training to all employees on workplace violence prevention; and keep records related to the workplace violence prevention plan to ensure compliance. Maintain these records for at least five years and produce them to Cal/OSHA upon request. 

California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) (Chapter 5) - The CPRA became effective January 1, 2023. However, regulatory enforcement is stayed until March 29, 2024 - Current employer exemptions in the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) were eliminated in accordance with the CPRA when it became effective January 1, 2023.

SB 699 – Contracts in Restraint of Trade - Existing law concerning restrictive covenants (e.g., non-competition, non-solicitation agreements) regulates business activities to maintain competition.

AB 1076 – Notice Requirements for Noncompete Agreements or Agreements Containing Noncompete Provisions - This statute has a February 14, 2024 notification compliance deadline - AB 1076 continues restrictions on noncompete agreements (See SB 699) and codifies California’s position as it relates to noncompetes. 

SB 525 – Minimum Wages: Health Care Workers (Chapter 4) - This law becomes effective June 1, 2024 - Existing law generally requires a minimum wage for all industries of not less than the currently stated minimum wage. SB 525 establishes five separate minimum wage schedules for covered healthcare employees depending on the nature of the employer.

AB 102 – Budget Bill: Refunding the Industrial Welfare Commission (Chapter 4) - AB 102 provides a $3,000,000 budget allocation to the state’s previously non-operational Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC).

COVID-19 Labor Code Notice Requirements - Implemented at the outset of the pandemic, California Labor Code Section 3212.86 established a rebuttable presumption concerning illness or death resulting from COVID-19. The statute was set to expire on January 1, 2023, unless extended. Effective January 1, 2023, AB 1751 reset the expiration date on this rebuttable presumption to January 1, 2024.

Adolph v. Uber Technologies, Inc. (Chapter 1)

Woodworth v. Loma Linda University Medical Center

Stericycle Inc., NLRB Ruling Adopting New Legal Standard for Evaluating Employer Work Rules

To listen to Teresa's last Legal Update click here

Episode Timeline

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:31Legal Update Part 1

11:08Break and Public Service Announcement

11:52Legal Update Part 2

26:40Teresa's Closing Remarks

In today's episode, Teresa talks with Heidi Gardner about "Energizing Hybrid Collaboration." Heidi is a Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center on the Legal Profession and Program Chair of the Sector Leadership Master Class and Smarter Collaboration Master Class.

Earlier this year, Heidi wrote an article "Is Your Hybrid Team Losing Steam?" which talks about how business stressors are causing one in four employees globally to feel burned out. These strains of hybrid working, have made collaboration harder for teams that are increasingly siloed and fragmented. Employees still need to reach benchmarks and employers need to find ways to keep their workers motivated.

In our post-COVID era, more workers are turning to remote working, and meetings that were once in person are being done via Zoom or other virtual methods making collaboration more difficult. Heidi outlines ways employers can tap into their employee's strengths to be successful and how employers can remain positive.

Teresa and Heidi discuss that collaborative teams have the opportunity to promote stronger results, faster innovation, and higher employee engagement when they tap into employees’ energy correctly. Three different paths successful, and energizing leaders must take to engender positive energy for strong hybrid collaboration are:

Channeling 

Generating 

Multiplying 

To read Heidi's article click here

To connect with Heidi click here and at her website smartercollaboration.com

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:23What Employees and Employers Face

13:17Break and Public Service Announcement

13:46Positive Energy

29:26Teresa's Closing Remarks

In today's episode, Teresa talks with Elizabeth Grace Saunders-Lukasik about "Making Time to Connect." Elizabeth is the founder and CEO of Real Life E, a time management coaching company that empowers individuals who feel guilty, overwhelmed, and frustrated to feel peaceful, confident, and accomplished. She was named one of the World’s Top 30 Time Management Professionals by Global Gurus. 

Teresa and Elizabeth talk about how to connect with fellow employees when you work in person, hybrid, or virtual without getting too personal. Elizabeth gives her tips for connecting with employees, but also how to stay productive. They also discuss how hybrid and virtual employees can stay connected to other employees at the office. Elizabeth gives her ideas on how employers and leaders can stay connected with their employees and check in on them.

Connect with Elizabeth here

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:24Staying Connected

09:50Break and Public Service Announcement

10:14How Leaders Stay Connected

19:45Teresa's Closing Remarks

On today's episode, Teresa interviews Freek Vermeulen, a professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the London Business School. October marks the start of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In continuing to honor this year’s theme, “Advancing Access and Equity," we’re dedicating today’s episode to highlighting the competitive advantages inherent in hiring those with disabilities. Teresa and Freek discuss his research into ‘Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage.’

They discuss the common misconceptions employers may have about inclusion in the workplace for people with disabilities. Freek and Luisa Alemany recently published their study that was in Harvard Business Review, "Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage. Employing people with disabilities can significantly improve an organization." This concluded that companies realize the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion. But most focus on gender and ethnicity, paying less attention to people with disabilities.

In the United Kingdom, people without disabilities, of employable age are 81% rate of employment, whereas people with disabilities are just 53% employed. People with a disability struggle with employment.

Freek and Luisa interviewed mostly European companies but also included companies in Columbia, some being multi-national.

The study found that when you hire people with disabilities it can lead to a real competitive advantage, here are the many ways:

Disabilities often confer unique talents that make people better at particular jobs.

The presence of employees with disabilities elevates the culture of the entire organization, making it more collaborative and boosting productivity.

A reputation for inclusiveness enhances a firm’s value proposition with customers, who become more willing to build long-term relationships with the company.

Being recognized as socially responsible gives a firm an edge in the competition for capital and talent.

To connect with Freek click here

To read the article, click here

For information on National Disability Employment Awareness Month, click here

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:32Common Misconceptions About Inclusion

08:31Break and Public Service Announcement

8:55Advantages of Hiring People with Disabilities

017:06Teresa's Closing Remarks

On today's episode, Teresa talks to Patrick Simon about 'The State of Organizations.' Dr. Patrick Simon is a Senior Partner at McKinsey and Company. He recently published a new report "The State of Organizations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organizations."

The report surveyed more than 2,500 business leaders around the world, the developed four points to consider in addressing the ten organizational shifts. Patrick said he was the most surprised about the consistency in responses they received from organizations from different countries.

The Ten Most Significant Shifts Facing Organizations Today are:

Increasing speed, strengthening resilience.

‘True hybrid’: The new balance of in-person and remote work.

Making way for applied AI.

New rules of attraction, retention, and attrition.

Closing the capability chasm.

Walking the talent tightrope.

Leadership that is self-aware and inspiring. 

Making meaningful progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Mental health: Investing in a portfolio of interventions.

Efficiency reloaded.

To read the report, https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-state-of-organizations-2023

To connect with Patrick Simon: https://www.mckinsey.com/our-people/patrick-simon

4 out of 5 people that experience hybrid work models, don't want to go back

Patrick Simon

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:23State of Organization Report Results

08:08Break and Public Service Announcement

8:35Best Practices

17:19Teresa's Closing Remarks

Today Teresa is joined by Tracy A. Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D. to talk about "The Anxiety Advantage." Dr. Dennis-Tiwary is a researcher, entrepreneur, and author of the book Future Tense: Why Anxiety is Good for You (Even Though it Feels Bad). She is a professor of psychology and neuroscience and Director of the Emotion Regulation Lab at The City University of New York.

Teresa and Dr. Dennis-Tiwary discuss how everyone has anxiety and it's not going away, so when we treat it like an ally and change our mindset we can conquer our anxiety and turn it into good. Anxiety can be good for you, even though it feels bad.

Dr. Dennis-Tiwary talks about a study where people who have public speaking anxiety were told they would have to give a speech about a complicated subject. Half the people were told to change their mindset about the speech and the other half were told nothing. In the end, the people who were taught to think about anxiety differently performed better and felt better about their speech.

Dr. Tracy talks about her 3 L's

Listen

Leverage

Left Go

Using these practicalities can help flip the narrative on anxiety and use it positively.

Connect with Tracy A. Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D. here

For more information on her book, click here

The flipside of anxiety is hope

Tracy A. Dennis-Tiwary, Ph.D.

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:22Why Can Anxiety Be Good?

10:13Break and Public Service Announcement

10:35Listen, Leverage, and Let Go

18:53Teresa's Closing Remarks

Today's guest is Aimee Gindin from LifeSpeak, Inc. Workplace Perspective host, Teresa McQueen talks with Aimee about 'Creating a Culture of Belonging.' Aimee is the Chief Marketing Officer at LifeSpeak Inc. In her role, Ms. Gindin is responsible for the go-to-market strategy, communications, and growth of the corporation and its full suite of well-being products.

Teresa and Aimee discuss a new survey from LifeSpeak Inc. indicates that belonging can have a major ripple effect throughout an organization. 1,000 employees and 1,000 human resources professionals in the Fall of 2022 were surveyed, and it was found that a worker’s sense of belonging was linked to well-being. Aimee defines workplace belonging as 'every employee who belongs feels accepted, respected, and valued by colleagues and the organization as a whole.' Aimee shared what she was surprised about from the results and how employers can focus on employee well-being to help with how the employees feel better at work. The survey shows that employees with low belonging are 59% more likely to quit due to mental health. Educating managers to recognize when an employee is struggling and then be able to address it successfully is one way to help. 73% of respondents indicated they would be more likely to stay at their job if their organization offered mental health and well-being benefits and 52% of workers said their company offers employee health and wellbeing benefits.

One size fits none

Aimee Gindin

To connect with Aimee: www.lifespeak.com

For more information on the survey click here

For the full survey click here

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:22Survey Results

14:24Break and Public Service Announcement

14:48How to Improve

26:57Teresa's Closing Remarks

Today’s guest is Anthony Casablanca. SAFFIRE LEGAL PC’s founder and principal attorney Teresa McQueen talks with Anthony about the dying art of leadership. 

Episode Timeline

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:28What is Grief Leadership?

16:26Break and Public Service Announcement

17:43Red-Flag Grief Related Behaviors

In today's episode, Teresa is joined by Nadine Durbach, Clinical Social Worker and Psychotherapist, to discuss Mental Health: An Emerging Awareness.

Teresa and Nadine talk about how many leaders are in the best position to see changes or be told of changes in their employees and addressing the issue is better than thinking it will go away. There has been a shift in how employees and employers have changed their thinking about mental health awareness in the workplace.

They also talk about why it is important for leaders to be talking about mental health and sharing their own personal experiences. It is good for the bottom dollar to recognize mentally healthy employees make for a healthy workplace and stress will impact it.

To connect with Nadine: https://nadinedurbachlcsw.com/

Instagram: @nadinedlcsw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nadinelcsw

What we struggle with on the home front, it doesn't get left at the front door of the building

Nadine Durbach

MENTAL-HEALTH-RESOURCES-2022Download

Episode Timestamp

00:06Introduction and Disclaimer

01:28Shift in Mental Health Awareness

08:14Break and Public Service Announcement

08:38Addressing Mental Health

19:59Teresa's Closing Remarks