The Newsletter

Resources, research, and reflections on values-centered workplace design… in newsletter form.

From the Archives

Collage of images including a word cloud with words like "equity," "power," and "collaborative;" a group photo at Zappos with a sign "Zappos Coach Augusta;" a book cover titled "The New Team Habits;" and a man sitting at a TWA themed desk. The date on the image is December 8, 2021.

ISSUE #1 | December 8, 2020

Gratitude, team habits, White House HR, shared leadership models, employment law and COVID!

Collage with book cover of 'The Art of Gathering,' New York Times article on tone indicators, psychological study article, and 'zoom fatigue' illustration. Text: 'Newsletter | Dec 15, '21.'

ISSUE #2 | December 15, 2020

Un-zooming, virtual connections, increasing non-exempt salary thresholds, the intersection of psychological safety and white supremacy culture.

Collage featuring articles and books about anti-racism, workplace equality, and Indigenous leadership. Includes a headline "Pay Transparency is Anti-Racist" and a graphic titled "3 Characteristics of Experience & Life." Book covers include "Automating Inequality" and "Indigenous Canada." Dated December 22, 2021.

ISSUE #3 | December 22, 2020

Appreciating transitions, exciting books & podcasts, alternative & equitable compensations models and structures.

Newsletter cover for January 2021 featuring a collage of four designs titled "Cubed," "Power Mapping," "Job Crafting Exercise," and "The History of Work." Each section contains text and graphics on topics related to workplace history and dynamics.

ISSUE #4 | January 14, 2021

261 working days; Origins of workplace policies; and Mapping and analyzing power inside organizations.

Collage of various images including a book titled 'Better Work Together,' White House executive orders on worker health and racial equity, and a photo of a man and woman smiling at the camera, dated February 2021.

ISSUE #5 | February 9, 2021

An online hiring course, Restorative HR, Letters over email, Racial Equity, OSHA, Stories from the future of working.

Collage featuring neon sign saying 'Habits to Be Made,' audio editing software screenshots, a person speaking in a video, a black and white photo of two children labeled 'not work friends,' and a piggy bank with 'Turnover' text. "Newsletter | March 2021" at the bottom.

ISSUE #6 | March 15, 2021

New(ish) work/life habits, impending employee turnover, burnout, work friends, the continuing adventures of a hiring course.

Collage of podcast and book covers with a newsletter date of April 15, 2021. Includes 'The Morning(ish) Show: Live! EP23,' 'Posttraumatic Growth: Theory, Research, and Applications,' 'WorkLife with Adam Grant,' and a diagram titled 'Panarchy Cycles' showing phases of growth, conservation, release, and reorganization.

ISSUE #7 | April 15, 2021

Awesome humans, post-traumatic growth, procrastination, mutual aid and panarchy cycles, 60-second surveys.

Collage of presentations and articles about work trends and streamlining processes. Includes summit speakers, an article on streaming and carbon emissions, a Pillsbury alert on work-from-home tax and legal issues, and a graphic on remote work impact during COVID-19. Dated April 25, 2021.

ISSUE #8 | April 25, 2021

4-day workweeks, workplace race-based caucusing, environmental impacts, languishing, work from home tax and employment law consequences.

Collage featuring a podcast recording session, book covers, a blog post titled 'Human Psychology & The Office Renovation,' and an online platform named 'Indigenous Works' promoting inclusive employment, dated May 2021.

ISSUE #9 | May 28, 2021

Shared Leadership, well-being resources, decolonizing HR, why we have brains and how they work.

Collage of four images: infographic on shared leadership; video still with 'Hire with Confidence'; a kayak on a lake under northern lights; lockers with 'The Locker room as a workplace'; text 'NEWSLETTER | JULY 2021' at the bottom.

ISSUE #10 | July 13, 2021

Hire with confidence, mind mapping shared leadership, the locker room as workplace, the exponential challenges of a hybrid cultures.

Collage featuring a grid with "Hire with Confidence" text, a red book titled "Work. Shouldn't. Suck.", covers of books "Power Rust" and "The Business of Race", and an image labeled "Race-Based Caucusing in the Workplace" with speakers Nico Carpenter and Courtney Harce. Newsletter dated September 2021.

ISSUE #11 | September 26, 2021

Personal user manuals, mind mapping hiring, codifying workplace culture amid COVID, reimagining executive search, race-cased caucusing in the workplace, the power of trust, the business of race.

Collage featuring a person in colorful attire, text about the neutrality of workplaces, an Ethical Re-Opening Summit with diverse speakers, a podcast edition note, and a graphic on race-based caucusing in the workplace. The bottom right corner reads 'Newsletter | January 2022.'

ISSUE #12 | January 18, 2022

The Future of Work is Now, Ethical Re-Opening Summit Rewind, Re-Imagining Executive Search, Race-Based Caucus Course Mindmap, New Books in My Queue, The Psychology of Change Initiatives.

Collage of four job-related images with captions. Top left: #OPENTOWORK badge. Top right: "How do you decide where to live in the world if it’s not dependent upon an office location?" Bottom left: "If the salary is so competitive, why don’t you tell me what it is?" from otta. Bottom right: NEXT-REV HIRING promoting equity and inclusion in recruitment. Text at bottom: NEWSLETTER | MARCH 2022.

ISSUE #13 | March 1, 2022

Deciding Where to Live, Re-Imagining Recruitment & Hiring, Is LinkedIn's #OpenToWork Badge Helping or Hindering Job Seekers, To The Office or Not To The Office, Wage Transparency in Job Postings, White Men & the Journey Towards Anti-Racism.

Collage of four newsletter covers: Disability Justice with blurred lights, Head of External Relations in bold on teal background, White Men & Anti-Racism with portraits of men, Inclusive Sourcing flowchart. Caption reads 'NEWSLETTER | JANUARY 2023.'

ISSUE #14 | January 17, 2023

Wage Equity Summit, White Men & the Journey Towards Anti-Racism (Complete Season 1), Re-Imagining Recruitment & Hiring, Sourcing Schematic: An Overview; Disability Justice, Ableism, and Workplace Design; New Course Offerings.

Collage of four images related to leadership and events. Top left: forest scene with text 'Live. Co-Create. Thrive.' and event date. Top right: promo for a 'Shared Leadership in Action' course featuring two people, with 'Now Online.' Bottom left: podcast titled 'Sunsetting Organizations EP68' with three guest names. Bottom right: glowing microphone and text 'ChatGPT's HR-Approved Karaoke Playlist.' Bottom label reads 'Newsletter | March 2023.'

ISSUE #15 | March 28, 2023

Shared Leadership in Action, Sunsetting Organizations, Values-Based Organizational Design in Nature, ChatGPT’s HR-Approved Karaoke Playlist, Severance Agreement Legal Update, Work Product Requests in Hiring.

Collage of workplace and HR-related content; "HR Tech" with graphic elements, "Workplace News" in black and yellow, "Unlimited Paid Time Off" podcast episode featuring two hosts and a microphone, and a course on "Race-Based Caucusing in the Workplace." Text "NEWSLETTER | MAY 2023" at the bottom.

ISSUE #16 | May 25, 2023

Unlimited Paid Time Off policies, Workplace News… in the news, Wage Equity Explore, Employment Law Updates, a Bunch of HR Tech Updates (asides from ChatGPT).

Collage of four different cards. Top left card features a 'Human Being Disclaimer' message about real-live human application review, with a yellow caution sign and an 'Apply Now' button. Top right card is about a values-based organizational design event, with dates Sep 17-21, 2023, and the phrase 'Live. Co-Create. Thrive.' Bottom left card promotes a podcast episode titled 'Decolonizing the Bylaws, EP72', with images of three hosts. Bottom right card presents a 'Quick Course' titled 'Role Clarity Blueprint', focusing on developing a structure for outlining roles. 'Newsletter | December 2023' is written at the bottom.

ISSUE #17 | December 14, 2023

Decolonizing Bylaws, HR News in the News, Values-Based Org Design, Values in Action, Employment Law Updates, Team Duties Tool.

Collage of covers and text, May 2024 newsletter. Top left: podcast episode "Wage Transparency & Equity, Part 2" with host images. Top right: words stating "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism, Access, Belonging, Justice." Bottom left: book covers including "Never Not Working," "Unmasking AI," "Look Again," "Is Your Work Worth It?," and "The Perfection Project." Bottom right: "Free guide" download advertisement with a digital screen image.

ISSUE #18 | May 28, 2024

Gen Z in the Workplace, Executive Search Template, Personal Growth Plans, To Office or Not To Office, Comp & Benefits Trends.

Collage of four newsletter cover images for January 2025. Upper left: "Risk Calibration Blueprint" with geometric shapes. Upper right: "Calibrating Risk in a Shifting Landscape" with a mountain scene. Lower left: "Climate Justice HR | Part 1" podcast cover featuring two speaker portraits. Lower right: "FutureWork Lab: A Co-Created Adventure" with building image. Overlay text reads: "Newsletter | Jan 2025."

ISSUE #19 | January 30, 2025

Calibrating Risk in a Shifting Landscape, Risk Calibration Blueprint & Facilitator's Guide, FutureWork Lab: The Exhibit, Climate Justice HR, Part 1, Level-up Employee Onboarding, Dusting Off the WSS Website, and Coming Up: Practical Legal Guidance!

Collage with four sections: a podcast cover for "Startups & Scaling EP80" with heads of two hosts and a microphone graphic, an image of a phone displaying "The SCARF App" with settings and action words, a graphic of a spaghetti bowl titled "Is Your Job Post-Pandemic a Spaghetti Bowl of Duties & Responsibilities?", and a section labeled "WSS HR Lab: Co-Creating Clarity Amidst Constant Change" with colorful shapes. A footer reads "Newsletter | Feb 2025."

ISSUE #20 | February 13, 2025

Supporting Teams Through Unending Uncertainty, Bring Your Whole(ish) Self to Work, Co-Creating Clarity Amidst Constant Change, Untangling Your Spaghetti Bowl of a Job, Startups & Scaling, Understanding the Budgeting Process, and the Top 10 Books in My Reading Queue.

Collage of images in a March 2025 newsletter, including hands stretching a rubber band with the definition of 'snapback,' a podcast episode titled 'Democracy & Creative Practice EP82' with images of two hosts, a graphic titled '3 Times When You Can Trust Your Gut' with three conditions, and a promotional image for 'WSS HR Beyond the Snapback' featuring colorful abstract shapes.

ISSUE #21 | March 4, 2025

Snapback in the Workplace, Designing Change That Lasts, Democracy and Creative Practice, Embodying Shared Leadership, How Accurate is Your Gut, Human-Centered Connecting, and Processing Grief in the Workplace.

Newsletter cover from May 2025 with four sections: a turquoise box with dark blue text saying 'Your network is a map of your past. What if it's also a compass for what's next?'; a multicolored abstract design with a person holding a spiral-bound book titled 'WorkStyle Strategy'; an illustration of a campsite with a tent under a sunset labeled 'Career Camp, 2-week online program, July 7 to August 11'; and a dark blue box with white and orange text saying 'Sometimes the real superpower is surviving a staff meeting.'

ISSUE #22 | May 6, 2025

Career Camp 2025, the Power of Dormant Ties, Working with Other Humans, Pop Culture Case Studies, AI x HR, and Cool Collaborators.

A newsletter layout with four quadrants. The top left has a yellow circle with black text that reads "Work Shouldn't Suck" and a sketch of a microphone. The top right shows a black background with green and white text promoting a career camp registration. The bottom left features a blue background with black text about navigating power dynamics in hiring and an illustration of an orange microphone. The bottom right has a black background with white and red text and images of two women, discussing hiring as improv. At the bottom, there is a white strip with black text indicating "Newsletter | Oct 2025."

ISSUE #23 | October 29, 2025

It’s the Annual Hiring Issue! Complete with conversations, tools, and experiments on the Future of Hiring.

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