Happy Father’s Day! In recognition of these important figures in our lives and their important contributions to the workplace, perhaps it’s time for a check in. Are the dads in your workplace getting the work-family support they need? Do dads feel comfortable taking advantage of benefits available to parents? A policy is not enough. You…

American Girl, American Dream For my daughter’s 9th birthday we went to the American Girl Doll store in NYC. She was excited she was going to finally get an American Girl doll. And after years of seeing magazine pictures of little girls with dolls that looked and dressed exactly like them, she couldn’t wait to…

I was not taught in school about Juneteenth, the day the last of the confederate slaves were liberated after the Civil War. Today is a good day to start learning about things not taught in school. Perhaps if they were, things would be different. #bethechange #juneteenth #historylesson

I have been with my husband for over 30 years. And only due to sheltering in place did I learn that he is an amazing cook. Last night my husband (an American born in India) made one of my favorite traditional Indian dishes: butter chicken. It was better than any I had tasted. I l…

Hugs. Warm handshakes. As a facilitator I spent a lot of time observing people as they walked into a training and greeted their colleagues. A hug was the accepted way of greeting a colleague one had not seen in a while. I could tell in milliseconds who respected whom and how well people knew each…

For some, the 100% remote work model has represented a decrease in office politics and elimination of nonsubstantive “face time” (the requirement that one “be there” regardless of productivity). For others, there is increased “face time” pressure since Zoom, Webex, FaceTime (the app), and video call etiquette almost require that we make a personal appearance,…

EPT Legal is a small, woman-owned, immigrant-owned firm specializing in preventing and resolving workplace issues through education, investigation, alternative dispute resolution, training, and coaching. Our team has a competitive edge because we are diverse in many ways. We have different ethnicities, races, and nationalities, including People of Color and people of European descent; different language…

What will replace the handshake? There is a lot written on the handshake, which is a greeting thousands of years old and practiced all around the world (except for the last few weeks). Theories of the handshake’s origin include: it shows friendship because it proves a person is not holding a weapon (at least not…

The Captain of the aircraft carrier USS Midway (now a naval museum in San Diego) was the highest ranking person on the ship. Even so, the Captain would not enter the Chief Petty Officer (CPO) cafeteria without express permission. He would instead ask to speak to a CPO, would wait outside and someone would go…

What opportunities exist now that did not exist before? I heard, due to the changes brought by the Covid crisis: *People with illnesses who previously had to take a leave of absence now are still engaged at work (by working remotely just like their co-workers) *Parents can provide support to their families and not miss…