WORK

I've been thinking a lot about how I approached work in my 20s, vs how our two 20-something kids approach work.

I actually think people across generations have more things in common than not, but I also think it's true that younger generations approach work differently.

And I'm so happy about that!

I entered the full-time workforce in 1994 (I cannot believe that was over 30 years ago - it still feels like just last year.) I remember being so excited to have a "professional" job! I worked in the HR Department for UPS, in a giant facility in Shrewsbury, MA.

And professional by the 90s definition it was - I had to wear nylons and suits and have my skirts a certain appropriate length. I worked hard, worked long hours, some nights, some weekends - all to prove myself worthy of this job they created for me. Early on, my life was my job - any life I had fit in around the corners of what was left.

What a difference a couple of decades makes.

Our kids - and many young adults - are choosing life over careers. Not that they don't work hard, or sometimes long or evening hours - they do. But they understand that they deserve to live a life where they can work to live and not live to work. That they can enjoy their jobs and love their lives too.

I hope that carries them into their later years.

And here's the question I keep thinking about.

How do we prepare our workplaces - particularly those like the companies in Distribution, Manufacturing and industrials - that I work with - for how work is going to shift? Because it's already starting to happen.

How do we rethink how work gets done, taking into account how AI, generational shifts, physical space and so much more is changing what work looks like?

I LOVE talking about this with business leaders. If you want to get a bit nerdy on the future of work, grab time with me here. I'd love to chat.

Book time with me here!

COMMUNITY

The "work" section was a pretty good lead-in to the community I wanted to write about today.

My family.

If we're connected on LinkedIn, I write about them from time to time - especially my husband.

But our kids - all on social media only a little - are pretty private. So I don't generally share pictures, or much about them, to respect that privacy.

And I'll still do that here - kind of!

But I wanted to share more about Dave and the kids - because they are everything to me.

I have one son, and two stepdaughters. My son is - and I never get this title exactly right because he doesn't/can't talk about much of what he does - essentially a cybersecurity analyst. He's been in the working world for four years and loves his job and coworkers! My stepdaughters are both taking gap years - one is ending, after working at a drug store as a clerk and a pharmacy tech, she's entering art school in the fall, and one is beginning (she is also working as a Medical Assistant at an urgent care) after her college graduation (in Biochemistry/Professional Writing) and before grad school.

And then there's Dave. He left his job as a COO/CFO of a law firm 11 years ago, after the girls lost their mom. He started his own consulting company and gets to truly balance work with home and family. His expertise is as a Financial COO for small and mid-sized businesses, and I have loved watching him help so many organizations grow into places they didn't know they could reach! And, he's also the driving force behind me putting myself out there. We used to work together, so he knew my capabilities far before I did, and has encouraged me every single step of the way.

As a family, we've had more than our share of tragedy, loss, grief and other challenges. But like Kelly Clarkson sings - what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! And we must have done something right as parents, because our kids are incredibly awesome.

In all of the work that I do, every day, I think of them. I want the future of work to be a place that recognizes the unique individuals that they are. I want them to enjoy work and also have exactly the life they want outside of work. I want workplaces to change to make sure that everyone has that. Idealistic? Maybe. But if I can have a small part in making work a little better for a few people - that's pretty amazing.

Anyway, here is a picture of the five of us, last winter on all Hallmark-esque hay ride to cut down a tree in the woods. It's been ridiculously hot here this week, so I'm dreaming of colder weather right now - which I will promptly complain about when it arrives!

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Connect with me on LinkedIn here!

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COFFEE

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I like to hike - not love it like I did when I was younger, but I like it.

My husband loves it.

As he prepares today for a challenging hike next month, and as I just ordered new hiking boots to prepare myself to start doing a few challenging hikes with him, I wanted to share this flashback coffee pic from almost five years ago.

Dave did a three night through hike and we were going to meet at the top of Mount Monadnock - but a big storm kept us each trapped on either side of it. So after hiking up solo on a beautiful day, I ended up huddling with a couple of groups of hikers on the side of the summit - but I jumped up to take this photo, with the Hometown Coldbrew I carried up to drink at the top. (It was pretty dangerous that day so I do not recommend this at all! But on a clear day, the view is unbelievable.)

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Have a great rest of your week!

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YOUR QUESTIONS

I wrote a recent post on LinkedIn about how not everyone has a positive experience with HR (as much as it pains me to write this!)

In a previous issue, I promised to answer your questions, so I really wanted to start with this one. I'm keeping it anonymous and I edited the length. This was someone who is working in my space - Distribution and Manufacturing - and this is a common concern I've heard.

Here is the question:

"How do you approach this problem, where upper HR and management up to C-suite doesn't want to hear how poorly run their sites are? "

Without knowing all the details, it's tough to answer the question fully. (Depending how alarming the issues, my advice might range from try to fix it to run, or anything in between!)

Instead, here are some questions that anyone at any level can ask to start to unpack the problem:

• "I've been talking with a lot of team members lately, and some issues keep popping up that seem to be making their day-to-day pretty tough. Could we find some time to chat about what I'm hearing? I think it might help us stop small problems from growing."
• "I wanted to share a couple of stories from my last site visit—some folks had good ideas for making things run smoother. Would you be open to hearing a few?"
• "Can I get your thoughts on something? I’ve been seeing some patterns that might be contributing to our retention and morale challenges."
• "I know everyone’s stretched right now, but maybe a quick tweak could help with the stuff I’m hearing about. Would you be open to trying a small change at one site?"

And sometimes, moving things forward depends less on the questions we ask, and more on how we ask the questions. Think about how you ask the question, what solutions you propose, and if you are dealing with a company that truly doesn't want to know how bad issues are (this is rare but it does happen!)

Want to chat more about your HR challenges? Want to submit a question that's on your mind? Click the button below!

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Questions and Feedback

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Until next time....... thanks for reading!

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Tracie

My Partner Spotlight High performing teams start with better reviews. WorkStory makes the review process easy - and while maybe not fun, much more human - through using AI. I'm thrilled to continue to partner with WorkStory! Click on their logo to find out more. ​

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