HR News: Which is Scarier — RIF or RTO? with Karen Cunningham

Good Morning, HR

In episode 145, Coffey talks with Karen Cunningham about recent HR news around whether layoffs are “a failure of leadership” and “fear” of returning to the office.

They discuss recent layoffs; employee loyalty, engagement, and management; balancing regular and temporary employees; the pros and cons of remote work; how leaders can be more intentional in a remote environment; and “overemployment.”

Links to stuff they talked about are on our website at https://goodmorninghr.com/EP145 and include the following topics:

- The Crunchbase Tech Layoffs Tracker

- Tesla laying off more than 10% of staff globally as sales fall

- Deeming Mass Layoffs a ‘Failure of Leadership,’ One Company Fine-Tunes a Strategy to Avoid Them

- 43% of people would rather get a divorce than return to the office

- Fears and Remote Work: Livecareer Report

- Overemployed Subreddit

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If you are an HRCI or SHRM-certified professional, this episode of Good Morning, HR has been pre-approved for half a recertification credit. To obtain the recertification information for this episode, visit https://goodmorninghr.com.

About our Guest:

Karen Cunningham is Principal Consultant and President of Intrust HR. Karen is a senior human resources leader with a work history that illustrates strong strategic management skills, extensive experience and knowledge in human resources, and a career focused on creating value for organizations through the effective development and delivery of HR programs and practices tailored to fit the client’s unique needs. Karen has supported organizations of all sizes and in numerous industries. She is certified as a senior-level HR professional with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI).

In addition to Karen’s 25+ years navigating the ever-changing world of human resources, she is actively involved in her community through civic, nonprofit, educational and professional boards and committees. She is also a member of two service organizations.

Karen Cunningham can be reached at:

https://www.intrusthr.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karencunningham1

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, human resources professional, licensed private investigator, and HR consultant.

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations firm helping risk-averse companies make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Today, Imperative serves hundreds of businesses across the US and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence and has twice been named HR Professional of the Year.

Additionally, Imperative has been named the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.

Mike is a member of the Fort Worth chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and volunteers with the SHRM Texas State Council.

Mike maintains his certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute. He is also a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Mike lives in Fort Worth with his very patient wife. He practices yoga and maintains a keto diet, about both of which he will gladly tell you way more than you want to know.

Learning Objectives:

1. Consider workforce planning techniques to avoid reductions in force.

2. Evaluate remote work in light of the last four years’ experience.

3. Develop strategies for leaders to increase engagement in a remote work environment.