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What I’ve Been Listening to This Week: Podcast Edition

 

During any normal Thanksgiving week, many readers would find themselves traveling home or to see family for Thanksgiving.  In doing so, some readers would likely listen to a podcast to pass time while traveling.  Even though some readers might be altering their plans this Thanksgiving and not traveling, I still wanted to highlight a few podcasts that are worth listening to this week.  Kick up your feet, shop online, play with your dog/s, and listen to a few of the below podcasts to unwind during the Thanksgiving break.

As always, below are a couple podcasts that caught my ear this week.


Holiday Parties & Minimizing Risk For Employers

Ah yes.  After Thanksgiving, many employers often begin holding holiday parties.  While that tradition might change this year, some employers will likely still hold holiday parties for their employees.  As Work and Play:  A Constangy Employment Law Podcast notes, potential liability can arise for employers when they hold a holiday party.  Whether tackling religious accommodation matters, paying employees for attending an office party, or potential liability that can arise from serving alcohol to employees, this podcast has a few noteworthy topics that are worth a listen.


Employees, Mental Health in the Work From Home EnvironmentEmployees & Mental Health in the Work From Home Environment

The Worktrends Podcast had a good discussion recently in which Meghan Biro talked with Dawn Mitchell, the Vice President of HR at Appian, about employees & mental health during the coronavirus pandemic when many employees finding themselves working from home.  As Mitchell notes, with her company implementing work from home earlier this year, the company pivoted to taking steps to create an interactive work environment.  That process involved the company updating their intranet to help employees stay connected, senior leadership at the company communicating with employees, and launching a podcast for employees to listen and participate in.  Perhaps one of the more noteworthy comments from Mitchell was a recognition that while the company had a “standard” for communicating with employees and holding daily meetings initially, the company has been flexible and changed policies as work from home has gone on over the months.  In doing so, the company has made sure employees feel engaged with their work and are being supported while also giving them time to work.  Although each work situation is different, employers that take steps to help employees feel engaged while working remotely and keeping in contact, both to check on an employee’s work and check on them personally, can go a long way to help employees cope with not being physically present in the office.

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