think-piece
Stop Buying Ping Pong Tables
Companies spend billions on perks that don't move engagement, retention, or performance. The research points to three things employees actually want, and none of them are free snacks.
Latest
behavior-hack
The Question Nobody Asks in Exit Interviews
Most exit interviews ask "why are you leaving?" The better question: "what almost made you leave before?" It surfaces fixable problems instead of post-hoc rationalizations.
research-drop
The Towel Experiment
Robert Cialdini placed a simple sign in hotel rooms: "75% of guests in this room reused their towels." Reuse rates jumped 26%. The sign cost nothing. The mechanism is social proof.
think-piece
The Dark Side of Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is the most cited concept in modern management. But without accountability, it produces comfortable teams that never improve. Safety needs a counterweight.
behavior-hack
Temptation Bundling
Katy Milkman's research shows that bundling unpleasant tasks with enjoyable ones increases follow-through by 29-51%. The trick works for exercise, admin work, and manager duties.
research-drop
The IKEA Effect
Harvard researchers found that people value things they helped create 63% more than identical pre-made versions. This changes how you design every employee program.
think-piece
Burnout Has Six Causes
Christina Maslach's research identified six drivers of burnout. Workload is only one. The other five (fairness, control, community, reward, values) predict it more strongly. Most organizations only address the wrong one.
behavior-hack
The Pre-Mortem
Gary Klein's pre-mortem technique flips planning on its head. Instead of asking "how will we succeed?" you ask "it failed, why?" Teams that do this catch 30% more risks.
research-drop
The Loss Aversion Tax
Kahneman and Tversky proved people work twice as hard to avoid losing something as they do to gain something equivalent. Most HR programs ignore this completely.
think-piece
Open Offices Failed
We ran a twenty-year experiment on open offices. The data is in. Face-to-face interaction dropped. Email increased. Collaboration decreased. Time to admit it didn't work.
behavior-hack
The Silent Start
Most meetings fail in the first minute when the loudest voice sets the agenda. A silent start changes the dynamic entirely. Everyone thinks before anyone speaks.
research-drop
The Peak-End Rule
People don't remember experiences as averages. They remember the peak moment and how it ended. This changes everything about how you design employee experiences.