think-piece
Retention Is a Lagging Indicator
The decision to leave is made months before the resignation. Your turnover dashboard is a history book. If you want to change retention, stop measuring it.
think-piece
think-piece
The Reward Trap
Paying people for behaviors they were doing for free makes them do it less, not more, once the pay stops. Decades of research on this. We keep building programs that ignore it.
think-piece
The High-Wellbeing Paradox
In our data, employees in the top quartile of wellbeing report more daily stressors than the bottom quartile. Not fewer. The standard playbook (remove stress, raise wellbeing) breaks on this finding.
think-piece
Your EAP Is a Waste of Money
Employee Assistance Programs have a 2-10% utilization rate. Not because employees don't need help, but because EAPs were designed for a version of stigma that no longer explains the problem.
think-piece
When Autonomy Backfires
Self-determination theory says autonomy drives motivation. But research shows that without clarity on direction and boundaries, autonomy creates anxiety, decision paralysis, and worse performance.
think-piece
When Transparency Backfires
Radical transparency sounds like good leadership. But research shows that certain types of openness actually reduce trust, increase anxiety, and make teams perform worse.
think-piece
The Best Practices Trap
Best practices are survivorship bias with a PowerPoint deck. They tell you what worked for someone else in a context you'll never fully understand. Here's what to do instead.
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The Case Against Consensus
Teams that seek consensus don't get better decisions. They get faster convergence and suppressed information. Disagreement isn't a bug. It's a feature.
think-piece
Why Training Doesn't Work
Companies spend $380 billion annually on training. Only 10-30% transfers to the job. The issue isn't learning. It's that old environments trigger old habits.
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.
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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.
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.