This is my final version of Thought-Provoking Things for 2023. I’m not taking next week off because I’m disconnecting or anything. I’ll be working most of the week. But I know that the week between Christmas and New Year’s is often a quiet time when it comes to finding much new content to share, so I figured I’d skip a week and come back with a fuller version of the newsletter on Jan. 5.
Welcome to this week’s collection of thought-provoking things. Each week, I’ll share information about careers and workplace culture, mental health in the workplace, talent development, and important information about privacy, security, and legal tech.
You can find out all about me here - Mike McBride Online.
With that said, here’s hoping you enjoy whatever time away you can get and that 2024 is a better year for all of us. But, even if it isn’t, know we are still here, finding joy where we can while we fight for a better workplace culture!
Careers and the Workplace
Linked - HR leaders report waning optimism around retention, engagement
It's not about creating a great product for customers, and it's not about creating a sustainable, profitable company. It's about jacking the stock price and getting out with your profits.
Is it any wonder employees don't give AF? None of this benefits them beyond getting a paycheck, so you get what you pay for.
Forget Burnout — You Need to Combat This Silent Career Killer - I don't know, it sounds a lot like burnout.
Training and Development
The Art of Listening: Three Signs You're Nailing It - If ever there was a skill you should learn, this is it.
This could be some interesting reading - Leadership Development Is Failing Us. Here’s How to Fix It. (Found via Brian Heger’s Talent Edge Weekly Newsletter)
Mental Health in the Workplace
Would Retiring Induce "Relevance Deprivation Syndrome" For You?
I think another way to understand this is our cultural obsession with "what you do" being the defacto representation of "who we are," meaning that when we stop working, it can be detrimental to our mental health. After all, if you've spent 35-40 years identifying yourself as a lawyer, what will you be when you stop working as a lawyer?
Dr. John is optimistic but recognizes that the training has to be done correctly. I'm not as optimistic that it will be, but I would be happy to be wrong because our mental health system needs help:
Privacy, Security, and Legal Tech
Navigating the Future: ACEDS and Hanzo Illuminate Collaboration Data Challenges in the Legal Sector
Now, Google Workspace customers can have those same arguments about linked attachments we’ve been having in the Microsoft world for months - Admins in Google Vault Can Now Export Hyperlinked Google Drive Content from Gmails.
Doug Austin also offered this on the subject of linked files - Proposed Language for Hyperlinked Files in ESI Protocols.
There was also an M365 Roundup earlier this week if you’re not subscribed to that newsletter.
That’s all, folks. If you found something interesting in this week’s newsletter, please share it with your friends. It’s the best way to help support the effort I put in each week to share this with you.