COVID-19 has changed the landscape of our working lives – many employees have set up office at home and are working remotely, meetings are being conducted remotely and of course interviews have gone the same way. Already stressful at the best of times, interviewees now have another factor to contend with: the dreaded camera. Possibly,…
Many may often confuse the term 'corporate integrity' with 'corporate social responsibility'. The latter is only a small part of corporate integrity. One could say there has been somewhat of an ethical revolution as companies are being called out for their errors and are being made accountable for their actions - the environmental impact, treatment…
Any job hunt usually involves a long and tiring process. You may feel discouraged and fatigue may kick in and a job rejection can easily disappoint you, especially if it's a job you really wanted. You may get lucky and find yourself a job within weeks, but the reality is that many don't. There are…
It's easy to overlook the little things which stress you out and it's far easier to blame it on the big things in your life which are obviously stressful - such as long hours at work, marital or relationship problems, financial or health problems. However, the micro-stressors may quickly add up and together can become…
Graduation is an exciting time for many, but the thought that you need to start your job hunt can be daunting for many. Luckily there are solutions and tools which will help a new graduate on their way to pursue a career. The bulk of the work and preparation to get you started on your…
Typically, many of us network through conferences, corporate events, industry mixers or dinners. The present situation leaves much to be desired when it comes to networking opportunities. However, we can still network virtually through the array of tools available to us in this day and age. So how can you make and sustain professional relationships…
To maintain a healthy workplace and retain employees, it is crucial to avoid toxic habits that break employee confidence and the group's collective efficacy. When employees are working in a toxic climate, employees tend to lose confidence to adequately perform given tasks as fear and anxiety sets in. So what makes somewhere a "great place…
It's a known reality that unemployment levels have spiked globally - a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis. The unemployment rate in Malta for the month of April 2020 stood at 4.0% vs 3.4% in April 2019 (NSO). If you have found yourself jobless or if for any other reason you may be looking for a…
Preparing yourself for an interview can be daunting even in the best of times. As the hot topic du jour, going for an interview in these times will probably lead to questions related to your COVID-19 experience. What questions can you be asked and what is the best way to answer? Read on as we…
People are often worried about asking colleagues, or their managers, for help. They perhaps fear being rejected, or are concerned that they will be seen as a nuisance to be adding to their colleagues' already full plate. They may feel like they're taking up resources or be perceived as weak. These concerns may stop us…
We've discussed how remote work can cause employees to feel disengaged if there a lack of communication within teams. As they are physically distanced, there are no chance encounters in the corridor and as the popular adage goes "out of sight, out of mind". Disengagement will then lead to workers feeling demotivated, especially if feedback…
Like all new things, remote working will face some hurdles until it becomes ingrained in mainstream office culture. For companies whose workers have had to work remotely out of necessity brought about by the pandemic, adjustments had to be made in a short period of time. Managers who have never handled remote workers, or never…
The crisis has shown that goals can quickly become obsolete. What you planned and prepared for in January, suddenly became irrelevant or on hold. You had to survive some way or other and came up with an impromptu plan and a change-management strategy to face the challenges in place - such as switching to remote-working…
One takeaway from the coronavirus pandemic is that there is a growing need for digital skills. Digital literacy isn't simply an asset now - we've realised that it is rather a requirement, a requirement which was accelerated by the pandemic. Whereas up until a decade ago, digital literacy was a matter of access and resources,…
The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we live in the last few months. It has gotten us to rethink our priorities, and evaluate what is important and what is less so. Being stuck at home with family or being alone under lockdown has underlined the importance of a good work-life balance and has…
Agile, born out of software development in the early noughties is a project management mindset that has a lot to teach us about how to work efficiently and effectively when we're faced with sudden changes or a crisis. Although it initially served many an IT department, it has now been adapted by functions across organisations.…
One of the realisations that came out of the COVID-19 business is that we can do more of our work remotely. We've realised that even in a time of global crisis, uncertainty and unanswered questions - people still got work done, in the name of business continuity and because they were trusted to do so.…
Despite what it may feel like, the job market didn't come to a halt. Whilst there has been a shuffle, with some industries taking the biggest hit and others a small tumble, the employment market didn't come to a halt. Some segments are recruiting more than ever, with some jobs seeing an increase in demand.…
This article is part of our ‘RE:FOCUS’ resource pack. View more here. There is pressure on middle managers all year round, but it takes special skills for a middle manager to tackle the pressure in a time like this. The quality of your leadership is reliant on how you perceive stress, how adaptable you are,…
This article is part of our ‘Covid-19 & the Job Market’ resource pack. View more here. As the novelty of #wfh (working from home) wears off, and life seems to be going toward a more positive, "normal" direction, companies are preparing their employees to get back to work; but what are they doing to prepare their…
This article is part of our ‘Covid-19 & the Job Market’ resource pack. View more here. Fake news is the order of the day. Make sure you fact check anything you hear. If you heard from someone who heard it from someone else who knows someone who might know something - chances are it's untrue. If…