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Pivot or Persevere? Leaders on Your Next Move After a Layoff

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Pivot or Persevere? Leaders on Your Next Move After a Layoff

Layoffs force tough choices: pivot industries or refine current paths? 

This HR Spotlight article compiles guidance from business leaders and HR professionals for the recently unemployed. 

Experts advise testing both routes via 90-day experiments, auditing transferable skills, and prioritizing passion over safety. 

They share stories of monetizing networks, repackaging expertise, and using value audits to avoid regretful jumps. 

By documenting energizing moments, seeking adjacent roles, and validating demand through conversations, professionals uncover clarity amid uncertainty. 

In 2025’s volatile market, these strategies transform disruption into deliberate reinvention, boosting fulfillment and income without blind leaps.

Read on!

Tim Johnson
CEO, BIZROK

I’ve been laid off before and made the mistake of thinking it was purely a financial problem when it was actually a direction problem.

I left my registered investment advisor role not because of money, but because I felt completely unfulfilled helping small business owners with traditional financial planning. That misalignment was costing me more than any paycheck could fix.

Here’s what changed everything: I stopped asking “which path pays better” and started asking “which problem am I obsessed with solving?”

For me, it was watching my dad miss every out-of-town tournament because his business trapped him. That clarity led me to build BIZROK around scalability instead of going back into finance.

The pivot made sense because the problem consumed my thinking anyway.

My specific test: spend one week documenting what frustrates you most about your previous industry versus what excites you about a potential new one.

I filled an entire notebook with scalability problems I noticed everywhere–that’s when I knew pivoting wasn’t risky, it was obvious.
If you can’t stop thinking about problems outside your current field, that’s your answer right there.

One warning though–pivoting to “anything different” fails just as hard as staying in the wrong industry out of fear.

I’ve seen dentists leave clinical work to open restaurants and regret it within months. The question isn’t stay or go, it’s whether you’re running toward something specific or just running away.

Solve Obsessive Problems Post-Layoff

David Fritch
Attorney, Fritch Law Office

I’ve been through career transitions from multiple angles–Big 8 accounting firm to running my own law and CPA practices for 40 years, plus 20 years as a registered investment advisor.

The pattern I’ve seen work best is what I call the “adjacent move” rather than a complete pivot or staying put.

Look at what you already know deeply, then shift the application rather than starting from zero.

When I left Arthur Anderson, I didn’t abandon tax and accounting knowledge–I just moved it into serving small business owners directly instead of through a corporate structure.

That preserved my expertise while giving me a completely different lifestyle and income model.

Here’s what I tell coaching clients facing this: spend two weeks documenting every problem you’ve solved in your current role, then research which industries are desperate for those exact solutions but can’t attract talent.

A procurement specialist might find construction companies dying for supply chain help. A corporate trainer could find medical practices that need patient communication systems. You’re not pivoting–you’re repackaging.

The biggest mistake is treating this as binary. Take a bridge role that pays bills while you spend 10 hours weekly building credibility in the adjacent space–write LinkedIn posts, do free consultations, join industry groups.

I’ve watched too many people either jump blindly or stay frozen. Test your pivot hypothesis with real market feedback before you commit fully.

Repackage Skills Adjacent Industries

Dr. Elizabeth Barlow
Founder & CEO, Kinder Mind

I’ve worked with dozens of clients in this exact situation–recently laid off, stuck between familiar and new.

What I’ve learned from supervising clinicians nationwide and teaching in the UK is that the real question isn’t about the path itself, it’s about why you’re hesitating.

Most people I see are drawn to pivot because they’re running from something (burnout, toxic culture, feeling undervalued) rather than running toward something meaningful.

One client switched from finance to real estate after a layoff, only to recreate the same stress patterns in a new industry because we hadn’t addressed what was actually broken. Six months later, they were back in my office more anxious than before the change.

Here’s what works: spend two weeks documenting when you feel energized versus depleted in your current skillset.

I had a client track this and realized she loved the client-facing parts of marketing but hated the analytics.

She stayed in marketing but pivoted to a consultancy role focusing only on strategy sessions. Her income dropped 15% initially but her reported life satisfaction jumped significantly, and within a year she’d matched her old salary.

Test before you leap. Take a contract gig in your field while spending evenings volunteering or freelancing in the new space you’re considering.

At Kinder Mind, we’ve had interns find they actually hate clinical work once they’re in it–better to learn that through a practicum than after a costly degree pivot.

Give yourself permission to gather real data instead of making a fear-based decision during financial stress.

Track Energy, Test Options

Gerald Michaels
Owner, Adept Construction

I’ve been running Adept Construction since 1997, and here’s what I learned after nearly going under twice in my first five years: don’t abandon what you’re good at just because the market shifts–find a new angle on it instead.

When residential roofing work dried up during one recession, I didn’t jump ship to another industry.

I pivoted to commercial property management clients while keeping my core roofing expertise. That move actually became 40% of our business and brought stability through the next downturn. Same skills, different customer base.

The best indicator? Look at what former clients say when they refer you.

Our customers kept mentioning “Gerry explains everything clearly” and “no surprises on the bill”–that told me communication and transparency were my real product, not just shingles.

Those skills transfer anywhere, but they’re most valuable where you’ve already built credibility.

If you’re getting callbacks and referrals in your current field, that’s your answer. Stay and adapt your approach to serve a different segment.

If you’re hearing crickets after years of effort, that’s when pivoting makes sense.

Adapt Core Skills New Markets

Maxim Von Sabler
Director & Clinical Psychologist, MVS Psychology Group

I’ve worked with hundreds of people navigating transitions like this, and the pattern I see most often is people rushing the decision because unemployment feels uncomfortable.

From a psychological standpoint, this discomfort actually clouds judgment–your brain is in threat mode, which narrows your thinking rather than expanding it.

Here’s what I recommend: implement rigid structure first, worry about direction second.

When I helped clients through COVID unemployment, those who maintained daily routines–exercise at 8am, skill-building from 10-12, networking after lunch–reported 60% less anxiety within two weeks.

Structure creates the mental space to actually evaluate your options clearly instead of just reacting to panic.

Use this forced pause to test both paths simultaneously in small ways. Spend one week doing a side project in your current field, the next week exploring the pivot through online courses or informational interviews.

Your emotional and energy response will tell you more than any pros-cons list.

I’ve seen people realize they were burned out on their job, not their career–or find the opposite.

The real question isn’t pivot versus stay–it’s what gives you flow and meaning.

Go back to my framework from managing COVID depression: when did you last feel fully engaged and stretched in a good way?

If that’s been absent from your recent work regardless of the layoff, that’s your signal. Most people already know the answer; they just need permission to admit it.

Structure First, Decide Later

Jodi McConnell
CEO, Uniform Connection

I’ve owned Uniform Connection for 27+ years, and here’s what nobody tells you about career uncertainty: the skills you already have are more transferable than you think.

When I started in healthcare retail with my marketing degree, I had zero apparel experience.

But my BBA skills in customer relationship building became our foundation–now we do on-site group fittings for entire medical facilities because I understood how to serve organizations, not just sell products.

Here’s my actual framework: write down three problems you solved really well in your last role, then find industries desperately needing those specific solutions.

I was good at making purchasing decisions easy for busy people. Medical professionals are insanely busy and hate shopping for work clothes. That match created our “personal shopper” model that drives our business today.

One concrete move that worked for me: I talked to people in adjacent industries before committing.

When we expanded into culinary apparel, I spent weeks just listening to restaurant managers complain about their uniform headaches. Those conversations showed me the gap was real before I invested a dollar.

Do 10 of those conversations in any field you’re considering–you’ll know fast if there’s a fit.

The biggest mistake I see is people waiting for perfect clarity before moving.

I started small, tested with one hospital group, learned what worked, then scaled.

Your next role doesn’t have to be your forever role–it just needs to teach you something valuable while paying bills.

Transfer Skills, Test Demand

Christian Daniel
Video Editor & Web Designer, Christian Daniel Designs

I got laid off from a stable corporate gig early in my career and faced this exact decision.

I had video editing skills but was unsure whether to chase another in-house position or gamble on freelancing and eventually running my own studio.

I chose to pivot–not to a totally different field, but to a different structure.

I went independent, started Christian Daniel Designs, and focused on hospitality and dining clients where my storytelling skills had the most impact.

That pivot led to projects like the Park Hyatt video that generated $62,000 in bookings from a $6,000 ad spend, and eventually a NYX Video Award for The Plaza Hotel.

Here’s what helped me decide: I asked myself where my current skills could create the most value and give me control over my career.

For you, that might mean staying in your industry but switching to consulting, or taking your expertise to a sector that’s underserved.

The key is finding the intersection of what you’re good at and where there’s genuine demand–not just chasing what feels safe or trendy.

If you’re unsure, test both paths simultaneously. Take a contract role in your field while exploring side projects in a new area.

I did that early on–client websites during the day, passion video projects at night–until one path proved itself. You don’t have to burn bridges to explore new territory.

Test Both Paths Simultaneously

Charles Blechman
Founder & Coach, Manhattan Coaching Associates

I coach tech leaders through exactly this crossroads, and here’s what I’ve learned: the decision isn’t about the market or the role–it’s about alignment with your values.

I use a three-step process with clients: uncover what matters most by looking at moments you felt alive in your work, distill those into 4-5 core values, then map those against your current path versus potential pivots.

I worked with a Director who felt stuck and came in thinking she needed a new job.

Through values work, we found autonomy and mentorship were non-negotiables for her.

She ended up staying in her role but restructured how she led–took on cross-functional projects, started mentoring junior engineers.

Six months later, she got promoted to senior leadership without changing companies.

The layoff gives you something rare: forced permission to reassess without the pressure of daily firefighting.

Before updating your resume, spend time identifying what you actually need from work–not just what sounds good or pays well.

One client realized he valued craft over scale, which led him from a FAANG to a boutique consultancy where he’s thriving.

If you’re genuinely drawn to solving different problems in a new industry, that pull is data.

But if you’re just exhausted or bitter about the layoff, changing industries won’t fix what’s actually broken–your relationship with how you define success and worth.

Align Values Before Pivoting

R. Couri Hay
Co-Founder, R. Couri Hay Columns

I’ve reinvented myself multiple times over 40 years–from Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine to becoming a publicist, then royal commentator, and now columnist.

Each shift happened because I followed what excited me rather than what felt safe.

When you’re laid off, you have something most employed people don’t: permission to experiment.

I started writing my column not because I planned it strategically, but because I had stories nobody else could tell from four decades of front-row access. That authentic expertise became my differentiator.

Here’s what matters: Can you monetize your relationships rather than just your job title?

When I transitioned from magazine editing to PR, I wasn’t selling skills–I was selling my rolodex and reputation. Your network from your old industry is worth more than any resume update.

Test both paths simultaneously for 90 days. Pitch three companies in your field as a consultant while exploring one completely different opportunity that genuinely interests you.

Whichever generates either money or genuine enthusiasm first–that’s your answer.

I’ve watched too many people at galas who stayed in soul-crushing roles because they theorized instead of tested.

Experiment Both Paths 90 Days

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Policy Pushback: Why Employees Resist and How Leaders Should Respond

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Policy Pushback: Why Employees Resist and How Leaders Should Respond

HR policies often spark resistance, from mandatory meetings to time tracking, eroding morale despite good intent. 

This HR Spotlight article compiles insights from business leaders and HR professionals on the most contested policy and how to counter pushback. 

Experts highlight documentation demands, on-call duties, and rigid leave rules as top friction points, recommending transparency, data-driven proof, and employee involvement to align policies with realities. 

By linking rules to personal gains like higher pay or trust, and modeling compliance, leaders turn resistance into buy-in. 

In 2025’s hybrid era, these strategies foster ownership, boosting engagement 18-30% and retention without sacrificing standards.

Read on!

Amy Mosset
CEO, Interactive Counselling

Running a team of therapists, I found mandatory meetings were a constant battle. Everyone’s client schedule is different.

Once I let go of fixed times and moved to async updates, the groaning stopped. The best move was letting the team vote on core meeting hours themselves.

Listening to their real complaints and actually changing the policy made all the difference in whether they showed up ready to work.

Async Updates End Meeting Gripes

Mike Townsend
Chief Visionary Officer, Veteran Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric

The biggest pushback I’ve gotten is around structured post-job documentation.

My techs would finish a furnace repair or plumbing job and want to move straight to the next call, but I required them to spend 10 minutes photographing their work and logging details in our system.
Guys with 15+ years in the field saw it as bureaucratic nonsense that cut into their productivity.

I flipped the script by showing them our warranty data. In Q3 2023, we had seven callbacks where customers claimed we didn’t complete work we’d actually done.

Without photo evidence, we ate the cost of return trips–around $340 per callback in lost labor.

The moment I showed them we were losing $2,380 in a single quarter because we couldn’t prove our work, they got it.

Now our team uses it as a selling tool. When a homeowner questions a repair recommendation, our techs pull up photos from similar jobs showing exactly what failure looks like.

One of our electricians used documented photos from a panel upgrade to help a Parker homeowner understand why their insurance required the work–closed a $4,800 job on the spot because trust was already built through transparency.

The resistance disappeared when documentation became their shield, not my requirement.

Data Proof Wins Documentation Buy-In

Lawrence Irby
President, Bay Area House Buyer

My team always hated having to wear safety gear for inspections. I saw this pushback at two different companies.

But when I brought the gear in for them to try on and told stories about accidents I’d seen, that’s when it clicked.

People will wear equipment that’s comfortable and doesn’t get in the way. Long memos never worked.

Comfort Gear Reduces Safety Pushback

Peter Kim
Owner, Odigo Real Estate Club

Real estate agents at ODIGO Realty always complain about lead distribution. They think it’s rigged for senior agents.

Here’s what worked for us: we made the whole process visible.

We either use a simple rotation algorithm or let agents claim neighborhoods they know best.

When agents can see exactly how leads get assigned and why, they stop complaining and focus on selling.

Transparent Leads Calm Agent Complaints

Mike Wislinsky
Owner & President, Denver Floor Coatings

I’ve managed teams of 100+ at 3M and run multiple businesses since 2004, so I’ve seen plenty of HR policies that create friction.

The one that consistently gets the most pushback? Requiring detailed time tracking and project documentation from skilled tradespeople and technicians.

At my previous business, our installers absolutely hated filling out detailed job reports after every project.

They’re craftsmen who want to focus on the work, not paperwork.

We were losing 30-45 minutes per job just on documentation resistance–guys would sit in their trucks delaying it, or rush through and give us garbage data we couldn’t use for estimating future jobs.

I fixed it by showing them their own money. I pulled our profitability data and showed the crew that detailed job reports let us quote more accurately, which meant we won more bids at better margins.

Better margins meant I could pay them more–our average installer compensation went up 18% once we had solid data to price jobs correctly.

Suddenly the same guys who fought me on paperwork were texting me photos and notes from job sites without being asked.

The key was connecting the annoying policy directly to their bank account, not just company goals.

Nobody cares about “operational efficiency” but everyone cares about take-home pay. I made the math visible and let them see how their 15 minutes of documentation was earning them real money.

Pay Links Ease Paperwork Resistance

JP Moses
President & Director of Content, Awesomely

My teams were always skeptical of unlimited PTO, worried it would look bad to use it.

Things changed when we started tracking days off and managers began taking vacations first.

People finally started taking breaks. Just giving the policy doesn’t work.

Leaders have to actually use it and make it normal.

Leaders Model Unlimited PTO Usage

Yoan Amselem
Managing Director, German Cultural Association of Hong Kong

Teachers especially hate rigid leave policies. We had a strict sick day rule that everyone fought until we let educators cover for each other’s classes.

If you want people to follow a policy, get them involved in writing it.

They’ll come up with practical solutions that actually work on the ground, and they’ll be more likely to stick to them.

Co-Created Leave Rules Gain Traction

Mack Blair
Owner, Blair & Norris

I’ve grown Blair & Norris from a one-truck operation to a multi-million-dollar well drilling and septic company over 30 years, so I’ve dealt with plenty of policy resistance–especially in a 24/7 emergency service business where guys want flexibility.

The biggest pushback I get is on mandatory after-hours phone availability.

Nobody wants to be on call when they’re off the clock, especially our senior techs who’ve earned their stripes.

But when you run wells and septic systems, a failure at 2 AM can flood someone’s basement or leave them without water–I can’t just tell customers to wait until Monday.

I fixed it by rotating the on-call schedule fairly and paying a flat daily stipend whether they get called or not–not just hourly when the phone rings.

Guys stopped complaining when they realized they were getting paid $75 just to carry the phone on a quiet Tuesday, and our response times stayed under 90 minutes.

The real breakthrough was when I started taking rotation shifts myself–when the owner’s phone rings at 3 AM too, suddenly it doesn’t feel like you’re dumping on your crew.

The key was making it both fair and financially worth their time.

People will accept tough policies if they see you’re in it with them and compensating them properly, not just demanding sacrifice while you sleep.

Stipends, Fair Rotation Soften On-Call

Joe Davies
CEO, Fatjoe

Leading a remote SEO team, I’ve found that tracking hours is the fastest way to kill morale.

We stopped counting hours and started looking at the work getting done instead. Team engagement went up and the constant friction with management just disappeared. Set clear expectations for what needs to be delivered, then trust people to do it.

If you’re facing resistance, start with an honest conversation about results, not hours.

Outcome Focus Replaces Hour Tracking

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Fostering Civility: The HR Behavior That Builds Positive Work Culture

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Fostering Civility: The HR Behavior That Builds Positive Work Culture

As online debates spill into workplaces, fostering civility is key to positive cultures amid rising tensions. 

This HR Spotlight article compiles one leadership behavior from business leaders and HR professionals to promote respect. 

Experts advocate self-regulation to manage reactions, curiosity through phrases like “Help me understand” to defuse defensiveness, and owning mistakes publicly to model accountability. 

They emphasize empathy, active listening, and human vulnerability to bridge divides, creating psychological safety. 

By prioritizing presence over ego, these behaviors shift from confrontation to collaboration, rebuilding trust and engagement in polarized environments.

Read on!

 Naomi Shammas-King
Lead at Global Employment Platform, Oyster

Effective leaders let themselves be seen as multifaceted individuals rather than positions of authority.

Respect, and therefore real civility, come from feeling a genuine sense of connection to the individual you’re working for – transcending traditional hierarchical boundaries.

People talk a lot about authenticity, but the word has become overused; authentic can mean so many things in a corporate setting now.

The behavior that truly matters is to be human: someone with flaws, interests, and depth.

We all have our unique traits, and by showing that it’s okay to bring yourself to work, the leader encourages the introduction of who an employee is – beyond the 9-5 – across the company.

As a result, people treat each other with deeper respect, because they know someone not by their title or role, but as the person they are.

Civility in the workplace means listening, respecting views, and being open-minded regardless of who you’re interacting with.

This deeper connection creates stronger professional relationships – and I’ve seen that produce great work time and time again.

Authentic Leadership Drives Deeper Respect

Kevin Judge
CEO, iNOBLl

Leading with curiosity is a foundational skill that all leaders (all people actually) should work on strengthening.

When something happens at work our mind kicks into high gear trying to find a reason for it. Without all the data and facts, which we often don’t have, our minds turn to creative storytelling. Unfortunately, our brains are masters at creating fictional horror stories.

For example, if someone’s late for work 3 times, that might be interpreted as lazy or disrespecting the team. Alternatively, the facts might tell us that the person is dealing with extraordinary circumstances at home and showing up late is almost heroic… most others wouldn’t show up at all in the same scenario.

Before letting our brains jump to conclusions, get curious. Ask questions. Assume people have positive intent. Ask them what’s going on.

Most people wake up in the morning wanting to do good.

Curiosity Counters Negative Assumptions

Richard Mews
CEO, Sell With Richard

Engage in active listening and acknowledge each person in every interaction. Listen to your team with genuine attention.

Ask clear questions and recognize their input before you reply. Put away devices when talking. Keep eye contact and repeat what you hear for proper understanding. Follow up on their issues.

Even if you can not solve problems or agree with suggestions right away, it’s important to respond.

This behavior builds psychological safety. Employees feel safe sharing ideas and feedback. They do not fear dismissal.

Respecting and caring for others shows your team that good communication matters. Employees show this behavior with their colleagues.

This builds mutual respect as a key principle. The acknowledgment itself demonstrates that you value their voice and perspective.

This leadership practice changes workplace dynamics. It shows that everyone’s input matters. This builds respect, which spreads across your organization. As a result, it drives positive cultural change.

Active Listening Fosters Psychological Safety

Samantha Reynolds
Account Manager, Helpside

Taking ownership of mistakes publicly and personally in 1-1 connections.

When a leader consistently demonstrates the integrity and humility necessary to take account for their actions, their team sees someone listening, someone taking another perspective, or simply owning up to a mistake or miscommunication.

Then, they see the conversation and effort shift back to the work. How do we come together as a team to accomplish our goal?

It also shows in real time how to step out of ego in the workplace, step out of the attachment that can happen with workplace conflict, attachment to being right, or to an outcome.

It can be very challenging to admit to a mistake, much less take responsibility, fix the issue, and ensure it never happens again.

When a team sees its leaders take ownership of their actions, it creates a culture of personal responsibility and accountability.

Own Mistakes to Model Accountability

Sara Gilbert
Strategist Business Development, Business Strategist & Keynote Speaker

One powerful leadership behaviour to foster civility is modelling curiosity through language, more precisely by asking “Help me understand…”

In moments of tension or disagreement, this simple phrase defuses defensiveness, creates psychological safety, and demonstrates a willingness to listen rather than react.

It shifts the conversation from confrontation to collaboration. When leaders use this phrase, it sets a tone where exploration replaces assumption and clarity becomes more valued than being right.

Civility isn’t just about being kind, it’s about creating space for others to be heard, seen, and recognised, even in disagreement.

Curious Questions Promote Collaboration

Martha A.Burich
Speaker & Author, Yes You Can Raise Happy Responsible Children

I’ve taught child psychology in college classrooms and special education in high school. Now I teach parenting to people who want more peace in their homes. And here’s what I know for sure: the same leadership skills that help kids thrive work wonders in the workplace.

When emotions run high, real leaders don’t power up and bark orders. They stay calm. They listen. They respond with clarity and respect, even when they disagree. That’s what we teach our kids, right? Don’t scream. Don’t be ashamed. Speak up, but do it kindly.

I once worked with a team where tension felt like walking on eggshells. What changed it? One person, a new manager. This leader refused to engage in blame. She stayed grounded and modeled emotional maturity.

People followed her lead, because they respected and admired her poise and emotional maturity.

Whether you’re raising children or leading a team, remember: people take their emotional cues from whoever’s in charge. Be the one who stays steady. Be a good example.

Stay Calm to Set Emotional Tone

Genevieve Piturro
Founder, Genevieve Piturro

Be open about why this situation matters to all involved. When your team is reminded of the heart-felt vision fueling the impact you all want to make, they will connect emotionally rather than commit reluctantly.

Listen between the lines. Often, what’s not said is more important to the team’s camaraderie. Look past the words and respond with empathy; these are your team members, not just staff members.

Don’t try to persuade anyone to drop their idea of a resolution, invite a new solution. People are far more likely to follow when they feel part of something that matters. When you make it about us, their hearts and actions follow.

Invite Solutions for Shared Commitment

Evan White
Chief Marketing Officer, ERIN

When online tension seeps into the workplace, the most impactful leadership behavior is modeling curiosity over combativeness. Instead of reacting to a disagreement with defensiveness, leaders should lean into open dialogue.

Ask questions. Invite perspectives. And most of all create space for understanding before looking for a place of resolution.

Civility isn’t just about avoiding conflict, it’s about creating a shared commitment to each other’s success.

Curiosity Drives Understanding

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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Discover the latest HR Tips and trends with our weekly newsletters!

Civility in Action: An HR Leader’s Key to a Positive Workplace

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Civility in Action: An HR Leader’s Key to a Positive Workplace

In an era where online debates often spill into workplace tensions, fostering a culture of civility is essential for team cohesion. 

This HR Spotlight article compiles insights from business leaders and HR professionals on one leadership behavior to promote a positive work culture driven by civility. 

Experts emphasize modeling respectful communication, such as empathetic listening, setting clear ground rules, and using humor to defuse conflicts. They advocate creating structured forums for open dialogue and prioritizing face-to-face or video interactions to maintain trust. 

These behaviors ensure disagreements remain productive, reducing resentment and enhancing collaboration, ultimately building a workplace where employees feel valued and respected despite external or internal conflicts. 

Read on!

Amy P. Castro
President, Amy Castro

Set clear ground rules for communication and model them consistently. Too often, leaders assume everyone shares the same definition of “respect,” but that is rarely true.

Take time to clarify what respectful disagreement looks like for your team: no interruptions, ask clarifying questions before responding, address issues and behavior rather than attacking people, and focus on solutions instead of blame.

As a communication expert with more than 20 years of experience, I have seen that leaders who clearly define, model, and consistently reinforce these expectations create genuine psychological safety for their team. This approach ensures everyone knows what is expected and helps them feel confident sharing ideas without fear of personal attacks or escalating drama.

It keeps discussions productive, collaborative, and focused on problem-solving, all of which support a positive and truly respectful workplace culture.

Establish and Enforce Clear Ground Rules

Alanna Fincke
Executive Director Workforce Development, meQuilibrium

One of the most critical leadership behaviors that fosters a positive work culture, one driven by civility, is promoting open and respectful communication.

It may sound pat or obvious, but hear me out on why and how. It plays a powerful role—as do the leaders who practice it—in shifting team and organizational culture, even in the face of workplace conflict and the near constant stress from uncertainty and ongoing change.

Ultimately, open and respectful communication creates a culture of psychological safety at the foundation, and that’s what we need to fight the overwhelming tides of pessimism, uncertainty, and disengagement we’re seeing in the workplace.

Here are some specific suggestions on how to implement open and respectful communication:

Model It: As a leader, it starts with you. Model respectful and civil communication in your interactions. Avoid using inflammatory language, personal attacks, or dismissive behavior, even when (and especially when) disagreements arise.

Encourage Open Dialogue and a Range of Viewpoints: Create an environment where employees feel safe to express their views and opinions without fear of repercussions. Actively listen to different perspectives and acknowledge valid points, even if you disagree.

Provide Training: Effective and respectful communication is a practice and doesn’t always come naturally. However, it can absolutely be learned! Offer training or workshops on effective communication, conflict resolution, and fostering a respectful workplace culture. This is a critical piece in employees developing the skills to engage in constructive dialogue and handle disagreements.

Address Issues Promptly: When conflicts or uncivil behavior arise, address them promptly. It’s tempting to avoid it in the short term, but in the long term, it only reinforces just the behaviors we’re trying to avoid. Encourage open and honest discussions to understand the root causes and work towards resolution in a respectful manner.

Celebrate and Recognize the Good Stuff: Acknowledge and celebrate times when employees demonstrate communication, collaboration, or conflict resolution skills. A simple “great job collaborating on this” can be enough. This reinforces the desired behaviors and encourages others to follow suit.”

Open Communication Builds Psychological Safety

Kaomi Joy Taylor
Founder & Chief Namiac, The Museum of Names

Name Fluency is a deceptively simple leadership behavior that can radically improve workplace civility. It’s not just about pronunciation — it’s about care.

Names are deeply tied to identity, culture, and belonging. Everyone has one – and they’re used daily in the workplace in countless ways. So mishandling them erodes trust fast. But visibly demonstrating care can help heal workplace divisions and rapidly grow civility and respect.

A Name Fluent leader:

Models dignity in how names are spoken and written in personal interactions.

Works to remember, spell, and pronounce names correctly and checks when unsure.

Sets a tone that discourages jokes, stereotypes, and sloppiness around names.

Adjusts systems to accommodate longer, non-Western, and atypical names.

Ask yourself: can you remember a time when your own name was omitted or mocked? How did it feel? That’s why anytime leaders handle names with care, they send a powerful message: You matter here. It’s not about perfection — it’s about people.

Name Fluency Enhances Workplace Civility

Donald Thompson
CEO & Executive Advisor, Donald Thompson

In today’s polarized environment, where online debates can spill into Slack threads and strategy meetings, leaders must go beyond surface-level tolerance. They must become stewards of psychological safety. That begins not with reacting, but with listening.

Empathetic listening signals to your team that you value understanding over judgment. When leaders show genuine curiosity, especially with viewpoints different from their own, they send a powerful message: disagreement doesn’t equal disrespect. This message sets the tone for everyone else.

At a time when many employees feel overlooked or dismissed, your attention becomes a form of leadership capital. It costs nothing, but pays off in trust, engagement, and collaboration.

Teams that feel heard outperform those that feel silenced.

Civility creates a workplace where people feel safe enough to speak up and strong enough to grow together.

Empathetic Listening Promotes Team Trust

Rhett Power
CEO & Co-founder, Accountability Inc

Leadership Behavior: Set the Standard Through Micro-Moments of Respect

Civility isn’t built through grand gestures—it’s shaped in the small, everyday interactions leaders have with their teams.

One powerful behavior is using micro-moments of respect: greeting colleagues by name, acknowledging contributions publicly, giving credit generously, and showing appreciation consistently. These seemingly minor acts reinforce a culture of value and dignity. When tensions rise—whether sparked by online debates or internal disagreements—people are more likely to stay grounded and respectful if those around them model basic human decency.

Leaders set the emotional tone. If they respond to conflict with composure, kindness, and fairness, their teams are more likely to follow. In polarized times, civility must be intentional, and it starts with small moments done well.

Micro-Moments of Respect Set Tone

Joanna Lovering
Founder, Copper + Rise

Want to foster civility at work? Start with your executive presence.

When online arguments start creeping into team dynamics, it’s easy for things to get tense, fast. But leaders with real executive presence don’t take the bait. They stay grounded, speak with clarity, and model respect, even when conversations get heated.

This isn’t about avoiding tough topics. It’s about how you show up when they surface. Do you raise your voice or raise the bar? Do you shut people down or hold the space with calm authority?

Your presence sets the tone. When you model composure, clarity, and mutual respect, others follow. That’s how you build a culture where disagreement doesn’t have to mean disconnection.

Executive Presence Models Civil Discourse

Jared Pope
CEO & Co-Founder, Work Shield

Today, disagreement doesn’t stop at the screen. It follows people into the office. Social media has made it easy to speak without filters.

People often say things online they’d never say to someone face-to-face. That boldness might feel harmless behind a screen, but when those comments carry into the workplace, whether through side conversations, Slack threads, or team meetings, they can quickly erode trust and collaboration.

Here’s a simple benchmark: if you wouldn’t say it to someone directly in a one-on-one conversation with respect and accountability, it probably doesn’t belong in a workplace discussion.

When something crosses the line online, leaders can’t afford to ignore it. A calm, direct check-in like “I saw what you posted. Can we talk about how that’s impacting the team?” can defuse tension before it festers. Just as important, modeling what it looks like to listen without judgment while still holding clear boundaries shows others how to follow suit.

Civility isn’t about being quiet or agreeable. It’s about showing up with clarity, curiosity, and self-control. Even when emotions run high. In today’s climate, leadership means knowing how to bring conversations back to common ground.”

Direct Check-Ins Defuse Online Tensions

Shaun Carse
Director, Trackershop

What under-appreciated technique for teaching politeness? The giving of ego the afternoon off.

At Trackershop, we receive this: if some form of dispute occurs, the last thing the world’ s best leader wants to do is attempt to turn the dispute to some form of power play.

What we do is attempt to be the “calm in the group chat”—the listener, the tension breaker with the smallest dad joke (“Alright, don’t throw the stapler—we’re all one team”), and return the communication to the unified goals.

Civility is not accommodating to the majority—it’s to the point where one doesn’t even feel the obligation to disagree at all, for one might be run over in the hallway or stared down in the break room at lunchtime.

If your workers see you resolve conflict humorously, humbly, and in reverence, they’ll do the same. Absolutely, less awkward silences in the break room.

Humor Calms Conflict, Unifies Teams

David Greiner
Founder & Attorney, Greiner Law Corp

Running both a law firm and Greiner Buick GMC for years taught me one crucial leadership behavior: create structured forums for open dialogue before conflicts escalate. When I served as Chairman of the Victor Valley Chamber of Commerce, I instituted monthly “straight talk” sessions where board members could voice concerns directly without formal procedures.

The breakthrough came when I co-founded the High Desert Senior Forum in 2009, operating it from my dealership showroom. We hosted over 100 meetings covering everything from congressional updates to gardening tips. The key was establishing clear ground rules upfront—everyone gets heard, but personal attacks weren’t tolerated.

At my dealership, this translated to weekly department head meetings where service, sales, and finance could air grievances openly. Instead of letting tensions simmer between departments, we addressed issues immediately. This approach helped us win multiple Best in the Desert awards for customer service.

The pattern I’ve seen in both business and legal practice is simple: give people a regular, structured outlet to be heard, and workplace conflicts rarely reach the boiling point.

Structured Forums Prevent Conflict Escalation

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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The Race for Skills: Paying the Cost for Ignoring Creativity

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The Race for Skills: Paying the Cost for Ignoring Creativity

As businesses prioritize technical skills, sidelining creativity and emotional intelligence (EI) risks stifling innovation and workplace cohesion. 

This HR Spotlight article gathers insights from business leaders and HR professionals on the costs of this imbalance. 

From diminished human connection to stunted innovation and poor team dynamics, these experts highlight how neglecting creativity and EI undermines long-term success. 

They share strategies like fostering empathy in hiring and integrating creative training to restore balance, offering actionable solutions to build collaborative, innovative teams that resonate with customers and employees alike in a tech-driven world.

Read on!

Jen Stamulis
Director of Business Development & Brand Management, Go Elastic

The biggest cost I’ve seen is brands losing their ability to connect with real humans.

At Spectrum, we worked with ESPN and NFL on campaigns that had all the technical bells and whistles, but the ones that drove actual revenue growth were those that tapped into genuine fan emotions and stories.

During my time at Elasticity, I’ve watched companies obsess over attribution models and programmatic optimization while completely missing why their customers actually care about their products. We had a client who could tell you the exact cost-per-click across 47 different touchpoints but couldn’t explain why anyone would choose their brand over a competitor.

The American Mustache Institute project taught me that building authentic communities around seemingly ridiculous ideas can fundamentally change careers and businesses. That happened because we focused on creating something people genuinely connected with, not because we had the most sophisticated analytics dashboard.

Technical skills get you in the room, but creativity and emotional intelligence are what make people want to buy from you, work with you, and remember you exist.

Creativity and Empathy Drive Business Growth

Marin Cristian Ovidiu
CEO, OnlineGames

The biggest cost of sidelining creativity and emotional intelligence in favor of pure technical expertise is short-sighted problem solving.

You end up with solutions that work but don’t resonate. In game development, we’ve seen that a technically flawless product can still fail if it lacks emotional appeal, user empathy, or narrative cohesion.

Emotional intelligence drives collaboration, leadership, and adaptability, skills that become more valuable as teams scale and problems grow in complexity.

Creativity, meanwhile, fuels innovation and user-centric design. Without these, you build tools no one wants to use, or worse, create environments where talent burns out.

The future belongs to teams who can code and connect, who can optimize performance without losing the human touch. Pure technical output is just the start. Real impact comes from understanding people.

Technical Skills Without Empathy Fall Short

Mark Niemann
CEO & Co-Founder, Mein Office

The increasing emphasis on technical expertise, while essential in a digital-first age, often comes at the expense of creativity and emotional intelligence (EI)—two attributes essential for sustainable business growth:

Prioritizing technical skill alone can stifle innovation. Creative thinking brings unique solutions and adaptability—critical factors for maintaining competitive advantage.

Sidelining EI negatively impacts team dynamics. Empathy, communication, and self-awareness are fundamental to building strong, resilient workplace cultures.

Leadership suffers in environments lacking EI. A technically sound leader who cannot inspire or relate to their team will struggle to retain talent.

From my experience in marketing and sales across industries, true business breakthroughs happen when technical skills are enhanced—not replaced—by creativity and empathy.

Technical Skills Need Creativity and Empathy

Eugene Leow Zhao Wei
Director, Marketing Agency

Prioritising technical skill over creativity and emotional intelligence comes at a cost that’s easy to overlook: teams that deliver, but don’t resonate.

I’ve worked with brilliant developers and marketers who could solve any problem, but struggled to understand client fear, hesitation, or shifting expectations. Without empathy and creative framing, even the best solution feels cold or confusing.

Creativity isn’t just for aesthetics. It’s how you reframe a pitch, build buy-in, and solve non-linear problems.

Emotional intelligence is how you prevent misalignment before it snowballs. Strip those out and you get efficient outputs that fall flat with humans. In business, that disconnect is expensive.

The best work we’ve shipped didn’t just tick technical boxes. It moved people and that only happens when EQ and creativity sit at the table too.

Technical Skills Without Empathy Fall Flat

David Ciccarelli
Founder & CEO, Lake

There’s no doubt technical skills matter—but when companies sideline creativity and emotional intelligence (EI), they trade long-term resilience for short-term precision.

I’ve seen this firsthand as a 3X founder: technical chops help build the product, but the product or even a feature begins with the founder or product manager identifying something the market needs. Creativity commences the process.

Creativity drives innovation—new features, new niche markets, new ways of thinking.

Emotional intelligence, meanwhile, fuels collaboration, empathy, and trust—traits that galvanize teams and clearly, tech alone can’t replicate.

When we undervalue those, we risk building brilliant systems that people don’t feel connected to. And in a world of increasing automation, empathy and human-centered thinking is more valuable—not less.

Creativity and EQ Drive Long-Term Resilience

Dr. Kirk Adams
Disability Inclusion Strategist & Speaker, Innovative Impact LLC

In the rush to prioritize technical skills, sidelining creativity and emotional intelligence comes at a steep cost. Especially when it leads to overlooking the value of disability inclusion.

People with disabilities, like me, develop profound emotional intelligence and creative problem-solving abilities out of necessity.

Navigating a world not built with us in mind requires resilience, adaptability, and a deep capacity for empathy. We bring honed listening, communication, and planning skills, strengthened by the lived experience of overcoming barriers, often with the aid of assistive technology and accessibility tools.

When organizations cut corners on accommodations or accessibility, they miss out on this rich, untapped talent.

The short-term gain in productivity is far outweighed by the long-term loss of innovation, team cohesion, and insight.

A truly inclusive culture that values the whole person, technical skills and human strengths, fuels sustainable success.

Creativity and emotional intelligence aren’t optional extras; they’re competitive advantages.

Disability Inclusion Fuels Innovation

Wynter Johnson
Founder & CEO, Caily

This isn’t the only dimension you need to worry about here, but I like to think about these tradeoffs in terms of efficiency versus flexibility.

People with the right set of technical skills will quickly, efficiently get work done within their domain, often with minimal outside input.

The flipside of this is that they often struggle to communicate, collaborate, and adapt well, especially when it comes to working with other departments.

People who are creative and emotionally intelligent will be great at working with others and rolling with changes, but they may struggle when asked to lock in on a specific technical task.

Ultimately, a good team needs both skill sets to succeed.

Balance Efficiency and Flexibility for Success

Ross Hackerson
Relationship Coach & Retreat Leader, An Affair of the Heart

In 40 years of helping couples reconnect, I’ve seen the devastating cost of prioritizing technical problem-solving over emotional intelligence. Relationships collapse when partners treat each other like engineering problems to be fixed rather than humans to be understood.

At my retreat center “An Affair of the Heart,” I work with highly successful professionals—doctors, lawyers, engineers—whose marriages are crumbling despite their technical brilliance. They’ve mastered complex systems but can’t decode their partner’s emotional needs. One surgeon could perform intricate procedures but couldn’t recognize when his wife needed comfort instead of solutions.

The pattern is clear: technical skills get you hired, but emotional intelligence keeps relationships alive.

In my intensive retreats, we see 70% of couples reconnect when they learn to read emotional cues and respond with empathy rather than logic.

The cost of sidelining emotional intelligence isn’t just workplace dysfunction—it’s broken families, failed partnerships, and human isolation.

Emotional Intelligence is the Key to Relationships

Erinn Everhart
Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, Every Heart Dreams Counseling

The biggest cost is emotional loneliness, people becoming disconnected from authentic human connection.

In my practice, I see tech-skilled professionals who excel at their jobs but struggle with meaningful relationships because they’ve never learned to be vulnerable or emotionally present.

I had a client who was a brilliant software engineer but couldn’t maintain friendships or romantic relationships. He’d been so focused on technical skills that he’d never developed the ability to share his true self or read emotional cues. When conflicts arose, he’d “ghost” people rather than have difficult conversations – treating relationships like debugging code.

The irony is that emotional intelligence drives technical success too.

Teams with emotionally intelligent leaders show better collaboration and innovation. When we only reward technical expertise, we create workplaces full of people who can’t communicate authentically or handle the vulnerability required for creative problem-solving.

I’ve seen companies lose their best talent not because of technical issues, but because managers couldn’t create psychologically safe environments where people felt heard and valued.

Technical Success Can Mask Emotional Loneliness

The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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What HR and Leaders Look for to Ensure Remote Teams Thrive

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What HR and Leaders Look for to Ensure Remote Teams Thrive

By Stanley Anto, Chief Editor, HRSpotlight.com

The past few years have felt like one huge, involuntary experiment in remote work. The initial shock has faded, but here’s the question many of us are still figuring out: How do we, as leaders, truly know if our teams are not just getting by, but actually thriving?

For a long time, the instinct was to keep an eye on every move—video calls, chat activity, login hours. The thinking was simple: if you can’t see your team, are they working at all?

But as we’ve all gained experience, a new truth has emerged: the most effective remote teams aren’t built on surveillance. They’re built on trust, clear communication, and focusing on results, not hours logged. It isn’t about dashboards; it’s about a leadership mindset that believes professionals will do their work well.

So what does this new style of leadership actually look like? I spoke with leaders who have mastered it. Their key insight: focus on outcomes, not on activity, and watch for real signals of engagement rather than digital presence.

The old model was all about clock-watching. Were people logged in? Did they hit their eight hours? But anyone who’s worked remotely knows that hours don’t equal productivity. You could be “online” for eight hours but accomplish very little.

Top remote managers have moved on. They judge success by the final product, not by when or how it was made.

Edward Hones, an employment lawyer and founder of Hones Law PLLC, says it best: “We don’t rely on invasive monitoring to measure remote team effectiveness. We focus on outcome-based KPIs and the timely delivery of high-quality work.”

In Edward’s world, it’s the quality and timeliness of deliverables, whether drafting legal memos or managing cases, that count. This breaks through the noise of digital footprints and focuses on what actually moves the business forward.

But it’s not just about outputs. Edward also pointed out a vital human element: engagement. “A big part of success is responsiveness. Team members who quickly reply to internal questions or client needs tend to be more engaged. They raise red flags early, ask good questions, and take meaningful part in meetings.”

Engaged employees are proactive. They don’t wait to be told what to do. Their communication becomes a clear sign that they’re not just working, but truly invested.

From Hours Logged to Outcomes Delivered

Great teams share a common mission. When work is spread out, informal watercooler chats fade away. Some leaders find that a well-chosen business metric becomes their team’s rallying point.

Gunnar Blakeway-Walen, Marketing Manager at The Heron, Edgewater, explains: “Our conversion rate from marketing leads to signed leases became our key remote team KPI. I stopped tracking hours and started obsessing over this because it demanded perfect coordination between marketing, leasing, and operations.”

When conversion dips, the whole team feels it. They rally to find the issue—whether lead quality is down or follow-ups are slow.

That kind of shared accountability removes the need for micromanagement. The metric drives productivity and collaboration naturally.

Shared, Measurable Goals Unite Teams

Beyond KPIs, consistency matters. Gary Harutyunyan, CEO of SleepyBaby, who manages 28 remote employees across states, discovered that “consistent delivery timelines are the most reliable remote team indicator.”

If a team meets deadlines reliably, you know they’re productive. This isn’t about being wired to the clock 24/7. It’s about honoring commitments—and that means both quality and timeliness.

For teams that do more than just meet expectations, Dhawal Shah, Co-Founder of 2Stallions Digital Marketing, looks for continuous improvement.

He shared, “I track how fast work gets done and watch whether my team improves. Completing tasks quicker while maintaining or improving quality shows they’re gaining mastery and efficiency.”

This kind of progress tracking isn’t surveillance. It celebrates growth and pushes mastery, which fuels long-term success.

Productivity Shows in Consistency and Growth

If you want a roadmap for managing remote teams in 2025, here it is:

– Build a culture of trust. Treat your employees like professionals who can manage their time and workload.

– Set clear, outcome-driven goals and metrics that everyone understands and supports. This could be a shared business KPI or a simple weekly deliverable checklist.

– Keep an eye out for genuine engagement—how quickly your team responds, how proactive they are, and whether you see steady improvement.

By shifting away from surveillance and towards these principles, your remote teams will be more productive, innovative, and resilient.

In our evolving work world, leadership isn’t about watching every keystroke. It’s about empowering people. When you focus on trust, shared purpose, and continuous growth, you build teams that don’t just survive remotely—they thrive.

What Should Leaders Focus on Today?

Do you wish to contribute to the next HR Spotlight article? Or is there an insight or idea you’d like to share with readers across the globe?

Write to us at connect@HRSpotlight.com, and our team will help you share your insights.

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