"That's TOXIC"🎙

Phewwwwww Besties, do we need a catch up with YOU! But first… This week’s email is brought to you by Workleap. Did you know that 41% of HR professionals believe hybrid work compromises employees’ connection to culture? Workleap has everything you need to make sure that doesn’t happen. Every interaction, from onboarding to performance assessments to engagement and recognition, is crafted to create meaningful moments while making work more simple. Check Workleap out and set up a demo - tell them the “HR Besties” sent you, and you’ll get a special discount.

We’re still recovering from our weekend in San Antonio: visiting Leigh’s hometown, eating lots of tacos (literally, lots), meeting up with awesome Besties listeners, and of course, creating more episodes of the podcast. We’ll catch you up on all of it (well… everything we legally can…) in the Happy Hour episode Friday. But first - today we have a new episode that we know will strike a chord.

• Intro Story: A story from an HR Besties listener that Ashley provides a (very) dramatic reenactment of (and you’ll be thankful that this listener’s CHRO isn’t YOUR boss). Also, Leigh’s expert advice about where to eat (and where NOT to) when you’re hosting global colleagues.

• Corporate Cringe Speak: Another military phrase is the subject of focus this week (and it’s one that many leaders say).

• Toxic Leadership: Like Britney Spears said, “Don’t you know that you’re toxic?” (Generally, nope!) What toxic leadership is and what HR can do about it (including what we each consider the most toxic traits in leadership)

• Questions & Comments: Jamie quotes Bill Marriott. And Ashley quotes Elsa (and no, it’s not “Let it go,” but that advice works, too.)

Discussion Guide for Your Team (Questions for your team meeting or podcast discussion club):

• Do you feel like there’s a “chain of command” at work? How can we encourage employees to share ideas, and have “skip level” meetings without managers being worried about what their team members might say?

• Have you ever felt unsure how to navigate leadership when trying to share ideas or solve problems? How did you navigate it, and what happened?

• What do you consider “toxic leadership,” and how can that create challenges at work? How can we help manage those situations?

Give the episode a listen, reach out to share your thoughts, and if you listen on Spotify, take part in our poll every episode.

Questions or comments? Submit them on our website!