Article
by Cornerstone staff 22 Dec 2020
Year In Review: Our Most Valuable Content of 2020
A quick look back at a year of really great content inspired by a pandemic
It’s hard to believe that 2020 is (finally) coming to an end. It’s hard to say whether this year has gone by fast or if it has felt more like walking through quicksand. Truthfully, the experience has likely been a bit different for everyone. And while we’d like to think that the start of a new year will be the equivalent of pushing the “reset button”—and officially forgetting about the many challenges we’ve all faced this past year—we must temper those expectations. Even though there is a light at the end of the tunnel, we still have to get through the tunnel first.
That being said, as we look back at this crazy year, there is no question that we learned a lot as the COVID-19 pandemic first became the centerpiece of daily life and then continued to unfold as the year went on. It pushed many of us to our limits. It forced us to innovate how we work. It encouraged us to abandon our deeply rooted beliefs in the concept of ‘business as usual.’ It taught us about resilience, even in the face of non-stop uncertainty.
And this inspired the creation of a lot of really interesting and valuable content—some that may have never seen the light of day if we had still been operating according to ‘business as usual.’
Pandemic-inspired, yet always relevant
So, as we head into the holidays and get ready for a new year ahead, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of the content that our community felt was too good to be missed. (Good news for you, if you missed it the first time around, you now have a way to overcome #FOMO!)
“Do the Opposite”
In times of crisis, many people (and businesses) tend to play it safe or abide by the tried-and-true rules of engagement. But does that always pan out? It depends on who you ask. Sometimes when it feels like the sky is falling down, it’s not the time to play it safe, but rather to do the exact opposite of your instincts. For all you know, it’s those big, bold bets—and new innovations—that could pay off for years to come.
“10 Tips for Hiring During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Just because COVID-19 jolted the world into recessionary times doesn’t mean hiring stops altogether. If anything, it became more critical than ever to keep the recruiting process moving forward to ensure that as many people could be employed during a time of brutal economic crisis. In fact, some businesses, especially those deemed “essential,” experienced a massive spike in hiring to keep up with growing demand. But as with everything else over the course of the year, the hiring process during the pandemic had to change, too. This article provides some really useful tips on how to overcome the hurdles of hiring in this “new normal.”
“Microaggressions are Alive and Well in the Workplace”
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has experienced an onslaught of political, social, economic, and, most notably, racial tensions. This came to a head during the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and in many countries around the world. It was a moment to wake up and realize that racism, bias, and discrimination still permeates many aspects of daily life—including the workplace experience, oftentimes in the form of microaggressions. In this article, we take a closer look at what microaggressions are as well as how to nip them in the bud before they become an even more serious problem impacting a workforce’s well-being.
“4 Tips for Thriving in a Remote Work Environment”
At various points throughout the year, we have found ourselves having no other option but to work from home. And while this, for some, may be an absolute dream, for others it’s a massive challenge. From learning how to communicate and collaborate 100% virtually to figuring out how to set effective boundaries between ‘work life’ from ‘personal life’—and so many other learnings in between—the COVID-19 pandemic has driven a new way of working for millions of people around the world. And based on how things continue to unravel, it looks like we’ll continue to rely on this remote working lifestyle for a while longer. In this article, we’ve provided some useful tips on how to stay productive and motivated when working from home.
“Build Your Bench Strength”
While it may seem counterintuitive to talk—much less, think—about succession planning in the midst of the biggest health and economic crisis the world has seen in a long time, the truth is that, even in the midst of all these headwinds, businesses still must evolve. Whether it involves shuffling people around into new positions, based on strategic priorities or changing business needs, or putting high-performing employees on learning and development plans, so that they can eventually grow into new roles with greater responsibilities, there’s never a time when businesses—and their HR teams—should not think about the future. In this webinar, we take a close look at what “potential” really means in the context of succession planning and examine why continuous performance management is the best way to ensure your business and its employees are always prepared for the future challenges that lie ahead.
More to come in 2021
If you find yourself with some downtime during what’s likely to be a slimmed-down version of the holidays, now you’ve got some really valuable and informative content to keep you occupied. So warm yourself up some tea, curl up in a blanket, and let this content (that our community has loved the most throughout the year) inspire and prepare you for the many more twists and turns that lie in the year ahead. And just know that there’s a lot more from where this came from. Be on the lookout for even more insightful content coming your way in 2021!
