One of the first things to fall by the wayside, as the COVID-19 pandemic started to hit North America, was the handshake, followed by in-person meetings and close conversations. For salespeople, those had been two staples of building relationships with clients and possible customers.Then people were sent home from their offices and told to work remotely for an unknown length of time. That meant no friendly competition among teammates trying to get the biggest sales or land the biggest client, equal parts morale booster and healthy motivation. How is a salesperson supposed to continue to be effective on the same level with all these limitations? 

Unemployment numbers are higher than they’ve been in decades as the international economy tries to stabilize during the COVID-19 pandemic.Layoffs happen to the best workers, people in all stages of their career, and usually come without warning. If you lost your job due to COVID-19, first and foremost, know you’re not alone! The economy is starting to restart, slowly but surely, and there will come a time when you’re back to work. Things might seem tough right now, but it will get better. Here are some tips for how to bounce back after a layoff. 

For every piece of advice on what to put on a resume, there’s a suggestion of what to leave off. It can be maddening trying to sort it out! When you’ve spent so much time and put so much thought and effort into a document that sums up your career, your achievements, and upon which hinges your hopes of a future position, it’s worth taking the time to weigh each addition and subtraction with care. 

If someone asked an executive about their company culture 25 years ago, the response might be a blank look, an irritated eye roll, or an angry answer about the importance of work ethic over “touchy-feely” concerns. But now, people want the company they work for to take care of them, to pay attention to their needs as people and to offer incentives and perks beyond just paychecks and health insurance.The better a company’s culture, the more appealing it will be to the most talented and sought-after job candidates. 

Maybe the last time you looked for a job, you weren’t interested in finding something long-term. For whatever reason, a temporary job was just the ticket: Something that would last for a few months, would bring in some money and can help pad your resume until you figure out what you’d really like to do. But now, several months later, you like your coworkers, you enjoy the office environment and, maybe most surprisingly, you really like the work you’re doing. You start to wonder: Is it possible to make this temporary job permanent? 

If you’re among the countless people who are new to working at home or are currently working remotely on a more long-term basis than before, it’s ok to feel a little untethered. It’s a big change! Especially right now, as we were told to stay home without much warning or preparation. The good news is, there are lots of people who have worked remotely for a number of years and have grown to love it. There are plenty of ways to make it work, so you’re just as productive and efficient from your home office (or dining room table or couch) as you would be at your desk in the office. Here’s how to make your working from home days successful and productive ones: 

Who doesn’t love summertime? Nice weather, picnics and patios, long days and beautiful sunsets and so many fun things to do with friends after the workday ends. But that’s the issue faced by many managers: How do you keep your focus sharply fixed on the task at hand and not lose track of projects at work when there are so many fun distractions to consider? Here are some tips on how to keep your productivity in place during those lovely summer months: 

Let’s be honest: We all need a little help getting motivated some days. Whether due to a lack of sleep, too many projects at once, a lack of passion about a task, or just feeling a little blah, it can be challenging to meet the day with vigor all the time. When you’re feeling a little low energy, here are some podcasts that can help regain the pep in your step and give you new energy to stay focused and motivated to complete the work at hand.

There might not be a cure for the summertime blues, but there are ways to help stave off slacking and low morale among employees in those potentially lazy, hazy crazy days of summer. It’s the time of year most people dream about -- long days, warm temperatures, patios and picnics and picturesque times of leisure. But when you have to work, how do you maintain momentum and ambition? How do you keep your team focused when you’d all rather be somewhere else? It’s not impossible. Here are a few things to keep in mind: