Latest news with #workplaceculture
Jordan Times
13 hours ago
- Business
- Jordan Times
UHY Arab Auditors joins the Great Place to Work® Certified Community in Jordan
UHY Arab Auditors is certified as Great Place To Work for the first time in Jordan. This prestigious recognition reflects the firm's unwavering commitment to fostering a high-trust, inclusive, and empowering workplace culture. In a related statement Christie Jahno, Director of Great Place To Work Jordan said: "We warmly welcome UHY Arab Auditors to the family of certified companies. Their achievement is a testament to the strong organizational culture they have cultivated—one that values trust, collaboration, and continuous development. In a service-driven economy like Jordan's, the quality of services is directly linked to the people who deliver them. UHY Arab Auditors has clearly demonstrated that investing in people leads to excellence." UHY Arab Auditors statement: On behalf of UHY Arab Auditors, Nabil Haddad, Managing Partner stated: 'Being certified as a Great Place To Work is a proud moment for us. It shows that our people feel happy, supported, and valued, and that we're on the right path. It encourages us to keep building a workplace where everyone can grow and feel part of something meaningful.'
Zawya
15 hours ago
- Business
- Zawya
BlueLink International CZ certified as one of the Best Places to Work in the Czech Republic for 2024: A testament to exemplary human capital practices
PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - Media OutReach Newswire - 24 July 2025 - BlueLink, a prominent provider of customer relationship management solutions, has been formally recognized as a "Best Place to Work" in the Czech Republic for 2024. This prestigious certification acknowledges BlueLink's commitment to fostering an outstanding workplace culture, high employee engagement, and a people-centric approach to human resource management. The "Best Places to Work" certification program rigorously evaluates organizations based on their adherence to best practices in human resources management and their substantive commitment to establishing an inclusive, intellectually stimulating, and high-performing work environment. This recognition signifies BlueLink's successful alignment with established benchmarks for organizational effectiveness and employee well-being. Commenting on this significant achievement, Vincent Leonardi, General Manager of BlueLink Czech Republic, stated: "Being recognized as a Best Place to Work is proof of our commitment to creating an environment where every employee can succeed. Our culture of inclusivity, continuous learning, and internal growth opportunities ensures that our team members feel supported and valued. I'm proud to be part of a company where personal development is not just encouraged but actively facilitated." Hashtag: #BestPlaceToWork #BlueLink The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About BlueLink: BlueLink is a global provider of customer experience services, supporting high-end brands in travel, luxury and lifestyle. As part of the Air France–KLM Group, BlueLink combines operational excellence with a strong people culture. With 550 employees in Prague representing 73 nationalities, the company values inclusivity, innovation, and long-term growth — both for its clients and its people. For more information, visit For more information about the certification program, please visit LinkedIn: Twitter: Facebook:
Washington Post
a day ago
- General
- Washington Post
Ask Sahaj: Roommate reacts with ‘bafflement and confusion' every time I vent
Dear Sahaj: My roommate and I were close in high school, but we drifted apart in college. Since we started sharing a place, we have become closer again, but I am finding myself bothered by a dynamic that emerges over and over again whenever we talk. My friend will often ask how I am and invite me to share what's on my mind. I find that as long as we keep the conversation relatively superficial, or keep a positive spin on things, we can talk with little awkwardness. But as soon as I share something that isn't so positive, she will react with open bafflement and confusion. For example, last week she asked if I was still considering leaving my job as I had said before. I told her I was leaning toward leaving because my workplace culture was 'bro-y' (I work in tech), and I shared examples of inappropriate jokes I heard bosses make. She immediately reacted with a kind of bafflement: 'Oh, that's weird and toxic. I don't get why people would make jokes like that.' Then she changed the subject. The whole conversation left me feeling misunderstood and brushed off. It's a pattern that has also emerged whenever I talk about my (very dysfunctional) family. She asks a lot of follow-up questions but in a confused, rather than curious, tone. I end up overexplaining myself while she looks more confused. Then she will cap off the conversation with something like, 'That's odd/weird/problematic' and change the subject. What can I do to break this pattern? Should I have a conversation with her, or should I just stop talking about difficult subjects with her? On the one hand, I worry that she's reacting this way because I am overburdening her with my feelings or expecting her to be my therapist, and this is her way of setting a boundary because we live together and she doesn't want to have to caretake me 24/7. On the other, though, this pattern is leaving me frustrated and resentful, and I don't want to spend time resenting my roommate, either. — Confused Confused: Of course you're confused. Your friend is doing a whole emotional bait-and-switch where she invites conversation but then shuts it down when it goes somewhere she doesn't want. Something has to change; you can't keep opening up to her and expecting compassion, only to be disappointed when you're already feeling vulnerable. You have to decide if you are okay with sharing much less with her or talking to her about what you're experiencing. You can decide not to talk to your friend about her disappointing reactions and consciously stop sharing more deeply with her and redirect that energy elsewhere. You worry this is her boundary, but rather, it sounds more like a limit. She probably doesn't know how to hold discomfort or complexity without either fixing it, dismissing it or retreating. That's not inherently malicious, but it does make her an unreliable container for your more vulnerable truths. It will be hard and sad to let go of a version of a friendship you had hoped to have; let yourself grieve that. Or if you do feel motivated to talk to her and want to try to find a way to shift the dynamic, you can broach a conversation with her by saying something like, 'Hey, can I share something I've been sitting with? It's something I've noticed happening a few times when we talk, and I think naming it and talking to you about it might help me get some clarity.' Then something like: 'Sometimes when I share stuff that's a little heavier — like work stress or family stuff — I feel like it lands kind of awkwardly. I totally get that not every conversation needs to be deep, but I've left a few of those chats feeling a bit misunderstood or shut down. I wanted to check in because I value our friendship and want to make sure I'm not overstepping or asking for more than you want to hold.' This is grounded in your experience, uses 'I' language to be non-accusatory and is asking for her to share her side of things. The conversation will be clarifying for many reasons. Only after naming this and chatting with her about it will you gain clarity on whether she is overwhelmed and wants to set a boundary. Or you'll realize she is simply unaware and may not be the right person for certain kinds of conversation. You'll hopefully get an idea of how she interprets these conversations and recognize if there's anything you need to do differently. If she gets defensive or minimizes, that will give you useful information, too. You don't need to force closeness with someone who can't meet you there. If that happens, the best path may be to recalibrate your expectations by accepting that she may be a great roommate or surface-level friend, but she can't be your go-to for emotional processing. This will allow you to preserve the relationship — especially as you continue to live together — by not expecting it to be something it can't be. Finally, be compassionate with yourself as you navigate this. I hear you internalize your friend's behavior as something that is your fault. You can hold yourself accountable to what you can do differently, but don't take responsibility for how she is acting and responding to you. This only feeds your narrative that you are too much, when in fact, you just know what you need in friendships, and you're exploring who is capable of doing that with you.
CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
IN FOCUS: 5 years ago, Gen Z entered the workforce from home. It shaped their career approach
SINGAPORE: During the pandemic, scores of workers were utterly undone and disorientated by the shift to working from home. It wasn't about the dip in productivity and blurred work-life boundaries, which were surface-level issues. It was the realisation that the office had been more than just a physical, communal space for them, before COVID-19 hit. There was structure to it, which had helped generations of employees to anchor their professional identity and find their footing when starting out. After the dust settled, it became clear that working from home wasn't just a personal adjustment to be made. Five years on, the greater significance is obvious, and perhaps most prominent among Gen Z workers. It has shaped the outlook of a cohort that began their careers at home – an experience that is now steadily redefining workplace culture altogether. WHEN A GENERATION STARTS WORK IN THEIR BEDROOMS Among Gen Zs, typically defined as those born between 1997 and 2012, their oldest members entered the Singapore workforce just as the pandemic began in 2020. All they've known is remote or hybrid work, which often comes with greater autonomy to shape work around their personal preferences, said organisational behaviour expert Winnie Jiang. In many instances, it'll form the 'baseline" for their expectations; manifesting in how they choose their physical environment to work and potentially shaping their career choices, the assistant professor from INSEAD business school added. "Whereas for previous generations, changing careers could be a bit stigmatised, now it's being framed as self-exploration and entrepreneurial pursuits.' It aligns with imprinting theory in psychology, which suggests that experiences during 'critical, formative periods' leave lasting effects on identity and behaviour, said Asst Prof Jiang. And few periods are more formative than the onset of one's career. There is much more to it, however, than the conclusion that "Gen Z just wants to work from home". In a recent survey conducted by CNA's Money Mind programme among youth aged 21 to 28 about why Gen Z workers remain in or quit a job, 53 per cent of respondents in Singapore cited flexible work arrangements as their top reason for staying put. But fresh graduate Charlotte Ang believes it's less about the arrangement per se. Rather, Gen Zs place a premium on what that flexibility represents. 'Gen Zs in general just want to feel like their boundaries are respected and their work is being valued,' the 23-year-old told CNA. 'That's why I think to a lot of Gen Z, a work-from-office mandatory arrangement might not make sense because you feel very controlled. It seems to convey a lack of trust.' Yet, the push for hybrid or remote work, solely for the sake of it, does seem to have eased. Contrary to popular belief, more Gen Zs are enthusiastic about going to the office, while older generations are more reluctant to return, at least according to a Financial Times report. IN-OFFICE LEARNING: CRUCIAL Some Gen Z workers in Singapore told CNA how limited face time revealed just how much in-person interactions – once taken for granted – shaped their learning, both in job skills and workplace dynamics. Mr Goh Chiang Yang, for one, struggled with remote work in a previous three-month stint because he is a 'very visual" learner. 'Even if (a demonstration) was shown through a screen, which you might argue is visual, it's very difficult to follow the 'clicks' or try and understand what they're really trying to do,' the 25-year-old said. He found weekly team meetings during an internship 'very beneficial'. Though hybrid, he showed up in person and learnt something new each time. 'If you're in your first job or just starting out and you need to learn, working in the office or face-to-face is much better than working remotely, especially when you have no clue what you're doing," he said. Mr Goh, now a self-employed photographer, added that there was 'an immediacy' to working in an office. He could tell if colleagues were available to talk, unlike with online messaging, where he wasn't sure if he was interrupting them. For the same reasons, three days in the office is just the 'right balance' for 26-year-old Jane, who declined to give her real name. It's her current arrangement as a digital and content specialist for a tech and automation multinational corporation – her third job since starting work in 2022. Her previous roles at a public relations agency and a tech giant involved hybrid and full-time office arrangements respectively. '(When) I'm new to a company, all the more I'd want to be in the office to get to know new faces. It'll be hard for me to adapt if I'm not,' she said. 'Sometimes, human interaction helps to make you feel more at ease, especially between you and your colleagues. Over text, certain things can (feel) more intimidating (to broach), as opposed to talking in person, whether it's resolving or clarifying certain issues.' A DESIRE FOR COMMUNITY Being in the office also makes it easier to find one's tribe – a key reason many Gen Zs choose to stick with a job, according to a survey. The 2025 poll by recruitment agency Randstad found that 67 per cent of Gen Z respondents in Singapore – more than millennials, Gen X or baby boomers – would consider resigning if they didn't experience a sense of belonging. This isn't a dealbreaker for Jane, though it gave her added motivation when she had to spend all five weekdays in the office in her earlier job with a tech giant. That position didn't actually require 'much human interaction or collaboration', but having many colleagues around her age 'really helped me look forward to work'. Office camaraderie also helped Ms Ang, the graduate, when she had to work overtime with people she described as "like a support system'. It was a perk that work-from-home couldn't give her. She doesn't mind that her current role in e-commerce is strictly work-from-office. Finding the right manager and team culture are more important at this stage of her career. Such dynamics also point to a 'peer learning' aspect of working physically with others that Asst Prof Jiang believes doesn't get recognised enough. 'You're not just focused on your own tasks. You're also learning how other people work, which actually enhances both your self- and other-understanding. It broadens your perspectives, makes you more cognitively flexible and adds breadth to the ways that you think,' she said. 'That ability is really important now in the age of artificial intelligence where people really need to think outside of the box in a lot of different ways.' Then there is the association between working in a physical environment and career ambition. 'Being able to build a relationship with your supervisor beyond work contributes to the sense of belonging to the team and company," said Ms Ang. "It might make you feel like you can reach out to them as a mentor, which could be beneficial for your career.' BLUNTED CAREER TRAJECTORY? Having fewer opportunities for informal learning and forging bonds could go on to affect Gen Z's understanding of career development – even if they may not realise exactly how just yet. Adjunct university lecturer Samuel He has a clearer view of the impact. He's been teaching at Nanyang Technological University for just over a decade; and has 40 to 50 students graduate into the workforce every year. Post-pandemic, some had only been to the office once – to collect their laptop – by the third month of their internships. Others spent these internships, or the initial two years in their first jobs, interacting with just their supervisor. 'That's quite detrimental to a young worker. A lot of things they need to learn happens outside of direct assignments. Sometimes, it can be as casual as a work lunch from someone not in your department,' said Mr He. He believes the onus lies on new employees like his students to make up that "gap' by initiating face time, but acknowledged this was easier said than done. 'For a first job, you're really asking for a lot from them.' As leadership strategist Uma Thana Balasingam pointed out, being digital natives – fluent in the technology used in hybrid and remote work – doesn't mean being fluent in workplace dynamics. Learning how to manage up and how to build social capital require face-to-face experience, just as you'd need to observe how your boss navigates tension in a meeting or gives feedback in "real time', said the founder and CEO of non-profit Lean In Singapore. Such norms make up a company's culture, which is often 'absorbed through osmosis'. 'Older generations had time to build office presence. Gen Z is building professional identity in isolation. They miss out on this mentorship, modelling and impromptu leadership exposure,' added Ms Thana Balasingam. 'Uneven' visibility of a worker then affects sponsorship – a practice in which a senior employee actively advocates for and promotes the career advancement of a junior. 'Without visibility and sponsorship, which I believe to be the most important relationship currency in the workplace, I believe Gen Z talent will stagnate and start questioning their value,' she said. CULTURE OF CONNECTION In trying to retain talent, giving employees the logistical arrangements they want may help. But a company's culture will ultimately matter most, said Gen Z workers who spoke with CNA. Former journalist Denise, who declined to give her real name, joined a hybrid newsroom for around two years as her first job out of university. 'I wanted to have more interactions ... It's not that people were unapproachable, but it's more of a bother to reach out online than just stepping over (to talk to them in person). Work-from-home definitely felt more isolating,' said the 26-year-old. Yet she eventually found 'no difference' when working in the office. 'A lot of the older supervisors ... I think they forgot what it's like to be someone new in a new space,' she added. In comparison, Denise felt close to colleagues in a previous internship, even though they only worked in the office once in a while. They would reach out often or organise meet-ups. 'Moving forward, when I do interviews, the number one question I'll ask is 'what's the culture like?' (and) see how companies answer that, like (whether they have) get-togethers," she said. "Even though it sounds so lame and cringe saying it out loud, it does matter. It affects the whole working experience." But it goes beyond team bonding activities. Just as Gen Z's demand for flexible work arrangements is rooted in a desire for trust, what they're truly seeking is a chance to belong and for meaningful connection beyond the daily grind. To keep up, companies should first 'stop treating hybrid as a logistical solution, which is what we did during the pandemic', Ms Thana Balasingam suggested. 'Gen Z values flexibility but not at the cost of connection. The problem is that many hybrid set-ups are technically flexible but emotionally disconnected,' she said. 'Start designing for human connection. Culture and career development won't happen remotely. You have to engineer that.' An organisation she worked with, for example, restructured hybrid days to 'centre around connection'. This led to cross-team coffee chats, executive Ask Me Anything sessions, reverse mentoring pairings – and better engagement among younger employees. 'I don't know which generation asks for as much feedback as Gen Z. They want clarity, coaching, connection," she added. "And if hybrid work environments fail to offer those, they're going to opt out." And if they do, who would blame them? If anything, perhaps the Gen Z career approach reflects how older attitudes towards work – which placed the job at the centre – can no longer hold. You could be a social media manager, tech analyst, lawyer, banker, journalist and so on in possibly any company of your choice. You might have ended up joining this one for the exciting job scope and competitive benefits. But more often than not, you'll stay for the people. Gen Z has simply figured that out early.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Civility Management Solutions Launches Nationwide Campaign for National Civility Month
Challenging the Culture Debt Ceiling GREENBELT, Md., July 22, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As organizations nationwide continue to grapple with rising workplace tension, burnout, and disengagement, Civility Management Solutions (CivilityMS), a woman- and veteran-owned management services firm based in Greenbelt, Maryland, is launching a nationwide awareness campaign to recognize National Civility Month (August 2025) and offer leaders real solutions to an invisible, expensive problem. The campaign reframes civility not as a soft skill—but as a strategic leadership asset that directly impacts performance, retention, and revenue. According to recent studies, incivility now costs U.S. employers more than $2 billion per day in lost productivity, absenteeism, and turnover—a growing "culture debt" that many leaders still overlook. Led by CivilityMS Founder and President Laurie Sayles, the campaign introduces a powerful slate of tools and events, including: The Executive Civility Toolkit – A free, practical resource for executives, HR leaders, and team managers, featuring civility scorecards, pulse surveys, team conversation flashcards, and behavior checklists. National Webinar – "Culture Debt Is Real: Why Civility Is the Business Strategy You're Ignoring" – airing live on LinkedIn Wednesday, August 13, 2025 . Private CEO Roundtable – "Civility Behind Closed Doors: A CEO Roundtable on Culture, Leadership & Accountability" – taking place virtually on Wednesday, September 10, 2025 . Social Media Activation + CEO Civility Pledge – Encouraging C-suite leaders to sign a digital pledge and receive a badge of commitment to respectful, accountable leadership. "Civility is not soft—it's strategic," says Sayles. "It affects contract renewals, team trust, psychological safety, and innovation. When companies treat it like a leadership competency, they see measurable results." CivilityMS has delivered civility-focused solutions to federal agencies, Fortune 500s, nonprofits, and C-suite teams—integrating respect, emotional intelligence, and accountability into the DNA of daily operations. The company's approach is built on the belief that culture is not an HR issue—it's a leadership responsibility. The campaign also features a downloadable infographic outlining the cost of incivility, and a "Campaign in a Box" kit to help organizations activate civility internally throughout August. Registration & Resources:
