When was the last time a work task occupied your full attention? When you looked up and found that an hour or more had passed? This elusive state of being immersed in something, feeling creative and productive, is called “flow.” It’s difficult to find in today’s workplaces, with constant interruptions from various devices and other humans in your office, at home, or online. But you can cultivate flow and create an environment that helps your employees find flow, too. Here’s what you need to know about flow and how to create it.

Set the conditions so you can single-task.

You can’t remain in flow for any length of time with interruptions. Set expectations and boundaries for how team members can take part in focused work. Let employees know when it’s OK to log off messaging apps and email for focused work, and when it’s not. Share the work of positive psychologist Mihály Csikszentmihályi, who pioneered the concept of flow. Explain why it’s helpful to take advantage of focused work. Managers, demonstrate the concept: block time on your calendar for focused work, let employees know when and why you’ll be unavailable, and share later how you spent your focused work time. This can be the green light employees need to log off of email and messaging apps and dive into something.

Choose the right task.

If you hate running payroll reports with the fire of a thousand suns, your mind will find distractions when you do it, whether you turn off your phone or not. For focused work, choose a task you typically enjoy, and one that’s important to your job. Choose something that’s challenging, but not impossible. If the task is too far outside your skill level or comfort zone, you could get stuck. Make a date on your calendar for focused work, and let your anticipation for it build.

Choose the right time and place.

Moving from the typical location where you most often work signals your body that something different is happening. That can help trigger a flow state. Maybe all you can do is move from your couch to a chair, or to a different chair in your office. That’s fine. The important thing is to relocate your body for focused work, and move back to your usual spot when you step back into your routine. If you do your best work before 10 am, don’t schedule focused work at 3 pm. If you work in the office and clients come in and out all day on Wednesdays, don’t schedule focused work then.

Focus.

Once you’ve set the conditions for focused work, made space, and minimized distractions…you have to focus! If your mind wanders or you grow restless, just bring your attention back to the task at hand. Do this as many times as it takes. If you’ve practiced meditation, it’s like that—but if you haven’t meditated, the underlying principle is simple: A great session doesn’t mean your mind never wanders, it means you bring your attention back to the subject again and again. No one will grade you!

Repeat.

For many of us, seeking flow can feel intimidating or scary. We spend much of our lives on autopilot, dashing off immediate responses. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to let one thing take up space in our mind and go where it leads us. But when you reach flow, even for a few minutes, it can feel exhilarating, and produce creative, new ideas and outcomes that are hard to achieve any other way. If you find pursuing flow difficult or disorienting at first, keep trying. Celebrate the weeks when flow comes freely, and learn what you can from the weeks when it doesn’t. The more you pursue flow, the more it will pursue you.

Resources

• Nine Steps to Achieving Flow in Your Work – Greater Good Magazine
• 6 Tips to Harness the Power of Flow State at Work – Asana

The pandemic made clear that nonprofit employers must recognize and respond to employees’ mental health and wellness needs. It also brought to light workplace patterns that take a mental toll on teams. Learn how to provide assistance your employees value and avoid common pitfalls.

Listen. Staff surveys, exit interviews, and all-staff meetings can give you insights into where your staff is hurting or stressed and needs assistance. Gather and analyze information from all of these channels, make a plan to act on the feedback, and communicate your actions to staff.

Evaluate. Turn a critical eye to your organization’s mental health benefits. Analyze how you can improve them in response to the needs employees shared. Can you give staff members and families access to more sessions with a therapist each year? Provide more telemedicine options for therapy? Provide an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)?

Talk. Make talking about mental health with your team a priority. Don’t make the conversation all about your own experiences—but as a leader, if you don’t share something, you can’t expect anyone else to. Share the message frequently that your workplace prioritizes mental health, and share how it does so. Emphasize that your door and calendar are truly open. Talk about stories in the news or that you’ve heard from other nonprofits of how their teams deal with mental health challenges and stress. And if an employee seems to be struggling, ask privately if they’re OK. Let them know you don’t want to overstep any boundaries, but you’re concerned about their well-being.

Train managers to promote wellness and mental health. Most managers don’t receive any training on how to supervise other people, let alone how to talk with them about the importance of mental health. Let staff see you take breaks and prioritize time for yourself, your interests, and loved ones. Provide positive reinforcement to staff members who do the same, and encourage all team members to do so.

Hold managers accountable. Consider adding new metrics to your management performance reviews, like how well a manager works with employees to help navigate work-life balance, keeps team members informed of changes at work that affect them, and provides timely and useful feedback. 

Address workload. Workplace stresses can contribute to mental health concerns. Consider a four-day workweek or other modified schedule. Build as many options for flexibility into your organization’s schedule as possible. Look for ways to say yes to flexible scheduling requests, instead of no. Having control over when and how you work can be a powerful tool.

Move forward on equity. Evaluate leaders on how well they demonstrate equity in hiring, supervision, and business decisions, and how well they consistently learn on their equity journey. Listen to the needs of staff on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Frequently communicate the steps the organization is taking to create a culture of belonging.

Make sure staff know what mental health resources the organization provides and how to access them. Share this information frequently, in multiple formats, and on multiple platforms.

Consider “restoration breaks,” where the entire office closes to give staff time to rest and reset.

Communicate expectations clearly. As your organization’s priorities shift during a changing time, make sure employees know what projects take top priority and what can be put on the back burner. Clearly communicating expectations and helping employees problem-solve on workload can help alleviate confusion and burnout, lowering workplace stress.

Additional Resources

• Mental Health Has Become a Business Imperative – MIT Sloan Management Review
• How And Why Nonprofits Are Supporting the Mental Health Oo Their Employees – Council of Nonprofits
• 3 Steps Every Nonprofit Can Take To Support Their Employees’ Mental Health – LinkedIn
• Nonprofit Leaders, Prioritize Mental Health For Employees of Color – SGEngage

Most of us have encountered HR managers who seemed neither human nor resourceful. Luckily, many of us have also encountered HR managers who helped us through tough situations and made us feel seen. What makes a great HR manager? Here’s a look at five superpowers the very best HR managers have.

“For our sake—to feel less burned out by our work (and therefore feel more energy when we’re away from work), we would be wise to foster supportive friendships at the very places where we need to protect ourselves from the effects of stress.”

– Shasta Nelson, The Business of Friendship

When you entered the workforce, family members, teachers, or mentors might have warned you about the dangers of workplace friendships. Forming personal relationships, at work or otherwise, always brings risk. You and your buddy might disagree, and that can lead to conflict. But an increasing body of research shows the benefits of workplace friendships outweigh the risks. Here’s a look at why workplace friendships make a difference, and some ways managers can support them.

Why Workplace Friendships Matter

1. Workplace friendships improve the emotional health of your team. Research from Gallup shows that it became more important to have a best friend at work since the pandemic began. Many people had traumatic experiences at work and personally during COVID. Social and emotional support from work friends became more important than ever. Employees without a best friend at work became more isolated.
2. Employees who have a best friend at work get more done. If an employee has a best friend at work, they are significantly more likely to engage with clients and colleagues, do more work in less time, support workplace safety with fewer accidents and incidents, innovate, and share ideas.
3. Employees who have a best friend at work are more satisfied with their jobs and less likely to leave their organizations. Even the best jobs have tasks and time periods that feel like a slog. Those get harder to bear when you don’t have meaningful relationships or interesting activities to help fill the day. Gallup found that 44 percent of employees who have a workplace best friend would recommend their organization as a great place to work, compared with 21 percent of employees who don’t have a work best friend.

How Managers Can Support Workplace Friendships

Schedule social events with no work agenda where employees can connect. You can’t (and shouldn’t) force employees to make friends at work, but you should offer the opportunity. Social events don’t have to be mandatory, but they must be inclusive. Make sure everyone has the opportunity to attend by offering options for remote workers and scheduling events during work hours. Consider team-building volunteer opportunities. Acknowledge that social events might sometimes feel a little forced, that they may not be perfect, and that they will take staff time to organize. Commit to invest the effort, and solicit feedback on what kinds of events team members prefer.

Mix up cliques. Promote collaboration and head off the development of factions by giving different groups of employees opportunities to work together. Don’t boast about your ‘open door policy’ unless you are leaving your office door and plenty of space on your calendar for employees to pop in without going through a formal process for a touch base conversation. Opportunities to get an issue addressed rather than just grouse about it to co-workers will help counter some tendencies for gossip and create a more collegial environment.

Offer mentoring or work buddy programs. Mentoring pairs one employee with another to help them learn skills and develop career paths, while work buddies can help a new employee make connections. Both of these types of programs provide an opportunity for meaningful professional connection and growth paths that are available to all employees. This can lead to the development of long-lasting connections among team members.

Additional Resources

• The Business of Friendship, by Shasta Nelson
• The Increasing Importance of a Best Friend at Work – Gallup
• Friends at Work: Good or Bad for Business? – Insperity

Ever wonder why staff members hesitate when you ask them to make a decision? Some aspects of your workplace culture may create unintentional barriers to independent decision-making by employees. But it doesn’t have to stay that way. Here’s how to foster a culture of independent decision-making at your nonprofit.

If employees don’t feel safe sharing their opinions at work, any risk management effort is doomed to fail. It’s not always easy to foster a climate of psychological safety, a shared belief that it’s safe to take interpersonal risks as a team. But it can be done, and it will strengthen every aspect of your nonprofit, including problem-solving and risk management. Here’s how to begin.

The transition from individual contributor to manager can be one of the toughest times in a person’s professional life. Leading others requires skills people might not have developed working independently. But many people can become outstanding managers. New managers’ supervisors play a huge role in their success. Here’s a seven-step plan to help the new managers at your nonprofit make a great transition into managerial roles.

1. Share basic expectations with new managers from the start. Many new managers get thrown into challenging situations right away, with no training or guardrails. Make sure to instruct new managers right away on their legal and policy responsibilities in hiring, references, supervision, and more. Managers should never be confused on what is and isn’t allowed.
2. Help managers identify their leadership strengths and challenges. Work with them to create a plan to build skills in the leadership areas where they struggle. Help them connect with an experienced manager in your organization or industry association to build specific skills. Encourage new managers to find inspiration and learning from courses offered by third parties; assure them that your nonprofit will cover the cost to register and that participation is permitted during regular work hours.
3. Work with managers to help them better understand the organization. New managers might have been heads-down as individual contributors, focused narrowly on the goals and expectations of a team or function. Now, they need to understand and appreciate the organization’s biggest threats and opportunities, including internal challenges around talent and morale. Capable managers bring a big picture view to their work as leaders; to inspire and support that view you must expose them to and invite their perspectives on big picture issues and challenges.
4. Help new managers improve their time management. Often, individual contributors only need to manage their own time. Managers need to keep track of department, group, and individual team member deadlines as well as their own. Work with new managers to identify their time management strengths and problem areas. Coach them on strategies and tools to organize their time so important tasks, deadlines, and conversations don’t slip through the cracks.
5. Teach managers how to become coaches. A new manager can no longer rely on their knowledge and skills. They need to learn how each employee works best, their employees’ strengths and challenges, and how to help employees succeed without micromanaging. Coaching has replaced controlled as the heart of modern management. Teach new managers to invest time in employee feedback at regular one-on-one meetings—and to request feedback on their management skills and style from their team members, too.
6. Coach new managers on how to interact when managing former co-workers. Managers who were promoted internally might now supervise co-workers who competed for their position. New bosses will need to strike a balance between remaining collegial with their former peers and making supervisory decisions. Teach the new manager to approach these difficult situations head-on with frank conversations.
7. Work with new managers to build their communication skills. Managers need to be able to communicate when something would be ideal and when it’s required. They need to clearly state expectations for tasks and assignments. They need to be straightforward but diplomatic, as at time they will have to deal with unhappy employees, clients, and vendors. When those situations arise, take time afterward to talk with the new manager about what they feel worked and what didn’t. Offer strategies for how they can continue to improve their communication. 

Additional Resources

• How to Train New Managers – SCORE
• 3 Challenges New Managers Face and How Training Can Help –  Society for Human Resource Management
• A Guide to Training Managers – Indeed
• 8 Ways HR Can Help Develop Better Managers – Qualtrics

An often-cited maxim for how to treat people is the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But in our diverse workplaces, our colleagues might want to be treated very differently than we do. Bring a more inclusive approach to your human resources practices by applying the Platinum Rule: Do unto others as they would want done to them. Here are some strategies to do that.

The Platinum Rule, popularized in a 1998 book by that name, divides behavioral preferences into four styles: director, relater, socializer, and thinker.

To work well with directors:

• Be organized
• Get to the point
• Appeal to their sense of accomplishment

To work well with socializers:

• Give them personal recognition
• Support their ideas, goals, opinions, and dreams
• Don’t rush them into tasks before they’ve had a chance to chat

To work well with Thinkers:

• Be mindful of their time
• Give them data
• Give them the opportunity to make decisions and work independently

To work well with Relaters:

• Don’t rush them
• Support their feelings
• Show sincere interest in them
• Give them time to solicit co-workers’ opinions

The following tips will help you apply the Platinum Rule to your HR practices across all behavioral styles.

Don’t get to the end before the beginning. Organizations expect managers to come up with solutions to problems. But don’t make up a solution and settle on it before you walk into the meeting to discuss it. Keep an open mind. Elicit a variety of opinions and see where the team’s thoughts lead the group.

Listen. Let team members share their thoughts without interruption. Make eye contact (with the camera, for remote workers) to show you’re listening. Pause before you respond, to give your brain a chance to truly take in what’s been said without leaping to unconscious biases. If you’re not sure of the person’s point, repeat what you heard to make sure you got the gist.

Acknowledge people’s contributions and individuality. When you talk with a colleague, look for opportunities to touch on something they said in a meeting that resonated with you, or ask about a family member or friend they mentioned.

Practice flexibility in management. You must treat all employees fairly, but you don’t have to manage everyone the exact same way. If one employee responds best to deadlines and another finds motivation by receiving the autonomy to prioritize their tasks, don’t try to squeeze each one into the other’s box.

What if someone doesn’t know how they prefer to be managed? Observe. Try different management and communication approaches with them, watch how they respond, and ask questions later about how those approaches worked for them.

Communicate clearly, but allow as much flexibility in communication as you can. Spell out any unavoidable communication requirements for your team (customer service staff must be logged in from X am-X pm, for example; emails from clients should be responded to within 48 hours; voice mails should be returned that day or the next, etc.). Beyond those requirements, honor each person’s communication preferences (text, email, phone, instant messaging) as much as possible.

Don’t react—learn and unlearn. At some point, you will do or say something a team member finds offensive or hurtful. For many of us, the natural reaction would be to get defensive. Pause, breathe, and listen before you speak. The person in front of you has trusted you enough to let you know you got something wrong. Listen and learn where you went off course, so you don’t make the same mistake again.

Consider cultural differences. Don’t assume you know your team members’ cultural needs. Give them a chance to share those needs with you. For example, when choosing a restaurant for a staff outing, give people the option to share any dietary restrictions or preferences with you. People in recovery from alcohol abuse might avoid happy hours, and employees of the Muslim or Jewish faiths who avoid pork might not find many food options at a barbecue.

Additional Resources

• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives: Practicing the Platinum Rule to Meet People Where They Are – MGMA
• Tools and Techniques for Effective Communication: The Platinum Rule – SmartBrief
• The ‘Platinum Rule’ to Managing Staff – HRD
• 5 Ways to Use the Platinum Rule at Work – InHerSight

Mentor programs can benefit employee engagement, skills development, and retention. Maybe you’ve wanted to start a mentor program at your nonprofit, but wondered where to begin. Here’s a checklist that will help you create a great mentor program to fit your nonprofit’s needs.

Age diversity can make your nonprofit team more creative and innovative. And if that’s not enough motivation, age discrimination against people over 40 is against the law.* Here are some tips to ensure your hiring is age-inclusive.

Set a Foundation for Age Diversity Within Your Organization

• Share information about your nonprofit’s open positions widely within your team, and make sure employees across age groups and career stages know about all your job opportunities. Some older workers might want to make a lateral move or step into more junior roles to learn new skills or begin a retirement transition.
• If you have a management team, designate an executive sponsor to support your nonprofit’s age diversity recruiting efforts. Seek a champion with a passion for your mission and for multigenerational hiring. This champion could help you focus on initiatives like recruiting older professionals to join your board.
• Add age diversity to your organization’s DEI objectives, and set measurable goals.
• Review your diversity policies and make sure they include age. Craft language that explains how age diversity fits into organizational culture and values, DEI goals, and action plans. Include statements from leadership about the importance of age diversity, and share information on non-retaliation policies for reporting discrimination.
• Include age in your nonprofit’s official statements about diversity. This includes the equal employment opportunity (EEO) statements frequently found on job postings, and any communications that explain your organization’s stance on the importance of all forms of diversity.
• Consider signing the AARP Employer Pledge, a public statement of an employer’s support for building an age-inclusive workforce.
• Review your nonprofit’s branding. Make sure your website imagery and social media profiles actively (and accurately—no stock photos) communicate that your organization welcomes age diversity.

Age Diversity in Crafting, Posting, and Recruiting for Open Positions

• Post your organization’s open positions on job boards focused on age diversity, like the AARP job board. Consider a variety of job posting locations, from newspapers and magazines to the classified section of local websites and neighborhood newsletters. You can also post jobs on bulletin boards at senior centers, churches, and YMCAs.
• Include language in your recruitment materials that encourages workers of all ages to apply.
• Don’t ask for graduation dates or dates of birth in your application process unless you have a very compelling mission-related reason to do so.
• Don’t ask for salary history, as this may discriminate against experienced workers, among other groups. Post salary ranges for your jobs.
• Audit your job descriptions. Avoid phrases such as “recent college graduate,” “young, dynamic team,” or “digital native.” Such language could give the impression older people shouldn’t apply. Use AARP’s guide, “Say This, Not That,” to review and make changes to your job descriptions and postings.
• Use scripted questions and interview panels to help reduce bias in your hiring. Ensure your panels include employees with a diverse range of ages.
• Seek recruiting partnerships with organizations that serve older people.
• Create flexible work situations and tailor job designs to meet the needs and preferences of older workers. An employee who’s ready to retire from your staff might love to come back on a part-time consulting basis in a year or two.
• Start or participate in a return-to-work program (called “returnships”) for midcareer professionals who have taken time out of the workforce to raise children, care for elders, or focus on other aspects of their lives.
• Investigate your use of AI in hiring. Many organizations use artificial intelligence to help select candidates from applicant pools. But AI can pick up biases of the humans running the job search, or exacerbate bias by basing algorithms on past criteria. If your nonprofit uses personality tests in hiring, ask your AI vendor for bias monitoring practices. Find out whether the vendor has industrial or organizational psychologists on staff or contract, and get the dates and frequency of their most recent bias audits.

 *The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) applies to employers with 20+ employees. State anti-discrimination laws may provide a lower threshold.

Resources:

• How to Improve Age Diversity in Hiring in Your Organization – AARP
• Say This, Not That: How to Remove Age Bias from Your Job Descriptions – AARP
• Age-Inclusive Hiring for Social Organizations Tip Sheet – Idealist
• How to Hire and Retain Older Workers – Career One Stop