Happy Tuesday!
One of the consequences of the shift in seeing our jobs as a transaction and moving from one to the next to secure advancement is that we have a tendency to form less friendships at work which presents an issue in that the workplace used to be a major source of our friendships. And having these work-based friendships was a benefit to both the company and worker. Not having close social connections can impact communication and worker effectiveness, so if you don’t have close friendships at work, it is even more important to build a professional network outside of work to provide the support and friendship we all need. The full article can be found here:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/opinion/sunday/adam-grant-friends-at-work-not-so-much.html?_r=0
Studies have shown that when we are in a stressful environment, our bodies react to that stress even if the situation causing the stress does not directly impact us. In a recent Harvard Business Review article, they detail the steps we can take to immunize ourselves from that. The full article can be found here: https://hbr.org/2015/09/make-yourself-immune-to-secondhand-stress
Recently there have been many high profile announcements about more generous family leave policies. The issue of course is that do new parents actually feel comfortable taking that leave or will they be relegated to the parent-track that will slow their advancement? Claire Cain Mitchell explores the issue in a recent article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/upshot/big-leaps-for-parental-leave-if-workers-actually-follow-through.html
And lastly, sometimes a father is the one that steps back from work and becomes the primary caregiver. The issues they face are detailed in a recent article that can be found here: http://www.wsj.com/articles/dealing-with-the-daddy-track-men-face-challenges-going-part-time-1441099800
Huge thanks to our committee members for arranging a terrific line up of events for the Fall including a coed cocktail party and brewery tour in Dallas, our second annual Charity Shopping Night in Houston, Lunch with Mayor Betsy Price in Fort Worth, and a Holiday Luncheon in Austin.  Register early to avoid disappointment!
Kind regards
 
Christine