Tag: interviews

The Great Resignation.

After the pandemic, my organization lost a lot of people because they had grown accustomed to working from home. It was called the Great Resignation. There were many people stating reasons for why it happened, but every exit interview had the same response. They wanted to work from home like they did during the pandemic, and my organization was too slow to react on a work from home policy.

During the pandemic, I distinctly remember people talking about the new normal. Everyone assumed that they would just continue working remotely from now on, and many of them simply loved it. They could spend more time at home, where they were most comfortable. If they had a family, they got to spend more time with them. They could also just roll right out of bed and log in, as opposed to going through all the motions to get ready for work, then do the dreaded commute, only to wade through office politics and deal with an occasional unfriendly coworker.

Congratulations, you’ve lost everyone you needed to keep.

At the time of the mass exodus, I happened to be the supervisor over quite a few people who left for better opportunities. My department was almost literally reduced to zero. As each person left, one of the managers under me would tell me, you’ll be fine because so and so is here, don’t lose him! Eventually, we got down to that one person, and out of fear he also turned in his two weeks’ notice, because he didn’t want to be the last man standing. That’s when my manager, who had also already turned in his two weeks, made a rather astounding statement that stuck in my head to this day. He said, congratulations, you’ve lost everyone you needed to keep.

I persevered through all the resignations. It wasn’t easy. I had to mitigate a lot of demands that were placed on my department until we could get back on our feet. I was fortunate that most people were understanding of the situation. I posted a lot of positions, and did countless interviews, all while trying to keep the lights on. I eventually rebuilt an incredible new department from the ground up, hiring everyone myself, and helping them all to get up on their feet.

This is my experience with the Great Resignation. It was hard, but I made it through fine. I may have even built my department back better than it was before. There’s still that phrase left over in my head though. Congratulations, you’ve lost everyone you needed to keep.

I realize now why those words are so burned into my mind. In my life outside of work, I actually did lose the person that I needed to keep the most. They were very special to me. I can never replace them. No matter how good I am as a leader, I can’t fix this situation. I still need them more than anything. The only thing I can really do is pray they one day return to me safely.

Did you experience the Great Resignation where you work? Do you like working from home? What would you have done in my leadership role? Have you ever lost someone that you desperately needed to keep? Let me know in the comments, and please remember to like, share, and subscribe!

Blogger Interview Results.

Below are the result of the blogger interviews I conducted. I loved reading all the responses! I want to give a special thank you to all those who participated!

clarahridings.wordpress.com

Do you have a blog URL you can share?

http://clarahridings.wordpress.com

How long have you been blogging? Have you had multiple blogs?

Over two years, and this is my only blog.

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

I’m Clara! A Christian teenager from the U.S. who loves to read, write, draw, and drink tea! I used to share my art and favorite quotes on my blog, as well as occasional random things. Nowadays, I mostly just write from the daily prompts. However, the fun stuff is mainly for the purpose of drawing people to learn about the reason I ever took up blogging. This will always remain the ultimate purpose of my blog, because I firmly believe that it is one of the most important things in the world. See below what it is!

What made you decide to start blogging?

I learned from Reece’s Rainbow and The Archibald Project about the realities for orphaned children with special needs in orphanages around the world, and how many desperately need adoptive families. Following along with Reece’s Rainbow opened my eyes to the enormity, importance and urgency of this crisis, and practically showed me how small a fraction of these truly amazing kids find the families they need and deserve. I knew I had to do something, and learned to that many adoptive families decided to take the leap to grow their family through adoption, because someone shared about the need, and when they saw the actual faces of waiting children, everything changed. As a teenager, I can’t do much about this, but I CAN share, and try to make more people passionate about orphaned and vulnerable children.

What advice would you give a new blogger? What would you have done differently?

Don’t use more than 15 tags and categories COMBINED! Otherwise WP reader will categorize the post as spam. I didn’t catch this, and someone was kind enough to notice, and drop a comment to let me know, so I definitely want to pass this gold nugget along. Also, take advantage of the daily prompts. They skyrocketed my views and engagement. Not to mention that they are inspirational and fun!

Were you inspired by other bloggers, writers, or influencers? If so, who and why?

Yes! I got the whole vision of how advocacy blogs worked from http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/?m=1
Hearing that so many kids found families from her blogging lit a fire under me to start a blog. Sadly, most advocacy blogs have died out, but there are still children who need families, and blogging is still powerful!

Do you plan to continue blogging long term? If so, what is the ultimate goal of your blogging?

I’m not totally sure, but I do hope to keep blogging. This is what I can do about the orphan crisis, so I want to do it to the full. It’s kinda like gambling. Just a small chance it’ll work, but it’s addicting, because every post is a little more likely a child finds a family.
Thanks for the interview!

momoetry.wordpress.com

Do you have a blog URL you can share?

http://momoetry.wordpress.com

How long have you been blogging? Have you had multiple blogs?

This time? 1 year 4 months

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

I process emotions through writing. Mainly I write poetry and blog about life. I live in Pittsburgh, PA.

What made you decide to start blogging?

I am a mental health activist. By discussing my mental health, being open that I am on medicine, and have a therapist; I hoping to dull stigmas surrounding mental health.

What advice would you give a new blogger? What would you have done differently?

Be yourself. Also, sometimes reading out loud what I’ve written helps me make sure it makes sense. Get involved in the community of WordPress.

Were you inspired by other bloggers, writers, or influencers? If so, who and why?

Bridgette, David, Sadje, Jenn (Creative Chic), Maria, Michele, Pooja- (all on wordpress and I can link them if needed). All are in the WP poetry community. All are supportive, kind, and people whose writing speaks to me in different way.

Do you plan to continue blogging long term? If so, what is the ultimate goal of your blogging?

My ultimate goal is a 6 continent book tour. Screaming fans that just love how I talk about parenting and a Scrooge McDuck vault to swim in. J/k

Ultimate goal, to grow my audience, express myself authentically, and hopefully help people to feel less alone.

inspirationbyellie.com

Do you have a blog URL you can share?

https://inspirationbyellie.com

How long have you been blogging? Have you had multiple blogs?

6 years on 1 bloh

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

I grew up in a Christian family. My mom took the 7 of us back and forth to church each week. The Bible was often taught, so, I knew it and memorized portions. I liked what it said.

Thinking Jesus Christ and I were cool based on my upbringinging, I was totally surprised when He personally revealed Himself to me by His Spirit one day at church. He told me I needed Him in my heart. “What?” I thought. All the church, preaching/teaching, community Bible clubs, VBS, etc. “I know God!”

The Lord’s gentle presence and brief statement to me eas so compelling, I did givre Him my heart that day. I was a teenager, by the way. I came alive, life came alive, and the Bible’s message started becoming alive. The dots began connecting. I understood. I was captivated!! I felt inspired, wanted, helped, and guided reading it since then.

What made you decide to start blogging?

I got a degree in Biblical Studies and created my inspiration blog to share the Bible’s message with others so they too could experience the same exhilaration and change their heart as I did.

What advice would you give a new blogger? What would you have done differently?

Write what you’re passionate about; it’s easier.
Be yourself and don’t compare your writing voice to others.

Were you inspired by other bloggers, writers, or influencers? If so, who and why?

I wasn’t inspired by anyone in particular. read various blogs and thought this was a great way to share my passion.

Do you plan to continue blogging long term? If so, what is the ultimate goal of your blogging?

Yes, I hope to continue blogging–shortening them and keeping the message simple, kind, clear, and inspiring.

Thanks! 🙂

eternalshadowbooks.wordpress.com

Do you have a blog URL you can share?

http://eternalshadowbooks.wordpress.com

How long have you been blogging? Have you had multiple blogs?

I started this blog a couple of years ago, but only recently I’ve been posting regularly.

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

I’m a movie and TV lover. I consider myself to be socially awkward and find that I prefer hanging out at home with some friends over going out. My blog is full of random thoughts I have, as well as reviews to my favorite movies, and updates to the book I’m working on.

What made you decide to start blogging?

I started blogging as a way to gain interest in my stories. Over time it’s evolved beyond that to more insights to what I think and even more personal tales.

What advice would you give a new blogger? What would you have done differently?

The advice I would give is what was given to me. Just do it. What could happen? Most of us are so afraid of failure that we don’t even realize that not trying is in itself failing. I would have definitely put more effort in the early days of blogging and put myself out there more and just go for it.

Were you inspired by other bloggers, writers, or influencers? If so, who and why?

I never really looked at other blogs until more recently. I think one that gave me more inspiration than others was Seraphinitegames on Tumblr. I really enjoy her Wayhaven books on Hosted Games and she’s so open with her followers. It’s something I’ve been trying to strive for.

Do you plan to continue blogging long term? If so, what is the ultimate goal of your blogging?

I’m not someone who really thinks in the long term. I know I should, but I just enjoy taking things day by day. Do I want to keep doing this? Absolutely! As for a goal…. The only thing I can hope for is that anyone who takes the time to read my blog comes out a little entertained. Or at least find themselves looking at something in the way they haven’t before.

sophiakd4.wordpress.com

Do you have a blog URL you can share?

https://sophiakd4.wordpress.com/

How long have you been blogging? Have you had multiple blogs?

I just started blogging this year. I just have one blog.

Tell me a little about yourself and your blog.

Hi. My name is Sophia. My blog is about baseball. I really like baseball. If you want to see the full description you see the first post I posted and it will tell you more.

What made you decide to start blogging?

Multiple things made me want to start blogging. First I wanted to become a sportswriter. Second I got advice from multiple great people to start my own blog. Third, I wanted to practice my writing and get my writing seen by lots of people.

What advice would you give a new blogger? What would you have done differently?

If you’re a new blogger start slow and don’t rush into it. Start slow and use WordPress for your blog. Also reach out to other bloggers and people to come see and read your blog. I think the only thing I would have done differently is try not to apply for a job before trying writing on WordPress.

Were you inspired by other bloggers, writers, or influencers? If so, who and why?

I was inspired by many people. I was inspired by many different female sportswriters who write for the Philadelphia Phillies!

Do you plan to continue blogging long term? If so, what is the ultimate goal of your blogging?

I do plan on continuing to blog long term. My goal is to get my writing to be the best it can so then one day I can be a sportswriter!

Thanks again for participating! Does anyone have any comments or questions for these bloggers? Also, don’t forget to subscribe to their blog!