I have been with my husband for over 30 years. And only due to sheltering in place did I learn that he is an amazing cook. Last night my husband (an American born in India) made one of my favorite traditional Indian dishes: butter chicken. It was better than any I had tasted. I l…

Hugs. Warm handshakes. As a facilitator I spent a lot of time observing people as they walked into a training and greeted their colleagues. A hug was the accepted way of greeting a colleague one had not seen in a while. I could tell in milliseconds who respected whom and how well people knew each…

For some, the 100% remote work model has represented a decrease in office politics and elimination of nonsubstantive “face time” (the requirement that one “be there” regardless of productivity). For others, there is increased “face time” pressure since Zoom, Webex, FaceTime (the app), and video call etiquette almost require that we make a personal appearance,…

EPT Legal is a small, woman-owned, immigrant-owned firm specializing in preventing and resolving workplace issues through education, investigation, alternative dispute resolution, training, and coaching. Our team has a competitive edge because we are diverse in many ways. We have different ethnicities, races, and nationalities, including People of Color and people of European descent; different language…

What will replace the handshake? There is a lot written on the handshake, which is a greeting thousands of years old and practiced all around the world (except for the last few weeks). Theories of the handshake’s origin include: it shows friendship because it proves a person is not holding a weapon (at least not…

The Captain of the aircraft carrier USS Midway (now a naval museum in San Diego) was the highest ranking person on the ship. Even so, the Captain would not enter the Chief Petty Officer (CPO) cafeteria without express permission. He would instead ask to speak to a CPO, would wait outside and someone would go…

What opportunities exist now that did not exist before? I heard, due to the changes brought by the Covid crisis: *People with illnesses who previously had to take a leave of absence now are still engaged at work (by working remotely just like their co-workers) *Parents can provide support to their families and not miss…

Once a colleague and I were on a video call. We were in a conference room and a client was on the screen. I started noticing strange behavior from my colleague: Unnatural tilting of the head, posing almost, chair swiveling and theatrical pen chewing. The words that came to mind were “coquette” and “modeling.” I…

I once had a washing machine delivered. A huge and heavy appliance had to be brought up a tricky, narrow staircase by two workers. As the burly workers were huffing and puffing, they spoke to each other constantly throughout the precarious climb. Ready? Yep. Ok, lift! Be careful. Got it? No, wait…ok good now. Watch…

My daughter and I play the stereotype game. We call something out and then the other person describes in rapid fire the stereotype. Together we have covered New Yorker, doctor, lawyer (this one she describes as me), astronaut, politician, scientist, teacher (elementary/HS), American, author, person from Florida, pilot, Democrat, Republican, teenager, one who drinks soy…