Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Tech Work Loses Its Perks

May 7, 2025

Not so long ago, working at a tech giant like Google, Meta, or Amazon meant enjoying high pay and impressive perks like free food, casual dress codes, and flexible schedules. These days, though, that appealing image is starting to fade. Most top tech workers now face heavier workloads, fewer benefits, and greater job insecurity. Along with cutting free meals and travel budgets, many tech companies are also saddling employees with the work of their laid-off colleagues, often without extra pay. Continue reading →

Motivation, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Compensation, Benefits, Silicon Valley, Office Culture

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Southwest Airlines Lays Off Employees for the First Time

March 12, 2025

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Air travel is one of the most volatile industries in the global economy, and airlines routinely lay off hundreds of employees at once to balance budgets after major upheavals. One exception to this rule has long been Southwest Airlines. The Dallas-based carrier hasn’t laid off any staffers in its more than five-decade history. Even after the 9/11 terrorist attacks when revenue dried up and other airlines initiated mass layoffs, Southwest avoided forced job cuts thanks to employees who donated part Continue reading →

The Tricky Task of Tracking Telecommuting

April 7, 2023

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Working from home became commonplace during the pandemic as companies increasingly kept in contact with employees through platforms like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. As offices opened back up, though, managers started requiring workers to come in at least a few times per week. According to a recent study from the Labor Department, 72.5 percent of American businesses reported that their employees rarely or never work remotely, close to the level of 76.7 percent that preceded the pandemic.

The Continue reading →

Management, Motivation, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Remote Work, Office Culture, Telecommuting

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions

Using Lego to Build Office Creativity

September 2, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Last year, the Danish building-block company Lego earned more than 7 billion euros in sales, making it far and away the top toymaker in the world. Once on the brink of bankruptcy in the early 2000s, Lego turned things around when it focused exclusively on construction bricks along with licensed sets based on popular franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Now the company’s dominance extends even into the offices of the world’s biggest corporations as part of team-building exercises Continue reading →

Management, Motivation, Training, Human Resources, Entertainment, Lego, Office Culture, Team building

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

“Quiet Quitting” Trend Takes off on TikTok

August 24, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Like other social networks, TikTok users share almost everything about their lives on the app, from their favorite music and TV shows to their anxieties about work. In fact, talk about the latter has increased significantly in recent weeks as videos about “quiet quitting” generate millions of views among young professionals. The phrase is meant to convey the opposite idea of “hustle culture,” another popular work-related topic on TikTok that encourages people to devote themselves entirely to their careers. Quiet Continue reading →

Motivation, Ethics, Training, Human Resources, Social Media, Labor Relations, Company Culture, TikTok

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

Managers Strive to Hit the 90-Day Mark with New Hires

August 9, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Seeking out qualified employees and then hiring them is a costly process for even the biggest companies, which is why most managers strive to keep their staff around for as long as possible. Sometimes fresh hires don’t feel the same way, though, and they leave their new jobs as swiftly as they joined. These “quick quits” are especially prevalent in the current job market where employee turnover remains high. As a result, companies are focusing on a key milestone: a Continue reading →

Management, Marketing, Motivation, Franchising, Training, Human Resources, Hiring, Company Culture, Onboarding

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 13: Marketing

[VIDEO] Inside LinkedIn’s New Hybrid Office

July 7, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Although the pandemic ushered in a new era of working from home, many companies still want employees to come into the office. This video looks at how the social network LinkedIn redesigned its workplace to include more than 75 different types of seating, combining the comforts of home with the collaborative nature of the office environment.

Questions:

What are the benefits and drawbacks of LinkedIn’s new hybrid office plan?
Do you think more companies should follow LinkedIn’s lead and Continue reading →

Management, Human Resources, Social Media, Telecommuting, Organizational Culture, Pandemic, Office environment, LinkedIn

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 7: Management & Leadership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Kellogg Plans to Split into Three Independent Companies

June 29, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Although the food conglomerate Kellogg might be best known for cereal brands like Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes, the company also controls other big names such as Eggo waffles, Pringles, and Cheez-It. Managing such a wide portfolio of successful brands is no simple task, though, as departments must often compete with one another for attention and resources. Then there are the unique requirements for each market: for instance, cereals have different marketing and packaging needs than Kellogg’s snack brands.

Given Continue reading →

Marketing, Global, Human Resources, Food & Drink, Organizational Culture, Corporate ownership, Corporate structure, Kellogg

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 13: Marketing

Business Travel May Never Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels

March 29, 2022

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

With omicron infection rates falling and mask mandates expiring across the country, many companies are attempting to reestablish a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy by reopening offices and bringing employees back to stay. But while firms return to business as usual, the nation’s biggest companies may never again return to business travel as usual. According to the Global Business Travel Association, spending on corporate travel amounts to a third of what it was before 2020.

For example, the consultancy giant Continue reading →

Motivation, Global, Transportation, Travel, Organizational Culture, Airlines, Pandemic, Office environment

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management

In-Office Employees Continue to Zoom All Day

September 29, 2021

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

At the beginning of the year, the widespread distribution of Covid vaccines gave many companies the confidence to start plotting their triumphant returns to office life. Then the spread of the delta variant largely thwarted these plans as firms brought back just a fraction of the staffers they had intended to. And for those few employees who returned to offices, most are still doing the same thing that they’ve done since March 2020: Zoom meetings.

For example, Nick Kneer Continue reading →

Motivation, Human Resources, Labor Relations, Telecommuting, Coronavirus, Organizational Culture, Pandemic, Office environment, Zoom

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 8: Organizational Culture and Structure, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media