#ThirstyThursday Issue #169

😴 Discover the 7 types of rest to feel truly recharged.

📢 Effective communication tips to strengthen workplace interactions.

📅 How to have fewer meetings and reclaim your time at work.

🫖 The health benefits of drinking tea.

Takeaways:

• Burnout is more than a workplace issue, it’s a relationship challenge rooted in three critical relationships: with yourself, your significant other, and work and society.
• Nurture the relationships that matter most. Strong, healthy connections are vital for your well-being and can act as a buffer against burnout. Make time for loved ones, communicate openly, and invest in building meaningful relationships.
• Don’t view burnout as a failure. Instead, see it as an opportunity to step back, reassess your priorities, and make positive changes. Use this time to reflect on what truly matters to you and realign your life accordingly. It’s a chance to build a more balanced and fulfilling future.

Watch the TedTalk.

New Workplace Mandates Are Here—How HR Leaders Can Prepare

Takeaways:

• When you feel like there’s too much you can’t control, there’s one thing you can work on: your own leadership.
• “Hey that thing over there needs fixing!” Sometimes managers attempt to work outside of their purview—often way outside—and even though they may not be wrong about highlighting and fixing a problem, it’s outside your capacity and requires a lot of energy.
• Instead, focus on the priorities and tasks that fall within your responsibility and excel at those, showing your team results.

Watch the Instagram reel.

Takeaways:

• If you find yourself with a creepy male boss who brings up inappropriate conversations during a work lunch or meeting, confiding in you about how unhappy they are in their marriage and asking you personal questions about your dating life—it’s a red flag.
• If it makes you uncomfortable, report it to HR.
• The script is as simple as:

Dear HR,

I’m writing to report sexual harassment I experienced on [DATE] from [NAME].

During a business lunch [NAME] made several comments about this romantic life, including his marriage while making unwelcome inquiries into my own sexual and dating life.

This conversation was inappropriate and I did not appreciate having to endure it as a condition of my employment.

What can the company do to address this improper conduct?

Respectfully, [YOUR NAME]

Catch the video on LinkedIn.

P.S. Hope you never need a script like the above—but having the right training in place never hurts.

Nobody wants to write up an employee. It’s awkward, it’s uncomfortable, and if you don’t handle it right, it can backfire.

But when performance or behavior issues start affecting the team, ignoring the problem isn’t an option. That’s where performance management done right makes all the difference.

Some infractions are no-brainers (looking at you, “borrowed company funds for a personal vacation” guy). But others? Not so clear-cut.

Here are some common reasons employees get written up:

• Chronic absenteeism – Repeated no-shows? It’s time for a serious talk.
• Poor performance – When deadlines keep slipping, and the work isn’t up to standard.
• Toxic behavior – Gossiping, hostility, or straight-up refusing to collaborate.
• Insubordination – “I’m not doing that.” Well… okay then.
• Acceptable use violations – If they’re spending work hours deep in Reddit threads instead of, you know, working.
• Sexual harassment – Creates a toxic work environment, violates company policies, and must be addressed immediately to protect employees and comply with the law.

A write-up isn’t about gotcha moments—it’s about course correction. It should be clear, constructive, and tied to real solutions.

Follow these steps when writing up an employee:

1️⃣ Document everything – Time, date, what happened, who witnessed it. The more detailed, the better.
2️⃣ Tie it back to policy – A vague “this isn’t acceptable” won’t cut it. Cite the exact rule or performance standard that’s been violated.
3️⃣ Make the next steps crystal clear – Spell out exactly what needs to change, set a timeline, and outline consequences if nothing improves.
4️⃣ Get signatures – Employee acknowledgment (even if they don’t agree) is key to keeping things official.

⭐ A Smarter Way to Manage Performance Issues

If performance issues keep popping up, waiting until things spiral isn’t the move. BambooHR makes it easy to track progress, document conversations, and coach employees proactively—so small problems don’t turn into big ones.

See how BambooHR makes management easier.

Takeaways:

• Tight hip flexor and weak pelvic floor muscles come from long periods of sitting and a lack of engagement.
• Exercising and stretching these muscles result in no longer having hip groin pain or having to pee every 5 seconds.
• Take a foam roller and place it under your low back, and take a medicine ball and hold it above your head. Bring your knees up to a 90 degree angle and tap your feet onto the ground. Take the medicine ball and bring it above your shoulders and back to neutral.

See the full routine in action—watch on FB.

👉 The Search: Your weekly job search playbook—insider tips, hiring trends, and job search scripts, with a side of humor to keep you sane.

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🍯 Hair feeling meh? This honey-infused oil brings the shine, tames the frizz, and smells divine.

📖 And So I Roar is a powerful, unshakable read that stays with you long after the final page.

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✨ P.S. Want more inspiration and positivity to kick off your week? Sign up for our Motivational Monday texts (U.S. only).

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