✅ Today's Checklist: - The PTO toolkit to use before vacay
- TA reader Alexis opens up about embracing her identity
- Recipe of the week: Caprese Caesar Pasta Salad
🤔 Trivia: How many eggs is a woman typically born with? Find out. | | | PLANNING Your Pre-Vacation Toolkit (So You Can Actually Relax) Summer's officially here, and with it comes the promise of well-earned PTO, poolside reading, and pretending your inbox doesn't exist. But before you swap Slack for sunscreen, there's that chaotic crunch time: prepping your team, tying loose ends, and wondering if it's socially acceptable to ghost your inbox altogether. Deep breath. You've got this. We built this stress-busting toolkit to help you prep for vacation like a pro—so you can actually unplug without a creeping sense of work-FOMO. 📨 Out of Office, But Make It Fun Tired of "I'll be back on X date with limited access to email…" snoozefests? We've got you. Copy + paste one of these witty out-of-office messages: - Currently out of the office, embracing the sun, sand, and surf. My to-do list now includes perfecting my tan and keeping my beach chair from floating away. Back [Return Date].
- Likely sipping something tropical with a tiny umbrella. I'll return [Return Date] with a new hat and possibly a sunburn. For urgent stuff, try [Colleague's Name] at [Email].
- I'm out of the office, embracing vacation vibes and disconnecting from emails. I'll return on [Return Date], hopefully with a relaxed mind and a few fun stories. Until then, [Colleague's Name] at [Email] is ready to help answer any urgent needs.
- Out of office and deep in vacation mode. Please hold all work thoughts until my return on [Return Date]. For anything pressing, [Colleague's Name] at [Email] is your go-to.
🗂️ Handoff Like a Boss Avoid the "quick question while you're OOO" texts. Set your team up right: - Ongoing Projects: List out current tasks + deadlines
- Coverage Plan: Assign point people (with contact info)
- Access Check: Make sure folks have the right docs, links, logins
- External Contacts: Centralize vendor/client info in one doc
📌 Bonus: This OOO Coverage Plan template makes it easy to organize everything in one place. 📅 When You Get Back… Make your re-entry as smooth as your SPF: - Block Day 1: No meetings. Just regrouping + catching up. Be sure to book this out in your calendar before you leave for your trip.
- Triage Tasks: Pick your top 3 priorities and don't try to do everything at once. Seriously.
🧘♀️ Actually Log Off Yes, really. - Set up app limits if you need to.
- Put your phone in Do Not Disturb.
- Close your laptop. Walk away.
Remember: Rest isn't a luxury—it's a productivity strategy. Go recharge. You've earned it. | | | BUSINESS TOOLS The Small Biz Survival Kit Running a small biz means wearing all the hats—CEO, head of marketing, customer support, office DJ…therapist? It's no wonder you're running on caffeine and vibes. But let's be clear: you don't need more hustle. You need systems that actually do the heavy lifting. Here are 5 tools to lighten your load (and your mental tabs): 1. Stay on top of everything 📋 monday.com keeps your projects, deadlines, and tasks organized—and automates the stuff you repeat every week. Chaos? Cancelled. 2. Keep clients from ghosting 📞 Thryv automates follow-ups, appointment reminders, and next steps. It's like having a personal assistant who actually follows through. 3. Launch your website without losing your mind 💻 web.com makes drag-and-drop site building a breeze. No code, no panic, no dev needed. 4. Cut your support inbox in half ✉️ Zendesk brings emails, chats, and tickets into one dashboard. Set auto replies, respond faster, and breathe easier. 5. Get paid—no awkward "just checking in" emails 💸 Square lets you invoice, accept payments, and automate billing. Get your money without chasing it. TL;DR: These 5 tools keep your business humming so you can stop juggling and start scaling. 🧘♀️ Less stress. Fewer tabs. More peace. You in? | | | PRIDE Becoming Alexis I am trans. Three little words that today I find a source of deep strength—but for nearly 30 years, they were something to be feared. I knew when I was a kid. And I also knew even then that the world was not kind to trans women. Despite having a supportive, open-minded, encouraging family, I grew up in rural central Indiana, where non-conformity of any kind was met with scorn; I knew from experience as a nerdy kid. So I stuffed it down. Buried it. And went about living. I went to college. Grad school. Met a lovely woman who shared my ideals about building a better world. We got married. Built a life. I built a career. I was happy. But…it was still there. Nagging. Gnawing. Wanting. In 2017, I took a job out of state. Our family agreed I'd go ahead first. I suddenly had privacy—and time. Those feelings returned. I started spending my private time in women's clothes, gradually venturing out into the world: grocery stores, subway rides, even flights. That same summer, life hit me hard with multiple awakenings. My best friend since childhood suffered a massive heart attack. He was in a coma. (Spoiler: he's alive and thriving.) But seeing him, at 35, hooked up to machines like Darth Vader, made me question what I was doing with my own time here. I also read Tomorrow Will Be Different by Sarah McBride. Her raw, personal story struck a deep chord. I knew I needed to make a choice. But then, fear returned. We moved to Philly. The kids loved their new school. My wife started grad school. Life was good—but I wasn't fully in it. Then COVID hit, and I waited again. In 2022, I started a dream job. My wife finished her program. I finally said it aloud: I am trans. We tried. But she wanted the man she married. So we lovingly separated and focused on co-parenting. In 2023, I moved out and planned to come out to the kids during spring break 2024. I came out at work first—my boss, HR, trusted coworkers. I was met with grace and support. I returned after a long weekend to a photo of my new office placard: Alexis Piazza. IS&T PMO Manager. I cried. I've heard many stories of people facing hardship when coming out at work. I can't say the same. Were there slip-ups? Sure—names, pronouns—but always with sincerity and apology. I was the first person to come out in my department, and HR worked with me to make it better for whoever comes next. Being trans is a gift I ignored for years. Now, I choose to live it. Proudly, visibly, and with purpose. Because not everyone can.  Alexis (Product and Portfolio Management Leader) P.S. Alexis is a seasoned leader in product, program, and portfolio management. She's also a powerful speaker on business agility, team leadership, and building inclusive workplaces for trans and gender-diverse individuals. 🫶 She's available for hire—and we'd vouch for her any day. | | | APPLICANT TRACKING My BFF's Obsessed (and Honestly, She's Not Wrong) If you've ever had a friend in recruiting, you've heard the war stories: résumé overload, interview marathons, and radio silence from hiring managers who swear they'll "send feedback soon." My best friend lives that life, and she lives for Greenhouse. To her, it's not just another ATS. It's the difference between barely surviving and actually running a hiring process that works. She uses it to keep everything organized: interview scheduling, scorecards, and candidate comms all in one place, minus the spreadsheet spiral. Her favorite part? People actually follow through. Greenhouse nudges hiring managers to give timely, consistent feedback (without her having to play the office pest). Everyone stays aligned, and decisions happen fast. She's also big on data, and Greenhouse delivers. She can track time-to-hire, see what's working (and what's not), and pinpoint exactly where the bottlenecks are. No more guessing games. And the built-in DEI features? Non-negotiable. Structured interviews, bias-blocking reminders, and transparency tools that help her run an equitable hiring process. She once told me, "It's like someone gave me an actual hiring system instead of a pile of flaming chaos." And honestly? After seeing it in action, I get the hype. If your team is growing and the hiring process is feeling a little meh, it might be time to see what Greenhouse can do.  Joanna (TA Co-founder) | | | STAFF PICKS
Stuff We're Loving This Week
| | | JOB LEADS Your Next Gig = One Click Away | | | SPILL THE TEA
Take Our Poll
| | | UPDATE YOUR PREFERENCES
Only Get What You Want
Here's how to update your preferences in just a few quick steps:
- Click the link below and on the "Update Your Preferences" page, click the "Email me a link" button.
- Open the email with the subject line "The Assist Subscribers: Update Profile" and click the link inside.
- Choose the weekly email newsletters you'd like to receive from us (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat).
- Click "Update Preferences" to save your changes—and you're all set!
| | | | | |
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar