Cross Culture Coach

12/20/2025

Happy holidays

06/28/2025

Cottie is talking to my client on Zoom

04/29/2025

I have whiplash from the chaos in my world! Join my webinar to learn effective decision-making & problem-solving & let's become proactive.

Soft skills for the global workplace, cross-cultural adjustment, communication, women in leadership, teamwork, behavioral crisis intervention, conflict management, effective decisions, resilience

02/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day from Cottie🥰

01/12/2025

Nope!!I What is this stuff??

09/26/2024

Elmo (Sesame Street) asked people on X how they were doing. (CNN online 9/26/24) He got an earful.
The overwhelming response was 'not good'. Some people thanked Elmo for asking. His advice is to talk to a friend in-depth, with feeling. If that doesn't work, contact me: [email protected]

Call now to connect with business.

09/19/2024

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-i-want-judy-cantwell-cantwell-mwczc/

How we talk to ourselves matters I have longed for a dog for some years. I have been without any four-legged companion for more than ten years.

09/19/2024

What is PTO:
Paid Time Off (PTO) is a benefit program that most employers in the U.S. provide to full-time employees. While some employers still use vacation and sick leave, PTO has become the standard. Some key points about PTO:
Purpose: PTO allows workers to be absent from work as needed while receiving regular pay. It can be used for assorted reasons, including vacations, personal days, sick leave, personal matters, childcare, or any other time an employee needs to be away from work. Leave must be requested; however, the employee doesn’t need to provide a reason.
Accrual or allotment: Some employers provide a set number of days or hours per year, which may be rolled over and accrued or expire at the end of each calendar year. Other companies base PTO on the length of employment, hours worked, or job title.
No federal law: There are no federal laws or mandated policies in the U.S. requiring employers to provide paid leave, but some states and cities have laws.
How is PTO different from FMLA (the Family Medical Leave Act)?
FMLA: The Family Medical Leave Act is unrelated to PTO. FMLA is a U.S. law for job protection. Employees may use FMLA for the birth or adoption of a child, a serious health condition, and military leave.
Eligibility for FMLA requires being employed with the company for at least 12 months and having worked 1,250 hours over the past 12 months. If the employee has PTO, they must use that to pay for the time off. The employer must continue to pay the employer’s portion of the group health insurance during the time off.
Employees are entitled to return to the same or an equivalent after the leave. FMLA leave provides for 26 weeks if an employee cares for a covered service member with a serious illness or injury.
Employers are required to have a dedicated FMLA office to manage the leave, ensuring employee confidentiality. The FMLA officer does not disclose the reasons or details of the employee’s need to anyone in the company, and this confidentiality is protected by federal law. The employee does not have to disclose the reasons or details to anyone else in the company.
Please be aware that this article is only for informational purposes!

07/04/2024

Gen X, Z & Millennials Will ‘Quiet Vacation’ This July 4th Holiday

Have you heard of a 'quiet vacation' from work? This is gaining popularity in the U.S., especially among younger employees. Inc. Nearly 50% of US employees will take a ‘quiet vacation’ this holiday.

This quiet vacation is working while out of town (warning: do not post yourself sitting on the beach!) or using software that fakes keyboard activity.

The 'quiet vacation' trend is unique to the US workplace. In 2017, France enacted a law that employers with 50+ employees adhere to the 'Right To Disconnect' policy, completely disconnecting from after-hours work, including phone calls and texts. (The TV show Emily In Paris has fun with this cultural difference.)

In the US, there is an unspoken rule that we should always be available and ‘live to work.’ This is a badge of honor.

This cultural norm significantly impacts our work-life balance and perception of time off. I think work/life balance is a myth. Instead, aim for work/life integration.

Quiet vacation works best for remote and hybrid workers, but in-office employees have been known to claim fake dental appointments and sick relatives.

A Harris poll has interesting data. Twenty-eight percent of employees take time off and don’t tell work. Statistics for Millennials show that 37% don’t tell their bosses they are taking time off. Eight of ten employees said they don’t use all of their PTO because of heavy workloads or because they feel pressure always to be available. Almost 50% are anxious about asking for leave.

For more on this trend and its implications, check out my full article on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/judycantwell_quietvacation-workculture-workfromanywhere-activity-7213496587887460352-sX3j?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

01/18/2024

"Authentic" has been named the Word Of The Year for 2023 by the oldest USA dictionary, Merriam-Webster. The selection was made in response to a significant uptick in searches for the word's definition. (The 2022 word was 'gaslighting')
Authentic reflected a heightened interest in discerning between 'real' and 'fake'. The dictionary noted that the concerns with delineating authenticity were largely propelled by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Social media posts, photographs, and celebrity interest contributed to the surge. As a work/life coach and psychotherapist my first thoughts about the word 'authentic' differ from those who searched the dictionary definition. I checked on myself, how authentic am I as a person, as a professional? We may value being authenticity in ourselves and others. However, acting on it can feel very risky. It can expose our vulnerabilities and open us up to rejection, criticism, and conflict.
Can we navigate authenticity with grace and compassion for ourselves and others? It may feel daunting, yet, the rewards may be profound. Maybe we begin with small, safe steps. I remind myself of my mantra: don't believe everything you think!
My best wishes for a joyful and authentic 2024!