Header image is a detail of This is Harlem by Jacob Lawrence. Courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. © 2021 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. For more information, click here.
TIE Podcast Spring Semester: Maintaining Humanity at Work, with Univ. of Minnesota’s Dr. Michelle Duffy
Recorded on 03/16/2022
Posted in TIE Podcasts
In the second episode of TIE’s spring semester series, Michelle Duffy, Vernon Heath Chair in the department of Work and Organizations at the Carlson School of Management, joins editor in chief of Toward Inclusive Excellence and podcast host Alexia Hudson-Ward to discuss positive practices in the workplace. Michelle’s research focuses on the emotional health of employees, its impact on an organization, and the role of micro interventions—brief, unique, and accessible exercises to improve mindfulness and well-being in and outside of the workplace. Michelle and Alexia dig into the effects of the pandemic on employee relations and mental health; how can staff maintain healthy and productive relationships in the midst of new working environments, stressful home lives, or even grief?
In the discussion, Michelle walks through how managers or those who hold more stability or power in their position—tenured professors, for example—can uplift and support their junior colleagues, not diminish or perpetuate harmful experiences. In addition, Michelle notes the importance of making space for “humanity” at work—pets, kids, or basement offices should be embraced, not looked down upon—and positive strategies she’s implemented at her own institution to encourage these results. Last, she underscores the effectiveness of empathetic and mindful leadership, and defines the qualities and actions of a compassionate leader.
About the guest:

Dr. Michelle Duffy
Professor, Vernon Heath Chair, Department of Work and Organizations
Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Dr. Duffy is the Vernon Heath Chair in the department of Work and Organizations in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She has a PhD in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management from the University of Arkansas and a Master’s in Psychology from Xavier University. Her research focuses on: the ways in which employee emotions and affect influences organizational outcomes; the antecedents and consequences of antisocial behavior at work; and the role of micro interventions in improving employee well-being and organizational life. Her current projects include a focus on resume fraud, employee envy, affective balance, and mindfulness.
She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Psychology and a former Associate Editor of the Journal of Management. Her work has been published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, the Academy of Management Journal, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, and Personnel Psychology. She received the Herbie Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2007 and the Carlson School of Management Award for Service in 2011. She became a SIOP and APA Fellow in 2012 and served as the PhD Program coordinator for the department of Work and Organizations until 2016. Professor Duffy teaches a range of courses at Carlson including negotiations (UG), organizational behavior (MA and PHD), leading others (IMBA), and organizational behavior for executives (CHEMBA).
Episode theme music: Black is the Night by Jeris (c) copyright 2014 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. Ft: DJ Vadim (djvadim), NiGiD
Learn more about Toward Inclusive Excellence:
The ongoing TIE Podcast series will feature provocative, in-depth conversations with important figures in the higher education community to help administrators and academic leaders understand racism from new perspectives and to promote racial justice on their campuses.
Check out the Toward Inclusive Excellence blog, which covers issues related to racial and social justice and provides actionable resources for those in higher education and beyond.
Be sure to sign up for alerts on the latest Toward Inclusive Excellence (TIE) content, whether it’s a new blog post, podcast episode, or webinar.
Interested in contributing to TIE? Send an email to Deb V. at Choice dvillavicencio@ala-choice.org with your topic idea.
Related Posts
- In Dialogue with Jonathan Band and Katie Zimmerman on the Ruling and Implications of Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith
- Jordan Clark on Applying Decolonization Practices to the Library and AI Tools
- Jordan Clark on the Afro-Indigenous History of Martha’s Vineyard and Adopting a Decolonial Mindset on Campus