Today's post comes to us from the executive director of The Workforce Institute, Dr. Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, SPHR.
As we close out the month of October, I wanted to provide you all with a recap of the content we published this month at The Workforce Institute. I love hearing from our board members each month and getting their unique takes on the issues that are impacting the world of work. Every story below is worth a read, so if you missed anything the first time around, please check it out now - it's perfect reading while you eat all that Halloween candy you've got lying around.
- David Creelman wrote about communication in the face of polarization. His article looks at the difficulties organizations face in taking (or not taking) a position on controversial issues and how increasing polarization has made almost every issue a controversial one.
- John Hollon wrote about the problem with making performance management just another managerial task. In his piece, John argues that taking what is probably the most important job of a manager - helping people improve and grow - and tying it to a once-a-year performance review makes it just another managerial task that gets lost in the shuffle. Organizations need to instead prioritize: creating agile, collaborative goals that morph as conditions change; ongoing conversations, timely recognitions, and informal dialogue on a weekly basis; and, quarterly progress goals with accountability and incentive adjustment.
- I wrote a short piece about some new research UKG released looking at what's in store for retail's biggest season in the era of COVID-19. Among the many interesting findings, I was most intrigued by the continued focus on employee well-being and retailers continuing efforts to evolve with the changing times focusing on increased safety measures and re-thinking business modes (think curbside pick-up).
- Sharlyn Lauby took a look back at some of the Workforce Institute articles from days (and years) past that have a new relevance during the pandemic when it comes to aligning your career with the new normal. (A round-up post being featured in a round-up post, we're so meta.) From an intern at the beginning of her career writing about finding work that inspires, to a valued colleague at the end of her career reflecting on the highs and lows, there are many great words of wisdom in this post.
- Neil Reichenberg made the case for why financial wellness must be a component of any effective employer wellness program with a look at recent research on the topic from Capital One and the Decision Lab, Bank of America, UKG and The Center for State and Local Government Excellence (SLGE).
- Mark Wales answered my questions about his prescient chapter from our 2019 book, Being Present: A Practical Guide for Transforming the Employee Experience of Your Frontline Workforce. Mark's chapter, “Why Your Organization Needs a Burning Water Plan” focuses on why organizations need to have a plan in place to take care of their people during natural disasters and crises (who'd have thought??). We started with the question of if Mark had a crystal ball when he started writing the chapter and moved on from there.
- I wrote about new research coming from UKG and our friends over at The Human Capital Institute (HCI) about building better HR business partnerships to thrive in the resilience economy. The focus here is on growing strategic HR capabilities, strengthening support of people managers and identifying new ways to use data to make better decisions.
- Finally, Dan Schawbel wrote about the important topic of mental health in the workplace. Especially during the anxiety-filled times we find ourselves in currently, organizations must be thinking about how to use all means available to support employee mental health.
That's it for October! Stay tuned for more great content coming your way in November 2020!
Oh - and if you are looking for some spooky Halloween tunes to play this weekend while you navigate socially distant holiday fun, check out UKG's Halloween Monster Mix on Spotify!
