Today’s post comes to us from the Executive Director of The Workforce Institute, Dr. Chris Mullen, Ph.D., SHRM-SCP, SPHR.

Hard to believe we’re only one month away from a new year. But before we get to there, it’s worth taking a look back at the past month. Throughout November, our great board of advisors discussed several top-of-mind topics, from the recent labor shortage to the ongoing issue of mental health in the workplace.

Plus, you may have noticed that our website got a facelift! We hope you enjoy the new design. If you missed any posts, or just want to review some great conversations, here’s what November at The Workforce Institute looked like.


Exploring Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Public Sector

To begin November, advisory board member Neil Reichenberg, former executive director of the International Public Management Association for Human Resources (IPMA‐HR), took a closer look at a new report from MissionSquare Research Institute highlighting the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for public organizations, along with the multiple DEI-related challenges facing the government workforce. There are a lot of intriguing findings from this report, which also details suggested actions for public sector organizations to take. If you’re in the public sector, and/or interested in enhancing your DEI program in any industry, this is a must-read analysis.


The People Purpose Podcast: The Holiday Season is Upon Us: Considerations for the Workplace

With the holiday season comes a key question: team holiday party or no holiday party? That debate and other critical year-end decisions made up Episode 12 of the People Purpose Podcast. Join Julie and Chas as they discuss the current state of the workplace during the holiday season and some better practices for consideration, from seasonal hiring to showing gratitude for current employees.

Quick Note: With our new site design, you can now access all past (and future) episodes of the People Purpose Podcast via our podcasts page. Be sure to bookmark this page and revisit often, as new episodes drop bimonthly on Mondays, plus some surprise bonus episodes throughout the year. Better yet, subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts to have episodes delivered straight to your phone.


Showing Gratitude for the Frontline Workforce

The ever-so-popular and so timely “Leadership in the Labor Shortage” video series (also known as “No Suits, No Slides”) continued with another insightful conversation on the current state of the economy — and I’m not just saying that because I had the chance to personally join this one! We packed a lot into our 24-minute conversation, but the main takeaway was the importance of organizations showing appreciation for their people. As we’ve each learned firsthand, it’s been a challenging past two years. Taking a moment to show gratitude, patience, and kindness — especially for the frontline workforce — can go a long way in brightening our days.


Supporting Veterans in the Workplace

Every November, the United States recognizes Veterans Day to honor the millions of individuals who have served the country across the U.S. Armed Forces. In France, residents celebrate Armistice Day, which signaled the end of World War I in 1918, while others globally celebrate Remembrance Day to pay their respects to service members around the world. In honor of those special holidays, this post examined a few tangible ways companies can ensure they’re caring for their people, particularly veterans, active service members, and their families.


It’s a New Era for Mental Health, Wellbeing at Work

In part one of an invaluable two-part series, advisory board member Ivonne Vargas Hernández honed in on the current state of mental health in the workplace, and specifically for workers in México. For example, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 75% of the workforce in México suffered from stress. Learn what all organizations (not just those in México) can do to better focus on employee wellbeing and improve mental health at work.


Improving Employee Wellbeing — Noteworthy Examples from México

Continuing her great series on mental health in the workplace, Ivonne Vargas Hernández shared three examples of companies in México that have taken notable steps in addressing and improving employee wellbeing. In this article, you’ll read about how the México-based HR team at German automotive company Volkswagen helped implement a companywide program, how Brazilian cosmetics group Natura has promoted greater workplace flexibility among its employees, and how Mexican bank Banregio decided to offer a more holistic focus to its employee wellness program.


The People Purpose Podcast: When the Cause Just May Be the Cure: Exploring Remote Work, Burnout

Did you catch Episode 13 of the People Purpose Podcast, titled “When the Cause Just May Be the Cure: Exploring Remote Work and Burnout”? In this episode, Julie and Chas discussed whether the recent rise in employee burnout is a direct result of the mass switch to remote work during the pandemic — or whether it’s the best way to reduce it. They also talked about the role collaborative technology plays in improving employee productivity and relieving stress for remote workers.


The People Purpose Podcast: Bonus Episode: #UKGWORKS21 Recap, Chat

We concluded November 2021 at The Workforce Institute with a BONUS episode of The People Purpose Podcast, providing a recap of the recent UKG Works user conference. They say what happens in Las Vegas stays in Las Vegas — but not this time! Chas and Julie caught listeners up on some things we might have missed from the conference, even if we attended. Be sure to check out this episode for a special look at UKG Works.

Today's post from Workforce Institute executive director Chris Mullen formally welcomes Kate Bischoff to the Workforce Institute board of advisors.

I'm so excited to formally announce our new board member Kate Bischoff!

Kate is an employment attorney and human resources professional who founded tHRive Law & Consulting LLC in 2016 with the goal of helping organizations balance compliance with innovation to achieve success.

Prior to starting her own business, Kate served as HR officer for Consulate General Jerusalem and U.S. Embassy Lusaka, Zambia. She has been recognized by The New York Times, CNN.com, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, National Public Radio, and other journalistic sources as a leading authority on harassment, technology in the workplace, and employment law. She is also co-host of the Hostile Work Environment podcast.

Bischoff's first contribution to The Workforce Institute, ”œShould Employers Require Employees to Come Back to the Office Post-Pandemic?”, is available now.

Welcome, Kate!

Today's post from Workforce Institute executive director Chris Mullen formally welcomes Ivonne Vargas Hernández to the Workforce Institute board of advisors.

If you are a frequent reader of this blog then you probably already realized that we have a new addition to our board of advisors, Ivonne Vargas Hernández, who contributed her first article on resilience just last week.

Ivonne brings a wealth of experience in HR journalism and a deep knowledge of the Latin America market to our board. We're thrilled that she is joining us and look forward to adding her voice and perspective to The Workforce Institute.

You can read the full press release announcing Ivonne's addition to the board here.

Welcome, Ivonne!

Today's post comes to us from Workforce Institute board member and HR Bartender, Sharlyn Lauby.

It goes without saying that there's been plenty of “bad” associated with the pandemic. And it's safe to say that we'd all like to see more normal in our personal and professional lives. But maybe a complete return to the past isn't necessary.

An article in The New York Times recently talked about “How to Keep Good Habits Post-Lockdown”. The gist of the article is that there might be some positive habits we've acquired over the past few months that we need to figure out how to keep once we're back in the office and traveling again. It's a good read worth checking out.

While The New York Times article focused on our personal habits like cooking, cleaning, and self-care, it does raise the question about our work habits. Have we developed some productive habits that we want to make sure that we keep doing? And are there some realizations we've made about what we want from work that we want to remember?

If you're looking to finish out 2020 with some definite takeaways from the sheltering and distancing experience, check out these Workforce Institute articles for some inspiration.

Work that Excites and People who Inspire

This article from two-time Kronos (Now UKG) intern Megan Grenier makes the case that a great career consists of work that excites and people who inspire. “Over my two summers at Kronos, I have been given _real work'. My manager and coworkers did not send me to go on coffee runs or make me stand at the copier for hours. The work I had not only challenged me but was also impactful to the organization. The work I did was fulfilling, it pushed me to work harder, smarter, and better.”

In the words of UKG CEO Aron Ain, “great businesses are run by great people.” Meaningful work and exceptional people are what make a job worthwhile. If you can find that balance, you won't really work another day in your life.

The Five Components of Career Durability

A new DeVry University study found that at a time when U.S. workers should feel recognized and celebrated, more than a third felt their employers could take or leave them. Thirty-six percent of respondents said that based on their employers' actions since the start of the pandemic, they believe their employers view them as disposable. This perception resonated more with younger workers than older ones, with almost 50% of Gen Z and Millennials saying they felt disposable compared with approximately 30% Gen X and Boomers.

Respondents did agree that in today's workforce, tenure, education, and industry experience do not matter as much as hard work, meeting goals and deadlines, and having a positive attitude.

My Top Five Career Lessons

Joyce Maroney, former executive director of The Workforce Institute, shares her takeaways after a successful corporate career. One of them is “You are in charge of managing your career.”

“I know you have bills to pay and a boss to answer to. Those aren't reasons to remain unhappy indefinitely at work. Every job has its boring, routine, or downright unpleasant aspects. However, if you never feel excited or optimistic at work, it's worth it to figure out a different path. I'm not saying that making a change is easy. You may need to go back to school. You may need to sacrifice compensation or perks. You may need to sacrifice a title. I experienced all of these and lived to tell about it. Don't let fear or ego stop you from doing what you need to do to get to a better place.”

It's important for us to take time to regularly evaluate our career progress. Make sure that what we want in a career aligns with what we're currently doing. And if we see gaps, then put together a plan to address them. Maybe it's setting new goals. Or speaking with our manager. Regardless, the key to achieving career success is knowing what we want and working toward that goal.

According to this recent study from the Axsium Group and Empathica, over 50% of North American retail shoppers do not feel that employees appear to be genuinely interested in serving them.  Eighty percent of respondents indicated a positive impact on their shopping experience when staff appear motivated and eager to serve them.  According to the study, "At one retail client, customers who were offered a helpful suggestion of an additional product to the initial product they were considering experienced higher rates of satisfaction and had a basket size 31 percent larger than those who did not receive a suggestion during their store visit."

So what do retailers need to do differently to create a more engaging (and higher value) shopping experience for their customers?  The key finding of the aforementioned study is that well trained and engaged employees are the principal driver of customer experience and higher per customer spend.  Creating those well trained and engaged employees begins with hiring people who are interested in doing the jobs.  Their managers need the tools to onboard them, train them and coach them.  Providing them with flexible schedule options is another key driver to retaining them.

In this recent Stores story about JoS. A. Bank, Andrea Boling, vice president of human resources discusses the various ways in which Kronos has helped them improve not only the efficiency of their hiring process, but also improved the job fit of the candidates they hire.  She cites the following returns on their implementation of the Kronos Workforce Talent Acquisition solution:

I recently blogged about highs and lows in my recent retail experiences.  What are your stories from the trenches?

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