Joanne Kaldy

Stress, manifested via headaches, fatigue, changes in sleep habits, and other symptoms, continues to impact people of all ages. However, new data from the American Psychological Association suggests that it is hurting your younger works the most. Specifically, symptoms were reported by 86% of Millennials and 84% of Generation Z adults. At the same time, parents (83%) are more likely to report stress symptoms than nonparents (69%). Consider these steps to help alleviate stress, whatever age you or your workers are:

• Talk to people and create meaningful opportunities for connections.
• Keep a regular sleep schedule.
• Stay physically active.
• Take breaks from the news.
• Create traditions that celebrate milestones (such as graduations).
• Take time to unwind

In an update release before Thanksgiving, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) clarified a few issues related to vaccine mandates:

• Employers may not retaliate against applicants, current employees, or former workers.
• Protected activity can take many forms, including filing a charge of discrimination or complaining to a supervisor about coworker harassment; or requesting accommodation of a disability or a religious belief, practice, or observance, regardless of whether the request is granted or denied.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits not only retaliation for protected EEO activity but also “interference” with an individual’s exercise of ADA rights.

In these challenges times, digital transformation is no longer an option – it’s a top priority. Whether you’ve been taking it slow, lagging behind, or trying to catch up or keep up, here are four guidelines to facilitate effective and efficient digital upgrades:

• Understand that digital transformation isn’t synonymous with innovation. Instead, it’s about achieving better business outcomes. By first identifying your business goals, you are better positioned to select the technology solutions that will help you meet them.
• Enlist the enthusiasts! There will always be some resistance to change, however positive it may be. One way to help overcome this is to engage thought leaders who are enthusiastic about the digital transformation and can help staff envision how it will help achieve desired goals and outcomes, as well as improve their work lives.
• Start your transformation with a keystone change. It will be easier for people to buy-in to digital … [Read more...] about (12/1) 4 Principles to Guide Your Digital Transformation

A new survey sheds light on what the post-pandemic ‘new normal’ might look like. Among the insights:

• About a quarter (24%) of managers say workers will have to return to onsite work as the COVID situation improves, while 18% say workers have already resumed onsite work. A small number (12%) say they’re not sure if employees will be required to come back to the office.
• A vast majority (88%) of employee respondents report that mask mandates are the most important health and safety change their employer has made, while 63% cite social distancing. Nearly half (44%) report temperature checks have been most significant.
• 51% of remote workers say they’re more dependent on technology, but they’re not worried about this change. About a quarter (24%) report that they are concerned about their increased dependence on technology.
• While almost half (44%) of employees say they haven’t changed jobs since the pandemic, 19% say they have switched … [Read more...] about (11/30) The Next Normal: Tomorrow’s Workforce in Focus

According to a new survey, “People at Work 2021:  A Global Workforce View,” the pandemic has shaken up staffing worldwide and is driving some challenges and changes:

• 28% of respondents say they’ve taken on a new or different role due to labor market shifts. This number jumps to 36% for Generation Z workers.
• 64% of the global workforce was negatively affected by the pandemic. This includes 28% who lost a job, were furloughed, or got laid off.
• 23% of respondents say they’ve taken a pay cut.
• 75% of workers made changes or plan to change how or where they live.
• Two-thirds (66%) of small and mid-sized U.S. employers have established a hybrid work model.
• 68% of workers report that they’ve received a pay raise or bonus.

Pretty much everyone agrees that change is essential to plan for the post-COVID future. However, change isn’t easy, and a recent study shows that employees aren’t always on board. This is significant, the study authors say, as about a quarter of an employee’s belief that their company needs to change is strongly influenced by whether they understand the rationale behind those changes. At the same time, only 15% of employees say they always understand their leaders’ change strategy and why change is necessary. The study concluded that four additional factors contribute or cause workers to be resistant to change:

• Employees doubt that they can be successful in change efforts.
• Leaders don’t share the challenges facing the organization with workers.
• Employees just don’t like taking risks. In fact, according to the study, only 24% of workers say they like risk taking.
• Top executives are much more likely to enjoy leaving their comfort zone … [Read more...] about (11/26) Resistance To Change Comes from These Five Factors

If you are going to have a Thanksgiving day or post-holiday feast a for workers, you'd better have turkey – at least according to a new survey. In a poll of more than 3,000 Americans, about a third (29.5%) said that the bird is the best part of the Thanksgiving meal. Mashed potatoes came in second at 15.4%. The runners up included:

• Pies (12.7%)
• Casseroles (10.1%)
• Macaroni and cheese (8.7%)

• Cranberries (4.1%)
• Dinner rolls (3.5%)
• Green beans (2.5%)
• Salad (1.0%)

Lack of appreciation is among the top reasons people leave their jobs. So what would be a better time to show some appreciation than Thanksgiving? There are many ways to say ‘thank you’ to your employees. Start with these:

• Give employees time off. If you can’t let them have Thanksgiving day off, consider giving them the option of taking another day or half-day off.
• Deliver personalized ‘thank you’ cards. You can mail them or leave them at workers’ desks or stations, but they need to be personal and heartfelt, not scripted and the same for everyone.
• Start a gratitude Slack thread. Give team members a way to express and share their gratitude for things both big and small.
• Say ‘thanks’ via social media. Spotlight teams and team members and what is great about them. Involve them by asking them to submit photos or comments.
• Create a ‘gratitude wall’ where employees can stick post-it notes with their messages of appreciation for … [Read more...] about (11/24) 11 Ways to Show Employee Appreciation This Thanksgiving

Cutting-edge human capital management (HCM) solutions are essential to helping companies continue to weather the pandemic and to plan for a successful return to the new normal. In a presentation on 2022 HCM Tech Imperatives for HR Leaders, John Kostoulas, vice president and analyst at Gartner, recommends 10 HCM technologies that will help businesses get and stay on track moving forward:

• Voice of employee (ensuring that employees feel seen and heard)
• Continuous management performance
• Onboarding
• Talent analytics and workforce planning
• Continuous learning
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in HCM
• Next-gen workforce management
• Internal talent marketplace
• Recognition and rewards
• Flexible earned wage access