HR Industry Brief

Hope is a powerful force. It enables people to envision a better future and believe it is achievable. Hope-based leaders effectively generate optimism in their teams and understand what needs to be done to accomplish goals. There are six key elements of hope-based leadership:

1. Create and communicate a vision. Use this to guide purpose and a team-wide commitment to goals.
2. Build a sense of possibility. Help people understand why the goals – however lofty – are achievable.
3. Set goals. It’s okay to set the bar high, but make sure goals are realistic.
4. Establish relationships that provide “energy.” Open, caring relationships wo help mobilize, support, and maintain hope.
5. Generate multiple pathways. This enables the team to be more agile and overcome or work around barriers. This, in turn, increases the achievability of goals.
6. Develop strategic patience. Being patient is a key part of hope. Becoming impatient or rushing … [Read more...] about (10/11) Six Key Elements of Hope-Based Leadership

According to a new study of American workers, love is in the air at work:

• 77% of respondents said they’ve had a sexual or romantic relationships with a coworker at some time. This is up from 58% in 2021.
• 37% said they see these relationships as “potentially problematic.”
• 64% of workers said that they have a close friend or “work spouse,” up from 24% in 2021.
• About half of workers reported being sexually harassed at some point. Native American or Indigenous and Black workers were more likely to say they’ve been sexually harassed.

According to a new survey, economic worries have more employees thinking twice about leaving their jobs:

• 47% of respondents said that concerns about a possible recession make them less likely to quit, although at least a fourth of employed job seekers are considering changing industries or taking a second job.
• 36% of people say they’re planning to quit their jobs in the next six months, down from 73% a year ago.
• 53% say they haven’t received a raise this year, and only 28% say they expect a raise by year’s end.
• 35% of respondents say they have put more expenses on credit cards in recent months.
• 67% of workers say they are “very likely” to or “definitely” planning to stay with their current employers.

Studies show that employees who receive mentoring are five times more likely to be promoted than their non-mentored colleagues; and 94% of employees say they would stay at their company longer if they had mentorship opportunities. So how do you start a successful mentorship program?

1. Create a written guide for how the program will work. Include a detailed description of the mentorship initiative, its objectives, who is eligible, and the intended benefits.
2. Define the program’s goals including: developing a solid relationship between the mentor and mentee, providing guidance and support to the mentee, helping the mentee grow and develop professionally, decreasing the mentee’s stress, and increasing the person’s career satisfaction and motivation.
3. Match the mentors and mentees effectively. Consider things like communication style, personal compatibility, and common values. Make sure the mentor has the skills and experience to help the mentee reach their … [Read more...] about (10/6) How To Start an Effective Mentorship Program

Don’t expect your teams to go back to the “same old” post-pandemic. Instead, understand that workers expect more flexibility, innovative ways of working, and greater work-life balance. To keep employees happy and productive, consider the following strategies:

• Make the office a hub for focused, collaborative work that includes face-to-face collaboration.
• Foster connectivity during hybrid meetings to bridge isolation divide. Look for ways to make virtual or hybrid meetings more interactive by giving different team members a chance to make brief presentations, playing games or quizzes, and conducting real-time surveys.
• Provide enhanced wellbeing support. According to one survey, 59% of employees expect to work for a company that supports their health and wellbeing. Make sure you have programs, events, and options to promote wellbeing that can be done virtually or onsite. Seek insights from workers about what they want, whether its yoga classes, a … [Read more...] about (10/5) 3 Strategies to Embrace Flexibility and Meet New Employee Expectations

People are surprisingly open on social media, and their posts can tell you a great deal about what they are thinking and feeling. A recent analysis of social media posts found:

• Burnout and mental health problems are the most common reasons for quitting (15.75%)
• The second most common reason for quitting is having a bad manager. A fourth (25.29%) cited bad behavior, and 10% said their boss didn’t respect workers having a work-life balance.
• About a tenth of social media posts are about quitting jobs due to disagreeing with workplace COVID-19 vaccination/mask policies.
• Low on this list for reasons to quit is discrimination, cited by just 4% of workers. However, 31% of these referred to racism in the workplace.
• The 9th most commonly mentioned reason cited is having a successful side hustle they could use to as a main job.

  The findings of a new study revealed that 74% of executives consider pay equity a moderate or high strategic priority and 71% of employees also think it is an important priority for their company. Yet only 41% of workers believe their employers have successfully mastered pay equity; and 26% indicated that their organizations has been totally unsuccessful in ensuring equal pay for equal work. Among other findings:

• Nearly half of executives (47%) said the CHRO is primarily responsible for ensuring pay equity, while just 6% of employees think this should be handled by this individual. Over a third (37%) of employees said the CEO should be primarily responsible for addressing pay equity.
• Employers reported that most of their pay equity efforts are directed toward: women (59%), people of color (55%), ethnic minorities (45%), members of the LGBTQ community (33%), and people with disabilities (23%).
• 40% of white men said their employer has … [Read more...] about (10/3) Employer, Employee Perceptions of Pay Equity Differ Greatly

New data suggests that the scope of employee relations has expanded and that HR leaders need to prioritize this and even take on some new roles:

• Current employee relations efforts include analytics (85%), proactive training (77%), policy development (68%), and policy oversight (68%).
• Staff are increasingly watching the progress and results of investigations when there is a problem. They notice whether outcomes are fair and equitable.
• Employees talk with each other about how their managers handle a bad situation.
• Fewer than 1 in 5 organizations (17%) share aggregated, anonymous investigation or employee relations data with workers.
• Only 28% of organizations report training employee relationships investigators once a year or more, and two-thirds report having no formal training program.
• Two-thirds of organization say they use metrics for data-driven insights and more than half use data to develop and revise … [Read more...] about (9/30) Employee Relations: Give It the Attention It Deserves

According to a new study, too many meetings are an unwelcome inconvenience for workers and a financial burden for employers:

• 46% of respondents say they have way too many unnecessary meetings on their calendars.
• Employees say they spend about 18 hours in meetings, with only about 11 of those they consider to be crucial. Overall, professionals spend about a third of their working hours in meetings.
• Employees believe that they could skip about 5 meetings as long as they are kept in the loop about issues involved.
• 53% of employees say they feel like they “need” to attend meetings they’re invited to, even when they aren’t critical to the agenda.
• Most workers say their managers/supervisors have never talked to them about what meetings they are required to attend and when they can decline invitations.
• Payroll spends about $25,000 per employee annually for them to attend meetings that are unnecessary.
… [Read more...] about (9/30) Employees Are Sick of All These Meetings, Study Says

Actions and words go together to keep employees engaged, energized, and happy. Here are 12 things you can do and say:

• Give valuable feedback.
• Encourage public shout-out.
• Grant the gift of time.
• Harness professional development.
• Write recommendations on social media.
• Organize something fun for the team.
• Acknowledge and celebrate birthdays and work anniversaries.
• Celebrate your employees for what they achieve outside of the office.
• Look out for your employees’ mental health and wellness.
• Give monetary incentives.
• Level up your virtual team’s “office” space.
• Make sure they have the right tools to get the job done.