Turning the corner to fall, there’s so much HR news to dive into. These four reads caught my attention. They’re all compelling takes on today’s topics — from GenAI to hybrid work to professional development to fixing toxic work cultures. Take a look:
GenAI
Employees are ahead of their employers when it comes to harnessing GenAI.
Laurel Kalser at HRdive reported on a new GenAI gap: and it may be the opposite to what you’d think. It turns out that it’s companies lagging behind. Kalser cites the new McKinsey research, which shows that employees are rapidly adopting generative AI, with 91% using it for work, while companies are slow to integrate the technology.
What’s the solution? According to McKinsey, it’s to harness the momentum. Organizations need to reimagine talent management by focusing on role modeling, communication, training, and integrating AI into performance metrics. Companies face a critical moment to transition from individual experimentation to strategic use of AI. But you can’t simply hire your way into AI competency; companies need to invest in upskilling and reskilling their existing employees as well.
Hybrid Work
Hushed hybrid working arrangements are undermining return to the office orders.
Paige McGlauflin at HR Brew covered a new term to join the collection (along with quiet quitting, coffee badges, and more): hushed hybrid. This is a growing trend in which managers are quietly allowing their employees to choose their work arrangements despite return to office (RTO) offers from headquarters. Sure, flexibility is good. But this practice can create secrecy and inequity. It’s also a way to sidestep the real demand for workplace flexibility, and overlooks a reality: employees prefer hybrid policies set by individual teams to strict, top-down approaches.
What to do? If you want your employees and their managers to comply with an RTO policy, maybe listen to why they’re not, then consider maintaining some flexibility. And make time spent in the office worth it — a time for collaboration and connection that makes going in have meaning and purpose.
Employee Development
Innovation gets a huge boost from employee development — and companies are paying attention.
Shawna Simcik at the TalentCulture blog wrote about the value of professional development for employees — something many organizations are realizing has incredible payoffs for all sides. Simcik noted a Deloitte study, which found that companies who prioritize learning and development (L&D) are 92% more likely to innovate and 46% more likely to be first to market compared to their less learning-focused counterparts.
If you want to be first to market, implement some comprehensive training and learning for your people. Bottom line: their growth equals your growth.
Toxic Work Cultures
Work cultures are still toxic: what happens next?
HR Bartender’s Sharlyn Lauby took a look at toxic workplace cultures. Newsflash: they’re alive and kicking — have led 20% of U.S. employees to quit their jobs in the past five years, costing over $223 billion in turnover (as reported in Fast Company). It’s the same as it ever was: hostile work environments with threats, unpaid overtime and a serious lack of equity; along with HR’s inability to make it better.
What needs to happen? Take concerns seriously. Do the right thing. Conduct proper investigations. Listen. And let me add another plug for psychological safety in the workplace. That means ensuring employees feel they can bring up a concern or an issue without retribution, and that feedback leads to change. This isn’t just about company culture, I might add. It’s about engagement, retention, and compliance too.
What’s top of mind for HR practitioners above all? Creating workplaces that inspire cohesion, performance, collaboration, and belonging. Just what that entails may change depending on the nature and size of your organization: for some that’s going to mean breaking down the silos between remote and on-site; for others, an HR tech stack that does the heavy lifting safely. Or deepening a commitment to DEI, crafting a tactful return to the office transition, offering mental health and caregiver / parenting resources. Finding the tools and strategies that make our workforces hum.
What doesn’t change? The world of work is evolving faster than ever. Always good to take a moment, read the tea leaves, and regroup.
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