The HR Digest January 2021

Editor’s Note

January 2021

How do you change the way people think and work?

This is one of the key questions covered in our January 2021 issue of The HR Digest. During times of uncertainty, organizations seek ideas on how to motivate people to perform more efficiently. In better times, organizations are attracted to bolder ideas that help them achieve their goals more efficiently. It’s during the transition period that organizations often turn to thought leaders for ideas on growth and innovation.

Each story in this issue speaks to our faith in thought leaders and the role they play during difficult times. These leaders and their take on digital transformation, diversity, equality and upskilling has made every story an enlightening experience. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did enjoyed writing it.

Happy Reading!

As ever, we look forward to your feedback (editor@thehrdigest.com, @TheHRDigest on Twitter, Facebook.com/TheHRDigest).

The Team Editorial

Design

Anna Domanska Editor-in-Chief

Kevin Paul Sr. Graphic Designer

Priyansha Mistry Editor Anna Versai Sub-Editor

Project Management

Diana Coker Sub-Editor

Tony Raval Project Director

Jane Harper Content Writer

Jay Raol Project Director

Marketing

Advertising

Jason Miller Sr. Project Director

Jay Raol Director – Ad Sales

Technology John Hancock Head-Web Department

Finance Control R R Baratiya

Le Manh Coung Sr Software Coordinator

Julia Hunt Magazine Production

Contents January 2021 HR Drift Proposition 22 pass gives Uber and Lyft new gig economy model to perpetuate./ p.08

Leadership Insights The Post-Pandemic Rules of Work./ p.26

Q&A With Jane The brutal and straightforward answers to HR-related queries and concerns./ p.36

Employee Benefits From Me to We: Creating a purpose-driven organization. / p.42

Cover Story Celebrating Global Thought Leaders in HR./ p.50

Legal Hub California employers face new employment laws in 2021./ p.64

HR Tools & Technology The Big Shift: Demand for future work skills in 2021./ p.72

Success Story Rethinking the Gig Economy./ p.86

Recruitment Point Building Better Companies after COVID-19./ p.96

Workplace Culture HR SaaS Providers: Standard-setters in performance tracking to 401(K) management./ p.106

Training & Development How to win with big data. / p.118

HR Events Top picks of conferences and professional events around the world./ p.130

THE GIG GOES ON Proposition 22 pass gives Uber and Lyft new gig economy model to perpetuate.

Voters in California passed Proposition 22, allowing platforms like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to classify its drivers as independent workers. Prop 22 was floated in response to the California Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) that protects independent workers’ rights.

Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart and Postmates poured more than $205 million into Proposition 22, to get AB 5 overturned through a ballot. Prop 22 guarantees some earnings and benefits to the workers but not comparable to what regular workers get.

It’s a major win for companies that hire gig workers, but it’s still a step back for labor unions.

In August, the gig companies had lost an appeal over the assembly law in the Supreme Court. They argued that they were just the facilitators between the drivers/workers and the customers and they were not their employees. The gig companies spent a lot of money and effort in spreading their message.

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Prop 22 represents the future of work in an increasingly technologically-driven economy.

Voters were blitzed with TV ads, glossy mailers, text messages and more.

DoorDash, a food delivery service, had drivers deliver takeaways in bags stamped with “Yes 22”; Instacart, an app which has workers pick and deliver groceries, had them attach “Yes to 22” stickers to orders.

Why did California vote against AB-5 which might have larger repercussions for the workers and in policy-making too?

What seems to have driven the voters is fears that giving them workers’ status with full benefits and rights will drive up the prices of the services provided by the companies.

Uber and Lyft threatened to withdraw their services’ especially from far-flung and rural areas. They threatened to cut down their workforce and said they would only keep people who were ready to work a full day rather than a flexible schedule.

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The pandemic has shown that the gig workers are an important part of the frontline forces who are doing their bit to fulfill the conveniences of deliveries and pickups for people locked up at home.

Also, a very unsure future has persuaded people to think that such gigs at least provide some form of employment in the present times where jobs are scarce.

Unemployment in California was 11 percent in September, against 3.9 percent a year ago. Some gig workers are happy with the status quo and the flexibility that the app-based companies provide.

Proposition 22 promises minimum earnings, healthcare subsidies, and vehicle insurance. The minimum earnings do not cover any time that the drivers are not carrying passengers.

The Yes to 22 campaign hailed its victory as setting a model for independent contractors that the rest of the country should follow.

Considering that other states manage to protect workers’ rights alongside classifying them as independent workers, California’s voting Prop 22 over the assembly bill seems specious. Also the win in tech country will embolden others to follow the model, which is not a good example.

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NO MASK, NO JOB Sanford Health replaces CEO who is against mask mandates.

Kelby Krabbenhoft, the long-time president and CEO of Sanford Health, is out of job days after he sent a controversial email to employees about his recovery from COVID-19. The board of trustees of Sanford Health released a statement that the organization has “mutually agreed to part ways” with Krabbenhoft.

The 62-year-old told health care staff in an email that he will not be wearing a mask to the office because he had recovered from the coronavirus and is, therefore, immune for seven months and perhaps years to come.

“For me to wear a mask defies the efficacy and purpose of a mask and sends an untruthful message that I am susceptible to infection or could transmit it,” Krabbenhoft wrote in the email. “I have no interest in using masks as a symbolic gesture. My team and I have a duty to express the truth and facts and reality and not feed the opposite.”

What’s disturbing about Krabbenhoft’s tone-deaf email is that Sanford is headquartered in one of the nation’s worst hot spots. The controversial remarks come as COVID-19 cases surge across North and South Dakota. In North Dakota, the situation has become so acute that the governor issued an order allowing health care workers

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to continue working after they test positive for the coronavirus.

Kelby Krabbenhoft had previously announced that he would retire in 18 months, following the announcement of a merger with Intermountain Health. This changed after his email which prompted Sanford officials to go into damage-control mode.

In the email, Krabbenhoft did say that it was important for those who hadn’t contracted the coronavirus to wear masks, “It is important for them to know that masks are just plain smart to use and in their best interest.”

He also seemed to question the wisdom of wearing masks outside the operating room. “The ‘on-again, off-again’ behavior of mask use by the general population violates every notion of serious infectious management that I was trained to adhere to, so some of this is absurd,” he wrote in the offending email.

Krabbenhoft, who is not a doctor, joined Sanford Health in 1996 and helped expand the organization from a community hospital into what is known today as the largest rural nonprofit health system in the nation.

Sanford Health, which is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has 46 hospitals and more than 200 clinics in the Midwest. When the Sanford – Intermountain Health merger is complete, the organization will have 70 hospitals and nearly 90,000 employees.

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AMAZON ISSUES HOLIDAY BONUS FOR WAREHOUSE WORKERS A move to squash unionization?

It’s not hard to imagine that one of the largest online retailers in the world is exempt from workplace controversies. In recent years Amazon has time and again come under fire for its cutthroat management style which has created a struggle for survival among its workers.

The company is now facing unionization threats that call for changes to policies for disciplining, firing and safety. In a dramatic turn of events, the retail giant has announced it will pay frontline workers a one-time holiday bonus of up to $300.

Amazon announced that it would pay full-time operations workers $300, and part-time workers $150 if they are employed by the e-commerce giant for the holiday period. This holiday bonus will cost Amazon about $500 million, wrote logistics chief Dave Clark in a blog post.

“I’ve been at Amazon for 22 holiday seasons and this one is definitely

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unique, to say the least,” Clark said. “I’m grateful to our teams who continue to play a vital role in serving their communities.”

The latest announcement of holiday bonuses comes as Amazon faces backlash over doling out $3,000 as a signing bonus to new hires while only offering $15-$30 Thanksgiving turkey vouchers to longtime employees.

Last month, Amazon workers at the Bessemer facility in Alabama notified federal labor authorities of their plans to organize a union drive, a rare step at a company that has successfully suppressed all efforts by its workforce to unionize in the U.S. since the founding in 1994. It is worth mentioning that a majority of Amazon’s workforce in Europe is unionized.

Amazon workers are unhappy with the extensive worker surveillance to boost employee output, noted a research paper issued by the Open Markets Institute. According to the Washington-based research and advocacy group, the retail giant uses tools such as item scanners, navigation software, thermal cameras, wristbands, security cameras and recorded footage to surveil worker productivity in warehouse and stores.

According to the paper, Amazon often moves employees around in an attempt to quell unionization. For instance, it creates heat maps and uses team member sentiment analysis and a diversity index to assess which of its stores may have a higher risk of unionizing, the report says.

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Amazon estimates that it will invest over $750 million in additional pay for its store workers in the current quarter alone.

Amazon estimates that it will invest over $750 million in additional pay for its store workers in the current quarter alone. This brings the total spent on special bonuses and incentives across its global workforce to over $2.5 billion in 2020.

In June, Amazon spent $500 million on “Thank You� bonuses for frontline employees who continued to come to work amid the COVID-19 outbreak. This decision could have been taken as a damage-control measure after the retail giant came under fire for not providing basic safety protections on the job.

Amazon warehouses were still packed with thousands of employees confined to small spaces and eventually contracted the virus. But with Amazon employing nearly 800,000 people, even the most basic measures such as a 3ft distancing policy and doling out hand sanitizer don’t go far enough.

Retail giants Walmart and Target have also paid holiday bonuses to their workers.

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MICROSOFT CRITICIZED FOR ‘WORKPLACE SURVEILLANCE’ FEATURE The episode “Email Surveillance” from NBC mokumentary sitcom The Office seems have to torn the very fabric of reel’ity and entered reality. American tech giant Microsoft has come under fire for rolling out its new “Productivity Score” feature this month, an odd tool that allows bosses to track workers’ productivity.

The issue was raised by Wolfie Christl, a researcher with Austriabased digital rights non-profit Cracked Labs.

According to Microsoft, this new feature is designed to help organizations speed up digital-transformation projects during the pandemic, which has forced more than a quarter of the globe’s working population to work remotely. Productivity Score allows managers to track an employee’s productivity based on 73 metrics.

These include the number of emails sent, the number of Teams meetings attended, and the number of files read or edited. These metrics can also show how often the worker has their camera on during meetings and how many people emails are being sent to.

Microsoft’s latest workplace surveillance tool has drawn fierce criticism from privacy advocates around the world.

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“This is so problematic at many levels,” tweeted the Austrian researcher Wolfie Christl, who raised alarm about the feature.

“Employers are increasingly exploiting metadata logged by software and devices for performance analytics and algorithmic control,” Christl added. “MS is providing the tools for it. Practices we know from software development (and factories and call centers) are expanded to all white-collar work.”

Microsoft let out a statement saying that: “Productivity score is an optin experience that gives IT administrators insights about technology and infrastructure usage. Insights are intended to help organizations make the most of their technology investments by addressing common pain points like long boot times, inefficient document collaboration, or poor network connectivity. Insights are shown in aggregate over a 28-day period and are provided at the user level so that an IT admin can provide technical support and guidance.”

“We are committed to privacy as a fundamental element of productivity score,” wrote Jared Spataro, the corporate vicepresident for Microsoft 365, in the online documentation. “Let me be clear: productivity score is not a work monitoring tool. Productivity score is about discovering new ways of working, providing your people with great collaboration and technology experiences … For example, to help maintain privacy and trust, the user data provided in productivity score is aggregated over a 28-day period.”

Instances of workplace surveillance have increased in recent years.

The trend will uptick as organizations swing to remote work in the future.

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SOCIAL SECURITY TAX DEFERRAL PLAN A FUTURE BURDEN FOR MILITARY AND FEDERAL EMPLOYEES Military personnel and federal employees will not be able to optout of the plan to defer payroll taxes, despite protests from the lawmakers and employee representatives.

This follows a memorandum issued in August and an Internal Revenue Service guidance that allows employers to defer social security taxes. But most private employers have refused to take up the offer, as it will entail a lot of administrative work and adjustment in the payroll system.

For military personnel and government employees, there is no optout clause. More than a million military members earning $8,666.66 or less per month saw their paychecks increase by 6.2 percent of their basic pay beginning with the mid-September paycheck, but the drawback is that it will have to be adjusted back in the payments from January 2021 onwards.

Service members and all other affected employees will repay the

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money over a four-month period ending April 30. Trump’s memo does require the Secretary of the Treasury to explore ways — including legislation — to eliminate the requirement to repay those taxes. But as of now, the money will have to be repaid.

That decision drew protests from federal employee groups and Democratic lawmakers, who said the administration was treating federal employees like “guinea pigs,” as most private employers have refused the offer.

Everett B. Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees has written to the Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, urging the administration to allow federal workers to opt-out of the tax deferral, if they wanted.

This deferral will affect virtually all enlisted members up through the grade of O-4. Officers in the grade of O-5 with less than 16 years of service and those in the grade of O-6 with less than 14 years of service are affected. Those who earn more than $8,666.66 a month will not have their Social Security taxes deferred.

The scheme is designed to put more money into the pockets of employees, at least temporarily, in an effort to ease some economic problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The Post-Pandemic Rules of Work By: Anna Versai

The COVID-19 pandemic has reset the way the world works.

Businesses and companies now need to rethink how to manage a remote workforce, their hiring policies, skills, and experience needs.

“It’s critical for business leaders to understand that large-scale shifts are changing how people work and how business gets done,” says Brian Kropp, vice president, Gartner. “HR leaders who respond effectively can ensure their organizations stand out from competitors.”

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With the world on lockdown, organizations everywhere have had to rethink how they operate. But in the midst of the crisis, some have discovered something unexpected: productivity has gone up, not down.

A crisis like a global pandemic naturally triggers extreme anxiety and stress, but it also unleashes tremendous energy and motivation. If leaders keep threat levels low, they can harness that sense of urgency to achieve work results that would normally seem impossible.

But a crisis also presents a more consequential opportunity—for organizations to redefine who they are. Here are three ways organizations can use this momentum to transform their culture for the long term.

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Remote Work The greatest change seen is in remote work operations. The adoption of remote work options and a flexible work routine have thrown up more solutions than problems.

The pivot has definitely forced organizations to explore the critical competencies that employees need to collaborate digitally and be prepared to adjust employee experience strategies.

Performance evaluation and work goals also need to be recalibrated to suit the new work norms.

Organizations are becoming experimentative and fluid with how they approach work, working environment, expectations, and employee relations.

A majority of employees would likely work remotely after COVID-19 versus 30% before the pandemic.

(Source: Gartner)

A recent Gartner poll showed that 48% of employees would likely work remotely after COVID-19

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versus 30% before the pandemic.

A Future Forum research of 4,700 knowledge workers found the majority never want to go back to the old way of working. Only 12% want to return to full-time office work, and 72% want a hybrid remote-office model moving forward.

ThoughtWorks Chief Operating Officer, Saptorsi Hore said that clients have gradually become more comfortable in their support of remote working, and the organization sees a dramatic shift in their expectation of flexibility. “While we recognize that a complete shift to ‘100% remote working’ will impact client relationships, our culture and our ability to attract and retain talent - we also believe there is a middle ground to be found.”

“We see an opportunity to drive great value for our clients and ThoughtWorkers, alike by altering our engagement models to allow for more flexibility. This could be in the form of working out of client premises, in our offices and from home. Some of the principles guiding our approach include engaging with clients and employees to solicit inputs, proactively extending flexible working options, experimenting and quickly understanding the impact of our changes and sharing our learnings.”

Contingent worker expansion The economic uncertainty of the pandemic led many organizations to cut their manpower. Along with the economic and humanitarian cost, this was just a stopgap arrangement. The new reality was that

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companies needed to adopt nonstandard work models. One of that was hiring a contingent workforce. “Our research finds that 32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure,” said Kropp. “While gig workers offer employers greater workforce management flexibility, HR leaders will need to evaluate how performance management systems apply to these workers and determine whether they will be eligible for the same benefits as their full-time peers.”

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Humanizing or not The pandemic has led many organizations to adopt worker-friendly policies that prioritized the well-being of the workers. But on the other hand, there are some which have pushed employees to work in conditions that are high risk with little support.

Be that as it may, what the risk has done is push the well-being question center stage and debate the response of the companies, especially the big ticket ones, for the welfare of their workers.

Employers’ role as a social safety net has also increased during the pandemic and will see a continuation post-pandemic.

The role takes the form of increased sick leave, financial and family support. Personal factors have started figuring in organizational considerations. This can also be an effective way to promote the physical and emotional well-being of employees.

Transition from designing for efficiency to designing for resilience The crisis has disrupted the earlier efficiency models. A streamlining of roles with a smooth supply chain and workflow created cost efficiencies, but the pandemic showed up the model’s fragility. The system did not respond well to disruption in their workflow.

Resilient organizations were better able to respond — correct course quickly with change.

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M&A Activity A recent Gartner survey says that global M&A activity increased after the financial crisis, and many companies were nationalized to avoid failure.

It says there will be a similar acceleration of M&A and nationalization of companies post-COVID. Reason being an ability to hedge their bets and get a foothold in diverse markets and manage risks better.

But the organizational expansion is bound to create challenges of operation and management and higher leadership skills.

Other realities of the postpandemic situation are that some jobs, especially the low-paying customer service jobs, will need a rethink and upskilling.

32% of organizations are replacing full-time employees with contingent workers as a cost-saving measure.

(Source: ThoughtWorks)

The cutdown in commute and travel due to the new model of

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working is bound to affect people in janitorial, transport, travel, and other such tasks.

The urban-centric focus is likely to decrease with people now wanting to move away from crowded places and seeking suburban or semirural options. The remote work model allows greater residential flexibility.

Another major difference in outlook is the government’s role in market forces. Without government support, the present crisis would have driven many economies to the ground. A capital market economy quite obviously will not be able to drive the new reality of interrupted education, the new infrastructure investments, a more climate responsible development, and such. States will have to be involved willy-nilly for a long time.

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Q&A with Jane 36

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The brutal and straightforward answers to HR-related queries and concerns.

Send in your queries with the subject line ‘Ask JANE HARPER’ at info@thehrdigest.com

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How to show appreciation to mentor.

Dear Jane, Eight years ago, I landed an entry level job at a company in an industry that I had no knowledge of. The manager who hired me was a VP and took me under his perch quickly. Over the years, he taught me everything he knew. We have a great relationship and I have no problems sharing my opinions and insights with him. Since I was hired, I have been promoted thrice and have now reached an executive level.

I owe a lot of my success to him and the advice and guidance he has showered upon me. I’ll forever be indebted to this great man and am in awe of his leadership skills.

How can I show my gratitude for everything he’s done for me?

Any advice?

Pay it forward! Bosses have a boss too. If you know when his annual review is, you could send a message to the boss and just quickly add “I wanted to let you know that John has been a great mentor, and has really encouraged me to succeed and leads a great team.”

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Keep it short and sincere.

You may also pen a heartfelt note about how much you appreciate your boss and how committed you are to the organization. I don’t think you need a fancy gift, just a note thanking him for being a good boss and a great mentor is enough. It can be incredibly awkward for your boss to accept a gift, especially after you’ve just received a promotion.

“As I move into the next phase of my career I want to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to you. I learned a great deal from you about management practices which I am excited to implement in my new role. I believe my success at [name of the company] is least in part due to your support and mentorship. Thank you! “

My boss publicly criticized me in an email to our whole office.

Hi Jane!

I recently got a new job within the same organization. The HR personnel is handling the transition, so I didn’t get the opportunity to hand in my two weeks’ notice. I sent an email to my boss asking about handover and he responded with a 1,200-words long email essentially shaming me for not giving

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the two weeks’ notice. He also called me a ‘professional liar’ among a bunch of other things, and CC’d the entire team in it.

Now I don’t work with them, however I also don’t think I should have been subjected to such public humiliation because I am simply doing what the HR is instructing me to do. I may have to coordinate with these coworkers again as we’re in the same building. Would I get called a snitch for pointing out that I’m simply following directions or should I simply move on? What’s the professional thing to do?

This is bad. Your manager should have removed names from the email sent to you. Here’s what you need to do: Reply all, “Thanks, John. Let’s schedule some time in a few days to discuss.” This shows that you acknowledged the email and will manage it instead of running away from the situation.

When you meet with the previous manager, you don’t need the HR to be there. You can simply tell him that you consulted with the HR for the transition and they advised you to….

You should also reach out to the HR and ask how to best manage this transition because there is some animosity from the previous manager.

Remember, you need to dig out of the situation on your own. It is a challenging situation, and if you get through on your own,

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you’ll come out much stronger on the other side.

All the best!

Should I follow my passion or do something safe?

Dear Jane, Growing up I’ve always wanted to become anything related to the performing arts. Later I was confronted with the harsh reality of how unemployable and competitive this field is. I’ve been advised by my parents to get a degree that is stable and employable. I’m a year into my ‘safe’ degree and I find it ‘boring.’ I don’t think this is what I am meant to do. It’s been over fourteen months and now I’m terrified of wasting time and money. What should I do?

The whole passion vs. income debacle can be a little misleading at times. There are caps on how much you can make in whatever career you choose. But the best advice I could give is to ‘follow your passion.’ The earlier you get going in your chosen career, the more opportunities you will have at getting your foot in the right door.

Got something to ask? Send your questions to info@thehrdigest.com.

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From Me to We Creating a purpose-driven organization By: Pri Mistry

O

ne of the great concerns that companies have contemplated the most in recent years has been how to ensure their people are motivated, engaged and highly committed to their everyday roles and responsibilities. Companies are spending millions of dollars on employee engagement initiatives – from improving work conditions to embracing agile methodologies, leadership development programs, and now, proposals for employee well-being. Among these fixes is one that is both unique and essential to unlock the future of the company.

For past several years now, a concept is sweeping its way into the scene that aims to help companies make real gains when they’re thinking longer-term. This goes beyond redesigning the employee experience, where people want, not just need, to work each day. This concept is the “purpose” and it goes beyond improving the employee performance or reinforcing motivation.

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Purpose is a grand term, but in the end, it is about helping people see what’s so meaningful and purposeful about their job and doing it in a way that the meaning is quantified. If you keep that in mind, and take an authentic approach, you’re likely to find success in putting purpose at the core of your strategy.

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Make no mistake: Moving purpose from the periphery of your strategy to its core – where, with committed leadership and financial investment, it is used to generate sustainable growth, stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world, and deepen ties with stakeholders – is not all that needs to be done.

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The purpose must give meaning to what the company does, justify its vision and define a way to behave in its environment. The purpose should have a real impact on the outside world and not just maximize the value of the company for its stakeholders.

Therefore, a purpose must inspire the company strategy, its short-

term plans as well as its long-term goals. The company’s actions refer to the purpose and align the interests of shareholders, employees, clients and society in general in search for the common good.

The search for “purpose” is adaptive in an evolutionary sense. It’s not just an intellectual pursuit; it’s something people need to feel.

Many believe that purpose arises from passion and sets one apart from other people – but that’s the partial truth. Life’s meaning grows from our connections to people, which is why a crisis of purpose often presents itself in the form of loneliness and isolation.

Once we begin traveling on a path, we find others traveling along with us, hoping to reach the same destination. This sense of community that comes from traveling in the same path is similar to the model of an organization.

The role of a company emerges through its common purpose, un-

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Moving purpose from the periphery of your strategy to its core – where, with committed leadership and financial investment, it is used to generate sustainable growth, stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world, and deepen ties with stakeholders – is not all that needs to be done.

derstood as a set of beliefs, values, and guidelines. With the help of this culture, the company can create a specific impact on the society. Not so long ago, we aimed to change the world through religious, political or scientific beliefs. Today, we are

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able to commit to change through a set of values in small and large companies.

Historically, companies adhered to a universal set of guidelines to give meaning to its vision, mission and people’s activities.

This set of values offer an explanation to the company’s culture and people’s work. It gives meaning to people’s purpose in the organization and reinforces their motivation to work.

prove people’s lives through technology,” as opposed to an individuals who works for a better salary.

Once the purpose has been defined, a simple task like delivering packages takes on a whole new meaning.

Feeling that you’re a part of something bigger than your be-

The commitment to change the world for better is infinitely superior to any benefit one may get from the fruits of labor. When you work with a sense of purpose, you begin to see yourself as a protagonist in the solution to problems that affect the world.

A purpose-driven individual may say something like, “I work to im-

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ing, which can improve the society or the entire world, is the greatest source of satisfaction and happiness for an individual.

Recent studies by McKinsey underpin the importance of “living your purpose” to face critical situations, like the coronavirus epidemic. The identification and adoption of a

purpose is beneficial for both the company and the individual.

When we are more connected to the purpose we feel better and our commitment is higher than those who do not feel they have a purpose in life.

But, in today’s world of work, we want more than what we have.

We are looking for something bigger to dedicate our time, experience and skills.

And so, we must learn to expand the use of purpose: Begin with the ‘what’ and then the ‘how.’

What is your purpose? How will you fulfil your purpose? How will you integrate your purpose into everyday life?

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By: Pri Mistry

We spend a great deal of time each day checking social media. A recent study showed that the average person is spending roughly two hours a day online.

In today’s content-saturated world, who you choose to follow is important to your personal and professional development. As the old maxim goes, “Who you spend your time with is who you become.” If you are spending more than a few hours online, people you follow are influencing and inspiring your daily life.

Here are HR thought leaders you must follow online in order to thrive in the world of HR leadership and management. A single post or tweet from one of these influential leaders can motivate you to be a better leader and HR practitioner.

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Adam Grant Organizational Psychology, Public Speaker, Author Host of WorkLife

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dam Grant is an organizational psychologist and one of HR’s most influential international thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40. He is the author of ‘Give and Take’ recognized as a New York Times Best Seller and one of the best books of 2013 by Amazon, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post – as well as one of Oprah’s riveting reads and Harvard Business Review’s ideas that shaped management.

Grant is the host of WorkLife, a chart-topping TED original podcast. His TED Talks on Original Thinkers and Givers and Takers have been viewed more than 20 million times.

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He writes on work, motivation, and prosocial behaviors for the New York Times, serves on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon, and has been honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Grant has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in organization psychology and B.A. from Harvard University. He has been named one of the best business school professors under the age of 40 and has received the “Excellence in Teaching� Award for his teaching at Wharton. He is a former record-setting advertising director and junior Olympic springboard diver.

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Josh Bersin Research Analyst, Public Speaker, Author Founder of Bersin by Deloitte

J

osh Bersin is a well-respected industry analyst, author, educator and thought leader covering all aspects of the corporate HR, talent management, talent acquisition, training, leadership, and workplace technology.

He is the founder of Bersin & Associates, which was sold to Deloitte and is now known as Bersin by Deloitte.

The advisory firm delivers research-based people strategies designed to help leaders drive business performance. It also provides insights, reports, studies and briefs on corporate learning.

He is a frequent speaker at industry events and has been quoted on topics in key media outlets. He is

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the author of two books, ‘The Blended Learning Handbook’ and ‘The Training Measurement Book,’ along with a dozen studies on learning and talent management.In 2019, Bersin launched the Josh Bersin Academy, the world’s first professional development academy for HR. Serving as the academy’s dean, Bersin offers relevant research and insights to help HR professionals stay current on the leadership and management trends needed to thrive in the world of work.

Bersin’s education includes a B.S. in Engineering from Cornell, an M.S. in Engineering from Stanford, and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

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Jessica Miller-Merrell Workplace Expert, Public Speaker, Author, HR Consultant Founder of Workology

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essica Miller-Merrell is an author, speaker, human resources professional, and workplace change expert focused on human resources, t a l e n t management, talent acquisition, workplace leadership and workplace technology.

Jessica is recognized by Forbes as a top 50 social media influencer, and has been named the 7th most powerful woman on Twitter. Her insights on HR and recruiting are sought after and sought by publications and media including Forbes, CBS, CIO Magazine, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

She is globally recognized in HR, talent acquisition,

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and consultants focused on process optimization. She consults with HR software and service providers helping them navigate the everyday intricacies of HR and recruiting industry. She also provides training and consulting to HR and recruiting teams on their branding strategies.

Jessica is the author of ‘The HR Technology Field Guide’ and ‘Tweet This! Twitter for Business.’ She’s also the founder of popular online HR and workspace resource, Workology.

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Sharlyn Lauby HR Consultant, Author, Speaker Founder of HR Bartender, President of ITM Group Inc.

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harlyn Lauby is the author of HR Bartender and president of ITM Group Inc., a training and human resources consulting firm focused on helping companies retain and engage talent.

She has designed and implemented highly successful programs for employee retention, internal and external customer satisfaction, and leadership development.

Sharlyn launched HR Bartender to provide a “friendly place for everyday workplace issues.�

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It’s been recognized as one of the Top 5 Business Blogs Read by HR Professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Best Business Blog by the Stevie Awards.

She is the author of the best-selling books ‘Manager Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success’ and ‘The Recruiter’s Handbook: How to Source, Select, and Engage the Best Talent’. Other books include ‘Essential Meeting Blueprints for Managers’, the ATD

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InfoLine ‘Motivating Employees’, and the TD@Work ‘Motivating Employees in the Digital Age.’ Reuters, The New York Times, ABC News, TODAY, Men’s Health, Mashable, and The Wall Street Journal have sought her expertise on human resources and workplace topics.

During her first year in business, Sharlyn was a finalist for the South Florida Business Journal’s Business Women of the Year Award.

She has been named a “Heavy Hitters in Human Resources” and an “Excellence in Human Resources” recipient by the South Florida Business Journal.

Sharlyn earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, and currently is recognized as a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and holds SHRM specialty credentials in people analytics and talent acquisition.

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Lou Adler HR Consultant, Public Speaker, Author Founder of Hiring Learning Systems

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ou Adler is the CEO and founder of Performancebased Hiring Learning Systems – a consulting and training firm helping recruiters and hiring managers around the world source, interview and hire the strongest and most diverse talent.

Lou is the author of the Amazon top-10 best-seller, ‘Hire With Your Head,’ ‘The Essential Guide for Hiring & Getting Hired’ and the Performance-based Hiring video training program. His current “Diversity Hiring without Compromise” initiative is focused on developing a colorblind hiring process that ensures the best people get hired regardless of race, religion, age, sexual preference and physical challenges.

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Adler is one of the top bloggers on LinkedIn’s Influencer program writing about the latest trends in hiring, employment, and recruiting.

His articles, quotes and research can now be found in Inc. Magazine, Business Insider, Bloomberg, SHRM and The Wall Street Journal.

The company’s new mobile-ready learning platform – The Hiring Machines – provides instant access to all of the tools needed to find and hire outstanding talent.

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CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS FACE NEW EMPLOYMENT LAWS IN 2021 By: Jane Harper

As we approach another year, California employers should reexamine their employee handbook to ensure that it is up to date. Unless it was revised recently, it’s most likely outdated. What are the primary revisions that should be made to keep up with the most recent employment laws?

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New Family Leave Obligations The main change for 2021 is the extension of the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). The CFRA currently varies fundamentally from the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in a few ways, with the end goal that in the event that you have a joined FMLA/ CFRA strategy you should split

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them apart. Further, if you have no FMLA/CFRA strategy since you don’t have 50 workers, you should have a CFRA strategy in the new year as long as you have at least five employees.

The CFRA will soon apply to small number of employees - five to 49

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employees - and there is no prerequisite that any number of employees be within a 75-mile radius. The CFRA still incorporates the prerequisite that an employee has worked for at least twelve months and for 1,250 hours before the beginning of a protected leave.

The CFRA will also allow workers to take leave to care for a broader range of family members than previously permitted. A qualified employee may take CFRA leave for the following reasons: The employee’s own serious health condition.

To care for a parent, kid, spouse, sibling, grandparent, grandkid, or enlisted domestic partner with a genuine medical issue.

Care for and bonding with a newborn child.

Because of a qualifying exigency identified with the covered active duty or call to covered active duty of an employee’s spouse, domestic partner, child, or partner in the US Armed Forces.

In addition, under the FMLA, if the two parents work for the same employer, they are simply only entitled for a total number of 12 weeks of leave combined for bonding with a newborn child. Not so under the changed CFRA. Under this new law each parent is qualified for up to 12 weeks each for baby bonding leave. Besides, the CFRA no longer contains a “key employee” exception. These differences between the FMLA and CFRA will require a revision to your handbook.

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Break Room Policy The next policy that needs a revision is your rest break policy.

Employees may no longer be prohibited from leaving the premises during their 10-minute rest breaks.

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While it very well might be unrealistic for workers to leave the premises and return within 10 minutes, you may not place any limitations on how employees

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“Now is the ideal time to pick your New Year’s goals, and one of them should be revising your employee handbook.”

utilize their time during their rest breaks. If you have an old rest break policy denying workers from leaving (or in any case limiting their activities) during their rest breaks, you should revise it.

Anti-Harassment Language You should revise your policy against harassment – and explicitly the means given to employees to complain about harassment in the workplace.

You should give a phone “hotline” for grievances if conceivable. In addition, you should also provide an email address to employees to use to report harassment.

The objective is to make it simple for employees to report workplace harassment – particularly with so many employees working remotely now – so they will effortlessly report it inside. This will increase the odds that the issue can be fixed before it gets under the hands of a lawyer or the EEOC.

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Personal Cell Phone Use You should have a policy in the employee handbook addressing to phone use. If employees are needed to use their own phones for

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business purposes, for example, calling clients or customers, giving an account of the status of jobs, etc., and so forth, they should be paid a month to month allowance for the business use of their personal gadget.

to use their own PDAs while at work, you should have a policy expressing that employees are not authorized to use their own PDAs for any business reason.

Bringing in to get a work schedule, for instance, would not comprise business use of a personal phone.

If employees are not required

Arbitration Agreements Now is a good time to distribute a new arbitration agreement.

Revise it so it prohibits class and collective actions. The “Company” in the arbitration agreement should be defined to include parent, subsidiary

and affiliates, as well as current and previous owners, managers, employees, contractors, attorneys, administrators and insurers. This agreement should also state that the company will bear the costs of the arbitration.

Conclusion Now is the ideal time to pick your New Year’s goals, and one of them should be revising your employee handbook.

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By: Marti Konstant

The year 2020 played out like a bad dream in need of a wake-up call.

The battle of the world against the pandemic shook up the workplace, requiring swift accommodation and responses to skills gaps and skill shifts.

The big shift in organizational needs and long-term reliance on digital solutions are creating demand for upskilling and reskilling across the globe. Updated skills are the currency for future-proofing your career.

While HR teams complete workforce planning, they will keep an eye on auditing current talent capabilities and anticipate future skills, assuring survival and growth, rather than extinction.

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The Skills Dilemma How do you prepare for what you don’t know because it is changing so fast? And what skills will matter to you and your organization in the future?

“If you don’t solve the skills riddle with agility, curiosity, and smart technology capabilities, your organization could fade from existence.” —Marti Konstant Billions of dollars are invested yearly on reskilling and upskilling programs. Organizations with healthy growth curves rely on their staff to help them sustain a competitive edge. Workers who adapt and grow with the organization in a time of accelerated change will be able to launch products and services that meet market needs.

Solving the future skills puzzle requires a more practical approach than relying on your intuition.

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Reskilling and Upskilling: What’s the Difference?

Often used interchangeably, reskilling and upskilling have different meanings.

Upskilling refers to advancing within your current function.

When I was a technology marketing exec in 2009, I heard the words nurture marketing. These were code words for marketing automation.

New job titles emerged for the tech side of marketing, like marketing technologist and data scientist. When departments automated with technology solutions, updating digital skills for your role was a sound strategy for ensuring your future.

This was my cue for becoming a marketing technologist to solidify my value in the workplace. Turned out to be a great strategy for job relevance.

Reskilling refers to learning new skills for a job switch or career pivot. Former teacher Colleen Cannon-Ruffo illustrates this idea.

She started as a high school Spanish teacher. Noticing fellow teachers struggling with technology adoption, she moved into the role of instructional technologist, implementing IT projects and training teachers how to use technology in the classroom.

Let’s review the different types of skills.

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Power Skills and Hard Skills Defined Power skills, frequently referred to as soft skills or people skills involve common sense and the ability to navigate interpersonal

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relationships. Behaviors like emotional intelligence, communication, and adaptability are examples. Power skills are long-lasting, transferable across a number of work environments and roles, and can be developed.

Hard skills are quantifiable capabilities learned in an education setting or training program. They are often certified or obtained via special programs and degrees. Coding, budgeting, and marketing operations are examples. They reflect deep expertise in a specific area. Hard skills require frequent updates.

Hard skills relate to the work you do, and power skills reflect how you work.

A highly trained employee who has impressive hard skills may not be able to advance in their organization because they lack power skills. Senior leaders and staff benefit from enhancing their technical knowledge with natural and learned behaviors like empathy or leadership.

These skills are better together.

Introduced by design thinker Tim Brown of IDEO, T-shaped talent combines these two types of skills necessary to succeed. The horizontal portion of the T comprised of power/human skills intersects with the vertical portion, containing deep expertise in a specific area of knowledge.

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Job Demand Predictions Highlight Hard Skills for the Future Workplace According to data collected by LinkedIn, Coursera, and World Economic Forum (WEF), the WEF Future of Jobs Report indicates 85 million jobs may be displaced by 2025. This is due to a change in the way labor is divided and shared between humans and machines.

However, estimates state 97 million jobs will be created to accommodate the demand for new roles, especially those that include humans as partners to machines.

For 2021, WE Forum lists the top 10 needed jobs: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Data analysts and scientists AI and machine learning specialists Big data specialists Digital marketing and strategy specialists Process automation professionals Business development Digital transformation managers Information security analysts Software and app developers Internet of Things (IoT) specialists

Source: Future of Jobs Report 2020 World Economic Forum

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Business development is the only job description based on power skills. The other in-demand roles are dependent on hard skills.

However, power skills are meant to complement the effectiveness of your performance in a particular role.

Pandemic Effect: What Power Skills are in Demand?

In addition to the job skill predictions and hard skills referenced earlier, we recently gathered some data to answer the question, “What power skills are most in-demand as a result of the complex COVID workplace?� Formal studies completed their data set in 2019 and we were certain there was a shift by 4th quarter of 2020.

We are in between two bookends, before the pandemic and after the pandemic. This suspended timeframe makes it necessary to monitor how job demand evolves quarter to quarter in addition to year over year.

The companies and research studies in our analysis included: Deloitte, LinkedIn, IBM Institute for Business Value, Indeed.com, Institute for the Future (IFTF), McKinsey, Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), Udemy, Willis Towers Watson, and World Economic Forum.

Rankings were also derived through insights from thought leaders like Josh Bersin, Bernard Marr, and Meghan Biro.

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Skills analysis results:

Prior to the pandemic, creativity was considered the most important power skill via LinkedIn’s January 2020 rankings. With creativity’s ties to innovation and the global economy experiencing a significant growth mode, this personal ability was transferable across a range of organizational needs.

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However, the ranking shift uncovered in our analysis stems from a pragmatic examination of skill preferences during a time of uncertainty and disruption.

Emotional intelligence, a combination of self-reflection, self-regulation, internal motivation, empathy, and social skills has risen to the top rank.

As the ascent of social unrest, economic uncertainty, and an ongoing global health scare continue, this super skill merits more focus.

Coming in at second and third places are communication and adaptability. In the era of remote work and daily online collaboration, these traits rank higher than past years.

Let’s apply some of this knowledge to organizations and individuals.

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Quick Skilling Hits as You Plan for 2021 For Organizations Hire a Chief Future Officer (CFO). To accommodate the escalating speed of change and plans for the future, hire a new type of CFO. With a growth mindset, the future-oriented leader will monitor and plan for skills, people, and technology.

Identify the skills gaps. Construct the baseline so you can plan for the future.

The data will inform your upskilling and reskilling plans. The tech branches of Learning and Development enable you to create a datadriven approach to skills management so individuals can upskill and reskill for the right roles.

For Individuals Follow the money. Companies like Amazon, Zoom, Clorox, and Netflix are in growth mode, due to changes in consumer buying behavior due to COVID. Target growth and avoid industries in decline. Explore the intersection of your interests and match them up with growing organizations.

Sharpen your communication skills for the digital workplace.

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work environment and as a prerequisite for collaborating with colleagues and partners via online platforms.

Target in-demand job categories. According to recent data collected

by LinkedIn and Indeed.com, IT support, social media management, delivery driving, warehouse work, furniture sales and healthcare are sought-after roles.

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Key Conclusion for the Skills Advantage Planning for future skills requires an organizational growth mindset and new ideas about the learning experience.

Much like college education, the learning profession will benefit from innovative platforms, ongoing certificate options, and snacksized offerings focused on skills. The learning landscape is ripe for innovation.

An effective workforce will require a continuous learning culture for the organization and an individual willingness to update skills on a more frequent basis.

Marti Konstant Marti Konstant is a workplace futurist and the best-selling author of Activate Your Agile Career.

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By: Diana Coker

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he gig economy, alongside the future of work, has become a well-known subject of conversation. The gig economy involves working arrangements that are closer to “gigs� than traditional jobs. This originates from the idea that work is turning out to be more similar to playing a music gig at a bar, with no assurance of continuing with work, and workers are free to choose where to work next. The current surge in the gig economy has been influenced by the rise of digital technology and the use of on-demand platforms. Often, when discussing

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the gig economy, the subject usually is consumer-focused platforms like Uber, Lyft, or DooDash. There’s more to the gig economy than work being mediated via technology.

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The gig economy is not only reshaping work but also the way society functions more broadly. The gig economy now plays a monumental role in the lives of workers, platforms and consumers who are all seeking greater flexibility in life. Workers are looking for more flexible ways to work; employers are looking to liberate themselves from stringent local, state and federal employment regulations; and consumers are

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looking for a greater choice in life, all within a short span of time.

The consumer-facing nature of high-profile platforms like Uber,

Lyft, and DoorDash is now directly impacting consumption patterns. For instance, Uber has expanded its pool of independent contractors, with a surplus of drivers, which means consumers often only have to wait for a short while for a pickup. The lower costs have implied expanded take-up of these services, changing transport practices around the globe. On-demand food delivery platforms are also influencing consumption patterns. They have also shifted the relationship with cafés, bars, and restaurants through the establishment of ‘dark kitchens’ where food is no longer prepared in a kitchen, but in special delivery units, often hosted by shipping containers.

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These shifting consumption patterns have a common thread that ties them together. Whether journeys, delivery of food, or other ondemand services, these allow workers to liberate themselves from the burden of ‘social reproduction.’

At the most basic level, on-demand transportation has opened up additional opportunities for workers to stay up later at work or have more non-work time.

While on-demand food delivery apps have helped workers save up time that once went into preparing and cooking meals. The gig economy largely interfaces with more extensive patterns of work intensification which can now be seen through other sectors of the broader economy. This involves using hours of our non-work time and freeing them up to market and venture capital.

This doesn’t mean that gig economy doesn’t have the potential to create larger societal problems in the future. In some countries, social security – which often covers healthcare, insurance, and retirement – is connected to the standard form of employment.

The momentary flexibility of the gig economy has brought a slew of benefits to independent workers, as well as those who are looking for gigs outside of a standard job.

However, given the absence of social provisions for independent workers in the gig economy, the social cost of their work will now be borne by citizens of the city or country in the form of taxes.

As has been observed, the gig economy depends upon an independent work status which frees the company from the

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obligations to pay various benefits and cover the risks of work. For independent workers driving in the gig economy this is especially significant.

In addition, the incentive systems in the gig economy has encouraged desperate workers to get more work, which further increases the exposure to workplace risks.

Independent workers do not have access to pension, which means that there are currently millions of workers who aren’t saving enough for retirement.

According to estimates, five million workers are at risk of not having enough pension.

It is possible that all work could get more organized

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over time. There are jobs that can be split into smaller parts, paid by the task, which employers could prefer due to the many benefits of a flexible workforce.

As brought up before, the growth of the gig economy isn’t dependent on technology alone. There are other factors that shape how the gig economy grows.

In certain sectors, both businesses and workers would be against this; in other sectors, a range of social, political and technological factors may not encourage this.

There are two factors that continue to influence the future of gig economy: (i) state

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regulation and (ii) worker power. The dynamic of these factors combined with the platform itself can possibly show massive impact on the future of work. As the number of independent workers increases, so will the demand for how they want to work.

For instance, independent workers have been on a strike around the globe so much that platforms like Uber had to amend certain changes to bring in more benefits and flexibility. Independent workers are not only changing the face of the gig economy,

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but also state regulation.

Companies, on the other hand, have been reshaping work in the absence of workers’ unions.

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This inconsistency between the capital interest of platforms and independent workers is mirroring the historic struggles

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between employers and workers. Moreover, the state in different countries is beginning to introduce new legislation which oftentimes end up favoring the company, not the workers.

The significance of this issue is that it can possibly reshape more than just the gig economy. The impact of the gig economy isn’t just about the increase in the number of people working for such platforms. It additionally turns into an experiment of a new way of managing the workforce.

Hence, while the quantitative effect of the gig economy might be moderately little,

it can possibly make an enormous subjective change in how work will be coordinated later on. As the gig economy goes from an experiment to a new form of management technique, it will influence the way we live and work.

This is a lot of like how past types of computerized work, similar to call focuses, have early roots in the Taylorism of assembly lines, and will go on to influence the gig economy.

Hence, what techniques are successful in this economy will be tweaked and used across the spectrum of the economy more comprehensively. It is, in a way, significant to understand what’s going on inside the gig economy.

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COVID-19 is the most severe crisis since the second world war: companies are losing workforce rapidly around the world. A structured workforce planning strategy can bring Anna Versai by putting people first. consistency into overallBy:operations At the heart of any organization’s talent management strategy is headcount planning to ensure that it has the right of talent with the right skills. But hiring external talent isn’t always a viable option.

Factors such as internal budget cuts may dissuade organizations from making the hiring choices it wants to make.

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Building Better Companies After COVID-19 What can we learn from the COVID-19 crisis about building an inclusive workforce?

By: Anna Versai

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oday, more than ever before, organizations must focus on inclusiveness to help society recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

The pandemic has demasked humanity’s deep vulnerabilities; the impossibility of protecting people’s lives and livelihood. Never before has the importance of the responsibility of protecting the disproportionately affected, by guaranteeing their social and economic rights, been so clearly demonstrated.That is true of the public health crisis, which has affected elderly people and certain ethnic groups much harder than others, and of the ensuing economic destruction.

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by the economic fallout. More than one in six young workers are unemployed and those still working have seen their working hours cut by 23 percent, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“The COVID-19 economic crisis is hitting young people – especially women – harder and faster than any other group.”

- Guy Ryder, ILO’s Director-General

The substantial and rapid increase in youth unemployment seen since February is affecting young women more than young men.

There is conclusive evidence that young workers, the worst-paid and women are worst affected

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In the midst of all the pandemonium, we must begin to find ways to fix the society for the better: to redefine access and equity, to rethink how we live and work, and how to make work human for all.

How can leaders of organizations respond? Here are three ways:

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RECOGNIZE THE POWER OF INCLUSION

Historically, crises like economic recessions, epidemics and world wars expose what is already broken or in the process of breaking. The Black Death led to the demise of feudalism.

The Great Depression helped lead to a New Deal for the American people.

And now, the coronavirus pandemic has accentuated the vast inequalities between workers in the world of work. The question is whether we can make something of this once-in-ageneration opportunity and improve work for the long term – or make the existing problems worse.

No organization, leader or individual can fix things alone in today’s whirlwind

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of uncertainty and change.

Nonhomogeneity is the key here. We must draw on the collective strength of unique ideas, experiences, skills, backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures to find solutions to our greatest challenges. At the

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same time, we need to make sure organizations get inclusion right in order to enable that mix of people to participate, contribute and feel ownership.

Find out if your company really values diversity. Are you integrating diversity into your hiring strategy and goals?

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UNDERSTANDING LEADERSHIP The coronavirus crisis has shown there’s a leadership deficit around the world. Within organizations, many have 102

formulated contingency plans to avoid COVID-19 disruptions.

But what most of these plans overlook is emotional intelligence

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(EI) and empathy resulting from the necessitated mass-adoption of virtual working. And yet, even this crisis offers a silver lining – it’s because of video-conferencing tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Leaders and individuals have seen their coworkers’ whole lives – family, adorable pets, chaos, and sometimes isolation – in the background. It will be difficult to not humanize people under one single category after this.

Let’s get practical here. What specific behaviors can leaders’ model to foster trust in remote teams? Humility, awareness of bias, visible commitment, effective collaboration, and cultural intelligence are behaviors that may seem like the obvious ones, but play a vital role in distinguishing

inclusive leaders from others.

Work-from-anywhere has become the norm and will be a much bigger part of the future of work. As you consider adopting these inclusive behaviors for your organization, how will you ensure that people feel they are treated fairly and respectfully, are valued and a sense that they belong, and are motivated and confident?

Virtual working is helping us muddle through the immediate crisis, but it’s not inclusive of a wider range of workers. For instance, hearing-impaired workers who rely on lip-reading may struggle to follow virtual meetings due to poor audio quality or spotty internet connection.

How can you tap on what you’ve learned about people’s

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identities to build a more inclusive workplace? What do you need to change to enable your workforce to contribute in a way that works best for them?

THINK BIG The pandemic has highlighted the role workers play in the wellbeing of a society. These roles aren’t just limited to caregiving and healthcare, but also include delivery drivers, food service workers, garbage collectors and transport workers.

Many of these roles are low paid, and often filled by marginalized migrant or ethnic minority populations.

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Organizations are starting to recognize the importance of an inclusive workforce.

Investors are showing greater interest in how companies are able to do the socio-economic good.

Does your D&I strategy include on-demand workers such as drivers, virtual assistants, and cleaners?

As you plan for a postCOVID hiring strategy, how will you take account of the key trends to ensure your business benefits from a wider mix of people, including young men and women who are affected by the job crisis?

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HR SaaS Providers Standard-setters in performance tracking to 401(K) management By: Jane Harper

F

inding a suitable software provider that meets your organization’s needs is tricky. Human Resources Management Systems (HRMS) these days manage a wide variety of tasks ranging from assessment to learning and strategy planning to payroll management.

But it’s not so easy to find the perfect fit for your organization when there are 80 million sites that have something to say about ‘Human Resources Information Systems.’ Luckily, not all of them are actual HR software providers, but you get the idea, right?

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Here we look at the best HR solutions that make assessment, learning, recruitment, strategy planning, and all things HR much easier.

Not only are these HR Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions costeffective, they’re also intuitive and can easily integrate with other SaaS tools, such as accounting and ERP apps.

To aid your search we assembled a few promising HR software for some of the most important functions, mainly: (i) Recruiting Tools, (ii) Administrative HR Tools, and (iii) Human Capital Management HR Tools.

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Workable - Best HR software for sourcing and applicant tracking

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Gusto - Best HR software for payroll management

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BambooHR – Best human resources information systems

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Zenefits – Best HR software for people management

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Namely – Best HR software for small-to-mid-sized companies

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Workable Founded 2012 Greece

Business Size S M L Workable has developed an easy-touse recruiting software that goes beyond applicant tracking and posting jobs online. The subscription-based software draws upon hundreds of millions of human judgment to recommend applicant matches and automatically advertise to individual candidates along with a network of 180 partners including Google, Facebook, Indeed and LinkedIn. The talent acquisition software helps hiring teams collaborate, build talent pipelines and communicate with applicants through email templates and interview scheduling featured. It offers a 15-day trial which

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allows hiring teams plenty of time to decide if the software works for the organization.

Workable’s ‘Pay as you Go’ tier allows hiring teams to enable online support, mobile applications, a careers page, interview scheduling and more. There are two more tiers available (Starter and Pro) on the platform.

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Gusto Founded 2011 USA

Business Size S M L Gusto was founded in 2011 as ‘ZenPayroll,’ a name later changed to Gusto. The cloudbased all-in-one HR platform is best known for its online payroll services. The platform also offers additional HR features to make it easier to manage onboarding, wages, and insurance, as well as providing general support.

The aim of platform is to able to cater every aspect

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the be for of

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human resources, not simply in terms of benefits and compensation, but also in terms of retention, employee engagement and more. Gusto has over 100,000 teams as its customer base, with the HR software catering for small, medium and large-sized businesses.

Gusto is super easy to use. Startups and small business owners who are managing on their own without a dedicated HR personnel can still navigate through Gusto with ease.

The platform automatically calculates and debits local, state, and federal taxes. It can be easily integrated with tools like Xero, Clover, Quickbooks, TSheets, and more.

The platform also offers employee benefits options such as health insurance through Gusto’s licensed advisors, 401(k) retirement, workers’ compensation, 529 savings, HSA, life and disability, commuter benefits, and more.

The San Francisco-headquartered company is backed by bigwig investors such as Google Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, General Catalyst, Google Ventures, Salesforce, and the CEOs of Dropbox, Yelp, Instagram, WordPress, Box, Eventbrite, Evernote, and Stripe, among others.

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BambooHR Founded 2008 USA

Business Size M L BambooHR is a leading cloud-based software provider that specializes in hiring, onboarding, benefits, compensation, and company culture. For companies seeking a complete HRMS solution, BambooHR is the top choice for you to consider.

The platform is trusted by more than 17,000 small and medium businesses and has more than 1 million employees. Some of BambooHR’s top features include: • • • •

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Company calendar Company branding Employee records Benefit tracking

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• Time off management • Applicant tracking system (ATS) • Onboarding and offboarding • Tailored workflows and approvals The platform offers an intuitive, affordable way for growing startups to manage essential employee information in a personalized Human Resources Information System (HRIS).

BambooHR also provides clients with video tutorials, forums, white papers, training webinars and dedicated support.

BambooHR’s clients include Foursquare, Freshbooks, Magnolia Homes, Reddit, SoundCloud, Stance, and others in more than 100 countries.

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Zenefits Founded 2013 USA

Business Size M L Zenefits is deployed by more than 11,000 companies and used by more than 400,000 employees.

The all-in-one HR solutions provider aims to automate as much as possible, particularly onboarding and offboarding, employee data and paperwork management, PTO management, compensation packages, and even regulatory and compliance tasks. It’s the only benefits administration (BA) and human resources (HR) software provider that automates the majority of compliance tasks and government filings for you.

Zenefits comes highly recommended by startups and small-to-medium-sized 114

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companies as a leading HR software, and that’s because of its suite of tools.

The platform offers integrations into much of today’s popular platforms, including Asana, G Suite, Salesforce, and more.

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Namely Founded 2012 USA

Business Size S M L Namely is a complete system that offers employee database, payroll and benefit functions. The platform’s HR solution has everything you need to manage a small-tomid-sized business.

With Namely, you’ll have access to features like: 1 Onboarding 2 Talent management 3 Benefits administration 4 HR compliance 5 Payroll 6 Employee management 7 Time and attendance 8 Analytics

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The software is easy to use, and popular among employees. It easily integrates with third-party tools for functions like applicant tracking, time and attendance systems, international payroll, background checks, and more.

A subscription to Namely would give you access to live HR advisers, a living handbook, a learning management system, as well as OSHA logs to manage your HR compliance.

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By: Diana Coker

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M

achines, both simple and advanced, have been used in past several decades to help workplaces determine outputs of work and, to replace work through automation using artificial intelligence (AI) tools and applications. What sorts of “insight� are expected from technologies?

How do organizations use personal data accumulated by machines and make predictions of different types of intelligence? When data is sufficiently large, it is utilized to train algorithms that predict talents and capabilities; screen performance; set and survey work outputs; link workforce to various state of emotions; provide training and development; search for patterns across various teams; and more. How does AI become key to this dynamic?

What risks do employees face in today’s AI-augmented workplace?

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Workers are always subjected to performance monitoring where business profit dominates the employer-employee relationship, and workers need a nice and charming life, paid for their work and commitment by their employer.

Today, in any case, the business relationship is changing, and there is a novel “catalyst� in the workplace.

Machines have been to help workplaces determine output of work and, without a doubt, to replace work through automation; today, using the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and applications, a few machines have new responsibilities and even autonomy, just as being exected upon to show different types of

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human insight and settle on choices about workers themselves.

For HR, the so-called ‘Big Data’ can be used to collect large volume of data, to train algorithms that predict job candidates and workers’ abilities; monitor performance in the workplace; assess output; judge workers’ state of emotions’ provide training and development on the assembly line’ and look for patterns across the workforce, and significantly more.

Here, we outline how artificial intelligence is progressively essential for the cycle of decisionmaking. It can be used to identify the risks that workers face today, which should be acknowledged and recognized by both HR and management.

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PEOPLE ANALYTICS Artificial intelligence is considered today to be the most creative 122

and promising field for workforce management. A little less than half

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of HR functions being applied across the world in organizations are using AI-based applications.

These organizations are generally outside in the USA, yet some European and Asian companies are also adopting the trend.

A PricewaterhouseCoopers study shows that an ever increasing number of companies are starting to see the benefits of AI in supporting workforce management. Moreover, 32% of departments in tech companies and others are redesigning functions using AI to streamline for versatility and figuring out how to best integrate the experiences gathered from worker feedback and innovation.

A new IBM report shows that half of CHROs identified for the study recognize the possibilities for innovation in HR operations and

the acquisition and development of talent. A Deloitte report shows that 71% of worldwide organizations consider people analytics a high priority for their companies as it would allow them to not only provide good business insights but also deal with what has been known as a ‘people problem.’

“People problems” have several dimensions, as outlined here: •

•

• • • •

talent acquisition and talent management; worker health and wellbeing; employee morale; diversity and inclusion; employee relations; compliance risk

People analytics is becoming an increasing popular HR practice, where big data along

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with other tools is used to measure, report and understand workforce planning, employee performance, and talent management. Every sector and organization needs people analytics for everything from recruitment activity to managing the relationship with workers and employers.

There is some inconsistency in the role of HR, where some argue its capacity is just regulatory, while others guarantee that it should play a substantial role in business operations.

People analytics practices are essential for the two levels of HR, where computerization, data accumulation and monitoring tools allow organizations to

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leverage real-time analytics for deeper understanding of issues and actionable insights for the organization.

People analytics, also known as “talent analytics,” “human analytics,” and “human resource analytics,” is defined as the use of individualized data about people to help organizaitons make well-informed decisions about talent acquisition. For instance, who to hire; how to identify when an employee is likely to leave their job; and in appraisals and promotion considerations; and to create the future leadership pipeline.

People analytics is additionally used to deal with worker problems.

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Performance Management While performance management is seen in most organizations,

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there are many strategies that have been tried and tested over

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the years. It got popular when organizations started using analytics to make decisions about workers’ performance in an increasingly industrialized

world. The notable industrialists Taylor and the Gilbreths formulated plans to understand worker productivity.

These industrialists looked for logical methods to distinguish and portray ideal bodily movements for ideal productive behaviors through work designs.

OSHA Risks If people analytics does not involve ethical consideration then it could expose workers to increased risks and stress.

How can workers be assured that certain choices are being made accurately, especially when they do not have access to the data that is being held by their employer? OSH risks of stress emerge if laborers feel that choices are being made

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dependent on numbers and data that they have no access to, nor control over. This is ethically wrong if people analytics leads to job replacement, job restructuring and job description changes, among other things. People analytics is likely to increase workers’ stress and anxiety if the data is used in appraisals and performance management without proper due diligence during planning and implementation, leading to concerns about micromanagement and workplace monitoring.

If workers know that their data is

“A PricewaterhouseCoopers study shows that an ever increasing number of companies are starting to see the benefits of AI in supporting workforce management.�

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being used for talent spotting or for choosing potential cutbacks, they may feel forced to increase their productivity, and begin to overwork, posing several OSH risks.

In recent years, worker data

collection for decision-making has led to emergence of issues in workplace. More OSH risks emerge, for example, worker stress and layoffs, when the usage of such technologies is done in a hurry and without appropriate consultation.

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Top picks of conferences and professional events around the world.

January 14 -15, 2021

MSBA Leadership Conference

Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, USA

MSBA provides this free conference every January as part of members’ annual dues. The conference features nationally recognized speakers, workshops on a variety of topics, a School Excellence Showcase, an Exhibit Hall, and a Recognition Luncheon. Early Bird Sessions are provided the evening before the conference.

TBA

February 01 - 02, 2021

Native American Human Resources Conference

Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, USA

Whether you’re new to the HR field or a seasoned professional, you’ll have the unique opportunity to gain new skills and connect with necessary resources that will help you achieve your goals and solve your challenges. Industry professionals will offer information, solutions and inspiring stories that will shift your perspective and help you handle the unique employment and workplace challenges in Indian Country.

TBA

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Host: Minnesota School Boards Association

Host: Native Nation Events

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February 01 - 05, 2021

Women in Leadership Western Australia Summit

Pan Pacific Perth, Perth, Australia

“Advice, inspiration and practical skills to drive your career advancement�

TBA

The Women In Leadership Western Australia Summit is a platform to be empowered by industry leaders stands out as a bold leader foster & boost productivity motivate, inspire & challenge your team.

February 02 - 03, 2021

HR Directors Summit

The International Convention Centre, Birmingham, UK

The HR Directors Summit will welcome delegates from global organizations, representing industries from aerospace and automotive through to real estate and retail. It will also offer a brilliant opportunity to meet with key decision makers who are engaged and open to discussions.

Paid Entry

Host: Liquid Learning Group Pty Ltd

Host: HRD Press

February 02 - 03, 2021

People analytics - HR management in business

Kallion kortteli, Helsinki, Finland

People analytics - HR management in business prepares participants with the latest research data in HR analytics (People Analytics), which is used to enable explanatory and predictive HR analytics to support business. HR analytics can be used to more accurately assess both personnel-related

TBA

Host: Alma Talent

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risks and the business potential of HR development.

Participants are guided to a whole new level in personnel analytics, where HR management becomes a strategic core for an organization’s competitiveness.

The coaching uses hands-on methods to use the latest analytics tools.

January 08 -10, 2021 Washington DC, USA

TBA

Host: Association for the Advancement of International Education

AAIE Leadership Conference & Expo is focused on tackling key leadership challenges as a community, encouraging conversation and togetherness. AAIE is a non-profit, membership-based international organization that partners with educational institutions and associations worldwide to exchange international ideas, resources and research that help develop and improve international education, to diversify and expand school leadership capacity.

February 10, 2021

The State of Employee Well-being 2021

Virtual Event

This virtual event will delve into the topics of employee safety, health and well-being in today’s workplace. Although the Covid-19 crisis brought these issues into focus as never before, the emphasis on employee well-being far pre-date the pandemic.

Organizations increasingly understand that longterm employee performance hinges on that wellbeing.

free

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AAIE Leadership Conference & Expo

Host: HR.com

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February 15 - 16, 2021 Hotel Santika Seminyak Bali, Kuta, Indonesia

Paid Entry

International Conference on Human Resource, Business Innovation, Social sciences, Humanities & Technopreneurship Host: Bali Institute of Research Excellence (BIRE)

International Conference on Human Resource, Business Innovation, Social sciences, Humanities & Technopreneurship aims to provide an opportunity for leading academicians, scientists, researchers and industry professionals from around the world to network and have scientific discussion on the latest advancements in the interlinked domains of science, business, engineering, technology and it’s research benefits for each other’s domain progress.

February 15 -17, 2021

World HRD Congress

Taj Lands’ End, Mumbai, India

“To enhance the HR Technology areas and best practices”

Paid Entry

World HRD Congress brings together over 1870 professionals in attendance from over 133 countries.

It focuses on the elements such as HR Tech, Diversity and Inclusion or women leaders in HR, and much more. The event focuses on covering various HRM and HRD issues at a national level. This event is among the largest rendezvous for HR professionals.

This event provides immense opportunity to acquire skills and contribute to the organization.

Host: World HRD Congress

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March 04, 2021 Norris Conference Centers - Houston/ CityCentre, Houston, USA

TBA

March 07 - 11, 2021 Dubai, UAE

Paid Entry

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Texas SHRM Global HR Conference Host: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Join global HR innovators, leaders and practitioners to share ideas on how to succeed in a seemingly borderless world. This strategic one-day conference will bring together diverse subject matter experts to discuss the risks, the rewards, the challenges and the opportunities for HR in a rapidly changing world. Created by industry experts and senior level practitioners, the Texas SHRM Global HR Conference involves participants who work within global HR at the world’s top-tier companies as well as companies just starting out in international markets. Mark your calendars to spend a day designed for global HR.

Advanced Human Resource Management Host: Euromatech Training and Management Consultancy

The Advanced Human Resource Management Dubai will be examining the latest thinking including new models and the responsibilities associated with International and regional/local HR provision, this thought-provoking EuroMaTech training course then considers the relationship between long term vision and the day to day activities in order to make informed decisions.

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