Linked: AI has a racism problem, but fixing it is complicated, say experts
AI is not without bias, and maybe the best thing we can do is know that going in, instead of assuming that technology would solve this problem.… Read More
Compare and Contrast – What Helps Remote Employees?
I feel like I can just share the titles of these two articles and make my point. But I will add this one thing. As work moves to a more remote, work from anywhere, model, you have a choice on how to manage your people. You can define the work they need to do, explain how it will be measured and trust them get it done, or you can treat them like children.
Which one do you think will make for better engaged, mentally healthy, employees?… Read More
Linked: Changed by pandemic, many workers won’t return to old jobs
Do the calculation yourself. What do you ask employees to tolerate versus what they get from the job, and consider what you’ve asked them to put up with during the last year versus what they get from the job. The calculations have changed. As it turns out, those employees were watching you, and watching how much you valued their health and safety.
Consider the possibility that you didn’t show them what they wanted to see, and that’s why they’re not coming back, and why no one else wants to work there too.
Maybe they’ll come back to work when they have no other options, for a short time, but they’ll never be committed to you again. You’ve lost that, and in many cases, you deserved it.… Read More
Linked: A Data-Driven Approach to Identifying — and Retaining — Top Employees
Of course, the reality is, and everyone who has ever been passed over for recognition and promotion by someone who “looked” like they were getting a lot done when they really weren’t, know this, most managers who relied on “seeing” their reports while walking around were never really that good at identifying who is doing the best job.
But now, that people will continue to work all over the place, and using collaborative workspaces that have data available about who is doing what, and who is communicating with whom, it’s going to be all about the data. The tools are there. Will managers use them, and get better at managing talent?… Read More
Mental Health in the Workplace Round Up for May 2021
I know, I’m asking you to follow a few links and do a bit of reading here, but this is important. Not just because supporting employees is key to attracting and retaining the best talent, nor because employees who can bring themselves honestly to the workplace are likely to be more engaged and passionate about the job, but because those people who work for you are human beings. The workplace is where they will spend so much of their day to day lives, even when that workplace is virtual. They’ll spend more time interacting with each other than most other people in their lives. If we can’t look out for each other in that space, we’re doing a massive disservice to each other.… Read More
Linked: Selling hours
What does it look like when I know, for example, that I get more work done in less time than the folks on my team who get celebrated for working so hard and so many hours? It looks like a massive cultural shift across an entire industry, one that is probably a long time coming.… Read More
Linked: The Future of Remote Work is the Opposite of Lonely
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there scaring people into thinking that if they don’t get back to the office, they’ll have a very lonely life with no friends. After all, most adults make most of their friends in the workplace nowadays. I know I’ve made plenty myself. But, part of that is because we spend so much time in the office, and nowhere else, that we struggle to maintain any relationships outside of work.
Who has time? Between our 9-10 work day, another hour commuting, and all the extra work we do at night and on weekends, what time are we going to spend with other people?
It doesn’t have to be that way though. Many of us can get our work done from elsewhere, and spend more time in a location that is more conducive to keeping in touch with our friends. That’s the ultimate promise of remote work, and something that employees, and employers, should be considering when we think about what our office policies are going to look like.… Read More