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In today’s edition:
It never hurts to be prepared
Art imitates (work) life
Technically HR
—Kristen Parisi, Mikaela Cohen, Adam DeRose, Amanda Schiavo
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Bill Oxford/Getty Images
Democrats and Republicans are in the midst of yet another game of chicken. If they cannot reach a compromise on government spending, the government will cease many operations starting on Oct. 1.
While furloughed government workers are guaranteed back pay and may be eligible for unemployment during the shutdown, some government contractors may have to stop working. This impacts the businesses that employ them, as payments may temporarily halt for nonessential work or contracts that don’t already have appropriated funds, according to GovCon Wire, a government contracting news outlet. However, these companies can prepare for the potential financial changes while also helping employees make the most of their down time.
Prepare before things get bad. Betty Thompson, chief people officer at Booz Allen Hamilton, a consulting firm that works on US government projects, explained that HR leaders should prepare for some hypothetical financial situations. She works with Booz’s treasurer to determine how much the business would be impacted by a shutdown, how many employees would be affected, and how much they could afford to continue paying those workers. “For many years now, we have faced the possibility of a government shutdown,” she said, explaining that Booz Allen Hamilton did some financial belt-tightening in the last year to prepare.
Thompson emphasized that it’s important for HR leaders to keep staff informed of plans, so they know that the company is prepared in case of a shutdown.
Keep reading here.—KP
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Wanna build a successful company culture? The key to a thriving org is thriving employees.
See which businesses are acing employee wellbeing (and very likely retaining top talent) in Indeed’s inaugural 2023 Better Work Awards.
The Better Work Awards highlight 20 companies with the highest work wellbeing scores on Indeed over the past year. Based on the world’s largest study of work wellbeing and fueled by millions of employee insights, these companies are building toward a future of better work.
In other words, these companies are crushing it. And Indeed can help your business start building better work so you can attract, hire, and retain top talent.
See the list of winners here.
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Abbott Elementary/ABC via Giphy
Did you ever accidentally call your teacher “mom” in elementary school? (No? Just me?) If you did, it was probably because you felt comfortable around them, comfortable enough even to seek some “motherly” wisdom. We could all use some of that, even in the workplace. But now, we call those we turn to a mentor.
In Abbott Elementary, Janine, a new elementary school teacher, seeks mentorship from Barbara, a seasoned teacher at their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania school. Throughout the first season, Janine eagerly seeks mentorship from Barbara, who refuses because she wants to do her job and go home. While Janine stays hopeful, even calling Barbara her “work mom,” at last Barbara warms up and guides her.
One talent expert offers advice for how HR pros can help foster successful mentoring relationships (maybe even ones that take off quicker than between Janine and Barbara).
First things first. HR teams need to show employees the value of mentorships for mentees and mentors alike, said Sy Islam, VP of consulting at management consulting firm Talent Metrics, who has written about how Janine and Barbara exemplify mentorship.
Keep reading here.—MC
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Francis Scialabba
While C-suite executives desire employees with AI skills, they sure are hard to find, according to a new survey of 800 non-executive knowledge workers and 800 C-suite execs released Tuesday by learning platform EdX.
The survey revealed that 87% of C-suite respondents say they’re struggling to find talent with AI skills. Only 24% of employees reported using company programs to learn AI skills.
“There’s certainly an incredible AI skills gap,” said Anant Agarwal, EdX founder and CEO. “I think one thing [leaders] need to do immediately…is very, very quickly bring in upskilling opportunities with AI for their employees.”
Zoom out. HR pros and L&D teams should think now about upskilling the workforce to equip employees with AI skills for the future.
Keep reading here.—AD
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Employee leave, simplified. With ever-changing laws and distributed teams, managing employee leave is stressful for HR teams—unless they use Cocoon. Cocoon’s leave management software automates compliance and payroll while guiding employees through the process, saving companies over $12k per leave along the way. See it in action to learn how.
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Francis Scialabba
Today’s top HR reads.
Stat: Some 49% of CEOs believe their jobs can at least partially be done by AI; just 20% of workers feel the same. (HR Executive)
Quote: “The payment is discouraging…But I keep going because I value the work.”—Misra Yusuf, a nurse in Ethiopia, on the minimal compensation afforded to community health workers in developing countries (the New York Times)
Read: Flexibility may be key to keeping women, especially moms, in the workforce during back to school season. (Employee Benefit News)
The winner is…: See which companies won big with Indeed’s Better Work Awards, based on the world’s largest study of work wellbeing. These companies are changing the future of work. Meet the winners.*
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