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Employees typically show up to work because they have to, not always because they want to. But when they’re given opportunities that are voluntary, they may actually feel better about their day jobs, according to a recent report from The Cigna Group.

Some 80% of US adults who participated in employer-supported volunteer opportunities said they were proud to work for their company, according to the report, which draws on a survey fielded from June 2 to July 14. That’s compared to 58% of US adults who didn’t participate or weren’t offered the opportunity to volunteer.

Respondents with access to volunteering through their employer also reported higher levels of job satisfaction (70% vs. 55%) and motivation to help their workplace succeed (79% vs. 59%). Despite the potential positive impact of employer-sponsored volunteering, just 27% of adults surveyed said they had the opportunity to volunteer during work hours over the past year.

Employers can prioritize access, choice, and ease when seeking to expand volunteer opportunities for their workers, Sara Quist, senior director of enterprise community programs at The Cigna Group, said.

For more on how volunteerism can foster a more engaged workforce, keep reading here.—CV

      

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RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Francis Scialabba

Candidate experience is a job applicant’s perception of an employer based on their experience during the hiring process. It may be informed by a recruiter’s quality of communication and level of responsiveness, among other factors.

When did companies start paying attention to candidate experience? For much of the 20th century, it was the norm for candidates to mail in their résumés for a job posting, and never hear back from that company if they weren’t a fit. Companies focused on improving applicants’ perceptions of them, such as through employer branding or sending rejection letters, were somewhat novel.

However, that changed with the rise of the internet around the turn of the century, when much of the hiring process became digitized. Candidates now could apply for a job online and hear back in a matter of hours. As such, they began to expect that employers would actually respond to them about their applications. If dissatisfied, websites like Glassdoor gave candidates a platform to air out any grievances they had with a hiring company, potentially tarnishing that business’s reputation with other job-seekers or even customers.

How has candidate experience evolved? Over time, candidates adopted more expectations for employers’ conduct during the hiring process in other ways. For example, applicants expect transparency around salary expectations, what the interview process might look like or how assessments will be used to evaluate them, and testimonials about what it’s like to work at the company. That’s prompted talent acquisition teams to proactively address these subjects.

For more on how talent acquisition teams are prioritizing the candidate experience, keep reading here.—PM

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Francis Scialabba

There’s a lot of AI pessimism out there, but at least one analyst firm sees a bright side: the jobs outlook will improve.

“We think there’ll be more jobs in 2035 than there are today,” Eric Kutcher, senior partner and chair for North America at McKinsey, told a crowd at the consulting firm’s media day in New York on October 7.

Kutcher was referring to the consultancy’s recent report, released on September 29, which estimated:

• Automation could “reduce labor demand by the equivalent of roughly 36 million jobs.”
• AI value could “generate demand for more than 40 million jobs over the next decade.”

For more on how AI may influence the job market, keep reading on IT Brew.—BH

      

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work perks

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: If union membership in the US tripled, the median worker would earn $7,700 more per year—that’s roughly 7.5 extra weeks of pay. (TIME)

Quote: “Counterproductive workplace behaviors are harmful to the interpersonal relationships within an organization.”—Tahira M. Probst, a professor of psychology at Washington State University Vancouver, on how AI fear among workers can erode productivity (WSU Insider)

Read: Factory workers in India are wearing GoPros and smart glasses to train AI on how to do their jobs. (NPR)

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