Teen summer employment has surged to a 14-year high at 38%, reversing a long-term decline. Teens are taking up roles in lifeguarding, grocery stores, and summer camps, motivated by the need to help their families financially and gain valuable work experience. Full Story: The Christian Science Monitor (7/22)
Recruiting & Retention
How to onboard so employees will stay Gartner's analysis reveals that successful onboarding is critical for retaining new hires, focusing on three pivotal moments: Preboarding connections that build early commitment; creating a sense of belonging through trust-building and teamwork; and boosting new hire confidence with early feedback and celebrating small wins. Caroline Ogawa notes that addressing these aspects can help overcome challenges like candidate drop-off and low trust, ensuring new hires are more likely to stay and thrive in their roles. Full Story: Human Resource Executive (7/23)
21 tips for recruiting neurodivergent workers Companies can address public expectations of hiring a diverse workforce by tapping an underused labor market of neurodivergent people and others with a variety of disabilities. This article outlines 21 keys to recruiting from this labor pool, including how to craft job postings, manage interviews and execute onboarding. Full Story: Training magazine (7/18)
Benefits & Compensation
Paid medical leave is getting longer The average paid medical leave offered by employers has nearly doubled from 3.5 weeks to 6 weeks, a change influenced by the pandemic. Changing state laws is a key driver in ensuring policy compliance across regions, and HR experts say competitive leave policies are crucial for attracting and retaining employees. Full Story: WorkLife (7/23)
Participants in executive coach Alaina Love's recent mastermind group reflected on what they wish they had known earlier about being a leader, and answers ranged from realizing they'd need a growth mindset to getting enough sleep and eating right to have the stamina for the job. "The research on nutrition and brain function has convinced me that eating well is an important part of my job as a leader. I can't show up as my best for the team if my brain doesn't have quality fuel," said one participant. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (7/22)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Fill in the blank: A comptroller general in WWII said, "Women were not _____." That inspired Florence Blanchard, the first female commissioned officer in the US Army, to fight for equal pay for women.
How important are your middle managers to your company vision and goals? Are you prioritizing development for them? Today’s Leadership & Development story from Training magazine makes excellent points about nurturing your middle managers. As someone who sits in this role, I can relate. We middle managers are “where the proverbial rubber meets the road” -- we stand in the gap between business strategy and execution. We are the ones who guide our teams to meet targets and fulfill company goals. Training should be ongoing and not general. Our development should be tailored to our personalities and skills so we can work on the areas where we have deficits. Or is that too tedious? What do you think of personalizing training for middle managers? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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