Amid tech layoffs, other companies face talent shortage | Walmart managers to learn behavioral health support | Encourage employees to speak up instead of muttering
The talent shortage has hit a 17-year high, ManpowerGroup reports, with more than 3 of 4 enterprises having trouble filling open roles with qualified people. "The connection of tech industry layoffs vs. the shortage across all companies is that in many cases these tech companies are reducing not the highly skilled engineers, developers, etc. but more of the ancillary support roles," says ManpowerGroup's Amanda Alwy.
This year's markets validate the importance of understanding sequence of return risk. Drawdowns late in the retirement journey can cause problems for participants. Learn more about sequence risk and see how glide path design can help manage it.
Walmart's new Workplace Mental Health course will train leaders and managers to spot employees struggling with behavioral health challenges, communicate with them and refer them to appropriate services. The initiative, which expands on existing mental health support for the nearly 1.6 million Walmart employees in the US, includes free virtual care.
Get The Most Out of Year 1 Using An LMS That first year using new eLearning tech is filled with decisions. From planning and implementation to roll out and reporting, this eBook examines expectations for first-time tech buyers and experienced learning leaders alike. Get the eBook.
More HR decision-makers "are using data and analytics to understand the needs and preferences of workers better while enabling efficiencies in recruitment and onboarding," writes CEO Eric Ly of KarmaCheck, a background check service. In this commentary, Ly points out that cooperation with other departments is needed and that support, tech tools and resources are necessary to get the job done.
Current and former military pilots, including one who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserves, offered encouragement to Colorado Springs high-school girls interested in aviation careers at a networking lunch set up by Falcon AeroLab. The pilots shared some of their experiences with the students and encouraged them to seek out mentors in the field.
Seek diverse opinions, learn new skills and experiment with different approaches to disrupt how you've always done things as a leader and create new possibilities, write Jefferson Yu-Jen Chen and Anne Duggan, co-authors of "Courageous Invitations." "By embracing a mindset of curiosity and exploration, you can uncover new insights and opportunities that you might have otherwise missed," they write.
I stood up, gasping and trying to suck in a deep breath. Another attack of dry heaves hit and I was bent over again. My eyes watered and my stomach cramped from the effort.
It had been a long day -- one of several in recent days. I had been sitting on my couch, trying to finish a project but my mind kept flitting to my to-do list. All I saw were the things I had to do before the evening ended. That’s when my stomach lurched and I started dry heaving. It’s been my response to stress since I was a kid. "I gotta get outta here," I told myself. I threw on my jacket and Timberlands, grabbed my helmet and jumped on my bike. Minutes later, I was on Oxnard Boulevard, headed for the high school. I opened my visor and savored the cool air hitting my face.
I parked at the school and walked into the gym where Coach Ray was holding practice. He was working with some new kids I didn’t recognize.
"Off two, Juan, off two!" he was saying as I approached. A tall, gangly freshman nabbed the pass, spun, planted his feet and shot. Swish! Off to the side, I smiled and settled onto a bench to watch. Ray kept reminding Juan to stay on two feet when he shot. I asked him about that when the kids took a break. Why were the two feet important?
"Balance," he said. "Planting his feet keeps him balanced so he can shoot straight.”
I mulled over his words as the boys resumed their drills. Balance. Is that what went wrong with me during the day?
Absolutely. I aim to balance my overall life, but my day-to-day has been sloppy in the last few weeks and the last few days have been especially lopsided. I wasn’t planting my proverbial feet. I wasn’t organizing my day the way I usually do -- the way I know I need to in order to be productive. I was just jumping into the day, attacking the first fire that popped up and keeping mental checklists in my head. No wonder I was feeling anxious and worried. No wonder I was dry heaving and feeling out of sorts.
We’re all managing heavy workloads, from multiple projects to leading teams. Doing this right calls for making sure we set our days in order and discipline ourselves to stay there. Drifting from this creates chaos and uncertainty.
Practice continued. The boys started another drill -- a 5 v 5. I watched for a few minutes then got up to leave. On the other side of the court, Juan went up for another shot. Two feet, planted.
Balance.
How do you keep balance in your days? How do you keep work and projects from getting away from you? What tricks, tips or habits do you employ to keep your days productive? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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