(MediaNews Group/Orange County Register Via Getty Images/Getty Images)
American businesses added just 107,000 new jobs in January, falling short of the 150,000 forecasted by economists and pointing to a slowdown in hiring since last fall, data from payroll company ADP show. Annual pay increases for existing workers came in at 5.2% over the year to the end of January, while job switchers saw a 7.2% rise.
Attracting, retaining and engaging quality employees of all generations are three leading challenges that companies face in today's employment landscape. Luckily, supporting pet-owning employees improves their work experience—and positively affects these key metrics for employers. Find out more.
Indiana University aims to help address the state's worker shortage, described as “severe,” through a collaboration with Eli Lilly and Co. Undergraduate students will earn academic credit for a paid internship at Lilly or another industry partner working in information technology, finance, and human resources.
Research suggests employers that comply with pay transparency laws, which have grown over the past several years, attract more job applicants and help close the gender pay gap, but workforce consultants say some companies avoid the intent of the law by including wide pay ranges in job postings. "Pay transparency adds a level of trust to the candidate/employer interaction," says Kristen Howe, chief product officer at Linkage.
Collaborative robots, or cobots, are playing a growing role as industries seek to overcome worker shortages. In an interview, ABB Robotics' Tim Paton explores the distinctions between cobots and robots, the challenges of adopting cobots and what they have to offer as well as the industries where they're finding the most usage.
HR is increasingly using artificial intelligence to help with writing job descriptions, paying employees and improving the employee experience, say HR leaders and other executives, who emphasize automation and data-driven strategies will give HR more time to focus on quality human interaction with employees. "HR leaders have the opportunity to reduce the fear around AI replacing jobs by creating a culture where digital curiosity is celebrated and by offering training to upskill their workers on how to lean in and leverage evolving technologies," says Elise Jason, vice president of people at Strive Health, which uses AI to help track employee trends.
“I’m just not motivated,” Jordan* said, yawning on the other side of the line.
Jordan, one of my best friends, and I had been chatting about Super Bowl when the conversation switched to work. She told me that she wasn’t at her office; she was working from home.
“There’s no point to me going in,” she said. “There’s zero going on. I have no open files. Everyone’s in the same boat. I should be sending emails and stuff to drum up business, but I just can’t today. I’m just not motivated. I need out.”
What’s interesting is that the second we stopped talking about Super Bowl -- the taco bar we’re making, the decorations she bought, where we are setting things up -- and started talking about work, her voice changed. It went from bright and excited to somber and frustrated.
Jordan has been in real estate for more than 20 years. She’s smart, ambitious and friendly. But she has lost her enthusiasm for the profession. I know part of that is owing to the cooled market. But I also think she’s ready for a change. The challenge now is, where does she go from here? How does she find her next chapter? What are her first steps?
I thought of this as I read today’s Leadership & Development story about rejection. In a sense, Jordan (and other real estate friends looking for the exits) seem to be dealing with rejection from their work. What was once familiar and routine now seems foreign and broken. Processes they could count on to bring in fresh business are not working. The harder they try, the less headway they make. As a result, motivation drains and they slowly come to a stop.
This is not a matter of laziness or trying to avoid work. The folks I know in this field are intelligent, capable and excellent at what they do. But they’re also tired and looking for change.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. How do you reignite your internal work engines? What do you do to find fresh energy and new direction? How do you spark creativity? How do you keep from giving up and giving in to the demons of apathy? What advice would you give Jordan? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
*Name changed to preserve privacy.
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
