Kraft Heinz HQ is out with desks, in with collaboration | Study: Companies, workers differ on incentives | 81% of leaders struggle with tackling worker burnout
Kraft Heinz is renovating its Chicago headquarters to accommodate its new hybrid work model, replacing personal desks with meeting spaces and enhanced videoconferencing technology to promote collaboration between in-office and at-home employees. The offices will open on a voluntary basis next month with the official opening pushed to January, and employees must be vaccinated unless they have a religious or health exemption. Full Story: Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (8/26)
Recruiting & Retention
Study: Companies, workers differ on incentives Employers state that their "company leadership and culture" and "company purpose and values" are their top recruitment and retention incentives, but the most wanted incentives from employees are schedule flexibility, enhanced benefits and compensation, with only 18% citing leadership and culture as a factor, according to a PwC study. Nine in 10 respondents said turnover is higher than usual. Full Story: HR Dive (8/25)
Survey: Pandemic a motivator for insurance coverage A survey conducted for the Million Dollar Round Table found that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many Americans to feel more concern over the potential for disability, long-term care and death. Thirty-one percent of the 1,050 respondents said they felt more urgency to have or maintain disability, life and long-term care insurance in place since the pandemic began. Full Story: BenefitsPRO (free registration) (8/24)
The HR Leader
Business should be personal: Here's how Anyone who says business isn't personal is missing an opportunity to support people's professional and psychological needs, writes Susan Fowler. "If you do not notice, acknowledge and deal with a person's emotions, you may unwittingly be undermining that sense of well-being that is the vital link to a person's intentions and behavior," she writes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (8/25)
Workplace Chatter
Why the wait for this Airbnb is so long, and worth it A 100-square-foot geodesic hut called The Mushroom Dome in Aptos, Calif., is the world's most-booked Airbnb, hosting more than 5,000 guests and maintaining an eight-month waitlist. The property is relatively inexpensive, and owner Katherine "Kitty" Mrache's longtime relationship with Airbnb's founders makes the property one of the most highlighted by the company. Full Story: The Hustle (8/21)
About the Editor
Kanoe Namahoe
I'm loving today's issue. It's packed with gems to take you into the weekend. "The Great Resignation" is no joke, as we see in today's Recruitment & Retention story that cites a survey stating that 9 in 10 employers note higher than normal turnover rates at their organization. Did you catch that number -- 90%? What's happening to cause this type of mass exodus? Employee burnout for one, as noted in the Forbes story in Leadership & Development. Eighty-one percent of managers don't know how to address burnout. Too many are looking for a silver bullet -- a tool or a single practice -- that will fix it but that won't work, says Mark Murphy. "Of course, you can buy a corporate license to a meditation app for all employees. But do you seriously think that's going to make a dent in the rampant burnout afflicting most employees? Most people can't stick with their New Year's resolutions beyond 90 days ... " Murphy writes. And let's face it -- he's right. So what's the answer? You have to get down to the worker's emotional level, says Murphy. That makes sense. Susan Fowler talks about this in her HR Leader story, and we see something of this idea in the other Leadership & Development story about San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon's approach to working with players. "You have to coach the whole person," Hammon says. "I think buttons that you push on one guy, you can't push on the next guy. The way you communicate with one person may not be the best way with the next person. Building relationships, building trust with these players, and then also being knowledgeable because they can sniff you out real quick if they think you're full of crap." Relationships. Trust. Emotional connection. Coaching the whole person. Will these squash "The Great Resignation"? I don't know. But I do think they provide a framework for creating a healthy, honest culture in any organization. What do you think? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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