Sixty percent of employers have dismissed workers who recently graduated from college and were hired this year, according to survey findings from Intelligent.com. Employers cited lack of professionalism, poor communication skills, low motivation and slow to take initiative on tasks as some of the reasons for the firings.
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UPS has announced plans to hire more than 125,000 seasonal workers to handle the holiday delivery rush. The roles include package handlers, seasonal package delivery drivers and CDL drivers, with wages starting at $21 per hour. Notably, 75% of the seasonal jobs do not require an interview, and job offers can be made in just 10 minutes. The seasonal hiring is part of a broader agreement with the Teamsters union and aims to meet heightened delivery demands from November to January.
Consulting firm PwC recently expanded its benefits for working parents, including $2,000 in reimbursement per fiscal year to help with child care needs and a Parenting Inclusion Network offering support for employees with children. PwC partner Chris Santucci noted that cultural changes in favor of working parents have been a key focus as well.
Cyberrisks were the leading concern for businesses in the 2024 Travelers Risk Index, with 62% of surveyed executives calling it their greatest threat for the fourth consecutive year. Following cyberthreats, other significant concerns included medical cost inflation, increasing employee benefits costs, economic uncertainty, and talent retention.
Despite 97% of employees stating they would report misconduct, only half actually do, primarily due to fears of retaliation and skepticism about corrective action, writes Erica Salmon Byrne, the chief strategy officer and executive chair for Ethisphere. Training managers to encourage speaking up, practicing active listening and maintaining transparency in investigations can create a strong "speak-up" culture, Salmon Byrne writes.
More than 17 million people visited Disneyworld last year. In 1979, Kurt Miller was 8 years old when he was celebrated as the nth guest, n being what number?
Who’s at fault for the lack of motivation, initiative and professionalism demonstrated by recent college graduates that has cost them their jobs, as discussed in today’s top story? Should anyone but the graduates take responsibility for this?
Education has dropped the ball, according to HR consultant Bryan Driscoll. “Education today emphasizes theory over practice. Sure, learning Greek mythology is fascinating, but unless you're teaching it, how does that prepare you to communicate effectively in a corporate meeting or demonstrate professionalism? It doesn't,” Driscoll said in an interview with Newsweek.
I see his point, but I can’t in good conscience assign all fault to education. Some skills -- such as delivering presentations or collaborating in peers -- are best taught in that type of formal environment.
But skills like punctuality, autonomy and good hygiene are taught through life experience. We learn them young and practice them over time until they become common sense.
“Well, Kanoe, not everyone gets those lessons at home.”
Then we need to say that -- we need to call out the true culprit and stop blaming schools for failing to do their jobs.
Then, let’s put our efforts toward developing practical programs that can fill these gaps. Some of those could take place in higher education, and others in the workforce, in the form of workshops or coaching programs.
Thoughts? I’d love to know how you have been tackling skill deficiencies like the ones mentioned here. Drop me a line and let me know!
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