November being the penultimate month of the yr, there’s quite a bit to replicate on round HR, expertise and the office. One caveat to get out of the way in which: I’m not addressing the implications of the election right here. I believe all of us want time to course of, irrespective of the place we fall on the political spectrum. Right here’s a brief checklist — and an off-the-cuff problem for all my colleagues and associates:
An Previous-Long-established, Splashy HR Tech Occasion
Most everybody appeared to have an incredible and significant time at SAP #SuccessConnect in Lisbon. I might be sharing some ideas on that occasion quickly, however there was one factor that made attending in particular person so memorable.
Like so many attendees, I used to be reminded of the pre-pandemic HR and HRTech conferences and occasions we had earlier than face-to-face happenings just about shut down. Keep in mind these? SAP did a fantastic job curating a seamless schedule with plenty of actually compelling specialists. The shows introduced some actual dazzle and intelligence to a hybrid format — whether or not there or on the livestream, you bought the identical sense of pleasure. HR tech corporations: if you happen to’re in search of a option to attain your viewers, that is it.
Evaluating Halloween Costumes and Politics
Anybody see the latest SHRM piece on greatest practices for coping with worker Halloween costumes and political variations round election season? It was an attention-grabbing mixture: how to verify individuals put on work-appropriate Halloween costumes, and how you can take care of rising political stress proper now.
However does this mixture strike you as a bit too well timed, or was it simply me? Are we on the level in historical past the place we have to tread that rigorously round politics? How are elections like Halloween? I’m unsure SHRM supposed to impress that type of pondering, however I’m giving props for it anyway.
Are Gen Z Staff an Simple Mark?
One other thought-provoking submit is that this one by Zachary Amos, which I used to be blissful to publish right here. Sure: Technology Z did certainly develop up as digital natives. However they’re not all the time that savvy about cybersecurity — and it seems they’re greater than twice as possible as child boomers to have their social media accounts hacked, 3 times extra more likely to fall sufferer to a web-based rip-off.
Does Gen Z simply deal with the entire digital ecosystem too casually? Are the boundaries between work and life so blurry that cybercrime obtained a straightforward in? Heaps to contemplate right here for HR, together with setting and speaking clear guardrails round digital safety
Considering Robots
Is that this a step in the direction of a way forward for robotic / human job alternative? AI startup Bodily Intelligence simply made headlines for elevating $400 million in funding (with gamers together with Jeff Bezos, Thrive Capital, Lux Capital, and OpenAI).
We’re now taking a look at an organization valued at some $2 billion — centered on creating common software program that goes method past simply software program for duties. It’s making robotic brains, in essence. So sure, it could get somewhat more durable to persuade some layers of the workforce that their jobs received’t be out of date. Hold your eyes on this one.
Placing the Kibosh on Job Creation
What hampers job creation, in addition to the info that describes how we’re doing? Hurricanes, for one — this yr Milton and Helene triggered critical information assortment points. Labor strikes — the Boeing machinists’ strike alone took 33,000 jobs off the rolls. Possibly additionally a really turbulent political local weather, as employers hedge their bets.
However the U.S. economic system’s final jobs report earlier than the election is… weak, with just a few 12,000 jobs added, based on the BLS. That’s the bottom month-to-month achieve since December 2020. Ought to we be cautious, or optimistic, or cautiously optimistic? One thing tells me we’ll know fairly quickly.
C-Suite Complications
I’ll admit that I really like posts in regards to the challenges dealing with enterprise leaders, and I say that with out irony. Management is an honor however it may be a minefield, particularly immediately, and it’s good to really feel seen. Inc’s 2024 CEO survey of leaders from some 5000 corporations discovered that burnout, loneliness, being answerable for X 1000’s of individuals, and delegating are among the many hardest challenges CEOs face immediately.
That stated, I need to remind leaders that generally, we didn’t actually ask to be on this place. We had different aims apart from that nook workplace. Typically, what obtained us there was the need to make a distinction. Contemplate what Lisa Haisha stated, as quoted in a Forbes roundup earlier this yr: “Nice leaders don’t got down to be a frontrunner, they got down to make a distinction. It’s by no means in regards to the position, it’s all the time in regards to the aim.” I’ve seen that sense of mission in so many admirable enterprise leaders these days. However I’ve additionally seen it put on them down.
My Problem to You
So right here’s my problem: Possibly it’s time to set a aim to make a distinction in your individual life. Really handle your self. These are turbulent occasions, in any case. You already know what they are saying on the airplane: Within the occasion of an emergency, place the oxygen masks on your self first.
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