Spanx CEO and founder Sara Blakely celebrated the company's $1.2 billion deal with Blackstone by giving each employee two first-class tickets to anywhere around the world and $10,000 in spending money. Blakely announced the surprise gift in an emotional Instagram video, which has attracted more than 1 million views and shows the founder talking about the importance of giving opportunities to female entrepreneurs, plus the delighted reactions of employees. Full Story: CNN (10/27),National Public Radio (10/26)
Have a talent development plan? The future of work continues to evolve and technology is changing. Organizations need to keep pace. With a solid talent development plan, you can secure long-term business success, while improving retention. Is your team ready? Take a talent assessment and close the skills gaps.
Find out what employees need before designing flexible work arrangements, and be prepared to adjust pre-pandemic work policies, writes Liz Kislik, who offers six strategies for making the transition. "Today, leaders who are unwilling to accept employees' commitments to the rest of their lives will have a significantly harder time holding on to staff," Kislik writes. Full Story: Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (10/25)
Mental health benefits: 2021 trends for employers When employees suffer from burnout, depression, anxiety, and stress, your organization suffers, too. Vida surveyed more than 200 HR leaders to discover how they're tackling mental health challenges in their organizations. Get the report.
Whatever your role, or level of success in your career, TIP will help you discover, or remember, how to consistently bring unique value to your team, your organization, and your most important customers. This easy read will provide a strategy for personal success, complete with coaching and action plans. Download now.
This tips and tricks guide starts with explaining what communication skills are and the importance of them in the workplace. Then it will provide you with the top 10 communication skills and how to obtain each of them. This guide has everything you need to sharpen those skills. Download now.
Benefits & Compensation
Survey shows employed patients prefer telehealth visits Patients who are employed prefer telehealth visits over in-person appointments, while those who are over age 60 and retired prefer to see physicians in person, according to a study presented by Naresh Gunaratnam of Huron Gastroenterology in Michigan at the ACG Annual Scientific Meeting. The results are based on online survey requests sent to 3,000 gastrointestinal patients from eight community-based GI practices. Full Story: Healio (free registration) (10/24)
Path to Workforce
Survey: Young workers overlooking construction Young American workers pausing their careers to consider new options are notably disinclined to consider construction, according to a survey. Industry observers attribute this reluctance to a number of factors, including education's focus on digital technology and young people's lack of experience working with their hands, as well as persistent stereotyping of the industry. Full Story: Construction Dive/HR Dive (10/25)
The HR Leader
Use your leadership power for good Leadership behavior influences and cultivates workplace behavior, especially when that behavior deviates from stated values, S. Chris Edmonds says in this blog post and video. "Do not dismiss or discount the powerful personal impact you have on your work culture and the employee experience daily," Edmonds says. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (10/26)
About the Editor
Kanoe Namahoe
When Kiaha was in the first grade, I took pizzas and sodas to his classroom for his birthday. The kids immediately responded to the boxes and the smell wafting from them. (“Toppers! She went to Toppers, you guys!”) I asked one of the boys to help pass out the sodas. When he opened the cooler, he turned to the class, face shining. “The sodas are cold!” he yelled, holding up a Coke. I lost it. I just cracked up, watching how excited he was over the cold sodas. By then kids were lining up to grab slices of pizza and were excited about the choices -- and that I’d brought ranch but no salads. I saw kids thanking Kiaha and patting him on the back (“Dude, your mom is so cool.”) as they got back to their desks and began eating. Now, sodas and pizza are hardly on par with the plane tickets and $10,000 cash spending money that Spanx CEO Sara Blakely gave her employees after the company’s sale to Blackstone. But both our actions were heartfelt. I cared about getting good pizza and not serving warm sodas from a plastic liter bottle. Blakely took the time to think about what would be meaningful for her teams and then broke down when she announced the gift. Her gratitude for their work was authentic. How can I serve you better with this brief? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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