Staff and leadership of the nation's largest media companies -- Gannett, The New York Times and NPR -- remain predominantly white, with diversity efforts, at best, incremental. The companies cite hiring freezes, layoffs and budget restraints for the lack of movement for newsroom diversity. Full Story: Digiday (tiered subscription model) (6/10)
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Recruiting & Retention
Gen Z influencers make skill trades cool Driven by skepticism about the costs and value of four-year degrees, Generation Z is increasingly turning to careers in the skill trades, such as plumbing and electrical work. Social media influencers play a key role in reshaping perceptions of blue-collar jobs, showcasing their economic benefits and job satisfaction, sometimes in partnership with companies like Klein Tools and Carhartt. Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (6/9)
How to stay on mission with collaborative intelligence As destabilizing events continue to disrupt work environments, companies can help employees develop collaborative intelligence skills to work toward common goals. By intentionally assessing current collaboration, reflecting on collaborative values and skills, and periodically assessing and refining them, a company can build teams focused on fulfilling its mission. Full Story: Training magazine (6/11)
Benefits & Compensation
Mazda tempts working parents with generous benefits Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in Greenbrier, Ala., is providing a generous package of workplace benefits, including a payment of up to $250 a month toward child care costs, to its workforce. The program is available to new employees on their first day and has been credited with a 20% drop in turnover among women workers since its inception. Full Story: National Public Radio (6/10)
The HR Leader
Are your well-being policies really "carewashing"? Leaders can avoid "carewashing" -- giving lip service to well-being in the workplace but doing little to truly help their employees thrive -- by asking workers what they need, admitting leadership doesn't have all the answers and putting policies and practices in place that promote well-being, write Resiliti's Debra Sabatini Hennelly and Maren Gube with Cynthia Mathieu, a professor of at the University of Quebec in Trois-Rivieres. "In a true culture of care, leaders create a well-tuned sense of trust that allows employees to share their struggles, needs, and aspirations in a safe environment," they write. Full Story: Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (6/10)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
"Star Wars" movie lore: Which planet is Jar Jar Binks from?
Diversity in the workforce is a hot topic. It has been for the last few years. Our top story today looks at diversity through the lens of the media industry, in particular, how newsrooms have improved the diversity of their ranks since the summer of 2020. It includes data showing the changes and draws conclusions for fluctuations in growth. But I feel like we are missing some context here. The article states that variables such as hiring freezes, company restructuring and budget constraints have likely contributed to slowdowns in progress. But are these the only reasons? Or could there be others? I think we need to ask different questions and at least investigate other possible reasons for the underrepresentation of certain people groups in our newsrooms. For instance: How many students of color participate on their school news staff in middle or high school? How many students of color majored in English, communications or journalism in college over the last 4 to 8 years? How many graduated? How many dropped out or changed programs? How many applied, but didn’t get accepted? Why were they rejected? Of those who graduated with a degree in English, communications or journalism, how many pursued jobs in media? How many got hired and how many didn’t? Of those who did not get hired, how did they stack up against other candidates? How many got into media, then decided to pursue a different career field? Do you see my point? We tend to assume bias or misplaced priorities (such as publishers not spending resources or time on DEI initiatives) are the sole reasons for predominantly white and male newsrooms (and workforces). Maybe. Or maybe that’s shortsighted. Maybe the door of opportunity is not being slammed in people’s faces as much as we think. Maybe people from underrepresented communities are enrolling in journalism programs and graduating and entering the field, but in much smaller numbers than other peer groups. Maybe we have to play the long game and wait for growth to happen over time. That’s not a loss, folks. It’s how we establish real change. What do you think? What’s been your experience in this discussion about diversity in the workforce? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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