The average workday has shortened by 36 minutes but productivity has increased by 2%, with remote workers showing the highest productivity, according to a report by ActivTrak Productivity Lab. The report also highlights that AI use leads to longer workdays and more multitasking. Given this, employers should revisit their metrics for productivity, suggests a study from Accenture. Full Story: HR Dive (3/17)
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Recruiting & Retention
Pentagon to modernize cybersecurity hiring practices Mark Gorak, the Pentagon's principal director for resources and analysis, says an effort to modernize the Department of Defense's cybersecurity workforce will involve an overhaul of its hiring practices. Speaking at a federal conference, Gorak said that the department will focus on skills-based hiring that will involve data analytics to define workforce needs and proficiency levels. Full Story: DefenseScoop (3/13)
Older adults often face loneliness due to health issues and social changes, as highlighted in a 2023 National Poll on Healthy Aging. Licensed clinical social workers Steven Barlam and Amanda Krisher contribute to a discussion of strategies for helping older adults stay connected to improve their well-being. Full Story: U.S. News & World Report (3/13)
Employees at New York creative agency Madwell say late pay and mandatory in-office policies are causing financial strain and frustration, according to internal communications. CEO Christopher Sojka sympathizes with staffers' situations but says that "working with a delayed paycheck does not have anything to do with getting together." Full Story: Adweek (3/14)
The HR Leader
Report highlights hurdles hindering worker success A report by the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership identifies communication and managerial issues as barriers to women's success in the workplace. It recommends transparent dialogue and addressing poor leadership behaviors to improve overall employee performance and organizational culture. Full Story: HR Dive (3/14)
Workers can respect leaders who conduct themselves with empathy, courtesy and professionalism amid crisis. What they won’t tolerate are executives who become angry and defensive when confronted with reasonable concerns. We see this in today’s Benefits & Compensation story about New York-based creative agency Madwell. When employees expressed frustration about late paychecks and inflexible RTO policy, CEO Christopher Sojka lashed back in Slack: “I made a culture of flexibility. Do not misinterpret that as weakness. I will not flex more.” Sojka went on to say that the company would pay workers and cover any fees incurred by the late payroll, but he expected employees to conduct business as normal. Employees leaked screenshots of the internal communications to AdWeek. This story reads like a corporate soap opera. I'm curious about your thoughts. Was Sojka off base in his responses to employee concerns? Were staffers wrong to share the Slack messages and emails with the press? Let me know! I’m interested in seeing where folks land on this issue. (All communication with me is kept private and will not be shared without the reader’s consent.) If you have trouble accessing the story, tell me. Do you enjoy this brief? Share it with others. Want different stories? Something about it bug you? Tell me. In the words of Frasier Crane, “I’m listening.”
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