Roughly 69 million jobs are expected to be created over the next five years while 83 million are likely to be eliminated, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report. Roughly one in four jobs are likely to change over that period, according to the survey of more than 800 companies, with digitization and technology the main driver of both job loss and creation.
IBM plans to pause or slow hiring in certain roles that artificial intelligence could potentially fill in the near future, such as human resources and other back-office functions, CEO Arvind Krishna said. "I could easily see 30% of that getting replaced by AI and automation over a five-year period," Krishna said.
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Jeff Hicks, chief financial officer at Quantum Workplace, outlines four ways to gain C-suite buy-in for succession planning, advising that finance leaders can often be the best way to garner support. "Finance leaders hate to see teams operating at low efficiency, so make the case to your finance leader that identifying and developing future leadership talent will help keep the ship running at a high capacity," Hicks writes.
Stigma of needing mental health care comes with a high cost, as Kaiser Permanente data shows 62% of missed work days are linked to mental health concerns, writes Andrea Rosenhaft, a licensed clinical social worker. Rosenhaft shares several instances in which she was demoted while undergoing mental health treatment and notes that "you don't get demoted or repurposed for being hospitalized for an asthma attack or needing surgery for a fractured wrist."
Letting all your anxieties bounce around in your head and focusing too much in the past or future can easily overwhelm you, writes Marlene Chism, consultant, speaker and author. Trying to control things you can't and keeping too much on your plate also can build up anxiety, says Chism, who offers solutions.
Angela* was a sales rep. She worked inside sales and sold back-of-book advertising. She was talented, energetic and smart.
She also had bipolar disorder. She was open about her condition. She didn’t broadcast it, but she didn’t hide it either. Everyone on the team knew about it. I admired her transparency.
Angela was laid off during a restructuring on our team. I was in the office the day it happened. It was an ugly scene, complete with slamming of objects on her desk and shouting. She was convinced it has less to do with her numbers and more to do with her disorder and management’s inability to deal with it.
I knew otherwise. I knew her numbers had been declining and that she often had to take time away from work to tend to something with her family. Her son had a disability and she was frequently called to handle something at his school. Her husband was a kind man, but scattered. I recall hearing several phone calls with her husband, reminding him where he left his keys or what time to get their daughter from school. She balanced a ton, but her work did suffer as a result.
Managing workers who have mental health issues is tricky. We talk about mental illness more now, but it can still carry a stigma in the workplace, as we see in our Benefits & Compensation story today. Those fighting with disorders remain guarded about sharing their struggles; they know it can cost them their job if managers are uncomfortable with the knowledge.
On the other hand, managers are in a sticky position also. They are responsible for reaching certain goals. If a worker isn’t meeting expectations -- if they aren’t hitting sales targets, are often late or missing work, can’t get along with peers -- managers have to make tough decisions. Ultimately, they’re responsible to the company and fulfilling its mission.
It’s a tough, tough call. I don’t believe Angela was laid off because she had bipolar disorder. It’s true that she had a fragile relationship with management, but it’s also true that her personal life interfered with her professional responsibilities. And I believe that latter reason is why she was let go.
Have you ever had to deal with this issue -- employees battling a mental health issue? How do you accommodate them so they can be successful? How do you work with them when their illness seems to disrupt their productivity? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
* Named changed to preserve privacy.
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