Much has been written in the past weeks and months about the business impact of the COVID-19 crisis. I, along with many others, have written extensively about the almost-overnight transition to remote work, as well as many other changes companies implemented to adapt. Now, I will be focusing on considerations for returning to work.
Human Resource Executive® and the HR Technology Conference & Exposition® today announced the release of its 2020 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers list. From the executives guiding workforces through today’s unique challenges to practitioners pairing expert strategies with forward-thinking HR technology tools, the second annual list recognizes the thought leaders actively shaping HR’s new agenda and championing the critical role technology plays in this modern age.
Olympic Gold Medalist and Bestselling Author Will Share Messages of Perseverance and Resilience HR Leaders Can Use to Build Inclusive Workplaces
I’m not sure if it is too early yet to be thinking of the post-pandemic world, the so-called “new normal” or whatever phrase gets coined to describe the changed environment and workplaces that we, collectively, are going to concurrently inherit and create.
Women are making big strides in the workforce in 2020, yet they face big challenges going forward. A U.S. Labor Department’s report in December showed that women make up the majority of the workforce at 50.04%. Yet, even with the mass number of women in the workforce, the percentage of executive-level roles held by women remains relatively low. Only 6% of the Fortune 500 have women as CEOs and only 2% or 60 of the Russell 3000 companies (the 3,000 largest companies domiciled in the U.S. and U.S. territories) have a board made up of at least 50% women according to Equilar.
Nobody would argue that those percentages aren’t low, but they are up from what it was just a few years ago. Change, although slow, is happening as reflected in the increase seen for the past nine consecutive quarters in the Equilar Gender Diversity Index (GDI), a quarterly update of female directors in the Russell 3000. Additionally, according to the Women in Workplace 2019 report by McKinsey & Company and Lean In, more companies have higher numbers of female C-level executives than in previous years.
Though the numbers are improving, the question remains, how do we help our organizations create a culture of inclusion and diversity.
This pandemic has demonstrated just how brittle our society is. A tiny virus has drastically upset our lives, our economies and our societies. In a time like this, resilience—the ability to adapt and bounce back—will be one of the most important characteristics that will help us recover.
But how do we design our organizations for resilience? Here are four things to consider:
As workforces around the world adjust to the changes being ushered in by the coronavirus pandemic, technology will likely be more important than ever.
At IBM, the company’s investments in online learning and collaboration tools are paying off, says CHRO Diane Gherson. Employees are using the tools to aid other employees in addition to getting their own work done.
“Every minute, I’ve been getting messages about employees assisting each other on these platforms,” says Gherson, HRE’s 2018 HR Executive of the Year. IBMers have created pages of resources on topics ranging from technical advice to taking care of toddlers while working. “It’s been incredible, this rallying around. It’s led to a community that people can go to for help when they have specific questions.”
Even when the bulk of IBM’s workforce returns to the office (as at many organizations, a number of IBMers have continued their on-site work), health and safety will be paramount, says Gherson.
For years Ideas and Innovators in HR has been an attendee session favorite at the HR Technology Conference and 2020 is sure to prove the same. Ten HR and HR tech leaders will share their most interesting, challenging and thought-provoking ideas focused on topics such as human resources technology, HR digital transformation, talent management and more. It’s where you may learn about great new HR technologies, radical proposals for leading or managing, new ways to approach HRMS technology, or maybe even never-before-tried methods to drive employee engagement!
Six months ago, the HR technology community was preparing to make its annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the HR Technology Conference & Exposition®. And CEO and founder Ben Brooks of Pilot was polishing his pitch for Pitchfest. Read more.
The HR Tech team is once again gearing up to deliver an enriched program to attendees this fall with the same overall intention it has had for the past 20 years: to help HR and IT professionals advance their organization’s HR success through technology today while preparing for tomorrow.
