Organizational psychologist, professor, bestselling author and TED speaker Adam Grant is set to host a new TED original podcast series titled WorkLife with Adam Grant, which will explore unorthodox work cultures in search of surprising and actionable lessons for improving listeners’ work lives. TEDBlog
Employers in Branson, Missouri, recently paid $50 a head to learn about Puerto Rican culture. Why? Tourist season, the lifeblood of Branson’s economy, is looming and Branson is staring at 2,000 vacant jobs nobody seems to want. Someone put Puerto Rico’s employment struggles together with Branson’s urgent need for workers. The HR-savvy chamber realized that part of coaxing people to Branson involved the 92 percent white town getting its cultural sensitivity on in a hurry. The goal? Making the new workers feel welcomed warmly enough to stay in those jobs awhile. The Washington Post
MARCH 8th, International Women’s Day, always brings a flood of reports about gender inequalities in everything from health outcomes to pay and promotion. But one gap is gradually narrowing: that in wealth. As money managers seek to attract and serve rich women, and as those women express their values through their portfolios, the impact will be felt within the investment industry and beyond. The Economist
On International Women’s Day this week, Accenture released the results of a survey that uncovered the 14 factors in a workplace’s culture that lead women to become leaders. Some include gender diversity as a priority, clear communication about pay equity, working-from-home flexibility, training for relevant skills, and a comfortable environment to report sexual harassment. In U.S. workplaces where these were most common, women were five times more likely to reach leadership positions. MarketWatch
Amazon is using wristbands to track its warehouse employees’ movements. Is this a good idea? Sure, knowing what your people are doing can enhance efficiencies, improve customer service, ensure time card accuracy, and a whole host of other things. But, is it worth what it will do to employee morale? What about privacy concerns? What will you do with, and how will you store, the data? Bottom line: This issue will land in HR’s lap when your workforce gets irritated, or worse, and most states don’t have laws on the books about workplace privacy in relation to big data. Workforce
