The M.I.D., as we call it, is curated by our editorial team from more than 50 news sources. Like a lot of good ideas, this started as something I wanted for myself. If I can’t read everything, I at least want to stay abreast of the most important developments.
This week in HR, Hurricane Ian reminded employers to get on their emergency response plans, Virgin Atlantic unveiled gender neutral uniforms, HR was urged to hire boomerang employees, Meta grappled with hybrid work (like the rest of us), and we were reminded to share the ‘why’ behind organizational change.
Hurricane Ian [made] landfall somewhere this week as a Category 4 hurricane. Once again, employers will be tested in the wake of a disaster that may impact the lives of employees and their families as well as company operations. Below are some best practices for preparing crisis management responses and managing employment-related issues developed from the lessons of past crises for employers to consider. Safety: Employers are responsible to ensure the safety of their employees who need to work during a disaster. With this in mind, employers may need to immediately evaluate who, if anyone, is essential to stay at or near a potentially impacted location and who should evacuate. Emergency response: An employer’s emergency response plan was likely tested and updated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers may need to use the lessons learned from that experience in terms of managing employees who are working remotely and maintaining communications in the wake of a natural disaster. Ogletree Deakins
On Wednesday, Virgin Atlantic announced it eliminated its gendered uniforms. Now, staff can wear any Virgin Atlantic uniform they wish, regardless of their gender. According to CNN, the uniforms previously fell under the category of “male” or “female.” As of Wednesday, these categories no longer exist, CNN reported. With the announcement, the airline said it’s also introducing optional pronoun badges for airline staff and travelers and mandatory inclusivity training for staff, according to the statement. The airline said it’s also updated its ticketing system to include gender-neutral titles. Travelers may now choose a gender-neutral code of “U” or “X” on their booking and the gender-neutral title of “Mx.,” the statement said. However, the codes must match the documents a person is traveling with, such as a passport. Business Insider
The Great Resignation of 2022 may soon turn into the Great Return of 2023, as employees who confidently quit their jobs in search of a brighter future have instead found out that their destinies may just be back with their original employers. Not too long ago, employers didn’t like to hire back people who had voluntarily left their employment. These so-called “boomerang employees” are finding a more receptive audience today, as employers look to fill ongoing gaps in their employee rolls. In fact, organizations may find that boomerang employees may be the best solution to the stubborn problem of worker shortages, while also serving as a way for companies to keep HR budgets in check and reduce disruptions in operations. The advantages of rehiring are so great they can likely reverse whatever long-standing rules exist about not hiring returnees. Boomerangs know their jobs, so they’ll be ready on day one. Organizations save on the cost of searching, recruiting, selecting, training, and onboarding new employees. And, hopefully, they have a record of productivity and performance. Fortune
Unlike its big-tech counterparts Apple and Google, Meta is pushing forward with its remote, decentralized working model. Much of Meta’s hybrid working strategy will focus on adapting its people practices, products, and spaces to support distributed teams, according to Brynn Harrington, Meta’s vp, people experience. “Every business today is grappling with how to make hybrid working work,” she said. “At the core, this is about redesigning the ways we work together, and getting this right is going to take years.” Establishing what different challenges occur for distributed teams vs teams which are physically together in one office location is a priority. And finding the right balance between in-person and remote work will require some experimentation. “We’re focusing a lot right now on how to make synchronous collaboration seamless across locations and supporting in-person time at the right moments,” added Harrington. WorkLife
Too often when organizations approach transformation, they focus on the what and the how first, only later focusing on their why. Even when the why is identified, delivery of the message often fails to resonate with those impacted by the transformation, contributing to the high failure rate of organizational transformation. Transformation IS storytelling. While data and business cases are important for getting board approval, the story behind that data and what it can unlock in the future is what makes the case compelling. Behavioral science suggests that both data AND emotion are necessary to make change stick and that a personalized approach can make the listener feel both heard and seen. No matter what the goals of your transformation may be, the key to success is to share the narrative — not a purpose statement, not a board objective, but the story behind it. Make it compelling. Make it memorable. Make it stick. HR Executive
