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Category: Workplace Culture

Posted on September 10, 2019June 29, 2023

The Supposed #MeToo Backlash Is Just Discrimination By Another Name

Jon Hyman The Practical Employer

A recent study suggests that there has been a backlash against the #MeToo movement.

According to  the Harvard Business Review, men are treating their females co-workers differently because of #MeToo.

  • 19 percent of men said they were reluctant to hire attractive women.
  • 21 percent said they were reluctant to hire women for jobs involving close interactions with men.
  • 27 percent said they avoided one-on-one meetings with female colleagues.
This isn’t a #MeToo problem. It’s the problem that #MeToo is trying to fix. Indeed, Harvard Business Review could rewrite its headline to read, “More than one in four men admit to discriminating against female co-workers.”
Can women falsely accuse their male colleagues of sexual harassment? Absolutely … just as they could before the #MeToo movement. And just as men can falsely accuse women, and women each other, and men each other.

False accusations of harassment are not a #MeToo problem. They are systemic in any system that relies on employees to self-police and report misconduct via complaints. The remedy isn’t sexually segregated workplaces. The remedy is thorough and complete investigations of all complaints of harassment, and appropriate punishment for those who are found to have lodged false complaint.

The risk of false harassment complaints is not an excuse for sexual segregation at work. Instead, the risk of sexual segregation is the reason to double down on efforts to root out and end sexual harassment and other sex discrimination.

Posted on August 19, 2019June 29, 2023

Diversity Consultants Are Healers, Not Magicians

I was on the phone with one of my favorite colleagues debriefing a recent client engagement.

We’d done a series of focus groups for an organizational assessment and we’d gotten some fantastic data and comments.

“They’re such a great client!” my colleague exclaimed. I enthusiastically agreed.

That exchange got me thinking about great clients. What makes them “great” to work with? And what are the consequences when a client isn’t “great”?

Consultants are here to serve clients, yet we are most effective when clients help us help them. Being a “great client” doesn’t just matter when working with diversity consultants — it matters in engaging any external partner for leadership development, organizational strategy or change management. However, sometimes those leaders engaging diversity and inclusion consultants are less experienced in how to work with external professionals.

What makes clients great to work with — and more successful afterwards as a result — are the following three behaviors:

Trust the consultant. Clients who are unable or unwilling to be fully transparent inhibit the consultant’s ability to serve them and do an excellent job. Even pre-contract intake conversations are confidential, and an ethical consultant will ensure their client’s data, documents and personal disclosures are kept private. If you’re wary, have the consultant sign a non-disclosure agreement, but just as full honesty with your physician is critical to receiving the best health care, full transparency with your D&I consultant is critical to properly diagnosing your problem and getting meaningful results. Avoid keeping secrets from your diversity consultant even if they portray your organization in a less-than-flattering light.

Work at least as hard as the consultant. The consultant will eventually leave, and you will stay behind. Ultimately, you are the owner of the problem you have hired the consultant to help solve. Just as it’s up to you to follow your physician’s advice and change your behaviors to improve your health, you are responsible for implementing solutions and creating results that matter for your organization. Involve the right people in meetings with the consulting team, and enlist the right internal people to take on tasks. Follow up on action items by the agreed-upon deadlines. Communicate changes in priorities or key personnel to the consultant, as well as crises that arise during the project. Make it easy for the consultant to do their job well by executing critical functions they can’t, such as internal communications, scheduling and on-site logistics. It’s a waste of time, talent and budget to not ensure proper building access, fill focus groups, or brief stakeholders on the project goals.

Follow the consultant’s advice. Great clients hire excellent consultants because they need expertise they don’t have in-house. The fields of diversity and inclusion, organizational development, coaching and others require years of study and practice. When a consultant uses their expertise to provide recommendations, great clients often ask for clarification or provide necessary pushback. But just as a patient may not get good outcomes if they ignore a health practitioner’s advice, a client who does not heed their consultant’s expertise will not get the best results. Just as in health care, second opinions and questions are welcome, but great clients don’t waste their budget on consultants they plan to ignore or use as a scapegoat.

In short, great clients treat D&I consultants like healers, not magicians. Just like other types of healers, we partner with clients to understand their situation and context, diagnose the problem, co-create a treatment plan and provide support. We can’t do the work for the client just as the physician can’t heal the patient. The patient’s body does that with the right intervention and support. We can’t wave a wand and make the problem vanish, and we cannot fix it for you. Great clients get it, which is one of the reasons they can be so successful after working with great consultants.

Posted on August 6, 2019June 29, 2023

It’s Inexcusable for an Employer NOT to Have an Anti-discrimination Policy

Jon Hyman The Practical Employer

There are some employment policies that you can get away with not having. An anti-discrimination policy is not one of them.

In Hubbell v. FedEx SmartPost (decided Aug. 5 by the 6th Circuit), FedEx learned this lesson the hard way.

Sheryl Hubbell worked for Defendant FedEx SmartPost as a parcel sorter. A jury concluded that it retaliated against her after she filed an EEOC charge alleging that her manager demoted her and ultimately fired her after telling her that “females are better suited to administrative roles and males are better suited to leadership roles.” A jury awarded her $519,550, reduced by the trial court to $415,60 (plus an additional $157,733.75 in attorneys’ fees).

This employer made a lot of mistakes that caused this large judgment, but one of the biggest was that it did not have an anti-discrimination policy until 2013, one year after Hubbell claims she started suffering retaliation.

Several of Hubbell’s managers testified that FedEx had an anti-discrimination policy and that they had been trained on this policy. Jessica Benjamins, FedEx’s corporate Human Resources manager, also testified as to FedEx’s anti-discrimination policy. She testified that FedEx conducts annual online “diversity inclusion training” for managers. And she testified that it has long been FedEx’s policy not to discriminate. But FedEx only promulgated a specific policy on non-discriminatory hiring and promotion on November 26, 2013—after Hubbell was demoted and filed her first EEOC complaint.

So here’s your homework assignment. Open your employee handbook. Turn to the table of contents. Look for the policy that says, “Discrimination.” If you can’t find it, call me.

Posted on August 5, 2019June 29, 2023

Workplaces Becoming a Stage for Corporate and Social Movements

employee activism

employee activismIn an era in which making your voice heard is more possible than ever, employees are empowering themselves and one another to incite real change in their workplaces.

A recent study conducted by global communications firm Weber Shandwick, in partnership with United Minds and KRC Research, delved into the recent phenomena of employee activism and how it is shaping workplaces and relationships between employees and their companies.

The genesis of the study, according to Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief reputation strategist at Weber Shandwick, is tied to recent activist movements by employees at Amazon and Wayfair.

“We firmly believe this is a movement that’s going to capture people’s imagination and their voices going forward, especially amongst the next generation who believe that they can make a difference,” Gaines-Ross said.

The study explores various facets of employee activism, identifying which demographics of the workforce are most likely to participate in social movements and gauging the impact that employees see their actions having.

One of the more significant findings was that millennials were the most likely to be employee activists at 48 percent, as opposed to Gen Xers at 33 percent and baby boomers at 27 percent.

Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief reputation strategist, Weber Shandwick

“[Millennials] have grown up with technology. [They] see that when you connect and are a part of a network that you can create change [and] that you can make a difference,” Gaines-Ross said. “They’ve seen that in their lifetime.

“I also believe that they are very passionate about the role of institutions in society. The rewarding thing to me was to see that many of these millennial employees who are speaking out want to work for companies that have a purpose. That’s what they’re looking for, and employee activism fits right in there.”

The idea that employees want their companies to be purpose-driven comes through in how they view their own activism, too — 38 percent of employees replied that they were speaking up about company-related and social issues, indicating a sense that their impact can be widespread.

“In the study we asked them who they were hoping to influence, and I think there’s a cynical sort of attitude like, ‘Oh, they’re just trying to get media attention or something.’ But that’s not the case,” Gaines-Ross said.

The study also indicated that the end goal of many of these employee-led movements is to create more equitable, sustainable workplaces across policy areas.

Prominent workplaces issues today include income disparity, gender equity, climate change and racism, Gaines-Ross said. “All of these things that are on people’s minds — they’re trying to change their own organizations where they spend so much time to reflect properly what’s happening in the greater world,” she added.

And for human resources leaders, this means keeping an ear to the ground and adopting more nuanced ways to communicate between employees and leadership.

Kate Bullinger
Kate Bullinger, president of management consultancy UnitedMinds

“It takes a different kind of approach than a traditional employee engagement survey that goes on every year,” said Kate Bullinger, president of management consultancy UnitedMinds. “We need to start prepping leaders for how to be more proactive and transparent in their thinking. That’s the job of HR to start coaching leaders in how to think differently about it.”

Bullinger again cited the employee activist movement at Wayfair, where approximately 10 percent of the company walked out in protest of the company’s decision to sell $200,000 worth of furniture to immigration detention camps at the United States southern border. She noted that feelings of resentment for that decision were likely percolating for a while among employees, and both HR and communications teams could have been more in tune with those sentiments earlier.

“It’s really got to be a close partnership between HR and communications,” Bullinger said. “It’s sort of a multi-pronged issue. You’ve got to have the right stakeholders involved.”

People and ideas are becoming more widely connected every day, and so employee activism is projected to be a phenomenon that only keeps growing.

“The number one thing that [employees] wanted to influence was their employer’s policies and actions,” Gaines-Ross said. “They are aiming to influence the culture, the structure and purpose of their organization.”

Posted on August 1, 2019February 25, 2022

7 Tips for Managers to Help Employees De-Stress

The CareerCast stress report analyzes 11 factors that represent the most common stressors including deadlines, public scrutiny and physical demands.

In companies both large and small, workers can be heard talking about how they need a break or how they need to have a mental health day.

According to a 2017 report from the American Psychological Association, work stress is the third most common stressor in Americans’ lives. What’s contributing most to that work stress, according to a 2017 Paychex study, is missing out on time spent at home.

Employees are stressed for a multitude of reasons including workload, lack of support, lack of control in decision-making processes, unclear performance expectations, ineffective time management skills, and failure to implement boundaries on time away from work and use vacation time granted to them.

There are many ways managers can help employees cope with such stresses, though. Here are seven tips to get them started:

Look and Listen. As a manager it is important to pay attention to your employees. When you observe your employees in action, do they appear to be overwhelmed? Are they agitated when speaking with you? Do they express concern or anxiety over a project or deadline? What words are they using to describe their workload? Has their demeanor changed?

If you notice that an employee’s mood has changed and he or she appears more stressed than usual, it’s time to initiate a conversation on how you can help.

Provide Clarity. Managers have a broad view of the department’s productivity and goals, as well as what each employee is working on at any given time. Managers can plan projects and set appropriate deadlines for work.

Keep in mind that employees may need guidance on reassessing to-do lists and understanding priorities, direction on how the work is to be completed, and what assistance is available to get work done. Don’t be afraid to get in the trenches with your employees and work side-by-side to complete an important task.

Foster Partnership. Personality conflicts can be a contributor to stress, and managers play a significant role in fostering teamwork and mediating disputes. It is critical that managers address conflicts both timely and effectively to avoid escalation. HR can provide tools and guidance on how to properly investigate, document, and coach employees to resolve their discord.

Acknowledge Humanity. Employees are people. They have responsibilities and stressors outside of their work. It is critical for employees to recharge after the workday and workweek.

Enable employees to have a healthy work-life balance by providing them the opportunity to connect with family and friends and to rest and take care of themselves. Managers should encourage employees to limit checking emails after business hours and to take earned vacation time. Supervisors should also be trained in managing employee leaves of absence, knowing what leaves employees are entitled and supporting employees to take leaves to care for themselves or family members.

Encourage Exercise. Urge employees to take their breaks, stretch and move around for a few minutes several times a day. A change of scenery can help employees gain a fresh perspective on the task at hand and clear their minds for more creative thinking. Physical activity can aid in alleviating tension and increasing blood flow. Even better, have employees take a break together to foster teambuilding and comradery.

Also read: Consider Fresh Air and Relaxed Hikes to Combat Work Stress

Provide Training. Empower your employees with access to resources that enable resiliency. Employees themselves can be trained on stress management, time management and conflict resolution to hopefully minimize the incidence of anxiety and depression.

Promote Benefits. Managers should be the raving fans of the company’s benefits programs, especially those related to mental and physical well-being.

An employee assistance program is a useful tool for employees experiencing stress or needing to cope with difficult situations. Managers are not professional counselors and should not act as such.

Additionally, ensure that the medical plans provided to employees include access to outpatient and inpatient mental health treatment, medication and counseling. Many medical insurance companies are now offering teledoctors for individuals who have difficulty seeing a physician face-to-face, as well as perks and discounts to gyms and fitness-related services that employees may not be aware of.

Also read: Work Stress and the ADA

Financial difficulties can also lead to employee stress. Providing employees with financial wellness benefits can help them gain control over their financial well-being. It is also important to share these resources throughout the year – not just during open enrollment.

Work is stressful for many people. Managers are in a unique position to help mitigate that stress, coaching and helping employees deal with and avoid many stressful situations. Knowing how and when to help employees navigate stressful relationships and projects is a critical component of managers’ role in helping to foster a productive and engaged workforce.

Posted on July 31, 2019June 29, 2023

A Blog to Change the Game

Workforce Game Changers

Hey, Game Changers!

Yeah, I’m talking to you, Pritika Padhi (Game Changers Class of 2019), and you, Jason Hite (Class of ’16) and you too, Monica Sauls (Class of ’13) and Tiffani Murray, who was among the 11 recipients in our inaugural class of Game Changers in 2011.

We are launching a blog specifically dedicated to you, for you and by you! It will be a community blog that all Game Changers can post to. And it can be on any topic under the people management umbrella.

We now head into a decade of Game Changers, our awards program recognizing workforce management professionals under 40 who are pushing the field forward with innovative people-management practices.

For the first time in the program’s history, our judges selected 40 Game Changers in 2019. While the majority works in the United States, numerous winners also span the globe, from Nigeria to Norway to Bahrain, as well as several winners from across India.

The thread that ties this year’s winners with all past recipients is that their efforts engage employees and help their respective companies succeed.

And while Game Changers is a 40-under-40 program, our first couple of classes are pushing 50 years old now. Crazy to think how time flies.

Game Changers
Jason Hite, a 2016 Workforce Game Changer.

No matter what year you were named, consider your area of game-changing expertise as a starting point. Think broadly about how HR affects the workplace, and how the workplace affects HR. What is unique to HR practices in your geographical area? Are there news issues affecting HR? Are there big-picture workplace issues you’d like to address? These are all topics to blog about.

Now, we have lost touch with a number of our past winners. Job changes, shifting from one content management system to another, lost Excel docs(who uses Excel anymore right? All about Google docs in 2019!). Whatever the reason we want to reconnect and maintain you as a Workforce thought leader.

We want to ask you, our vast audience, to help. If you have a colleague who was recognized as a Game Changer please let them and us know! Our contact information is below.

You Game Changers can blog up to once a week if you’d like, or as often as time allows, or even never. It’s just that as young, up and coming thought leaders in your field, this is an opportunity to engage and enlighten our readership (and do a bit of personal brand-building, as well!). As of right now we’re planning to title the blog simply “The Game Changers.”

international HR Game Changers Pritika Padhi and Dharshana Ramachandran, India
Pritika Padhi, left, and Dharshana Ramachandran, 2019 Workforce Game Changers.

The parameters are simple. Word count is between 450 and 850 words (if you have an amazing idea worth more words, just ask; we’re pretty lenient); no outright promotion of a company or product; write in a persuasive, op-ed style (first person is fine if you’d like); and have fun with it! Blogs are supposed to be engaging and spur discussion, so engage and spur some discussion!

When you file your blog, please send it to me, Rick Bell (rbell@humancapitalmedia.com), and my Workforce colleague Andie Burjek (aburjek@humancapitalmedia.com). In the email subject line please use: Game Changer blog post: (your name) and a 4-6 word descriptor of the content (i.e., mentoring can be beneficial to recruiting). Andie or I will edit and post as quickly as we can.

Oh, and please include tagline similar to this: Jennifer Benz leads Segal Benz, a national leader in HR and employee benefits communications. She was honored as one of Workforce’s Game Changers in 2013. Contact her at jbenz@segalbenz.com or follow her on Twitter at @jenbenz. Yes indeed, our esteemed “Benefits Beat” columnist is a member of the Class of 2013.

And by all means, we ask that you please share it on all of your social media channels once it posts.

We are planning to launch the blog the week of Aug. 10. Feel free to contribute in the next couple of weeks so we have a well of content going into the launch.

Any questions, comments or thoughts just drop a note to Andie and me.

Thanks, good luck and happy blogging!

— Rick Bell and Andie Burjek

Posted on July 30, 2019June 29, 2023

Pack Mentality: How Dog-Friendly Policies Might Improve Company Culture and Engagement

Imagine it’s a typical, hurried, tired Monday morning.

You rush out the door, coffee in hand, and by the grace of green traffic lights, make it to the office just in time. The ride up the elevator is a familiar feeling — to-do lists and meeting agendas already running through your mind.

Upon opening the office doors, you’re greeted by your coworkers and their smiling, tail-wagging dogs.

This is a reality in a steadily increasing amount of workplaces across the country. According to a 2019 benefits survey by Society for Human Resource Management, 11 percent of workplaces allow dogs, a 3 percent increase from 2015.

In June, Rover, an in-home dog-walking and pet care company, released a list of the 100 Best Dog-Friendly Offices in the United States, which was topped by the likes of widely known organizations such as Amazon, Airbnb and Uber. In forming the list, Rover considered dog-related benefits such as dogs being allowed in the office, pet stipends, paid time-off for pet bereavement and other pet-related amenities, such as green spaces to walk your dog and treats.

For many, the idea of having a furry friend tag along from nine to five is ideal. However, creating a space that is both dog-friendly and people-friendly takes time and thoughtful planning, said Jovana Teodorovic, head of people and culture at Rover, where people can bring their dogs to work every day.

dogs in the workplace
Jovana Teodorovic, head of people and culture at Rover, and Riley.

“That doesn’t work in every environment. It depends on what building you’re in, how dog-friendly they are and how much space you have,” she said. “We have been very proactive in how we design our spaces, and that allows a large number of dogs in the office every day.”

Teodorovic said that allowing dogs in the office has positively impacted company culture at Rover as well as the productivity and happiness of individual employees. Dogs often serve as a point of conversation and connection between employees.

“Taking a break during the day to play with your dog is a great way to feel better throughout the day and to feel more engaged with the work you’re doing,” she said.

However, introducing dogs into the office requires proactive planning and open communication between all levels of an organization’s structure.

“The first thing is to have employee buy-in regarding these policies,” Teodorovic said. “[Make] sure that the majority is comfortable with being pet-friendly and then having mechanisms in place around the folks who have allergies or have a fear of dogs.”

Rover also has thought out policies regarding all the “what ifs” that come with being a pet-friendly office, from potential altercations between dogs to the inevitable need for “doggy bags.”

“We offer free dog-walking for our employees so that the dogs are walked and quiet and satisfied,” Teodorovic said. “The dogs are in a safe space every day and we have dog gates as well.”

Creating a safe, regulated and familiar environment for dogs also helps reduce any incidents.

“Of course our employees being very dog-oriented and great dog owners and training their dogs from the beginning creates a really great workplace,” Teodorovic said. “But it’s different for any company and it really should be an evolving process.”

Ultimately, Teodorovic said, an organization may determine that dogs-in-the-office policies simply aren’t for them, whether that’s due to allergies, building policies or the wants of employees.

There are other ways for employers to be dog-friendly without actually having dogs in the office. Many of the companies on Rover’s list as well as Rover have benefits that support pet-owners. These benefits range from “pawternity” leave (an extra week of paid time off after getting a new dog), providing $500-$1,000 toward adoption fees, and free dog-sitting services.

Teodorovic said that dog-friendly policies and benefits can not only be a tool in increasing retention and recruiting, but improving employee’s everyday experience at work.

“If a company is struggling to create their culture or having a positive culture, it’s a really great way — without having a ton of policies and meetings and work — to accelerate the quality of their interactions and the quality of their company culture,” she said.

Posted on July 29, 2019June 29, 2023

#MeToo Hasn’t Killed the Office Romance, Just the Inappropriate Ones

Jon Hyman The Practical Employer

According to the National Review, #MeToo killed the office romance.

It must be a brave soul who dares to strike up a flirtatious conversation at the workplace microwave these days. Only ten percent of Americans report having met their mate at the office, a level that is half what it was in the 1990s.

The article goes on to quote Ella Whalen, writing for Spiked.

But in the post-#MeToo office, unless you send a memo to the guy you fancy, signed with your consent at the bottom, it is understandable that he wouldn’t want to make the first move for fear of being hauled before human resources. While most normal guys are able to tell whether a woman likes them or not, the erasure of any ‘grey area’ in workplace interactions means more and more people are feeling nervous about taking the first step.

At Spiked, Ella adds

Companies are responding to the sexual-harassment panic by banning alcohol from office parties and instituting policies on how long and how close personal interactions should be. Bosses who hug their employees are even making headline news. …

It’s time to rebel against these attacks on workplace romance. So wear your lowest top to your next board meeting and linger too long by your colleague’s desk. We need to make the workplace a humane environment where sparks can once again fly.

Clickbait headlines aside, #MeToo hasn’t killed the office romance; it’s just killed the inappropriate office romance. The boss dating his (or her) subordinate. The co-worker that won’t take “no” for an answer. The improper or otherwise improper texter or emailer.

There’s nothing inherently illegal about co-workers dating each other. In fact, according to a recent survey, 31 percent of people who met and started dating while working together ended up getting married (to each other).

Still, there’s a lot that can (and sometimes does) go wrong when employees get romantically involved.

  • Conflicts of interest.
  • Extortion and blackmail attempts.
  • Uncomfortable conversations with HR and company attorneys explaining your love life.
  • Have to describing your employee’s private affairs in a deposition or, worse, to a jury.
  • Office gossip.
  • Love contracts.
  • The loss of respect from co-workers and management.
  • Facing termination for not disclosing a romance.
  • Harassment and retaliation lawsuits when someone other than an employee’s paramour gets passed over for a promotion, fired, or otherwise thinks you are playing favorites.
  • Harassment or retaliation lawsuits by a jilted partner when the relationship goes south.

Which doesn’t mean that employees shouldn’t date; it just means that employers need to understand that permitting office romances amplifies the risk of claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, especially when the parties involved are a manager or supervisor and his or her subordinate.

The question, then, isn’t whether these relationship are illegal (they’re not), but how much risk you, as an employer, want to assume in the event a relationships sours, or other employees feels shunned or mistreated as a result.

  • Ban them outright?
  • Ban them only between a manager/supervisor and his/her subordinate?
  • Permit them with a signed agreement (the “love contract”)?
  • Do nothing and permit them across-the-board?
I recommend avoiding the first option and not banning them outright because of a knee-jerk reaction to #MeToo. That’s just lazy employee management. Not all workplace relationships are toxic or unlawful, and if you’re diligent in your anti-harassment training and other efforts, you’ll be able to spot, catch, and handle the ones that are.
Posted on July 24, 2019August 3, 2023

Employers Find Strength in Diversity

diversity
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf, chief human resource officer for global cybersecurity and defense company Symantec
Amy Cappellanti-Wolf

Amy Cappellanti-Wolf is the chief human resource officer for global cybersecurity and defense company Symantec. Cappellanti-Wolf has extensive experience in the consumer and tech sectors, having worked companies such as Pepsi, Disney and Cisco Systems. Cappellanti-Wolf spoke with Workforce Editorial Associate Bethany Tomasian on diversity as a driving force for a successful business operations model.

Workforce: How does diversity fit into Symantec’s business strategy?

Amy Cappellanti-Wolf: I believe that diversity is an important business driver. Symantec is located in more than 42 countries around the world, and if you’re going to be a global company you need to have an employee population that reflects the different geographies of your customers. You need different ways to operate and go to market and you aren’t going to be able to do that with a homogeneous employee base. You need people that bring different perspectives and experiences into the business. Diversity is a critical enabler for the business to be successful.

Workforce: Can you describe Symantec’s initiatives to overcome diversity barriers regarding women and minorities?

Cappellanti-Wolf: Our first part of our three-pillar approach is centered around amplifying the work that we do and creating a platform for it. That affects our employees and potential employees in the marketplace, as well as our customers and partners. Our CEO Greg Clark signed the diversity pledge for CEOs to show that we are committed to creating a diverse work environment. The second pillar is about taking bias out of the system. We did this when we introduced Textio to our system. Textio allows you to look at job descriptions and ensure that the language is gender-neutralized. We don’t want words of phrases that might not be attractive to a diverse set of candidates. That change allows everyone a level playing field when they look at these jobs. The third pillar surrounds inclusive leadership and that starts at the top. You need a company where people have a voice and they know that what they say counts because different voices bring different solutions. Diversity is an outcome of good inclusion practices.

Also watch Cappellanti-Wolf talk about enterprise transformation at the 2019 Unleash conference in Las Vegas 

Workforce: What advice would you offer other companies and startups regarding HR?

Cappellanti-Wolf: I would tell them to start with diversity now. Be clear about the three to four things that you want to do and focus on those, rather than launching 1,000 different ships. Leadership teams have a responsibility as officers of the company to drive this type of strategy so that it becomes a way by which you do business. I would tell startups to plant the mindset early by not to hiring the likely suspects: friends from college or previous colleagues. Bring different perspectives into the room. If you start at the beginning, it will become the operating model of business as it grows.

Other Workforce Q&As: 

Gary Pisano on How Managerial Leadership Drives Innovation

Author Jeffrey Pfeffer Addresses Dying for a Paycheck — Literally

 

Posted on July 23, 2019June 29, 2023

HR History: Mental Health in the 1950s

From Personnel to Workforce, Workforce Magazine; HR History

The workplace has changed a lot since 1922. That year The Journal of Personnel Research debuted, rebranded later as Personnel Journal and finally Workforce. Now in our 97th year, we take a look back at what was on the minds of past generations of people managers. 

From Personnel to Workforce, Workforce Magazine; HR HistoryA Nuanced Approach to Mental Handicaps, September 1957

The concept of “normal” means different things to different people, according to researcher and writer Silas L. Warner in the article “Spotting the Neurotic and Helping the Maladjusted.” This article was sympathetic toward the plight of employees who are emotionally or mentally ill.

Warner used war-taught lessons to make the argument that people formerly excluded from the workforce can become valuable workers. World War II required that women do manual labor previously done by men and, in some cases, that people recovering from strokes work with different machines. If the stroke impacted the right side of their body, they could depend on left-hand operated machines. If physical handicaps can be overcome this way, so can emotional handicaps, Warner argued.

Let’s first acknowledge that obviously being a woman isn’t a physical handicap. Overlooking that, his argument is pretty progressive. He highlighted a few types of mental or emotional handicaps: paranoia, neuroticism, alcoholism and depression.

As long as the “paranoid” person in question is ultimately harmless, there’s “no psychiatric reason why this person’s job should be taken from him,” Warner wrote. Further, certain jobs require a certain degree of skepticism.

Warner also had a nuanced approach to “neurotics.” Contrary to popular beliefs, he wrote, “[They] are not spoiled weaklings who can’t stand up to what you and I do, but are unhappy individuals, most of whom are productively working.”

Finally, he stressed how much of a medical emergency depression can be, due to the dangers of suicide. He noted that serious depressions occur most frequently in one’s 40s and 50s. That’s a very different narrative than what we hear about now, which is that young people are more likely to experience mental health problems.

— Andie Burjek

The New Workforce, January 1998

From the mid-1920s until December 1997, this publication was known as Personnel Journal. That all changed with the January 1998 issue as the first edition of Workforce rolled off the presses. And like any good publication would in its first appearance, the writers, editors and a series of distinguished panelists made a splash with some bold predictions as they gazed upon 2008.

Panelists ranging from longtime HR tech analyst Jac Fitz-Enz to University of Michigan professor Dave Ulrich to then-McDonald’s Corp. HR director Bob Wilner offered their thoughts in “60 HR Predictions for 2008.” Under the header “Work and Society” – “Just as defined-contribution plans have begun to take over from Social Security, companies will take on responsibility for elder care, long-term care and other social needs through cafeteria-style benefits programs.” In “Definition of Jobs” – “Organizations won’t pay for the value of the job but the value of the person.” And under “Strategic Role of HR” – “Leading change will become HR’s greatest contribution to the corporation.”

One last forecast many wish would come true: “We can all expect to attend fewer meetings in the future.”

Maybe by 2028?

— Rick Bell

Also in “From Personnel to Workforce”: 

‘Reskilling’ in the Great Depression (June 1935)

Rosie Returns Home (October 1945)

Hold My Beer — And Don’t Give It Back (June 1965)

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