by CHRC | Feb 14, 2018 | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Hiring, Human Capital, Recruiting
From my involvement with Best Buddies, I was aware that there were companies who hired people with intellectual disabilities. This story highlights that often these aren’t disabilities. These intellectual differences allow some employees to bring much needed skills to the workplace. Many people on the autism spectrum are better at pattern recognition and attention to detail.
For many years, my colleagues on the organizational development end of the HR spectrum have lamented that the traditional hiring process is flawed by interviewer bias. Companies like Microsoft are using a different way of interviewing people on the autism spectrum, but this is actually better way of screening most candidates and predicting success within a role and a company culture.
“Instead of the traditional job interview focusing so heavily on social skills, the company – Microsoft – has replaced it with a vetting process that lasts for weeks and includes team building exercises.”
Given the current labor shortages in certain areas, I don’t think we can afford to ignore any human capital, or an increase in turnover. It’s taking people on autism spectrum to bring out some of the better practices on the HR spectrum. Read More Here.
by CHRC | Nov 9, 2017 | Economy, Human Capital
While attending the University of Chicago’s Business School (now Booth), I learned a lot about the key principles of capitalism, including the concept of human capital. As an alum, they have turned me onto one of the most interesting forms of organizations that I think exists: social enterprise. I first heard the term social entrepreneurship at a U of C Management Conference in the early 2000s. Then, at the Management Conference in 2010, I saw at presentation that perfectly demonstrated the power of what social entrepreneurship could do: two students, moved by the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti, wanted to develop something to immediately improve the lives of women and children on that island. One issue that was not being addressed was their security at night. Using their unique talents honed before coming to Chicago, combined with the lab in social entrepreneurship, these students developed a solar powered light that would float, not sink, and hang easily in makeshift shelters. I came home from that conference energized by what social entrepreneurship can accomplish.
LuminAID went into production, has several products, and starred on Shark Tank.
Given the impetus behind LuminAID’s founding, it’s not surprising that in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, and realizing that 70% of Puerto Rico was still without power, LuminAID co-founders, Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta, decided to take action themselves. Anna and Andrea filled a few suitcases with solar lights and chargers (a newer product) and flew to Puerto Rico to bring reusable power to over 300 homes. These solar chargers help charge phones even when there’s no electricity and the built-in lanterns bring light to homes at night. Over 25,000 LuminAID solar lanterns and phone chargers have been sent to Puerto Rico.
So if you get as charged by the concept of social entrepreneurship, or are just looking for a way to help people in Puerto Rico, why not donate $10 to sponsor a light for Puerto Rico? Or, spend $25 and get a solar light for yourself and sponsor one for hurricane relief as well. Read More Here.
by CHRC | Aug 11, 2017 | Hiring, Human Capital
It’s the end of the week, and perhaps you are sitting at your desk wondering, “What am I doing here?” or “I gotta do something different, but what?”
People jest about doing a 180, but before now, did you really know exactly what that would be? The Upshot section of the NYT has developed this nifty little tool; using the Labor Department’s records on the required tasks and skills for each job to determine what each job’s opposite would be. All you have to do is enter your current job to find your opposite job!
Examining your opposite job does have some benefits. The article mentions that “breaking a job into its component parts helps us look beyond the obvious and think clearly about the things that people actually do.” It’s interesting to see what skills are used most or least for each job. Surprisingly, there’s even some overlap in skills for seemingly dissimilar jobs.
So enter your job, or a dream job, in the little box, to perhaps think outside the box! Read More Here
by CHRC | Jul 3, 2017 | Hiring, Human Capital, Performance Reviews, Work Place
“The idea that an 18-year-old doesn’t know how to fail on the one hand sounds preposterous. But I think in many ways we’ve pulled kids away from those natural learning experiences.”
When he was seven or eight, my son was on a losing soccer team. I was thrilled.
Why? Because every week he still had to show up at practice and participate in games. I knew then that failure is an important lesson.
Why? Because I was in HR. I had discussed the importance of failure (and how to recover from it) with a former boss and mentor; try coaching an executive who has never gotten a “B.”The danger in the workplace is often that when high achievers fail, they are in high profile positions, with large amounts of money on the line, and absolutely no experience or coping skills.
Will employers gravitate toward hiring graduates from schools like Smith that are offering these programs and resources that help young adults cope with failure? They should. Read More Here
by CHRC | Jun 9, 2017 | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Human Capital, Labor Markets, Skilled Labor
Many baby boomers intend to work past retirement age, and one article contends they will potentially overcrowd the job market. The article goes on to say this could create a problem for both younger and older workers. If the overcrowding keeps wages lower, then older workers might need to work much longer to acquire the retirement savings they desire, and, “if employers end up using older workers instead of younger workers, this could also lower wages for younger workers or slow down their wage growth, the researchers say.”
But, this article presents a flawed argument, because many of the positions baby boomers currently hold are not the same jobs that are opening up for new college grads or entry level workers. In fact, some positions baby boomers fill right now are getting harder and harder to fill because of the expertise and experience level they require. Meanwhile, the reason fewer jobs were filled last month? The lack of skilled labor to fill it. Read More Here and Here
by CHRC | May 23, 2017 | Human Capital, Work Place
With Memorial Day next Monday, the traditional start of the American summer and vacation season, here is some valuable research: when it comes to using vacation time, “Planners have an advantage over non-planners. They use more of their time.” So before heading out to that BBQ on Monday, start planning your vacation, as this research shows, it will reap benefits. Use it or lose it! Read More Here
