Report: The office is no longer right around the corner | How to preserve objectivity while using AI for hiring | Be strategic to remain agile during economic downturns
Stanford University researchers report that remote workers live farther away from the office, increasing from 10 to 27 miles, and 5.5% live 50 miles away. Though hybrid working is rising, Columbia business professor Stephan Meier thinks working at the office five days a week is a thing of the past. Full Story: USA Today (3/10)
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AI helps HR leaders make informed hiring decisions, but they should recognize people's individual differences, focus on being objective and regularly update algorithms to reduce bias, says Charles Handler, CEO and founder of Rocket-Hire. "So the number one thing I would tell anybody, if you want to really upgrade your hiring process, is look at your interviews, and you need to be doing structured interviews of some sort, you need to have some kind of consistency and some kind of rubric that you're using on job-related factors," Handler says. Full Story: Betterworks (3/4)
Chasing happy and allowing emotion to direct actions is unhealthy, writes Abigail Shrier, author of "Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up." In this essay, Shrier talks about the dangers of children and adults hyperfocusing on their feelings and what we can do to break this habit. Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (3/8)
Benefits & Compensation
Could a booth at the office identify stressed workers? The latest craze in office furniture is the privacy pod -- which at one company isn't private at all, using heart and breathing rates to the stress level of employees. A maker of such booths, Framery Oy of Finland, through its CEO says data would be anonymized so as not to set off privacy tripwires, and that the technology may not even be offered for sale. Full Story: Bloomberg (3/10)
The HR Leader
Leadership is always messy, so embrace the chaos Finding the balance between life and work is messy for leaders, but embracing the chaos, sharing your struggles with your team and giving them the freedom to create and make their own mistakes can boost morale and engagement, says Alli Webb, the co-founder of Drybar. "It's okay to say, 'Yeah, I don't really know. What do you think? Let's go figure it out together!' That's such a more empowering stance as a leader that I really embrace now," Webb advises. Full Story: Big Think (3/5)
How much does how we feel affect what we do? To what end does how happy we feel influence our actions? These questions churned through my head over the weekend after I read the story that’s running in today’s Health & Wellness section. It was a gut check moment. If I’m being honest, too much of what I do -- and don’t do -- is connected to how I feel. If I feel good after work, I’ll go to the gym. But if I’m yawning or in a bad mood, I’ll curl up on the couch for a “quick nap” -- then knock out for two hours. If I feel charged on a Saturday morning, I’ll tackle my budget and household chores. But, if I feel lazy, I’ll put off the chores and settle on the couch with a breakfast burrito and the remote. If I feel motivated after the gym on Friday, I’ll grab a salad and sushi at Whole Foods, then sit down at my desk to write. But, if like most Fridays, I just don’t want to do anything after the gym, I’ll still get the salad and sushi, but I’ll be back on the couch with a book and reruns of "Frasier." See the pattern? Emotions are powerful. They can move us to do or not do certain things. But, as we see in the story and my examples above, they are reckless drivers. The proof is all around us. We're standing in the wreckage of a culture hyperfocused on emotional gratification. And it is so unhealthy! So how do we get past this? By adopting an “action orientation,” writes Abigail Shrier. Action orientation is the ability to focus on a task without getting distracted by how you feel, emotionally or physically. (Don’t we also refer to this as “maturity” or “discipline”?) What I tend to do is referred to as a “state orientation” which is when I focus on myself in the moment -- the projects I didn’t get to, how tired I’m feeling, and how I want to skip the gym and eat lasagna instead. Unsurprisingly, this orientation is toxic. According to Shrier, studies show that “people who fixate on how they feel moment to moment are not only less likely to complete tasks but also more likely to struggle with self-control, with higher rates of alcohol consumption and less success with dieting.” This story convicted me. I had a hard, honest conversation with myself Saturday, then used Sunday to knock out some tasks I’ve been putting off. I know this will continue to be a fight -- a daily one, I suspect -- but I’m putting up my dukes. Because the idea of me getting jerked around by the dog leash of emotion is unacceptable. What do you think? Do you wrestle with this issue? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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My Islamic faith taught me that if you can't change something with your hands, change it with your tongue, and if you can't change it with your tongue, then desire to change it in your heart.
Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, writer, activist, tech entrepreneur March is Women's History Month
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