The House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill to improve workforce development and training programs. The proposed measures update existing law and prioritize upskilling dislocated workers, introduce employer-led training initiatives, and tackle worker shortages. The bill also incorporates successful ideas from the Eastern CT Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative and has received strong backing from stakeholders in the workforce development sector. Full Story: Hartford Business Journal (Conn.) (4/11)
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Recruiting & Retention
Soft skills help workers thrive alongside AI As routine tasks are increasingly automated by generative AI, companies are shifting their focus in terms of staffing requirements, training and upskilling, experts say. Improving soft skills and learning to use AI "will empower people to thrive in new hybrid roles, ensuring both the human and technical aspects of work complement and enhance each other," says Pragashini Fox, Thomson Reuters' head of talent and diversity. Full Story: CIO (4/10)
To return to office, workers want commuting costs covered As more employers bring workers back into the office, most employees ask that the company reimburse them for their commute expenses, a Ringover survey finds. The second most common request was a pay boost between $5,000 to $10,000 annually to return to the office. Full Story: Human Resources Director (4/9)
This CEO is developing ways to recognize good employees Sarah Franklin, CEO of Lattice, says she's planning to lead the human resources company to use AI to develop tools to help identify productive employees and reward them accordingly. "Work has become somewhere where it's the people who shout the loudest who are often rewarded the most -- while more hardworking employees go unnoticed," Franklin says. Full Story: TLNT (4/10)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Photographer Margaret Bourke-White and what writer were in Russia and reported when Germany invaded that country in 1922?
How’s your friendship with AI going? Are you still getting to know each other? Or are you besties already? I’m floored at how quickly some organizations have adopted AI for tasks and processes. Our Recruitment & Retention story today talks about companies using AI to automate routine tasks. Other companies I know are using it to support their marketing initiatives, including writing blog posts, updating ad copy or personalizing outreach efforts. Smart. But even as generative AI can help expedite some tasks, it can’t do it everything. There’s still a need for deep, focused thinking. To wrestle with ideas. To sip coffee and ponder. To research, brainstorm and doodle in your notebook. This work takes concentration. It’s slow and deliberate. It has lots of pauses and changes of direction. So my question today is: How are you slowing down when the modern workplace (with its magic-wand technologies) demands you speed up? Talk to me! This question has been pressing me for weeks. Let me know what you’re doing to create time for focused work. And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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