The office aids career development, study suggests | Job prospects for new grads scaled back from the fall | Strategies to boost female supply chain professionals
Remote work arrangements involve trade-offs for staff, with younger workers receiving less feedback and potentially being more likely to quit, according to research focusing on engineers by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the University of Iowa and Harvard. The findings suggest that the office environment can play a key role in the career development of white-collar knowledge workers. Full Story: The New York Times (4/24)
Retirement Outlook 2023 US retirement plan sponsors face several issues in the year ahead. Issues include the market, the road forward for DB plans and the evolution of TDFs. We explore what actions plan sponsors might consider to tackle these issues.
Employers plan to hire 4% more recent college graduates over 2022, but that is down from an optimistic 15% that employers had projected in the fall, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Hiring in the tech sector is being affected by recent layoffs, and "companies are approaching 2023 with caution," says Andrew Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Full Story: CNBC (4/19)
Overcoming Project Execution Challenges Outside talent makes up 45% of critical project teams today and that figure is expected to grow to 48% by 2024, according to global consulting firm RGP. Find out how companies are achieving project execution success amid increased disruption and a changing workforce in this whitepaper from RGP.
4 ways to overcome a fear of failure Akintoye Akindele outlines four ways leaders can prevent a fear of failure from hampering success. Remember that failure is common, can spark personal growth, is simply a detour on your journey and can be overcome by perseverance, writes Akindele, CEO of Platform Capital Group. Full Story: Training magazine (4/18)
Benefits & Compensation
Gen Z employees more engaged in retirement saving Research by investment firm Vanguard indicates that American adults in all age groups are increasingly partaking in employer retirement plans, but members of Generation Z are saving at a particularly high rate, likely due to new 401(k) features such as automatic enrollment. The study found that in 2021, 62% of Gen Z workers were saving actively in a 401(k) plan, up from 30% of people in the 18- to 24-year-old age group in 2006, representing the greatest increase of any age demographic. Full Story: Employee Benefit News (free registration) (4/24)
The changes in the workplace over the past few years have made it incumbent on leaders to have a better grasp of human behavior and well-being, writes Alaina Love, CEO of Purpose Linked Consulting. Be cognizant of each employee's feelings on your company's pace of change, external (and often negative) information, ability and interest in engaging in conversations and level of loneliness. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (4/24)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
David Rush balanced a chain saw on his chin for how many minutes? Check your answer here.
Ashley is like a second daughter to me. She’s a former classmate of my son; the kids went to middle school together. She was a good friend to Kiaha, even helping him through some tough issues during his teens. She and I have become close over the years and I’ve often lent her advice on school and career. And now I’m helping her buy a bike. She passed the motorcycle safety course a couple years ago, but her job (she’s a flight attendant) left her little time to look for a bike and ride. But she discovered this year that I ride, so she picked up her search again. Over the weekend, she found one. Ashley and I met with the seller yesterday. He is selling a 2016 Honda Rebel 250. It’s perfect for her -- just the right amount of bike. I had her sit on it to make sure her feet could touch the ground and then stand it up, so she could feel the weight. I walked her through the various controls and features (“This is your choke”, “This is your reserve tank”, “You can install bags here and a sissy bar here -- but you don’t need to be carrying anyone on this thing. Yet.”) and then took it for a short ride. After our meeting, I took her over to the local motorcycle store. I showed her the gear she needs -- full-face helmet, gloves, long sleeve jacket -- and introduced her to the staff I know. She drank it all in. Mentors. We talk about the importance of mentors in our Leadership & Development section today, with the story about women in the supply chain field. I like the way Harshida Acharya puts it: “Build a network of supply chain superheroes.” Yes! I’ve had wonderful mentors over the years -- and they were truly superheroes to me. They guided me, encouraged me and challenged me at critical points in my career. I owe much of my professional growth to them. Who were the superheroes in your career? Have you been a superhero for someone else? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
