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From Immediate Responses to Planning for the Reimagined Workplace Jun 10, 2020

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The Conference Board expects that COVID-19 will have many lasting impacts on the world of work and Human Capital processes. To gauge how organizations are reacting to the changing business environment in the context of their workforces, we conducted an online survey in April 2020 with more than 150 U.S. HC executives, mostly in large companies.

Join The Conference Board researchers, Robin Erickson, PhD, and Frank Steemers as they discuss our latest report, From Immediate Responses to Planning for the Reimagined Workplace: Human Capital Responses to COVID-19, and share our findings about remote work and the cost-reduction actions that have already been taken, as well as the HR priorities for the recovery phase. Teaser: we predict one of the lasting legacies of COVID-19.

For other Human Capital topics in the wake of COVID-19, see COVID-19 Pandemic Resources & Support for HC Community Curated Resources.

COVID-19 Reset and Recovery: Adapting Feedback and Performance Systems during and after a Crisis May 21, 2020

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This podcast aim to provide audience with practical actions companies can take to best manage near- term, upcoming performance conversations during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as several significant trends companies will need to consider if they want to redesign their PM approaches for an increasingly unpredictable future.

Supporting Employee Well-Being and Navigating Talent Acquisition During COVID-19 May 19, 2020

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Join The Conference Board researchers, Robin Erickson, PhD, and Marion Devine as they discuss two important Human Capital subjects for an organization's employment brand: employee well-being and talent acquisition. Leaders and managers can't fix the unprecedented challenges arising from COVID-19, but they can provide personal support and assurance to their employees to help reduce isolation and anxiety. The stigma and weight of the issues make mental health a very private matter, but organizations can still help employees by understanding the importance of well-being and empowering them to help themselves (you can read the article here). In addition, most organizations have transitioned to remote work for all employees who can work from home. And with the global economy declining precipitously, most organizations have been forced to or have chosen to undergo cost-containment measures. As a result, the talent acquisition (TA) functions in most organizations have had to dramatically change their processes and move to primarily virtual recruiting. Accordingly, TA leaders are being forced to navigate many changes (you can read the article here). For other Human Capital topics, see COVID-19 Pandemic Resources & Support for HC Community Curated Resources.

Human Capital & COVID-19: Addressing Stigma and Discrimination during Times of Crisis May 06, 2020

Show notes

Incidents of racial bias and xenophobia against people of Chinese and Asian descent in the US have been increasing since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Human capital and diversity and inclusion (D&I) leaders have an important role to play. Laura Sabattini, Principal Researcher at The Conference Board and Serena Fong, VP of Strategic Engagement at Catalyst, discuss actions organizations and leaders can take to support workers facing this difficult issue. Additional readings: Catalyst The best ways to call out coronavirus racism; The Conference Board Addressing stigma and discrimination during times of crisis

Leading teams through a crisis May 05, 2020

Show notes

This pandemic is fundamentally changing the way teams operate and communicate. To be effective in a crisis environment, team leaders require different skills to maintain worker engagement and productivity in a remote setting, make decisions quickly, and communicate effectively. In fact, working from home is the new reality for many US workers and may lead to wider adoption of virtual teams following COVID-19. Prior to this crisis, remote work was a growing but still limited part of the workforce. Only about 3.4% of employees in the US worked primarily from home in 2018. The scale and scope of the current situation, with organizations of thousands of employees transitioning to virtual teams in a very short time, are unprecedented. Research by The Conference Board has identified 12 behaviors of highly engaging leaders. As we strive to keep employees engaged during the COVID-19 crisis and afterward into the recovery phase, these 12 behaviors are good reminders of how to best lead virtual teams.

Engagement and Reward Strategies to address COVID-19 Challenges Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

COVID-19 has rapidly impacted all aspects of work. But as the response moves away from addressing the initial shocks of the impact new questions arise: How can employee engagement efforts be maintained in this new world of work? And How do we tailor our comp and ben practices to best help our workers? Human Capital researchers Amanda Popiela, Amy Ye, and analyst Calvin Rong discuss their recent researcher on COVID-19, examining how leading organizations are responding to the crisis and changes.

It is Possible to Avoid Layoffs: If You Can't, Conduct Them Compassionately Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Businesses are struggling during this extremely volatile period resulting from the global COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the current economic conditions, many organizations have started various cost-cutting measures, and layoffs are often one of the first. In this podcast, researchers from The Conference Board discuss two recent reports on COVID-19 and layoffs: Finding Innovative Alternatives to Layoffs, with eleven cost-saving alternative measures to help organizations avoid laying off employees. The other report is Conducting Compassionate Layoffs – for organizations in survival mode, to make layoffs less painful and damaging in both the short and long term, The Conference Board suggests employers take seven actions to conduct layoffs more compassionately. Both reports are available to the public, along with the remaining reports in the Human Capital Management during COVID-19 series found at COVID-19 Pandemic Resources & Support for the Human Capital Community. And if your organization has found a creative alternative to layoffs, please email Robin Erickson, PhD, Principal Researcher at robin.erickson@conference-board.org.

International Women's Day - Each for Equal: A conversation with Raashi Sikka Mar 23, 2020

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Join Sarah Bond, Diversity and Inclusion in Business Council Director, in conversation with Raashi Sikka, Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Uber across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In this podcast to mark International Women's Day 2020 Raashi talks about the importance of risk taking, being open to opportunities and the value of honest conversations in forging her own career path, and about the shift in mindset and culture on diversity and inclusion taking place in Uber.

International Women's Day - Each for Equal: A conversation with Melanie Richards Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

Join Sarah Bond, Council Director in conversation with Melanie Richards, Partner and Deputy Chair of professional services firm KPMG UK, talking about the curiosity, collaboration and female friendship, and about the importance of putting oneself in the shoes of others as a leader and in order to create more gender equal and inclusive workplaces.

What's Next for Employee (Resource) Groups? Mar 11, 2020

Show notes

Employee (Resource) Groups – also known as employee networks, affinity groups, or business resource groups – have been a core component of companies' diversity and inclusion strategy for decades. Yet, many organizations still struggle with business alignment and with keeping employee-group initiatives sustainable over time and across different regions of the world. Join our researchers as they explore current and future trends to understand "what is next" for employee groups, as well as share insights from leaders across different industries and global regions on:

How are employee groups evolving in the diversity and inclusion space and across regions?
How are employee groups' strategies, goals, and activities changing in response to new workforce and workplace trends?
How do employee groups foster inclusion across multiple identities and with allies?

Report Summary link: https://www.conference-board.org/publications/whats-next-for-EGs-ES

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