Elevating HR Newsletter

"Sometimes there comes a crack in Time itself." Our first featured story alludes to that line from John Brown's Body, the 1928 epic by American poet Stephen Vincent Benét.

It's a line that speaks to the power some moments have to open the world to change. And it seems fitting for the moment we're in today.

So, in this edition, we're looking at cracks in time. Places where there's not enough of it. Chances to rethink how we work with it. And why it seems so different right now.

Cracks in Time

It was hard enough to "have it all" before. But during a pandemic? Juggling work, home, and kids becomes near impossible. And it has the potential to push an entire generation of moms out of the workforce. Unless we recognize the issue now. Link.

Work from anywhere. And anytime? A recent study shows significant increases in employee happiness and productivity if they have control over when they work. Especially, parents right now. Whether it's windowed work or a flexible schedule. Link.

Why time feels so weird in 2020. Can you believe August is only two weeks away? Or that it's only been four months since covid hit? This year has simultaneously flown by and seemed like a lifetime. To see why, try out these simple perception tests. Link. 

What Caught Our Eye This Week

Start-up rocket fuel. For fast-growing companies, learning to scale culture and talent is the difference-maker between reaching the stratosphere and falling back to Earth. Link.

Office pet to office threat. At first embraced, many women, particularly Black women, experience increasing resistance as they become more competent and self-assured. Link.

An employee data Wild West. Spurred by covid, organizations are collecting unprecedented amounts of employee data. But with little regulation or transparency. Link.

Cobot Expo July 28-30. Collaborative robots? Virtual tradeshow? Free? This three-day event, organized by Ann Arbor-based Universal Robots, is too cool not to share. Link.

Eight positive workplace trends. From corporate citizenship to emphasis on the employee experience, the pandemic has propelled forward many key HR initiatives. Link.

Weekly Pulse Poll

What's your work schedule like during covid? Are you doing windowed work? A flexible schedule? Sticking to your pre-covid routine? Let us know by heading over to LinkedIn and adding your response. You'll then see how others have answered. Link.

What's your biggest hiring challenge right now? Last week, we discussed the post-apply process as recruitment's top challenge now. But that didn't ring true for our pulse poll respondents. Nearly 2/3 said finding candidates is still their biggest roadblock. Link.

Additional Resources

"If you are human, you are biased." Knowing and accepting how bias impacts our thinking patterns is the first step to reducing harmful biases within ourselves. Link.

Rebooting your internship program. Hello West Michigan is offering free trainings and resources to help you rethink your in-person and virtual internships this year. Link.

2020 summer business reads. Put down the remote and pick up one (or all) of these newly-released books on Korn Ferry's annual reading list. Link.

We're here to talk. Whether you feel you don't have enough time to manage it all or just need to decompress, don't hesitate to reach out. Call, email, or schedule a free consult.

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Disclaimer: We're a team of HR experts. By no means are we legal experts. This newsletter isn't intended to contain legal advice. Please, consult your attorney for that.