Content We're Loving: The Best of October

Fall is in full swing, and it's a busy time in HR – open enrollment, holiday planning, and preparing for the year ahead. 

First, this month, we look at the U.S. Surgeon General's groundbreaking report on health and well-being in the workplace. Next, we look at Gartner's report on HR Leaders' top priorities for 2023. And lastly, we look at New York City's new pay transparency law coming into effect on November 1st, 2022, and what that means for future work and compensation.

The Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being

From: The U.S. Surgeon Genera
Topic: Employee well-being, company culture

This month, the U.S. Surgeon General published a groundbreaking report on well-being in the workplace. It's the first time in history that the Surgeon General has claimed that disease and illness are caused by workplace stress and harmful work norms.

The report outlines a modern-day framework for combating workplace stress. It’s helpful to think about it as the typical nutritional pyramid for a healthy and happy workplace.

Each of the five pillars is grounded in two needs the Surgeon General identified as vital to human happiness and functioning. The report also offers key tactics employers can use to fulfill these pillars.

Protection from Harm: Fulfills the need for safety & security

• Prioritize workplace physical and psychological safety 
• Enable adequate rest 
• Normalize and support mental health
• Operationalize DEIA norms, policies, and programs 

Work-Life Harmony: Fulfills the need for autonomy & flexibility

• Provide more autonomy over how work is done 
• Make schedules as flexible and predictable as possible
• Increase access to paid leave 
• Respect boundaries between work and non-work time

Mattering at Work: Fulfills the need for dignity & meaning

• Provide a living wage 
• Engage workers in workplace decisions 
• Build a culture of gratitude and recognition
• Connect individual work with organizational mission 

Connection & Community: Fulfills the need for social support & belonging

• Create cultures of inclusion and belonging 
• Cultivate trusted relationships 
• Foster collaboration and teamwork 

Opportunity for Growth: Fulfills the need for learning & accomplishment

• Offer quality training, education, and mentoring 
• Foster clear, equitable pathways for career advancement 
• Ensure relevant, reciprocal feedback

Read the full report

Gartner for HR Top 5 Priorities for HR Leaders in 2023

From: Gartner
Topic: Human Resource trends

Gartner surveys over 800 HR leaders to discover their top priorities for the coming year. The resort outlines the findings and these priorities into five high-level categories:

Training leaders and managers to be more effective: The top priority for over 60% of HR leaders is to train their managers and leadership to be more "human-centric."

Reduce change fatigue: 45% of HR leaders say their employees are fatigued from all the change. A priority for 2023 will be to build an "open-source strategy." This means integrating employees' voices into decision-making and keeping open lines of communication.

Design employee development programs: Almost half of HR professionals surveyed feel they need better growth and development opportunities to offer employees. The goal for 2023 will be to provide employees with better opportunities for career development and learning. 

Improve recruiting strategies: 36% of HR professionals agree their talent sourcing strategies aren't sufficient to fill their pipeline with quality candidates. Improving systems for recruiting will be a priority for 2023.

Workforce planning: 51% of HR leaders say their workforce planning is limited to headcount planning. Predicting future skills or filling talent gaps shouldn't be done passively. For 2023, HR is looking to be more proactive by evaluating tasks and workflows and adapting to talent gaps by working with leaders to relocate talent across the organization.

Read the full report

Employees are demanding pay transparency. Here’s how HR should respond

From: HR Director
Topic: Compensation, DEI

On November 1st, 2022, New York City will pass legislation mandating pay transparency for any employer with more than four employees. 

In the wake of this new legislation, the author argues pay transparency will soon be the norm. And HR needs to start getting ready now. Research supports just how much pay transparency is important to candidates.

For example, a recent survey by Talent.com of 2,000 employees found that 98% of job seekers in New York City want to know a position's salary before they apply. And a study by Monster showed that 53% of applicants said they wouldn't apply for a job without pay transparency upfront.

The author warns employers should pay attention to this push for transparency. If they do, it should be at their own peril. The author encourages employers not to fear pay transparency but rather see it as a means to communicate their culture and its values. 

Read the full article