Human Capital Watch

This fall, working parents with school-age kids will be facing some tough times as they try to balance working from home and partially home-schooling their kids. Many schools will either be going exclusively remote or a combination of online and socially distanced in-person classes. And things may change suddenly if COVID-19 cases spike, or if someone at the school tests positive. How can employers help their employees navigate these unpredictable times and, frankly, their potentially upended work schedules? Our panel of Conference Board experts (and parents), Gad Levanon, Vice President Labor Markets, Amy Abel, Vice President Human Capital, and Elizabeth Crofoot, Senior Economist Labor Markets, discuss the following topics: How many families in the US are affected by remote learning? What are the problems that working parents are facing? How are the most innovative companies helping workers balance their roles as employees and parents?

The Conference Board CEO Steve Odland discusses our C-Suite survey on COVID-19 with Wharton Business Daily's Dan Loney on SiriusXM.

In this podcast, guests from Barilla Group, Kristen Anderson, Luisa Ercoli, and Megan Christie, speak with Laura Sabattini, Principal Researcher at The Conference Board, about their diversity and inclusion and Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) strategy, including how Barilla was able to engage workers across regions and in their plants. The podcast highlights insights from the recently published case study on Barilla’s ERGs strategy, which focuses on driving a positive work culture. Core elements of Barilla’s approach are Senior leadership sponsorship Consistent communication globally Recognition of ERG leaders Clear guidelines that allow local flexibility Knowledge share among ERGs Case study: https://www.conference-board.org/topics/employee-resource-groups/barilla-whats-next-egs; Additional resources: COVID-19 Reset & Recovery: Employee Groups as a Crucial Resource for Organizations and Leaders; What is Next for Employee Groups?

During the COVID-19 crisis, Nielsen’s D&I team worked with its ERGs to shift priorities and respond to the unique challenges created by the pandemic. Nielsen's ERGs are tasked with helping both the firm’s associates and its senior executives communicate more effectively throughout the crisis. Full case study can be found here.

On the DriveThru HR podcast, The Conference Board’s Rebecca Ray discusses what HR departments need to be thinking about as they develop plans for reopening their workplaces amid COVID-19.

With looming and potentially long-lasting unemployment as a result of COVID-19, both workers and organizations must reconsider the credentials they have and those they need now and in the future. Job losses as a result of the COVID-19 crisis may tempt employers to cherry-pick workers with traditional qualifications. However, relying solely on traditional talent pools may be a shortsighted strategy for any company likely to find itself in turbulent and even chaotic conditions. By all means, they should scoop up rare talent that might become suddenly available, but companies would also be wise to look for diverse talent to help them adopt fresh thinking and recognize new opportunities. Join Distinguished Principal Research Fellow, Deb Cohen, PhD, and Principal Researcher, Robin Erickson, PhD, as they discuss our latest report, Different in Degree: Closing the Talent Gap with Alternative Credentials and share the different types of credentials, how to evaluate them, and how organizations can benefit from using

During times of high stress, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be a sense of urgency to make decisions and a corresponding risk of acting without fully considering the consequences of those decisions. Substantial research has been conducted in decision-making effectiveness, and overwhelmingly, the research concludes that successful decision making requires the availability of information (specifically financial information) and its deployment in a variety of financial management techniques. The target of most decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic have focused on human capital deployment – for example, how to: · reduce staff size, · increase staff size, · keep employees safe from COVID-19, · get technology to people working from home as appropriate, · counsel employees in emotional distress, · optimize productivity, · get products made and delivered to customers, · pivot the business model and associated human capital needs to stay relevant. An accurate underlying assumption is In the absence

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Join Council Director Anne Stevens and Sustainability guru Annette Stube in a fascinating and insightful discussion on being a role model, lessons gained from a highly successful career and some advice and thoughts for emerging leaders. With a focus on sustainability and leadership, Annette shares some of her innermost hopes, ambitions and desires for the world. A discussion not to be missed!

If we are serious about achieving gender balance in the workplace, we need to make sure that men are actively engaged as partners with women. However, there is some evidence that men are becoming less inclined to support these efforts. Why does it matter? And if it does, why and what can we do about it? Join us for an insightful discussion between Anne Stevens, Council Director at The Conference Board and her guest Graham Sparks, an expert on gender balance and inclusion in the workplace