Best Human Experience of Work Articles ~ April 2024
1. HXWize News
New article: “3 Levels of Listening”, by Elliott Nelson - founder of HXWize?
Level 3 Listening, as explained by HXWize founder Elliott Nelson, unlocks the true potential of your team. This deeper, empathetic approach to listening goes beyond surface-level interactions and simple feedback mechanisms to really understand the context, stories, and emotions of collaborators. By employing this method, organizations can design more effective and meaningful user experiences that truly resonate with their audience. Discover how creating personas and journey maps based on real stories can lead to innovations that are not only insightful but also deeply impactful. Let's elevate our listening strategy to capture the moments that matter and truly empathize with our teams!?
2. Employee Experience (EX) / Work Experience (WX)
How to battle boredom at work
Neuroscience reveals that while boredom can have beneficial aspects, its negative effects at work can impair productivity and attention in subsequent tasks. Research suggests that alternating between tedious and meaningful tasks can mitigate these adverse effects. For instance, participants who engaged in a meaningful activity after a boring one showed improved focus and productivity.
More adults are being diagnosed as neurodivergent. Here’s how employers can help in the workplace
The number of adults diagnosed with neurodivergence, including ASD, ADHD, and SLD, is on the rise reflecting a shift in understanding these conditions as differences rather than disorders. This increase in diagnoses presents challenges and opportunities for employers, who can create more inclusive workplaces by recognizing and leveraging the unique strengths of neurodivergent employees. Practical steps such as low-stimulus areas and clear communication can support these individuals, thereby enhancing overall productivity and employee satisfaction.
A Day in the Life of a Walmart Manager Who Makes $240,000 a Year
An amazing piece that offers a deep understanding of the experiences, struggles and feelings of a big box retail manager about her leadership role. This piece format is aligned with qualitative research techniques (such as ethnography, non-participant observation, contextual interviews) HXWize advocates for, which are essential to run a great Human Experience research.?
Mining via remote controlled robots
Remote working is commonly associated with white-collar, knowledge-intensive jobs. However, it also extends to a different type that incorporates robotics, which is gaining traction, particularly in hazardous occupations. There's a brief video showing Chinese miners operating robots remotely, a task previously performed by people with pickaxes. The commentator also discusses the potential of merging this technology with the gaming industry, presenting a novel approach to addressing labor shortages in challenging and less appealing professions.
How offering remote working increases your chances of hiring
Cord frequently produces impressive data-driven content from their tech candidate matching platform. The key takeaway from this post is the growing gap between job seekers' preference for remote work (67%) and employers' diminishing willingness to offer it (16%). This discrepancy affects various key performance indicators (KPIs) that are crucial, such as the rate at which job offers are accepted.
4 Reasons Why Managers Fail
Gartner's research suggests that addressing the top four predictors of managerial failure can significantly reduce the risk from 48% to just 5%. Organizations should integrate the risk of managerial failure into their comprehensive risk management strategies, similar to how they manage financial or cybersecurity risks. It's also important to evaluate the environmental and team-related factors that contribute to managerial challenges, rather than focusing solely on individual managers. By implementing targeted risk-mitigation strategies, such as promoting self-awareness and empathy, and refining goal-setting processes, organizations can better support managers and enhance overall business and talent outcomes.
Why You Should Let Your Favorite Employee Move to Another Team
Managers often hoard talent, blocking career advancement within their teams to maintain performance. This practice, though common, is detrimental to both employees and organizations. Research shows that managers who support their team members' career progression attract more top talent and create a reputation that benefits their own careers. Encouraging internal mobility not only increases job satisfaction among employees but also enhances innovation and organizational success by making better use of internal talent markets.
3. Human-Centered Design - Service Design
Validating Product Ideas Through Concept Testing
Great insights on concept testing in product management. A few comments, though. First, it's crucial to emphasize that while PMs often tend to lead this phase, involving designers is key as they help transition, especially incorporating frameworks like Design for Delight (D4D) to ensure a seamless market fit evaluation. Additionally, the risk of PMs handling sensitive user data, especially in regulated industries, cannot be overlooked. A balanced leadership team that includes product, design, tech, business, and data expertise is essential to mitigate potential risks and ensure thorough oversight.
领英推荐
Unlock Your Design Potential with Expert-Recommended Canvases and Resources
Explore a variety of design system canvases recommended by industry experts, including Vitaly Friedman's own contributions to UX checklists and the First 90 Days Plan for designers. These resources, like the Design System Canvas and Design System Checklist Workshop, offer structured approaches and practical tools for enhancing your design strategy. Perfect for kickstarting conversations and planning your design system projects!
4. Agile
Unpacking Non-functional Requirements on Agile Projects
Non-Functional Requirements describe attributes of a product rather than the functions it supports. Non-functionals pose a unique challenge to Agile teams, like having a product work in 4 languages. They aren't small and can't really be considered "to do/doing/done". This is a great reminder that putting the NFR in the Definition of Done is much better than tracking backlog items for continued compliance.?
5. AI
Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2024
Stanford University's annual review provides an exhaustive analysis of AI's current state, covering investment, publication rates, capabilities, policies, and more. The sections on the Economy, Responsible AI, Gender, and Public Opinion are particularly pertinent to our interests. This report is among the most thorough examinations of AI available.
How AI Changes Your Workforce
Interesting conversation rich in high-impact trends: the increase in non-full-time employees, the blurring lines between business and market, and the influence of AI on work design.
6. People Analytics – Labor Market Data & Tendencies
Qualtrics 2024 Employee Experience Trends
Key points include: working three days a week optimizes employee experience; artificial intelligence is beneficial when employees have input on its application; there's a positive relationship between engagement and retention; and compared to the rest of the world, North America is the most skeptical about AI.
The Post Covid Recruitment Sunset
RecruiterFlow gathered public financial data from leading global staffing companies such as Randstad, Kelly Services, Page Group, Manpower, Korn Ferry, and Robert Half. This data confirms a widely acknowledged narrative, as it connects our individual experiences with broader global trends. An essential read for both agencies and in-house talent acquisition teams.
Software Automation and Teleworkers as Complements and Substitutes
Richard Baldwin, a labor market economist, explores the connection between offshoring, which he refers to as 'teleworking', and AI/automation. The paper is scholarly yet reader-friendly.
PwC 27th Annual CEO Survey 2024
PwC's yearly survey of 15,000 CEOs is crucial reading to understand top executives' perspectives. The survey reveals some stark insights: one in four CEOs anticipate that AI will decrease their workforce by at least 5% in 2024, and they view 40% of HR's hiring efforts as unproductive. This is a must-read, whether you're part of a corporate team or an external agency, as it sheds light on the expectations of our internal customers.
Workforce Digest: A Strong Spring Report But Workers Are Still Feeling Gloomy
The mismatch between statistical data and personal experiences in the U.S. job market remains a significant topic in 2024. Revelio Labs effectively showcases the former but struggles to elucidate the latter. A closer examination of their chart depicting industry job flows might provide insights. It suggests that the industries hiring the most tend to offer lower wages, primarily offer part-time positions, and are increasingly employing foreign-born workers. This raises several points for consideration, particularly the importance of validating data through firsthand engagement with job seekers and recruiters.