Exit Interview By Patrick Donegan #108
For some time, I’ve been looking for one “source” that curates modern takes on HR Tech, perspectives from the people who build it, and its impact on enterprise — something that’s tailor-made by professionals for decision-makers.
I never found it — so I decided to build it.
Every week, I’ll be sharing fresh insights on tech platforms, design, data, and the future of work — straight to your inbox.
My Thoughts
If you think office politics aren’t like playing a strategic game of ??chess, then you're probably a man in a senior leadership role. Thanks to an excellent HBR newsletter I read recently, I discovered an eye-opening article published in the Academy of Management Journal (AOM). According to the journal’s findings, the majority of people who feel comfortable voicing their opinions around morally objectionable business actions are male leaders. So if you’re not a man in a senior leadership role, you’re most likely slipping into the background and planning your moves carefully to avoid getting burned. ???
What this often means for marginalized groups is that their voices aren't being heard. Meanwhile, the company could be making decisions that affect everything from its bottom line ?? to employee satisfaction, retention, and trust. Speaking up about moral and ethical issues at work can be intimidating, but leaving employees afraid of the potential consequences they might face for raising a ??red flag is simply a failure of leadership. ??
This AOM article brings up a great solution: train employees to bring up moral arguments using a business-focused perspective — but that alone isn't enough. While there's immeasurable value in arming employees with the skills and tools to better communicate with one another, leadership can't just give their teams a paddle ?? and then hop onto a cruise ship themselves. ???? Jump in the water and lead with example instead. Demonstrate how you will reward employees for doing the hard thing and then celebrate them when they do. Embody why this is important for the organization’s growth. Effective DEI isn’t about saying; it’s about doing.
So if you think everything is smooth sailing, it’s probably time to take a look around — you might just find yourself stuck on a deserted island. ??? After all, you can’t build an industry-leading business on your own.
Tech Innovation At Work
A startup making the news for not only its promising tech but its people, too? It's time to take notes. ?? DEI-tech startup Kanarys recently hit $10M in funding, putting co-founder Mandy Price in a very unique position. She's now one of only 30 Black female founders to raise more than $10M in VC funding. ?? What has people so interested in the startup is its game-changing technology. Kanarys helps companies use data and analytics to do everything from performing a targeted audit of their current DEI policies to drafting a tailored DEI action plan — all to bring about systemic change in the workplace. ?? This is an incredible piece of tech, and the fact that it's built and managed by the people it's intended to protect makes it even better.
As a multi-industry household name, Ernst & Young (EY) is primed to be a case study on how to power business with AI. Generative AI is an umbrella term that essentially refers to when AI creates something independently (think ChatGPT) ????. While AI has been blowing up news feeds lately for its fantastical use cases, EY is taking a quieter yet innovative approach with its capabilities. The company is using AI as a "document reader and classification engine" ?? to leverage modern digital transformation tools without requiring employees to perform tedious work like reading tax receipts. In this way, EY can allocate its human-based talent to more important tasks, saving time, energy, and morale. It's something to keep in mind: AI can be boring ?? — but that doesn't mean it's not as valuable.
The Changing Workplace
Not only is Workday an industry leader, but they're also SEI's newest vendor partner, so when they talk about the future of HR, we listen. ?? Here's a quick summary of the Top 5 CHRO priorities they've identified for 2023:
Prioritizing digital transformations and embracing new technology will be the key to how companies successfully roll out these initiatives. If leaders want to pivot their strategies to sustain the unknowns of 2023, this is the place to start. ??
We know that flexibility ???? is king when it comes to working, and for the most part, managers and employees agree. But in the Achievers Workforce Institute's (AWI) 2023 Engagement and Retention Report, employees want more control over what that flexibility looks like — and managers need to deliver, or risk losing out on top talent. ?? AWI found that workers who say they can work the way they prefer are more than twice as likely to be highly engaged and 22% more likely not to be actively searching for a new job. The AWI report also states that "...employees are only half as likely as HR professionals to believe their company supports their well-being" — so which half are you? ?? Read the full report here to learn more about what flexibility in the workplace looks like.