Smeal Alumni Career Corner: Future Workforce and The Workplace
The Smeal Network often shares articles they have found useful in their careers. Since it is Smeal Alumni Career Services’ mission to help those in a job search or looking for advancement with work related tips, resume reviews, networking, etc., I wanted to share these articles which focus on the future workforce and workplace.
How important is integrity and social responsibility in the workplace?
Below are some articles that focus on what Smeal is doing make these a priority!
Penn State Smeal plans five Honor Code signings for spring 2017 - "Faculty, staff, and students will have five opportunities this month to reaffirm their commitment to integrity—one of the Penn State Smeal College of Business’ core values—by signing the Smeal Honor Code."
Penn State Smeal BA 342 ‘Change Our World’ assignment underscores possibilities of personal & corporate social responsibility - "Ron Johnson, senior instructor of management and organization at the Penn State Smeal College of Business, wanted to find a way to illustrate to undergraduate students in his Business Administration 342 (socially responsible, sustainable, and ethical business practices) class the collective power that companies can marshal when they engage employees with embracing social impact."
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Future of the Workforce - Will universal basic income become a reality?
Digital commerce of the future: Is your company ready for the next wave? shared by Christine Coy (‘95 Management Science & Information Systems ) Principal Consultant at Paragon: “Consumers are more connected today than ever before, and will be even more interconnected in the future. These digital connections, which have ushered in speed and convenience, are underpinning generational shifts in how consumers live, work, shop and play.”
How Will Artificial Intelligence Transform The Workplace? shared by Bob Frank (Marketing and Economics) Sales Director - Strategic Accounts at Interactions LLC: “When you consider the fact that these machines may be allowed to make decisions that affect mankind, without having or after evolving past the innate ethics that (most) people operate by, the future can look scary. It’s time to scope out the positives now, because when it comes to AI in the workplace, there are HUGE benefits in store.”
Robotic Process Automation Slashes IT Costs, Alleviates Complexity shared by John Tecce (‘12 Marketing) Hybrid-Select Account Manager at Dell EMC: “Traditional approaches to taming technological complexity typically involve large investments, high-risk implementation or transformation projects, and lengthy payback periods. Even when CIOs attempt to address complexity by making incremental improvements to systems, those investments may consume 20 percent or more of the total IT budget.”
Elon Musk says there’s a ‘Pretty Good Chance’ Universal Basic Income will become Reality shared by Todd Yildiran (’16 Finance) Customer Experience Consultant at Oracle: “If the trend of robot automation keeps up, millions of humans could lose their jobs by the middle of this century. According to Elon Musk, the economic solution to that reality could simply be paying people regardless of whether or not they find work — a system of wealth distribution known as universal basic income.”
The Workplace: Can having natural lights, plants, water features, and bright colors actually increase productivity?
What Happened When I Moved My Company To A 5-hour Workday shared by Kenneth Allen II (‘15 Risk Management) Actuarial Analyst, Group Personal Insurance at AIG: “Someday, when we’re a bigger company, we’ll be able to start people at $80,000 to $100,000—and still let them walk out the door at 1 p.m. When that day comes, we’ll be snatching all the best talent from every company in town.”
Patagonia Is Winning With Parents Who Work There shared By Brian Ardinger (’94 MBA) Managing Director at NMotion Inc. and Co-Founder of Econic LLC: “Patagonia, the outdoor clothing and gear company, offers its employees on-site childcare. If that sounds like a headline-grabbing new perk, the kind of thing Netflix or Facebook would roll out to attract talent, keep this in mind: the company has been offering it for 33 years now.”
The Three Qualities of People I Most Enjoy Working With Shared by Joel Beaton ('01 Accounting) Global Client Development and Strategic Sales Leader at EY: “I've reached a point in my career where I want to be surrounded by people who not only share a vision, but a genuine commitment to upholding their company's culture and values. They are team players, don't take themselves too seriously, and "know how to have fun." And with that, I added a third circle to the Venn diagram.”
Articles shared by Daniel Bena (Webinar Presenter) Senior Director of Operations Development at PepsiCo
--The Future of Work and Employee Engagement Through the Lens of Millennials: “Millennials (born roughly 1980s-2000) believe their generation is starting a movement to change outdated systems, want to work as a vehicle to create change, and want bring their ‘whole self’ to work. Many desire independence to work outside the system, they prioritize learning news skills at work, and they desire collaboration over competition.”
--What To Do When a Co-Worker Steals Credit For Your Work: “You’re sitting in a meeting and a co-worker takes credit for your idea. Or maybe you stay late to finish a project, but your name is left off of the final presentation. Your boss grabs the limelight and accepts all the praise. Even if you work in a company that encourages collaboration, some people still go too far and inappropriately monopolize work as their own, never crediting others.”
Billion-dollar yogurt brand Chobani is trying to become a better place to work for parents shared by Maddy Curry (‘13 Marketing) Senior Analyst, Books & Other Media at Jet.com: “Chobani wants its 2,000-plus employees to spend more time with their new children. The yogurt brand run by billionaire Hamdi Ulukaya announced Wednesday that all full-time employees can take up to six weeks of paid parental leave.”
Articles shared by Renee DeMay (’89 Business Logistics) Vice President, WW Customer Excellence at ANSYS, Inc.
--Can Breaching the Work-Life Divide Make you a Better Leader?: “The internal tussle between our life at work and outside work is usually focused on how to find time for family and other pursuits. But Jonathan Raymond, a consultant based in Ashland, Oregon, believes there's another divide between professional and personal that causes difficulty and pain.”
--7 Phrases to Stop Saying at Work: “Think of the last presentation you witnessed. How many times did the speaker say "um" and "uh"? If it happened frequently, then it may have affected your ability to retain information or key points—and more importantly, it could have caused you to think less of the person speaking. It sounds harsh, but it's true: Words have the power to help or hinder both performance and perception, especially in the workplace.”
If Not 40 Hours, Then What? Defining the Modern Work Week shared by Diana Fitting (Management) Consultant at A Fitting Solution: “Is the traditional 40-hour work week dead? Today’s nine-to-fiver can only look at all of the alternative proposals being bandied about and savor the possibilities: the four-day work week, the 30-hour work week, the 21-hour work week, and even the no-day work week. With the advent of telecommuting, flexible hours, globalization and answering emails after hours and on vacation, the American worker has entered the era of the fuzzy work-home divide.”
7 Things You Do at Work That Make You Look Really Unprofessional shared by Bob Gallagher (‘15 Corporate Communications) Sales Development Representative at Phenom People: “Do you sometimes feel like you're the person others are talking about when you enter a room--and not in a good way? Is there uncomfortable energy around your office at important times, like presentations or meetings, but you never know why?”
Articles shared by Cathy Hoffman (‘02 Marketing) Marketing Manager at Ambius
--These Simple Workplace Design Changes Can Help Your Company’s Bottom Line: “It’s no secret that a well-designed workplace is a more pleasant environment to spend work hours than one that is poorly planned and decorated. However, spiffier digs could also have an impact on your company’s financial health.”
-Six Design Decisions Your Clients Will Thank You For: “Design decisions can increase health and happiness at work, and mitigate negative consequences of environmental stressors. According to Stanford University researchers, the effects of workplace stress are comparable to those of secondhand smoke. Long workdays and short deadlines contribute to long-term increased risk of cardiovascular disease, along with depression, anxiety, and short-term losses in productivity at work and at home.”
--The Future Of Corporate Real Estate: Quality Of Life Matters: “The corporate real estate (CRE) industry plays an increasingly important role in helping businesses enhance their workplace strategy. This profession is instrumental in designing workplaces that impact employee engagement, performance and wellness.”
--Designing Your Office Space? Keep Biophilic Design in Mind: "Biophilic? It’s a fancy word for feeling inspired and passionate for anything that is alive. Doesn’t it make sense to bring life to the workplace? Having natural lights, plants, water features, and bright colors is actually proven to increase productivity. This is due to humans’ natural instinct to be close to nature. When we put natural elements in a space otherwise void of such, we increase comfort subconsciously. Then, employees are more motivated to show up to work and to be productive while they’re there."
Stuff Business People Say shared by Matthew Johnston (’04 Accounting) Financial Consultant at AXA Advisors: "This video will make you laugh, compiling a collection of business lingo that we all probably hear all too much at the office. Watch and see if this video describes your workplace, and maybe it’ll give you a new view of the office."
Workplace Learning in Conjunction With Technology and Ethics: A Literary Synthesis shared by Seth J. Kirschner (‘15 Management Information Systems) President and Founder of SJK IT Consulting: “...the objective of this literary review is to facilitate a new thinking surrounding the theoretical framework of Human Resource Development as a result of market forces influencing an ahistorical incorporation technology and ethics within the field. In this approach, the three said articles serve an academic purpose to begin the thinking that is required to understand HRD in conjunction with technology and ethics.”
How Much Vacation Time Do Employees Need? shared by Diana Kloda (‘08 Management & International Business) HR Generalist at FMC Corporation: “The CEO “Randy” and I have already settled the salary and benefits question. I’ve told Randy that if I’m going to be his HR Director, he’s going to have to update his company’s policies and practices to reflect talent marketplace realities.”
18 Companies with Offices We Can’t Believe are Real shared by Madeline Kossakowski (’14 Accounting) Analyst at Morgan Stanley: “When it comes to loving your job, there’s a lot that comes into play. An awesome boss, friendly co-workers, and challenging responsibilities all make heading into work feel more like a privilege than a chore.”
If You Can't Trust Your Employees to Work Flexibly, Why Hire Them in the First Place? shared by Michelle Miller (Quantitative Business Analysis) Chief Operating Officer at Enterprise Risk Management: "Studies concerning millennials and preference to be able to work from home or on their own time will show a strong preference to flexibility. Yet some companies do not feel that allowing employees to determine their own hours or location at times is going to be productive. Unfortunately there is almost a guilt that comes along with working from home because of the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality of some companies or managers. The reality is, creativity and productiveness cannot be assigned to a time-frame or a place. Workplaces today need to accept that employees are able to determine what works best for them."
What Does Working From Home Mean? Shared by Ashley Murray (‘13 Supply Chain) Media & Marketing Services Jr. Buyer at Danone North America: “P3Hired places many candidates in roles where they are asked to work from home ("work remotely" or "virtual office" environments). There can be mystery around the topic for those who have never had the opportunity to work from home. We get questions on "well, what does that really mean or will they think I am being productive enough?" After reading this article by Pam Ross (Scrap Your Work From Home Policy), I think the answer is simple.... Working from home means that you do your work from home or wherever you get your best work done.”
The Five Most Dangerous Questions to Ask at Work Liked by Barry Nelson ('03 Operations & Info Systems Management) Technical Manager at EQT Corporation: “We have to be honest about the fact that fear is a major factor in many workplaces. We don’t act the same at work as we do in other places. We don’t speak with the same voice, far too often.”
Scrap Your Work From Home Policy shared by Brian Palmer (‘04 Accounting) Senior Manager at EY: “Work is not a place you go, but something you do. If I work in retail and need to serve customers, I obviously can't work from home… But if my work is done on a computer, in the age of the "cloud", then what difference does it make if I work from home, from a Starbucks, or from the office? What if we just said "get your work done" and let people figure out where and when they can do it best? It takes a reinvention of what we think of as work.”
How To Deal With Annoying Co-Workers shared by Noreen Perrone (Quantitative Business Analysis) Licensed Agent in Health/Accident Insurance at The Carney Group: “Is there someone in your office whose habits and behavior patterns just “drive you crazy?” When you’re working eight hours a day in close quarters – or even in cubicles – some would say that it’s only a matter of time before some of your co-workers will really start to get on your nerves. This problem is much more common than you might think!”
Under Staffing shared by Janice Snyder (‘98 Accounting) Partner at McKonly & Asbury LLP: “Every organization’s employee count will be different for their “ideal” segregation of duties and may not be financially feasible. Mitigating controls can often be put into place to help achieve a decent segregation of duties without hiring additional employees.”
The New Workplace Is Agile, and Nonstop. Can You Keep Up? shared by Rachel Surick (’09 Finance) Senior Program Analyst at GSA: "The “agile” part of this increasingly popular management concept is simple: Rather than try to do giant projects that take months or even years, create small teams that do a bit at a time. This way, small problems don’t balloon into enormous ones hidden inside a huge bureaucracy. And progress can be measured in small steps — one little project at a time."
No Laptop, No Phone, No Desk: UBS Reinvents the Work Space shared by Chris Zlocki (‘88 Political Science) Executive Managing Director at Colliers-International: “The Swiss banking giant UBS is looking to change the way employees view their relationship with their work spaces...Phone handsets were replaced by personal headsets, and employees can log onto their virtual desktops on computers at any desk in the building or at home.”
Trending on Pulse:
--How to Work for a Leader You Don’t Believe In: “There are many blog posts about knowing when it’s time to leave your job, how to nail your interview; how to create the perfect resume, what to look for in your prospective employer, but the harsh reality is we are often relegated to our jobs out of necessity. We should always strive to look for something better. I don’t advocate settling, but there will most likely be a period when you are working for someone you wish you weren’t.”
--The Future of Work Starts With Empowering People Today: “While most of the answers are unknowable, something I have come to strongly believe—because I see it every day—is that the entrepreneurial spirit of independent professionals and small business owners is the most precious resource we have as a society.”
--The Absolute Worst Mistakes You Can Make At Work: "Self-awareness is a critical skill in the workplace. It's the foundation of emotional intelligence, a skill set that TalentSmart research shows is responsible for 58% of your job performance. If you remain self-aware, these mistakes are all things that you can control before they creep up on you and damage your career."