This week we thought we would share some general HR commentary and insights on a bunch of different topics. Hopefully there's something here that's of interest to you!
1) Epic Guide to Managing Millennials in the Workplace from When I Work
"Baby Boomers are the largest generation of active workers. Their workplace strengths are, according to Ivey Business Journal, their “organizational memory, optimism, and willingness to work long hours.” They grew up working as individuals in large corporations with traditional hierarchies. But…Baby Boomers are quickly being replaced as that largest generation of workers by Millennials, and the differences are striking. Instead of management hierarchies, flat management structures are becoming the norm. Instead of the powerful individual, jobs are now teamwork-based. Instead of a lifelong career, job hopping is all the rage. What’s going on?"
2) 5 Essential Personality Traits to Look for in Job Candidates from Huffington Post
"When you are searching for the right new employee, it can be a little difficult to tell exactly who will be the perfect fit. After all, your shortlist of candidates will likely all have similar education and experience, and on paper look very alike. However, it is when you meet potential hires face to face that you have the chance to separate the real contenders from the jerks. To divine who will be the best fit for a role, there are a number of key personality traits that you should look for. From strong interpersonal skills and initiative, to adaptability and creative thinking, there are many so-called "soft" skills that make all the difference between a new team member who is a good fit for your company culture, and one who you will end up wanting to rid yourself of in no time. Read on for some of the top signs you should look for next time you are interviewing job candidates."
3) GitHub CEO: What I learned from our harassment scandal from Fortune
"After one of his co-founders had to step down, Chris Wanstrath says the company’s culture and awareness had to change. You may not have ever heard of GitHub, but for many software developers, it’s a mecca. The site is the world’s largest home for public code. NASA developers have used it; Facebook developers have used it; the White House has used it; Fortune has used it. Seven years after it was founded by Chris Wanstrath, P.J. Hyett, and Tom Preston-Werner in 2008, GitHub is a $2 billion “unicorn”—billion-dollar private company—with $350 million in funding and more than 300 employees. Wanstrath, who was the company’s first CEO and regained the role in January 2014, earned a spot at No. 31 on Fortune’s new 40 Under 40."
4) Experience Is the New Competitive Salary from Chief Learning Officer
"Gen Y job hops for experience, not money, which means learning leaders have the power to keep them happy and employed. Don’t think that a boost in pay is going to keep Gen Y employees. Although a 2013 survey by Millennial Branding found that 30 percent of companies lose 15 percent or more of their millennial workers within a year, chances are it’s not because the pay is greener on the other side. According to a July 2015 study by crowdsourced talent acquisition platform RecruitiFi, millennials acknowledge that job hopping has the potential to look badly on their résumés, but 86 percent say that would not prevent them from pursuing their professional or personal passions. The organization’s CEO and founder, Brin McCagg, talked with Chief Learning Officer about what millennial job paths mean for learning leaders. Even though Gen Y recognizes the risks of job hopping, they’re still open to doing it. Why?"
5) Will culture kill Volkswagen? from Smartblog on Leadership
"There is a large contingent of travel enthusiasts (not all of them ex-hippies) who’ve enjoyed a long-standing romance with the iconic VW bus. Some of them have owned a model of the van for decades; even a former neighbor of mine, now in his retirement years, still fondly reminisces about driving across country in his youth “to find himself” and reluctantly back home again. I once knew a family that was so obsessed with their Volkswagen bus that they did everything possible to keep it running. Some 20 years into the relationship, however, the bus gave up and announced that the romance was over by catching fire while the owners were driving it across a bridge on a busy city street. The divorce papers were served and the family sadly accepted that there was no chance for reconciliation."
Lexi Gordon is a Lead Consultant for exaqueo, a workforce consultancy that helps organizations build their cultures, employer brands and talent strategies. Contact exaqueo to learn more about our employer brand innovation, workforce research, and recruiting strategy offerings.