In early 2015, Dan Price (CEO of Gravity Payments) made headlines with his ground-breaking decision to cut his own wages from $1.1M down to $70,000 per year. At the same time, he instituted a new organization-wide minimum wage of $70,000 for all positions. The announcement was met with both praise and skepticism. Some analysts feared the decision would be detrimental to the organization’s profits. They speculated that the increased wages would create conflict between more skilled workers who were already making near $70,000 based on their career growth and unique skill-set. The decision to increase workers’ wages and take a … Read More
Resilience: The 21st Century Workplace Skill
From our archives: Many of us grew up learning the 3 R’s throughout our education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). However, as technology changed and the needs of the workforce became more complex, educators realized the true skills necessary for success had changed as well. For the past decade, educators have been focused on teaching the four C’s that have been deemed 21st Century Workforce Skills. The 4 C’s necessary for workforce readiness are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Many organizations report that, despite higher education’s focus on the 4C’s, new graduates still lack basic proficiency in these areas.
Resilience: Another Look
Many of us grew up learning the 3 R’s throughout our education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). However, as technology changed and the needs of the workforce became more complex, educators realized the true skills necessary for success had changed as well. For the past decade, educators have been focused on teaching the four C’s that have been deemed 21st Century Workforce Skills. The 4 C’s necessary for workforce readiness are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Many organizations report that, despite higher education’s focus on the 4C’s, new graduates still lack basic proficiency in these areas.
Leadership Development: Choosing the Best Delivery System
There’s an old saying that “When the only tool in your toolbox is a hammer, you treat everything as a nail.” A similar phenomenon is happening in corporate training. Heavy investment in HR technology for employee development including eLearning, Learning Management Systems (LMS) and the accessibility of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) has changed the way we think about educating employees. Those changes, however, may not be in the best interest of the employee or the long-term health of the company. After spending tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars on implementing a LMS and customizing courses, naturally, there … Read More
Numbers Don’t Lie: Making the Case for Employee Development
Does this scenario sound familiar? You identify a common skills gap within your team and express your concerns to HR/Leadership. They agree and say they’ve seen a similar issue. You ask for support/funding to train your team. You know they need it, and HR knows they need it, but senior leadership is reluctant to allocate the necessary budget. After all, they just spent tens of thousands on an updated virtual video library for their LMS. Often, identifying the skills gap and the training/coaching solution is far easier than getting budget to fix the issue. Additionally, using a basic ROI equation … Read More
Tips for Remote Onboarding
Of all the concerns managers have about leading a remote team, perhaps one of the most daunting ones is how to effectively onboard a new team member to a fully remote team. In many organizations where remote work is an option, they still choose to initiate onboarding in person. In-person onboarding helps set the new employee off on the right foot and enables them to be effective in their new role quickly. While remote onboarding may not be ideal, with appropriate planning and effort the quality of the onboarding experience needn’t be sacrificed. Here are a few tips for remote … Read More