June 2019

Reaching New Heights

Empower the workforce of the future by proactively building a diverse leadership pipeline.

By Marta Chmielowicz

In today’s competitive and fast-moving business world, innovation is key -and there’s no shortage of advice about how companies can innovate. From adopting AI-enabled technologies to embracing an agile mindset, HR leaders are working hard to stay ahead. But there’s another proven driver of progress and change that organizations can add to their list of strategies: building a diverse leadership team.

Diverse Leadership

Building Blocks to Diversity

People, process, and technology are key pillars to creating a more diverse workforce.

By Irina Novoselsky

The recruitment process has always been riddled with biases. Humans find it nearly impossible to prevent their opinions and experiences from coming into play when making a decision. But technology is empowering organizations to work toward eliminating bias, which in turn allows companies to build stronger and more diverse workforces.

Diverse Hiring

In the Right Direction

Gender pay inequities exist but the gap is narrowing.

By Katie Bardaro

Gender pay inequities persist in 2019, but not necessarily in the way many people think. There is a lot of miscommunication and confusion about the gender pay gap, so let’s set things straight.

Pay Equity

CEO’s Letter: A “Disengaged” HR Service Sector

Be Elliot H. Clark

At the HRO Today Forum in May, many CHROs and top-level practitioners were disappointed to hear Dr. Peter Cappelli of the Wharton Center for Human Resources say during a town hall session that current research suggests that employee engagement scores don’t tell HR or executive leadership very much as a predictive tool for productivity. I have not reviewed that research personally, but I defended the employee engagement provider industry saying that engagement surveys are predictive of retention -no minor issue -and can help identify problems in line management.

HRO Today

Advancing the Process

Screening tech innovations are improving speed, trust, transparency, and ultimately, the candidate experience.

By Marta Chmielowicz

With record numbers of millennials and Generation Z job candidates entering the workforce, employers are reconsidering their long-held hiring practices in order to attract and retain best-fit talent. Candidate experience is now one of the hottest topics in hiring, with organizations striving to illustrate their brand from their very first interactions with potential candidates. In fact, the State of Employer Branding survey by Jibe indicates that 95 percent of HR professionals feel that their brand is impacted by candidate experience.

Screening Technology

A Personal Touch

A robust recognition program can help deliver a rewarding employee experience that drives culture forward while improving engagement.

By Marta Chmielowicz

Today’s consumers not only value personalization, they expect it. In today’s tech-driven, hyper-stimulating world, people crave high-touch experiences that reinforce their sense of identity and acknowledge them as individuals. And yet, while personalization has been a cornerstone of the marketing world for years, organizations are only just beginning to apply those same principles to improving the employee experience (EX).

Employee Experience

Moving the Needle

As organizations transition to a total talent approach, these five strategies can help improve the process.

By The Editors

Change is on the horizon for many organizations when it comes to managing their talent ecosystems. There are many factors driving this: low unemployment, a rise in contingent labor, and evolving worker preferences, among others. In fact, recent research from Ardent Partners found that 73 percent of organizations are utilizing new methods to address the workforce. One such approach is total talent management.

Total Talent Management

You Are What They Think

New research provides insight into how companies invest and measure the impact of employer branding.

By Larry Basinait

How do organizations measure the impact of their employer branding activities and how are they investing in those brands? New research from HRO Today, in partnership with PeopleScout, found several best practices that help answer those questions by comparing companies that consider their employer brand a high priority to those that attach less significance to it.

Employer Branding

Scholarly Advice

An organization shares its strategic approaches to attracting recent college graduates.

By Julie Palmer and Claire Romaine

With the unemployment rate below 4 percent, competition for top talent is tougher than ever. However, waves of new talent are about to enter the workforce as the collegiate class of 2019 graduates across the country. Organizations must capitalize on the momentary influx and adjust both their recruitment strategies and benefits programs to appeal to the graduating demographic. When it comes to attracting and retaining young talent, there are a few key factors for HR professionals to consider.

Retaining Millennials

Maximizing Potential

New research reveals the drivers and deterrents of employee productivity -and how employee benefits can help both.

By Susan Podlogar

Employee performance has been a main focus of organizations as the key ingredient for success. However, this is no longer enough. MetLife’s 17th annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) found that employees across all generations are looking for support from employers both in and out of the workplace. As a result, if an organization wants to hit its potential, its employees must also be set up to hit their potential -at work and at home.

Employee Productivity

A Culture of Connection

A global workforce with dispersed employees can be brought together with technology and a human touch.

By Rachel Mooney

For HR professionals, the rise of the digital workplace presents an exciting but challenging opportunity. Technology has effectively blurred the lines between work and personal lives while enabling new opportunities for recruitment and retainment. There has also been a growing appreciation and awareness of the link between healthy brains, productivity, and achievement, as well as an acceptance that different types of employees produce their best work in different types of workspaces.

Global Workforce

Raising the Curtain

Get an inside look at this year’s HRO Today Forum North America.

By The Editors

Across three days of dynamic programming, 69 CHROs, 24 global heads of talent, and hundreds of senior-level HR executives came together with one common goal: to redefine how HR is done. On the agenda? Networking, thought leadership, and debate.

HRO Today Forum NA

Standout Tech

Learn more about the impact of the 2019 TekTonic Award winners.

By The Editors

Each year, HRO Today recognizes the latest tech solutions that empower HR leaders to streamline their people management processes and provide the necessary time to execute on strategies that are aligned with business goals. From making the benefits process easy and engaging to increasing candidate conversion rates, the 2019 TekTonic Award winners are adding insight and value to the many layers of human capital management.

TekTonic Awards

Confidence Index Hits All-Time High

Workers believe promotions and raises are coming their way.

By Larry Basinait

The Worker Confidence Index (WCI) for the first quarter of 2019 increased by 3.6 points to 110.7, the highest level since this study’s inception. The four indices that comprise the worker confidence index reported mixed results in the fourth quarter of 2018. The job security and likelihood of a raise indices both increased for the quarter, while the likelihood of a promotion and trust in company leadership both declined.

Worker Confidence Index