It wasn’t easy keeping up with HR news in 2018. Every day seemed to have a new story you just had to read, so you’re forgiven if you can’t recall each crisis and headline. We’ve compiled seven stories to bring you up to speed as the new year begins.
1. Kathryn Moody, How to Better Accommodate Mental Illness in the Workplace, HR Dive
Knowing how to handle mental illness in the office can be tricky, but in this straightforward article, Moody breaks down common dilemmas and how to approach them. The piece covers questions to ask employees, managers, and doctors and why an employee assistance program (EAP) is so valuable. It also reminds readers to be prepared when employees need accommodation for any health issue.
2. Valerie Bolden-Barrett, Survey: ‘Work Perks’ Are Gaining on Traditional Benefits, HR Dive
The economy was booming last year, and as more employers offered work perks as part of their standard benefits package to draw more applicants, more employees started to consider these advantages to be a significant part of their benefits. Bolden-Barrett, citing a survey, uses this quick read to pinpoint why this development is so important. For example:
3. Rachel Bitte, 2018 Was the Tipping Point for Recruiting, Fistful of Talent
On the Fistful of Talent blog, Rachel Bitte covers how recruiting morphed over the last year. She explores the backlash from recruiters looking for culture fit rather than relevant experience, loyalty versus cost in recruitment, and how job seekers have changed their approach to job hunting. Most importantly, Bitte draws attention to where recruiters will need to focus in order to stay relevant in 2019.
4. Kathryn Moody, Election Day Winners and Losers HR Execs Should Watch, HR Dive
It’s tempting to put your head in the sand when it comes to the news these days, but when you work in HR, that isn’t an option. No matter how much any of us may want to, nobody in HR can afford to ignore the news. Any change in employment and healthcare law, for example, can affect what we do and how we do it. This brief post covers the basics of 2018’s midterm election and what kind of changes its results could bring.
5. Lizzie Widdicombe, Improving Workplace Culture, One Review at a Time, New Yorker
The impact of Glassdoor on recruiting and general company reputation can’t be overstated. Lizzie Widdicombe explores how the website has developed over the last decade and the way it’s leveling the playing field for job applicants. She also confronts the ethical ambiguities of posting company reviews written by angry, anonymous former employees of that company. If a candidate has ever asked for your thoughts on a negative review of your company on Glassdoor, make sure you read this.
6. Josh Bersin, AI in HR: A Real Killer App, Josh Bersin
AI is a complex series of algorithms that processes and interprets data and whose impact on HR and the workforce in general is still unknown, but Josh Bersin still manages to dissect it in about 2,000 words. He covers both the positive impacts already felt by many HR reps and the potential downsides. Whether you dream of having an AI solution to help you with daily job duties or fear that an AI solution will relieve you of all job duties, this article will bring you up to speed.
7. Suzanne Lucas, New Study: Open Offices Kill Teamwork, Inc.
We’ll leave you with an article on a trend that started several years before 2018 but we hope will end there: the open-office floor plan. So much has been written on why open-office plans don’t work: employees don’t have privacy, it’s difficult to concentrate, and collaboration actually decreases, but the trend still hasn’t died. Here’s to a new year with fewer open offices and bigger lunch tables.
Between Glassdoor and midterm elections, 2018 had some pretty big HR headlines. In the comments section, let us know what we forgot to add!