Next Practices Weekly

Competent, capable, and agile leaders are a necessity for any organization hoping to maximize productivity and growth. To ensure this, high-performance organizations implement frameworks that identify the essential skills, behaviors, and attributes needed. In this Next Practices Weekly session, you’ll hear from Roz Tsai, Ph.D., Chief Talent Officer at Thrivent, a company that has supported and amplified its clients' generosity efforts for over 100 years. We’ll discuss: The recent launch of Thrivent’s Leadership Competency Model. And how to leverage Thrivent’s Leadership Competency Model at your organization. To ensure open discussion, this event is exclusively for HR practitioners. Vendors and consultants are not permitted to attend.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, Carrie Bevis, i4cp's Managing Director, Communities and Partnerships; Eric Davis, i4cp's Creative Director and Senior Editor; and Kevin Osborne, i4cp Senior Director, Member Development, facilitated a conversation with special guest Karthik Varatharaj, Vice President and Chief Talent Officer at Levi Strauss. Here are some highlights from the call: Levi Strauss includes several well-known brands, from the iconic Levi's to Dockers, Denizen from Levi's, and Beyond Yoga. The core values of Levi Strauss Co. include empathy, originality, integrity, and courage. Karthik said that these pillars guide very decision Levi's makes and every action they take. And they fuel their commitment to drive profits through principles. Davis shared some of i4cp's research from earlier this year that found that very healthy cultures have leaders who: Varatharaj described that at Levi's they have a Moral Leadership Framework in place, which includes four key pillars: Levi's has a relatively new leadership development program called NXT-GEN. They've had around 140 leaders go through the program so far, and expect another 140-150 to do so in the next couple of years. NXT-GEN is an accelerator for emerging leaders who are navigating the increasingly interdependent and morally activated world. The program: Levi Strauss Co. has four high-performance culture levers: Levi Strauss Co. has a multi-level Talent Accelerator program: Varatharaj also described their Manager Capability Model. Beyond education and training, they are standing up a comprehensive measurement, accountability and evaluation model for people managers. This includes development, assessment, and performance management components. See the slides above for more details. Varatharaj noted that earlier this Levi Strauss Co. did institute a RTO policy at three days per week, but with significant flexibility that managers can leverage at their discretion with their teams. He noted that managers know best how work gets done, and how collaboration best happens, on their teams.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11 am ET / 8 am PT. On this week's call, Nina Holtsberry, i4cp's Director of Member Engagement, and Jacqui Robertson, Chief Diversity Officer at Cleveland Clinic, facilitated a conversation with special guest Sheryl Battles, VP of Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement at Pitney Bowes. Here are some highlights from the call: Pitney Bowes is a global shipping and mailing company that provides technology, logistics, and financial services to help clients reduce the complexities of sending parcels and mail. They have around 11,000 employees and did around $3.5 billion in revenue last year. They service 90% of the Fortune 500, have a global e-commerce business, and are the largest workshare partner of the USPS. Robertson reviewed a timeline of critical events in DE&I going back to the 1960s (see recording). Battles agreed that the arc of the timeline has been a shift from compliance, to a focus on talent, to a focus on business strategy. Battles noted that in order for a DEI strategy to be resilient, it needs to be aligned with the culture, values, and business strategy of the organization--that is where sustainability comes from. Without this, it can fade away because it will be seen as an add-on, instead of as critical, embedded, and integral to the organization. It is vital to understand the "why" of your DEI strategy, not merely the who and the what. You can make short-term impacts without this understanding, but long-term, sustainable impact requires understanding the why. Battles shared the story of the very long legacy of DEI strategy at Pitney Bowes which actually goes back over 80 years, to World War II, when their CEO at the time broadened the aperture of who could be hired as talent to include women, the disabled, and Black Americans. He specifically required a review to make sure that there were no practices or processes (e.g., systemic racism or sexism) that would get in the way of doing this. Battles noted that at Pitney Bowes, they consider DEI across all areas of the employee lifecycle, so that the entire employee experience is considered and no gaps can arise. Battles said that the listening strategy at Pitney Bowes involves both an in-depth annual engagement survey, as well as pulse surveys every three weeks with different and more targeted questions. Managers have a dashboard where they can see results (as long as they have at least five employees who participated). Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership i4cp’s Report (members only): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp’s Brief (available to all): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution?

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone facilitated a conversation with Judy Albers, i4cp's Director of Research Enablement. She shared insights from a tool she created for i4cp members earlier this year, Holding Leaders Accountable for the Employee Experience. Here are some highlights from the call: First, it is helpful to understand i4cp's point of view on employee experience, and especially how to measure it in your organization. For this, see the article ⁠The Essential Metrics of High-Performance Employee Engagement⁠, by Lorrie Lykins. Further, i4cp member organizations can learn more about employee experience from the many resources at the ⁠Employee Experience Research Series⁠. Regarding how to hold leaders accountable for the employee experience, Albers first shared some i4cp research data to set the context and establish why this matters: Albers also noted this powerful finding from ⁠Microsoft's WorkLab⁠: "On average, each additional point of engagement reported by employees correlated with a +$46,511 difference in market cap per employee. Put simply, companies with highly engaged workforces had better financial outcomes. Leaders need to treat employee engagement with the same strategic importance as business and financial outcomes." The toolkit Albers created walks through a five-step process for building a business case for holding leaders accountable for the employee experience. The toolkit then walks through a five-step implementation process: Participant Poll Question: Does your company hold leaders accountable for any aspect of the employee experience? Participant Poll Question: If yes, what are employee experience metrics tied to? Participant Poll Question: What methods are you using to collect culture data? The most common answers were annual or semi-annual engagement survey, a dedicated culture survey, and frequent pulse surveys. Additional responses included: Participant Poll Question: How are you helping leaders improve their employee experience scores? The most common answers were formal coaching and formal training. Additional responses included: Links to resources shared on the call: Currently open i4cp survey (November, 2023): ⁠Employer-Supported Upskilling Programs⁠ Upcoming ⁠i4cp virtual events⁠ i4cp's ⁠Next Practices Now conference⁠ Information on ⁠i4cp Membership⁠ i4cp’s Report (members only): ⁠Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution?⁠ i4cp’s Brief (available to all): ⁠Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution?⁠ i4cp Research Brief: ⁠Culture Fitness: Healthy Habits of High-Performance Organizations⁠ Additional i4cp Culture resources at ⁠www.culturerenovation.com⁠ i4cp member-only Toolkit: ⁠How to Hold Leaders Accountable for Employee Experience⁠ SHRM Article: ⁠Building a Data-Driven Culture Health Index⁠ (Mastercard example)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, Bethany Vogel, i4cp Community Program Manager, and Tom Stone, i4cp Senior Research Analyst, facilitated a conversation with special guest Andre Martin, PhD, author of Wrong Fit, Right Fit: Why How We Work Matters More Than Ever, and former learning and talent management executive at Accenture, Google, Target, Nike, and Mars. Here are some highlights from the call: One of Martin's overall goals is to make work feel less like work. His recent book, Wrong Fit, Right Fit: Why How We Work Matters More Than Ever, arose from this perspective as well as Martin's curiosity about what makes great workplaces truly great. The research for the book involved interviewing over 100 individuals about their experiences of right and wrong fit with a company. Martin emphasized the importance of understanding individual work preferences and the negative impact of wrong fit on wellbeing and work-life balance. He also shared his concern about the issue of disengagement in companies, which is estimated to cause a staggering loss of 7.9 trillion dollars in productivity. Martin shared six trends that he sees as crucial to getting us to our current state of work: Martin noted that the concept of 'right fit' in a workplace is a challenging one, and he emphasized the importance of understanding the difference between who an employee is vs. how they work and how companies function. He noted that many successful CEOs have experienced moments of wrong fit and that addressing this issue can significantly reduce stress. Martin emphasized the need for individuals to reflect deeply on their personal needs and aspirations before taking a job. He also highlighted the importance of understanding one's true values, beyond the generic ones that everyone claims to value, as they can influence major life decisions. Here are the kinds of key questions you need to ask: Martin noted the many challenges companies face in training employees on how the work really gets done, the need for a unified project management system, and a clear understanding of the company's principles, practices, and platforms. Martin also noted the misconception that creative individuals thrive in chaos. He shared an anecdote about a colleague who initially resisted strict guidelines at her company but later realized that they enabled her to focus on her work. He emphasized that standardized principles, practices, and platforms can be liberating for creative individuals, allowing them to excel within a structured environment. Links to resources shared on the call: Amazon link to Andre Martin's book: Wrong Fit, Right Fit: Why How We Work Matters More Than Ever Andre Martin's website, WrongFitRightFit.com Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership i4cp’s Report (members only): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp’s Brief (available to all): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp’s Report (members only): The Productivity Predicament i4cp’s Brief (available to all): The Productivity Predicament

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, Carrie Bevis, i4cp Managing Director of Communities and Partnerships, and Tom Stone, i4cp Senior Research Analyst, facilitated a conversation with special guest Rob Cross, Professor at Babson College and SVP of Research at i4cp. Here are some highlights from the call: Cross shared from his research that for much of modern work, 3-5% of people account for 20-35% of the value added collaborations. And yet companies are typically not aware of half of these key employees. Cross noted that organizations too often don't take a precise enough approach to employee transitions, both onboarding but also internal moves. And then there is real ROI to take an approach that focuses on networks, trust, etc. Cross' research shows this ROI comes from three sources: Cross walked through his research that comparing two archetypical employees, "A Tale of Two Transitions." One follows a the advice from classic coaching, while the other follows what he calls "fast mover" insights. See the slides and/or session recording for the detailed differences. Differences in results for these two approaches really start to appear after the 9-month mark, where the first individual has to work 2-4 times harder to scale their accomplishments, while the second individual more often finds ideas and opportunities flowing to them, and they more likely start to have a sense of belonging, satisfaction, and motivation. The "fast mover" applied three overarching principles and 12 critical practices over the first 9-12 months. When to optimally leverage each practice varies depending on the transition type, such as new hire, new leader, promoted leader, and lateral role shift. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership i4cp’s Report (members only): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp’s Brief (available to all): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp’s Report (members only): The Productivity Predicament i4cp’s Brief (available to all): The Productivity Predicament Tool: Calculate the Benefits of Accelerating Role Transitions Amazon links to Rob Cross' latest two books: This event is approved for certification credits.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp Chief Research Officer Kevin Martin, and Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone, facilitated a conversation with special guest Brian Baker, Chief People Officer at Teneo. Here are some highlights from the call: Teneo is a global CEO advisory firm that draws upon an expansive network of senior advisors to provide services across five business segments to help their clients solve complex business challenges. They have 43 offices and around 1,600 employees. Their HR/people strategy is focused on the three pillars of career, capabilities, and culture, all while making sure they nail the fundamentals. Baker said that what makes a great member of his people team is a strong combination of skills, experience, and behaviors--but that these days adaptability is also critical. Baker described one of their key L&D initiatives, their SMD Accelerator program, which aims to accelerate the enablement of newly promoted senior leaders to deliver on their responsibilities. The program, which involved around 20 individuals, was designed to build a strong leadership foundation for the future, integrating often separate discussions about wellbeing, mental health, and inclusion. The program was highly successful, with 95% of participants feeling they had been accelerated into their roles, and 97% rating the program as very effective. Additionally, the program contributed to their culture by investing in senior people and fostering a more holistic view of leadership. The success of the program was also measured through an NPS score of 9 out of 10 and a positive impact on the business development pipeline. Baker highlighted the program's potential for onboarding senior talent and its innovative approach to integrating newly acquired companies. Baker introduced the metaphor of leaders as lifeguards, emphasizing the need for leaders to create a welcoming and safe environment while also being capable of handling difficult situations. For instance, given the complexities of leadership in a hybrid environment, leaders need to spot potential risks and take appropriate actions, such as seeing a lack of engagement as a warning flag. Regarding generative AI, Baker said that their goal is to create a unified understanding of AI within the organization for better client work and the development of a common language. Their AI 101 initiative was designed to be inclusive and to build capability at scale. He emphasized that the aim was not just to train the people team but to involve senior business partners for greater credibility. Another recent focus is on data literacy on the people team, going well beyond collecting more data to also being able to put it to work effectively and leading with insights. Baker also noted the role that data is playing in their journey in shifting away from an emphasis on activities to outcomes. In terms of organizational culture, Teneo positions where they want to go as "Our Shared North Star." This has the following six elements: Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events October 24th i4cp AI Revolution webinar (register here) i4cp’s Report (members only): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp’s Brief (available to all): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution? i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership Amazon links to three books mentioned on the call: This event is approved for certification credits.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp CEO and Co-Founder Kevin Oakes, and Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone, facilitated a conversation with special guest Mike Asbery, Vice President of People Experience at Autodesk. Here are some highlights from the call: Autodesk is a software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Francisco. They have 14,000+ employees and 96 offices worldwide with around $5 billion in annual revenue. They are a global leader in software for architecture, engineering, and manufacturing. HR at Autodesk is divided into centers of expertise, experience delivery, and people business partners. People experience at Autodesk encompasses five areas: People Insights, EX Design, People Services, People Consulting, and Thrive (employee relations). Autodesk has a strong culture, with an ethos of sustainability, innovation, and diversity. This culture has been recognized in Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators (2022), Glassdoor's Best Places to Work (2023), and the Corporate Knights' Index of Most Sustainable Company (2023). The work model at Autodesk is "hybrid by design, not by default." Asbery detailed their Flex Forward program which is Autodesk's new flexible work policy, first launched in May 2021. There are many components of their approach, starting with an intentional redesign of many of their office workspaces. This has included new collaborative and conference area spaces with strong technology elements, varying seating arrangements, and good catering options. In particular, Asbery discussed the newly implemented Autodesk Conference experience, a service that enables teams to have on-site offsites in hub locations with a similar experience to hotel conference centers. The service has been successful in locations like San Francisco, Portland, Denver, Barcelona, Munich, Singapore, and Dublin. Asbery emphasized the importance of employees coming into the office when they feel it's productive, or when requested by their manager, to facilitate valuable in-person connections. He outlined their avoidance of a fixed hybrid work approach and focused on the importance of individual flexibility. Three digital experiences, which enable greater productivity, connection, and belonging, that Asbery described were: Asbery then described several other key features of their Flex Forward approach, including: What has been the impact of the program so far? Asbery noted that their flexible or remote roles get much more diverse talent, and a higher volume of applicants overall. They are seeing 1.6x more applicants for hybrid/remote roles vs. baseline; 1.8x more female candidates; and 1.5x more under-represented people of color candidates. They have also witnessed a lower attrition rate for their remote workers as well. Participant poll during the session: What is your organization’s current work model policy? Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events October 24th i4cp AI Revolution webinar (register here) i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership HRE’S HR Technology Conference & Exposition (October 2023) More information on Autodesk's FlexForward program i4cp’s Productivity Predicament Brief (for everyone) i4cp’s Productivity Predicament Report (members only)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp VP of Research Lorrie Lykins and VP of Executive Search, facilitated a conversation with special guest Joshua Stewart, SVP, Head of Talent Acquisition & Outreach at PNC Bank. Here are some highlights from the call: PNC Bank has a long history dating back to its founding in 1845. They are headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but operates in 27 states plus Washington, DC, with over 2,500 branches. Stewart has been at PNC Bank for over 20 years, starting as a financial sales consultant before shifting into HR roles later in his career. Stewart shared about PNC's PartnerUp program that helps attract, retain, and develop early-career employees. The program's mission statement reads: "PartnerUp empowers high school graduates to enter, and thrive in, a job market that's in need of their skills. When employers partner with schools to provide committed guidance, real-world opportunities and ongoing assistance, students will take the first step on a road that leads to a proud, flourishing and secure future -- for themselves and the Communities they call home." The PartnerUp program was first piloted in 2017 following an external inflection point study that showed the region would fall significantly short of skilled workers in the coming years. Full launch came in 2018 in the Pittsburgh, PA area. It then expanded to Cleveland, OH in 2021, and a further expansion in Birmingham, AL has since been announced. The program now involves 65+ schools, 18 employers (including PNC Bank), and multiple community partners. The program especially targets students who are not necessarily focusing on college as their next step after graduation. PartnerUp is a recruiting initiative that builds connection between career-bound high school seniors looking for an alternative to the "college for all" mentality and employers with career opportunities. Some key highlights: Industries included in this initiative include healthcare, trade organizations, the service industry, financial services, and many others. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership HRE’S HR Technology Conference & Exposition (October 2023) i4cp’s Next Practices Now Conference (March 2024) i4cp brief: Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution i4cp report (members only): Is HR Already Behind in the AI Revolution

Delta Air Lines, North America's most on-time airline, understands that employee wellness transcends traditional healthcare. In this Next Practices Weekly episode, Kelley Elliott, Vice President of Total Rewards delves into Delta's three-fold strategy for enhancing employee well-being: addressing financial stressors, strategic partnerships with Operation Hope and Fidelity Investments, and empowering eligible employees to optimize their benefits. In lock-step with our research, financial stressors can significantly affect an employee's overall wellness. Delta also recognizes this challenge and is taking proactive steps to alleviate it. By seamlessly integrating financial wellness initiatives into its corporate culture, the company creates an environment where employees can thrive without the weight of financial concerns. This commitment underscores Delta's dedication to holistic well-being. Delta's transformative partnerships with Operation Hope and Fidelity Investments reinforce its employee wellness mission. Operation Hope, a respected non-profit, specializes in financial inclusion and education. Delta's collaboration empowers its workforce with financial knowledge and resources, equipping them for a more secure future. Additionally, the partnership with Fidelity Investments bolsters Delta's commitment. It offers tailored investment and retirement planning solutions, enabling employees to take charge of their financial destiny. Delta further facilitates a path for eligible employees to maximize their benefits. It streamlines the benefits enrollment process, making it accessible and user-friendly. Comprehensive support and guidance ensure that employees make informed choices aligned with their financial goals. Delta's commitment extends to personalized benefits packages, recognizing the uniqueness of each employee's financial situation. By tailoring benefits offerings, Delta empowers its employees to select options that align with their specific needs, empowering them to maximize their financial well-being. Listen to the full episode to delve deeper into Delta's innovative strategies for enhancing employee well-being.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT. On this week's episode, i4cp's Eric Davis and Nina Holtsberry, along with Jacqui Robertson, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Cleveland Clinic, facilitated a conversation with special guest Darcy Pierson, Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader at Oshkosh. Here are some highlights from the call: Oshkosh is an industrial vehicle manufacturing company that designs and builds specialty trucks, military vehicles, truck bodies, airport fire apparatus, and access equipment. They are headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Pierson shared that when it comes to creating DEI goals at Oshkosh, a key principle was to "make it their own," and not necessarily follow what other organizations are doing. One way they did this was to focus at the top-leader level, knowing that diverse leaders more often hire diverse employees. One key practice for Pierson is determining where there are pockets of resistance to the organization's DEI goals. Pierson cited research from both McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group that found that organizations with both gender-diverse and racial/ethnically-diverse workers will outperform those that do not. Pierson noted that Oshkosh they believe that DEI needs to be embedded into everyday talent processes. An example she shared is that for talent acquisition require that 75% of the time a woman and a BIPOC candidate must be part of the candidate slate. Pierson cited i4cp's Leadership Redefined study which found that a key next practice was having leaders that consistently establish productive relationships with individuals from under-represented groups. Other key behaviors that support that practice included: Pierson advised that organizations need to get consensus and agreement on where the organization wants to goal regarding all DEI goals -- where do they want to be in the future? Pierson is most proud of Oshkosh's EBRGs (Employee Business Resource Groups). They were negatively impacted by COVID, but have rebounded very strongly and having a very strong impact on the company. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership HRE’S HR Technology Conference & Exposition (October 2023) i4cp’s Next Practices Now Conference (March 2024)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone and Membership Director Colleen Hunter facilitated a conversation with special guest Rocki Rockingham, CHRO at GE Appliances. Here are some highlights from the call: GE Appliances is an American home appliance manufacturer based in Louisville, Kentucky. It has been majority owned by Chinese multinational home appliances company Haier since 2016. They have around 16,500 employees, while Haier overall has just over 100,000 employees globally. GE Appliances by the numbers: Each year they build 2,500 units per hour, deliver an appliance every 13.8 seconds, procure 3 billion parts, and manage 16 million calls through their call center. At GE Appliances, a simply philosophy, adapted from their Chinese parent company Haier, guides their ambition as a company. They recognize that their main challenge is to lead change… or allow others to change them. As a result, they have adopted the Chinese Rendanheyi Management Model which has three main components: The entrepreneurial spirit is seen in their creation of over a dozen "micro-enterprises" with GE Appliances, such as Clothes Care, Refrigeration, Filtration, Small Appliances, and so on. These are in turn supported by "platforms" such as technology, supply chain, finance, marketing, human resources, and so on. Key behaviors show up in four ways: HR at GE Appliances has three purpose components: HR at GE Appliances is using AI, including generative AI, in a safe, sandbox environment. They have teams that are exploring various use cases to eliminate the most mundane tasks in talent acquisition, onboarding, and other talent management areas. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership HRE’S HR Technology Conference & Exposition (October 2023) i4cp’s Next Practices Now Conference (March 2024)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone and Membership Director Jenelle Buatti facilitated a conversation with special guest Mike Eby, Vice President of Talent at Delaware North. Here are some highlights from the call: Delaware North is a global food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries (see brief video at 7:10 in the session recording). Since Delaware North supports large venues and events, the COVID-19 pandemic hit their business particularly hard. Going into early 2020 the company had around 40,000 employees, but then during the peak of lockdowns/etc. they employed just under 1,000. Those employees were busy planning the return to work and the relaunch of all of their events and venues as the various national, state, and local governments allowed re-openings. Key to do this was a having a lot of transparency and strong communication with all employees. The key was timing: staffing needed to occur slightly ahead of when governments allowed events and venues to open up again. Many employees were happy to return because they love their location and the hospitality industry, but also because of the way they were treated by Delaware North during the furlough/etc. period. One of early decisions made to support employee well-being was to expand their EAP--which had previously only been available to a subset of employees--to all employees, including all hourly, seasonal, etc.. They have since further expanded the EAP this time by broadening what is offered, such as adding more learning opportunities in areas like financial planning 101, how to save for retirement, how to interpret and manage benefits, crisis management, etc. The organization's EVP, Employee Value Proposition, is a critical focus at Delaware North (see brief video at 23:15 in the session recording). In developing and socializing the EVP, they focused internally first, and only later on the external employee brand. The EVP has three primary components: In the past, Delaware North's employee listening approach was very ad hoc--if they had 200 different properties, they very well might have 200 different approaches to employee listening. This changed as the need arose during the pandemic to consistently hear the voice of all employees. They launched a new platform to capture information from employees, and instituted lifecycle listening--meaning key moments such as interview candidates, 60 and 90 days after joining, exit interviews, etc. They also now engagement surveys on a rolling basis, every 8-9 months, due to the seasonality of their business. The platform they use is Qualtrics. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership i4cp's The Productivity Predicament report (members only) i4cp’s The Productivity Predicament brief (publicly available) i4cp's whitepaper: Supercharge Your Employee Listening Strategy HRE’S HR Technology Conference & Exposition (October 2023) i4cp’s Next Practices Now Conference (March 2024)   This event is approved for certification credits.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone hosted his colleague Katheryn Brekken, PhD, also a Senior Research Analyst at i4cp, who presented key findings at the intersection of two recent i4cp studies on culture fitness and generative AI. Here are some highlights from the call: Download the slides above or view the recording to see the many research findings that were shared. Participant Poll #1: How has your organization’s culture changed over the past year? Participant Poll #2: How is change generally viewed in your organization? Participant Poll #3: In which of the following ways do you personally use generative AI at work? Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership Past i4cp NPW events HRE’S HR Technology Conference & Exposition (October 2023) i4cp’s Learning & Development Survey (open through early September, 2023) i4cp's study Culture Fitness (members only): Healthy Habits of High-Performance Organizations i4cp’s Culture Fitness Brief (for everyone) i4cp’s Toolkit: How to hold Leaders accountable for employee experience (members only) Article: "How Generative AI Will Forever Change the Role of Instructional Designers" i4cp’s NPW: Generative AI: What HR leaders should be doing now (on-demand recording)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone facilitated a conversation with special guest Debbie Shotwell, Chief People and Culture Officer at Stack Overflow. Here are some highlights from the call: Shotwell has over 20 years of experience as an HR leader at organizations including Peoplesoft, Taleo, Pacific Pulmonary Services, Good Technology, BigCommerce, Saba Software, and now Stack Overflow. She also currently serves on the advisory board of Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, WorkTribe Dynamics, and Agile Literacy. Over the last several years, she and her team have helped Stack Overflow integrate with technology investor Prosus; nearly double in size; become more data-driven in their approach to people; significantly improve the talent acquisition team and processes; accelerate and formalize diversity, equity, and inclusion with a written strategic plan; and roll out a company-wide L&D strategy. Stack Overflow's overall vision is to become the most valuable destination for the world's current and next generation of technologists. To support that vision, the people team's vision is to fuel Stack Overflow's growth by making it a coveted and long-term career destination and great place to work. The people team's vision is built on four principles: Stack Overflow was already close to 50/50 remote vs. onsite workers prior to the pandemic. Of course they went 100% remote in 2020, and since then they have emphasized flexibility in the where of work while carefully considering their best approach for the longer term. After listening to employees, they recently decided on fully remote going forward--doing so in a way that preserves their strong culture while garnering the obvious cost savings. For instance, they are very focused on how they onboard new employees, including having new employees meet the CEO. Shotwell also holds monthly meetings for organizational culture-building purposes. And they provide funding for employees to use WeWork or similar arrangements if they are not well setup for working from home. Shotwell noted that the "when" of work is also flexible for employees at Stack Overflow. What matters is goals and outcomes being achieved, not working set hours each day. Shotwell noted that when asked a few years ago what was missing in the employee value proposition at Stack Overflow, employees indicated more was needed in the area of learning and development, career journeys, etc. So that has been a focus area since, with her team developing a "learning and growth" strategy with four aspects: skills-based development; career paths and learning paths; robust employee enablement tools; and multiple learning modalities. Employees, who Shotwell noted are affectionately known as "Stackers," have access to a MyAcademy portal, which provides self-paced learning resources from popular vendors such as LinkedIn Learning, Skillsoft, GetAbstract, Udemy, Coursera, Harvard, and more. Their skills are also used to recommend courses and learning paths. Each month, half-days are dedicated to employee skills development, with a rotation through three types: self-directed learning, team/department level training, and company-sponsored learning events such as a thought leader, guest speaker, or topic with broad learning need. After one year, the results have been very positive: the company has grown by almost 50% (~550 employees now), they have an 81% FY23 engagement score (up 4% from FY22), and an 81% L&D score (up 7% from FY22). At Stack Overflow, a key part of their DEIB initiatives is the role of their nine Employee Resource Groups. One special ERG is their broad Allyship ERG, which focuses on allyship across all identity groups and has over 150 members. The ERGs at Stack Overflow use Slack channels for ongoing discussion between live meetings.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone hosted i4p colleague Judy Albers, Director of Research Enablement, for a discussion of AI and especially generative AI and its impact on, and importance for, the HR field. Here are some highlights from the call: An informal chat-based polling of call participants not surprisingly found most indicated they were at most experimenting with generative AI tools such as ChatGPT or others, with very few indicating much experience, expertise, or work use cases yet. Albers walked through definitions with examples of three types of AI: Machine Learning (e.g., Netflix recommendations), Deep Learning (e.g., Self-driving cars), and Generative AI (e.g., ChatGPT). Download the slides above for the definitions of each. Tactically, we can expect generative AI to provide significant productivity gains in many areas of knowledge work, in part through the automation of mundane tasks. This could also lead eventually to a reduction in worker burnout and an increase in worker engagement. Organizations will vary, however, in how they balance the gains they could see from the standard three elements of productivity: time, cost, and quality. Some will focus on cost savings by having fewer employees in certain roles, but others will seek more benefit from production happening faster, and/or the quality of goods and services produced being increased. Some organizations will see all three benefits, striking some degree of balance in reducing costs, increasing speed, and improving quality. Some of these benefits will arise from more strategic uses of AI, that is those that impact harder-to-solve problems. Albers gave examples such as the use of AI to improve internal mobility driven by skills data, enabling more data-driven decisions, and better handling of intractable culture issues or compliance issues. Albers shared ample advice for what Chief People Officers need to be doing now, both in their role as head of HR and in their role as people advisor to the C-Suite. Download the slides above for the details. She also shared similar recommendations for HRBPs and HR professionals who work in each Center of Excellence within HR (again, see the slides for details). Albers review six primary risks of using AI: A recent i4cp survey of over 1,500 HR professionals found that it is still early days for HR when it comes to using generative AI: In addition, 52% said they have no or low confidence in HR's readiness to contribute to AI strategy; 32% said their leaders are not communicating about AI; and 29% said HR is not involved in the governance of AI or advanced automation decisions. Further, the same survey found the following usage rates by functional area for the 22% who indicated they are at least experimenting with generative AI: Albers shared lists of the most common uses of AI across TA, L&D, Total Rewards, DEIBJ, People Analytics, and Employee Experience. (See the slides for details.) Albers suggested several ways for HR professionals to get started with generative AI, including signing up for ChatGPT at openAI.com; exploring the available Chrome (or other browsers) extensions for AI; following key trailblazers in the field; and taking a course from providers such as LinkedIn Learning, Google, Udemy, Coursera, Skillsoft, etc.

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp VP of Research and Managing Editor Lorrie Lykins, and i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone, facilitated a conversation with special guest Joanna Clark, Senior Vice President, Talent Acquisition Strategy and Transformation at Wells Fargo. Here are some highlights from the call: TA at Wells Fargo had been decentralized for a long time, but is now on a journey that focuses on centralization, process simplification, strategic consultation capabilities, and data-driven insights and decisions. This is a multi-year transformation of the TA function. At Wells Fargo they have spent time over the past couple of years refining their capacity management model. Every month the TA leaders get together to judge current and future capacity across the different parts of the business. The formalizing of this process (vs. chat, email, phone) has really made a difference. Related to this has been some attention to their high-volume TA process. There has been a change in recent years given the emergence of gig work (Uber, etc.) and the expectations of candidates for a quick, simple hiring process for certain roles. This includes considering greater automation, but also the experience for the candidates for high-volume roles. Interestingly, some changes they might implement here could carry over to non-high volume TA processes. In terms of TA technology at Wells Fargo, they have consolidated onto Workday as their Applicant Tracking System (ATS), and also use Beamery CRM. Clark noted that in TA at Wells Fargo, in partnership with the L&D function, they are looking at how to take a more skills-centric approach to their talent processes, because increasingly there just aren't enough candidates that have exactly all that is included in a given job description. Wells Fargo has always had a strong, if informal, culture of internal mobility, with historically over 50% of hires being internal. More recently, with higher goals for mobility, there is an increased focus to formalize a process in partnership with the talent management team. Wells Fargo is using AI and RPA to help better leverage data across their various platforms. Doing so has greatly increased the usefulness of their data for HR and business leaders. Clark noted that generative AI is currently be evaluated, especially for business use cases to help eliminate repetitive work and also to bring to life their policies and procedures to make them more usable. Clark emphasized how important mentorships are in the TA space. More and more organizations are offering cross-company mentoring for recruiters, and she is a big advocate for this. What does Clark look for in TA professionals to join her team? People who can think outside of their day job, can see the bigger picture, and think about transformational change. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership i4cp's The Productivity Predicament report (members only) i4cp’s The Productivity Predicament brief (publicly available) HR is Using Generative AI (AI Toolkit Excerpt for non-members) I4cp's Guidebook on Talent Mobility and Internal Talent Marketplaces (members only)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11am ET / 8am PT. On this week's call, i4cp Membership Director Jenelle Buatti, and i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone, facilitated a conversation with special guests Samanntha Dubridge, Vice President of Global Benefits, Culture & People Experience and Cile Lucas, Global Culture & Team Member Experience Lead at HPE, the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company. Here are some highlights from the call: HPE is a global edge-to-cloud company that delivers solutions as a service that help organizations connect, protect, analyze, and act on all their data and applications. HPE was formed in 2015 after a split from HP Inc. HPE has about $30B in revenue, around 60,000 global team members, produces around 1,000 patents annually, and recently was #32 on Fortune's 100 Best employers. HPE's four core beliefs help to shape their culture, with each having three related behaviors: Similar, HPE has a "Four E's" of How We Lead: They shared how HPE integrates culture into the daily lives of their team members: They also shared their holistic approach to team member wellbeing, which they provide tools and resources across four pillars: Physical health, Financial well-being, Mental and emotional health, Community well-being. Three campaigns that they shared were: One of two innovation-focused initiatives that they shared about was called "The Innovation Quest." The purpose is to reinforce the role of innovation in HPE transformation, to fuel the spirit of innovation as part of their culture, and to create potential for game-changing outcomes. The Innovation Quest is an annual global contest inviting team members to submit their boldest and most innovative ideas to accelerate our transformation. It includes executive sponsorship and finalist judging at EC level, and has had 1,600 ideas submitted in first 3 years. All ideas are referred to the business for consideration, with winners participating in a development forum and securing resources to implement. The other innovation-focused initiative is called "Escape the Red Tape." It is a global team member contest for ideas to remove inefficiency and drive productivity/engagement. Ideas are submitted under three categories: "Fix it", "Accelerate it", or "Eliminate it". They've seen over 650 entries narrowed down to 22 finalists, with winners in each category selected by the CEO and executive team, with support and project team then provided. Celebration for all winners reinforces HPE's commitment and spirit of innovation. They also shared what the key areas of focus are for their HR team -- the initiatives that are helping HPE to sustain high engagement and low attrition, while helping to attract talent and accelerate business transformation: culture and innovation; Hybrid work environment; Team member wellbeing; and Team norms and future of work. Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership i4cp's The Productivity Predicament report (members only) i4cp’s The Productivity Predicament brief (publicly available) i4cp’s Next Practices in Holistic Well-Being (report)

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11 am ET / 8 am PT. On this week's call, i4cp's Director of Member Engagement Nina Holtsberry and Creative Director Eric Davis, along with Jacqui Robertson, Chair of i4cp’s CDO Board and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at The Cleveland Clinic, facilitated a conversation with special guest Celeste Warren, VP of Merck’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence. Here are some highlights from the call: Warren shared that the purpose of DEI at Merck is to create a more globally diverse work environment for their employees, surrounding them with a culture of engagement, empowerment, equity, and psychological safety so that they can achieve the organization's mission of saving and improving lives. She elaborated on how the focus is in four areas: people, culture, business, and world. A major focus for Warren and Merck has been psychological safety. This has come up recently in regard to the return to office shift. Another focus has been on employees and their various identities, leveraging some of their ten ERGs to help inform the approach. Warren noted the importance at Merck of allyship, noting their launch of an Ally Resource Center. Their belief is that allyship is not defined as those that are in power being the allies of those not in power, but rather that everyone should be an ally to others who identify differently than they do. Warren also spoke to the importance of diversity in medicine and specifically in clinical trials, in order to better understand the impacts of healthcare disparity on different communities. In response to a participant's question about how to drive greater diversity in various regions of the world, Warren stressed the need to change where you source talent by building relationships in the relevant communities--you can't take an "if you build it they will come" approach and just hope it will work. Regarding the role of a Chief Diversity Officer, Warren noted that some of the critical capabilities include strong communication throughout an organization, strong business acumen, and an understanding of the global, external environment. During the call, we asked the following participant poll question: "How have recent judicial and legislative actions related to DE&I affected your personal and/or professional sense of well-being?" During the call, we asked the following participant poll question: "How are recent judicial and legislative actions impacting your organization's current or planned DE&I initiatives? (select all that apply)"   Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership

The Next Practices Weekly call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders each Thursday at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT. On this week's call, i4cp Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone hosted two of his colleagues, Kevin Oakes, CEO & Co-Founder, and Mollie Lombardi, Senior Research Analyst, who discussed key findings from i4cp recent research study, The Productivity Predicament. Here are some highlights from the call: The i4cp Productivity Predicament study's survey involved 624 responses from 52 countries; 46% outside North America, and 53% from senior executive, C-level, or board member. Top-performing organizations remain productive, with 49% of high-performance organizations (HPO) saying productivity has increased since March 2022, vs. only 24% of low-performers (LPO). Only 7% of HPOs say productivity has decreased since March 22, vs. 32% of LPOs. (HPO/LPO status is self-reported based on revenue, profit, market share, and customer satisfaction over the past five years.)  The study found that organizations that listed both empathy and productivity in their top three priorities showed the strongest correlation to trust, goal achievement, and culture health. The study found that nearly half (47%) of survey respondents said current work location policies were designed to improve one of the following: collaboration, culture, and productivity. But the selection of one of these as the primary reason for the current work model was either very weakly or negatively correlated with both overall performance and achievement of goals. Key findings from the study were the following (see recording or slides for details on each): Four recommendations from this study are: Links to resources shared on the call: Upcoming i4cp virtual events i4cp's Next Practices Now conference Information on i4cp Membership Past i4cp NPW events i4cp’s Toolkit: How to hold Leaders accountable for employee experience (members only) Article: "How Generative AI Will Forever Change the Role of Instructional Designers" Access the full The Productivity Predicament series here.