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​At ManpowerGroup, we believe businesses have a responsibility to be a positive contributor to societal change. That means intentionally building diverse and inclusive workplaces and hiring the best employees based on talent without discrimination. Not only is this the right thing to do, but studies repeatedly show that inclusive practices have a positive impact on your bottom line. Being an ally to LGBTQ+ colleagues is as simple as remembering the power that words at work have to make people feel welcomed, valued and included. ​Here is a guide to pronouns in the workplace and tips on how to promote an inclusive work culture. You can also download a PDF copy of the guide here. ​​​​​​

​Pride Month is widely recognized as a time to celebrate diversity and inclusion and show allyship to members of the lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ+) community. For organizations and businesses around the world, it’s also a reminder that we need to hit the accelerator on making workplaces welcoming for all. ​Across the hundreds of thousands of clients ManpowerGroup works with globally, we are helping our partners align their ambitions with clear, actionable plans to hire more inclusively and keep the diverse talent they hire. Here are 10 ways to start (Also be sure to download the LGBTQ+ Inclusive #WordsatWork Guide to learn about proper pronoun usage and more):​Do your research. Start with the United Nations Human Rights Office’s Standards of Conduct. Reflecting the input of hundreds of companies across diverse sectors, it offers guidance on how to respect and support the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the workplace, marketplace and community. Develop an effective -and global- corporate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) policy. Your policy should articulate your commitments and clearly reference sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics/intersex status. It should also explain your company’s responsibilities and employees’ responsibilities and outline what will happen if that policy is violated. Multinational companies must also have a cohesive global implementation strategy—mindful that concepts of equal rights and fair treatment of LGBTQ+ people may not be well-institutionalized in many markets or regions.Ensure buy-in from employees and management, including commitments to take the DEIBstrategy forward. Expand employees’ soft skills in empathy by exposing them to other points of view and perspectives. Regularly train them on DEIB, ensure they’re familiar with your policy, and consider incentivizing leaders by hardcoding their commitments into performance frameworks. Leverage technology to establish best practices.The DEIB technology now exists to support your company with policies and practices, provide timely analytics, identify and reduce bias, introduce greater transparency and visibility, and support employee training. Download the World Economic Forum’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0 toolkit to explore all the opportunities and accountabilities now afforded by tech. Create a culture of conscious inclusion. A welcoming workplace is one where people with different demographic and psychological backgrounds feel seen, heard and valued—not by blending in, but by providing a different perspective to reduce the homogeneity of attitudes, values and beliefs. This also keeps groupthink and decision-making biases in check. If your organization is serious about allyship and equal opportunity for LGBTQ+ employees, you must go beyond programs. To truly change culture, take proactive steps to promote a diverse pool of candidates for senior leadership and board positions, and train and incentivize managers and employees on what it means to be inclusive.  Appoint leaders with these three characteristics. A change in culture starts from the top. If your organization is serious about itsDEIBpolicy, start by building a diverse leadership team within your organization. Make sure people with higher levels of curiosity, humility and courage are not overlooked. Ideally, you want leaders who demonstrate a passion for learning, humility to admit when they make mistakes and courage to act boldly and speak out against injustices. Build an LGBTQ+support network. For pro-LGBTQ+ policies to be effective in attracting and retaining LGBTQ+employees, your company’s efforts should have high visibility. For example, support efforts by LGBTQ+ employees to create their own staff groups and extend the same opportunities to them for extracurricular activities as you would to any other group. Take it to the community. Partnerships with local LGBTQ+ groups, such as youth centers, community centers, advocacy groups and charities, exhibit long-term commitment to LGBTQ+ employees. This can also help your company better understand the challenges those employees face, informing your corporate policymaking and providing a way for your company to support positive social change. Listen, apologize and learn from your mistakes. Odds are that you will make mistakes along the way. If you’ve been called out for a microaggression or an act of exclusion toward an LGBTQ+ colleague or employee, it’s important to respond with compassion, concern and humility. Make the other person feel heard, sincerely apologize and don’t make it about you. Set targets and track your progress. Your company’s key decision-makers should receive regular progress reports on DEIB efforts, including updates on employee experience and engagement levels. Assign a senior-level officer to oversee and direct DEIB initiatives, education and training. What gets measured gets done.​At ManpowerGroup, we believe businesses have the responsibility to be a positive contributor to societal change. That means intentionally building diverse and inclusive workplaces and hiring the best employees based on talent without discrimination. Not only is this the right thing to do, but studies repeatedly show that inclusive practices have a positive impact on your bottom line.​To learn about the power of language to foster an inclusive workplace, download the LGBTQ+ Inclusive #WordsatWork Guide.​​

​For many workers, there has never been a time for greater flexibility and autonomy in their work lives, as the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden shift in the world of work. Many workers would like to see some changes to become permanent. Here’s how organizations can view and support empowerment of their workforce, to the benefit of all.The ability to chooseThere has been no one-size-fits-all for workers when it comes to working from home full time, a hybrid model or remaining in a physical workplace. Organizations should work with HR and with individuals to determine the best balance of work and home responsibilities for individuals and organizations alike. Employers will increasingly redesign and revalue the workplace for the best blend of “heads down” remote work along with “heads up” collaboration and creativity. Meanwhile, the continued growth in the gig and freelance economy will continue to redefine what it means to be an employee or worker as well as increase worker choice.The importance of physical and emotional healthWhen the COVID crisis began, all focus shifted on keeping people physically safe. But as the months continued on it became clear that the workforce also needed mental and emotional support, especially with growing isolation. This requires a greater role for HR, with more duty of care and leadership that can empathize and understand the needs of their workforce. An always-on digital lifeThe increased adoption of social networking sites and virtual communities means that workers’ digital footprint and daily interactions have expanded –– from Slack to Twitter to email and back again. This has enabled an always-on digital presence, often blurring the lines between personal and professional development activities. For organizations, this can mean helping their workforce to adapt, understand their roles and responsibilities, and share ways to help employees switch off and disconnect. Transparency and equityToday, workers want more from their employers, including security, sustainability of skills, work-life blend and wellness​. They also expect more from the values of their organization such as acting as global citizens and environmental stewards along with other social goals and metrics. Employers that show they are committed to both their workforce along with their customers and shareholders will be able to attract, retain and support the best talent. Employers and employees are evolving and moving into the future together, and it takes both groups to communicate, understand and adapt to each other’s needs. Moving forward, organizations need to be prepared for and understand the fundamental shake-up of the old work order –– and be ready to take bold, innovative and effective action. ​Download ManpowerGroup's Top 21 Trends in 2021 Full Report or Infographic for more information on the major forces of demographic shifts, rise of individual choice, growing client sophistication, technological revolution as well as emerging trends shaping the workplace and workforce of the future.

​Moving from college to the workplace traditionally requires major adjustments, including acquiring new skills on the job and learning to balance independent projects. Right now, economic and public health uncertainty only adds to the stress on college graduates. But stepping back, slowing down and taking concrete steps can help mitigate anxieties and improve your outlook. Here are ways to help navigate the unchartered waters. ​Build a mentor relationship In college, students can easily stop by a professor’s office hours or book an appointment with your academic advisor or job counselor. The same principles of mentorship are just as important to getting started in the workplace. After you graduate, you have to be more proactive about securing your own mentor. Having a mentor will enable you to learn what employers expect from new grads and you can use the information to make yourself job ready, and also help find new opportunities in sectors that are hiring. ​Take a skills inventory Does your resume reflect all that you are capable of accomplishing? Make sure that you reflect not just your major and hard skills, but also soft skills like learnability that shows you can make adjustments during turbulent periods. Research from ManpowerGroup has concluded that 65% of the jobs Generation Z will perform do not even exist yet, and right now is certainly a time of disruption and change. Show how your past has prepared you for a future that is evolving and being invented in front of us. ​Be open to new forms of work Look beyond the full-time permanent roles. In some sectors, hiring is ramping up right now for temporary or short-term work. Taking a temporary job to help meet demand may provide an in to a company, or an end in itself. Today, nearly 9 in 10 workers are open to NextGen work– part-time, contingent, contract, freelance or temporary. As younger workers bring tech-savvy skills to the workplace, new graduates can turn to flexible employment opportunities where it is needed most. ​Reach out to help others Right now, it’s easy to develop tunnel vision with respect to your own needs. No one will blame you for that. But many others are going through the same uncertainty, and seeking ways to help is not a zero-sum game. Over time, how you treat others builds a reputation. Recognizing others need assistance, offering to be of service through small acts like proofing someone else’s resume or sending an email with encouragement will become an extension of your resume. Do it for its own reward, and it’s likely to help deepen and expand your network as well. ​After years of being in the school system, it will take new grads time to transition to a new world –– and that’s never been true more than now. For college graduates, it’s important to be patient, keep being productive where you can be, and keep the faith. 

​For any organization, attracting and retaining talent has become increasingly complex as digital capabilities expand. Now workforce management will become more tech-driven, on-demand and responsive to global trends. Organizations need to become more sophisticated in how they approach future workforce development and talent management. Here are a few ways they can adapt to the changing landscape and lead with action.Talent management for remote work As more employees expect to work remotely, organizations need to re-think their business models and consider training and upskilling their employees in a variety of areas including technical skills. According to a July 2020 McKinsey report, organizations need to create the foundation for long-term remote work, revamp their upskilling and retaining approaches, and adopt an agile approach to strategic workforce planning. Those companies can turn remote working into a competitive advantage. This includes attracting new talent including working mothers, professionals looking for more flexibility or work-life balance, and access to broader international talent.Demand for assessments and solutionsWith meaningful data, organizations can better predict performance, skills knowledge and overall job fit for individuals. Assessments like ManpowerGroup’s proprietary SkillsInSight™ Assessment help people identify their strengths and work preferences and help organizations to match the right person for the role. These insights support talent decisions, reduces talent acquisition costs and improves employee mobility by aligning the right capabilities and potential to the organization’s skills gaps.Improving supply chain resilienceAs we saw with supply shocks from the pandemic, the supply chain is vulnerable unless companies can better approach uncertainty and manage risk. In the future, organizations will need to create connected supply chain ecosystems that include aggregated suppliers, satisfied users and amplified networks. If and when another crisis hits, organizations need to have a more sophisticated system to prepare for supply chain shock and diversify their mitigation strategies, as well as have the right technology, systems and talent in place to reduce risks and respond to threats.Renewed demands on leadersLeadership has always been important, but it is at an even greater premium as organizations navigate months of a crisis and look to emerge stronger. The global economic, political, and social turmoil that has resulted because of the COVID-19 pandemic has put increasing pressure on global leaders to lead with empathy and digital agility, champion social justice and climate action regardless of sector, and help usher in recovery and sustainability. No small feats on their own, together these goals will take masterful leadership to achieve.  As organizations look ahead, the constant will be that business will continue to evolve and require a sophisticated response demanding resilient leadership, technology and solutions.​Download ManpowerGroup's Top 21 Trends in 2021 Full Report or Infographic for more information on the major forces of demographic shifts, rise of individual choice, growing client sophistication, technological revolution as well as emerging trends shaping the workplace and workforce of the future.

​​Having a plan for your career was important before the pandemic – and it’s even more critical now as companies are adapting and accelerating changes throughout their organizations. Do you know where you are headed? Below are steps you can take to develop a plan for the next months, years or decades of their careers.Know your skills and strengthsFirst, take a skills inventory to know your strengths and where they could apply in the future. Many soft skills like communication, creativity and leadership that helped you in a previous or current role can be transferred to future opportunities. To help with this process, use an outside resource that can help spot hidden strengths. The SkillsInSight tool, for example, is a free and short assessment that you can take to receive immediate feedback on what your personality traits say about your strengths and opportunities in the workforce. Have career conversationsThe organization you work for should seek to help you on your journey, whether that means developing hard skills or soft skills to take the next leap. Schedule conversations with your manager to discuss how they can assist. You can also check with your HR department to see what virtual tools or career growth classes they may offer, or if they provide tuition remission or other assistance to take ongoing education. Make your goals and plans known to those in the organization so they can help you succeed.Know your career optionsDo you want to seek out a new responsibility in your organization, and redeploy new skills to help colleagues? Or do you have an eye on a new kind of role in a different organization? Or are you excited to explore new emerging digital jobs that may not even exist yet? In any event, do research to see what options may exist in your immediate vicinity or beyond, and consider how they fit your short- and long-term career goals.No matter where you are in your career, taking the time to consider what you really want is an important strategy amid an ongoing crisis. Start planning today, and you give yourself the opportunity to reach where you really want to find yourself in the future. 

​​The year 2020 was a year unlike any other. The job market was already in upheaval when the pandemic struck, disrupting the way people worked almost overnight. Outplacement was immediately elevated in importance, playing a major role in helping businesses, workers and economies transition and recalibrate into this new normal.  The sudden change in workplace operations meant many businesses immediately drove new efficiencies through shifts to create more flexible working arrangements, including allowing staff to work remotely. Employees needed to quickly adapt to enabling technologies such as video conferencing software to remain productive and stay connected to teams and clients. For many HR professionals, this also resulted in difficult decisions in order to right-size the workforce.  Outplacement is now even more important in helping employees make a successful transition in a fluctuating job market. Here are three ways outplacement is evolving to help both companies and their workers respond to the disruption of an ever-changing economy: ​Employ better data for improved outcomes Flexible and remote working arrangements mean employees need to be even more prepared for transition. In the last few years, workers who participated in outplacement programs increasingly switched jobs across industries but also between different job roles. Globally, 49% of candidates who went through outplacement programs found a new role in a different industry [1]. This is the highest proportion of people changing industries in the last eight years.  This growing culture of career mobility requires organizations to be equally agile to keep up in real-time. For employers, positive ROI and solid outcomes are increasingly important outplacement metrics. This requires better data to understand where jobs are located and how they can be accessed. Tools such as Total Workforce Index can help organizations build a data-driven approach that integrates market insights into the outplacement process. Kaye Owen, a senior deployment manager at Lloyds Banking Group in the UK, says that the rapidly changing market has required their team to significantly alter their approach. “We’ve found over the last four or five years that it’s a lot more strategic now, and there’s a real acknowledgement of the importance of trying to identify the skills of the future.” Data – and the ability to sift and accurately analyze it – is an important part of that evolution and these demands will only continue to grow. Tune up your emotional intelligence Human resources leaders were already focused on the well-being of their workforce prior to the pandemic. But displacement caused by the pandemic escalated the intensity as workers faced  career transitions and remote workers became increasingly isolated. When COVID-19 hit, Swiggy, India’s largest online food ordering and delivery platform, felt the impact with layoffs of about 1,100 employees. Like many other organizations across the globe facing similar difficult situations, Swiggy’s HR department provided support to employees to help them find other positions. But they also took the additional step of training their HR team on “emotional intelligence,” including how to have meaningful conversations, build confidence and prepare candidates for interviews, according to Girish Menon, Swiggy’s VP of human resources. [2] “Employees need the ability to bounce back, and our team is trained to support them.”  More organizations realize how important it is to ensure employees depart with a positive view of the company. Providing one-on-one coaching gives them an opportunity to have honest conversations about the things that concern them and learn how they can take the next step on their career path. ​Future-proof employees By 2025, automation and a new division of labor between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. [3]Workers riding this wave of massive change face a new urgency in this reskilling revolution. Employees, from orientation through exit strategy, need help to identify opportunities and align their transferable skills. They also need to be agile and adaptable in planning their next career move. The most innovative companies recognize this and are adopting workforce career management solutions for scalable career development. For example, American Express launched a career counseling center and Unilever introduced a program that matches individuals to projects of interest to expose them to different areas and build new skills. [4]These types of initiatives will be especially necessary as employees are no longer limited by location; outplacement support must become truly global and prepare individuals to access  opportunities worldwide. Many businesses will ask employees to return to physical offices, and some will be glad to go back. However, employee expectations have changed, with only 12% of people wanting to return to full-time office work and 72% preferring a hybrid remote-office model moving forward. [5]Outplacement support that combines smart data, emotional intelligence and development opportunities for in-demand skills, will play a vital role in helping individuals and businesses navigate these changes. This will create a confident, agile and valuable workforce that is able to confidently face future challenges – anytime, anywhere. ​To learn more, download our latest whitepaper, “Careers in Transition: How will outplacement evolve to help companies and workers respond to upheaval?” ​References1 Right Management data on people moving sectors 2https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/jobs/some-companies-that-have-been-forced-to-lay-off-staffers-are-helping-them-find-jobs-elsewhere/articleshow/76235947.cms3https://www.weforum.org/press/2020/10/recession-and-automation-changes-our-future-of-work-but-there-are-jobs-coming-report-says-52c5162fce4https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2020/03/18/to-future-proof-your-business-future-proof-your-employees/?sh=69abd038dd8c5 Moving beyond remote: Workplace transformation in the wake of Covid-19 - Moving beyond remote: Workplace transformation in the wake of Covid-19 | Slack​

​In our new COVID-19 reality, the world is experiencing a level of rapid change never seen before. One thing that’s clear is that digital-minded organizations with the ability to quickly assess and make insightful workforce decisions will be more likely to not only survive the crisis, but thrive.  ​However, this will be challenging for many businesses as 72% of global organizations experienced a reality check and found themselves not fully prepared from a technology perspective. [1] Now these companies are scrambling to play catch up in migrating operations and workforce to a virtual environment. With the majority of employers planning to offer flexible work options for the long-term [2], there’s no turning back the clock to pre-pandemic work styles.  ​Here’s four ways that your organization can leverage data to build a stronger team: ​Use data to predict talent potential Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a crystal ball that could ensure your next hire is a win for the company? Predictive analytics gets close by helping Human Resource professionals assess individuals with skills profiles that help determine who is most likely to succeed in a particular role. That’s crucial when the cost of a bad hire can mean up to $240,000 in expenses for companies. [1]​Remember the movie Moneyball where analytics helped the Oakland A’s select the right players to spur the team to 20 consecutive victories over a month’s time?  That success has translated to the business world with global companies such as Google, Marriott Hotels and Credit Suisse Banks. ​Credit Suisse deployed predictive analytics to identify employee churn and this information was anonymously shared with line managers to help them reduce turnover risk factors and retain  talent. The bank saved an estimated $70,000,000 a year in recruiting and onboarding costs as a result of this initiative. [2]​Make data your company's decision-making anchor When the world stopped, the hospitality industry suffered a significant impact, but take-out and delivery service saw a massive uptick in activity. Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison noted that their team had to take 60 years of standard operating procedures and transform them for digital in a matter of 6 weeks. By making a commitment to digital strategies as their new centerpiece of decision-making, Allison was able to shift the pizza giant to a contactless delivery model across the country. The key was carefully creating a unified data-driven vision for the company’s technology, innovation and supply chain teams while still making the training of Domino’s delivery experts a priority. [3]​“As we look at digital capabilities that we’re putting in place today, it’s not just to be competitive in the next couple of months. It really is to set ourselves up in what may end up being the new normal in our industry,” says Allison. So far, it’s paying off as nearly a year later, Domino’s digital sales are up 75% and they have been able to keep most of their retail locations open. ​Upskill Teams to Leverage TechnologyEven before the pandemic, companies were navigating changing technologies and the new skills that employees would need to manage them. COVID-19 has amplified the urgency for workers to develop these new ‘skill muscles’ to strengthen them and prepare the organization for future disruptions. The U.K. healthcare system, for example, had to retrain their staff within weeks to manage virtual appointments, something that occurred less than 1% of the time prior to 2020. Now doctors assess nearly 100% of patients by phone or video, with only about 7% requiring a face-to-face appointment. This has required medical staff to learn how to do safe and effective diagnosis remotely. Something that will now continue even after the crisis has passed. [4]​As organizations determine which strategies encompass the future of their business, leaders should quickly identify skills that are crucial to business recovery and focus first on those that will drive a disproportionate amount of value to the organization. ​Foster a data cultureOrganizations who ingrain data into their culture are well-positioned to create ‘SuperTeams’ - the next step in technology’s integration into the world of work. “These SuperTeams are powered by increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence blended with the best in human skills – all working together to solve problems, gain insights and create new value for both workers and organizations,” says Dave Mancl, manager of Talent Analytics for ManpowerGroup. ​Creating SuperTeams involves a concerted effort to upskill employees on how to leverage these new tools and processes. That can be a challenge considering that only 21 percent of workers are confident in their data literacy skills, including understanding, questioning, and working with data.3 But Human Resources can play a role during recruiting by including data and metrics language in job descriptions to attract the right candidates. Employers should also improve success by reinforcing skills development through group training or one-on-one coaching and then hold employees accountable to measurable data-driven goals.  ​Organizations who integrate data to better assess, upskill and build SuperTeams will be well-positioned for future growth. ​For more insights on these and other workforce data trends, tune in to The Transform Talent Podcast.​Sources:[1] https://www.news.xerox.com/news/global-Xerox-Future-of-Work-Survey-results[2] ManpowerGroup Q4 2020 Employment Outlook Survey[3] https://www.apollotechnical.com/cost-of-a-bad-hire/#:~:text=The%20average%20cost%20of%20a,hiring%2C%20retention%2C%20and%20pay.[4] https://techhq.com/2020/01/mind-the-skills-gap-between-big-data-and-employees/ ​

​If you are a recent graduate, now is the time to work on refining certain skills to help your transition to the workplace.​This summer, a new group of ambitious college graduates will hit the job market. Along with their energy and enthusiasm also comes inexperience. Here are the top communication skills that employers want to see from new grads. ​Listen, listen, listenWhen you are just starting out, you should listen more than you talk. Really hear what the other person is saying, instead of formulating your response. Ask for clarification to avoid misunderstandings. The person speaking to you should be the most important person. Don’t multitask. This means that if you are speaking to someone on the phone, do not respond to an email, or send a text at the same time. ​Be clear and concise Maybe every once in a while, on occasion it could be said that a college student filled a 20-page paper will a few filler words to meet a minimum word count. In the business setting, however, time is money. Getting to the point in a presentation or meeting is a premium communication skill. Work on clearly articulating your point in a concise and direct manner.​Project management skills In college, a big project rarely lasted longer than a semester, and usually were much shorter. But in the workplace, you are often expected to juggle multiple projects that can last six months, a year or longer. Set several milestone goals, check in on progress regularly, get feedback, and use the resources of others around you. Practice the art of meetings Meetings in an office are also different than the group meetings or the dorms at college. To respect others’ time, always send out an agenda before the meeting, giving participants enough time to prepare. At the start of the meeting, establish the ground rules for communicating, and any other expectations. Finally, send meeting minutes to those who participated or who will be affected by what was discussed. ​​Organizations know that it will take time for new graduates to get acclimated to their new work environment. That’s also a two-way street. Spend time getting up to speed in your communication practices, and the transition will be smoother for everyone. ​

​​Working over the last year can feel like hitting a series of walls –– each one bigger than the last. If you’re feeling that way, rest assured you are not alone and there are steps to combat the stressors. Here are ways to fight off burnout. Ask for the help you needManagers and organizations can support you if they know what you need. Different situations may require different intervention strategies. For example, struggling to meet caretaker responsibilities with childcare when kids are learning from home could be alleviated with a schedule change, including working nights instead of days. For someone who feels immersed in the “always-on” digital workplace, requesting vacation days off could also help. Make sure to discuss openly your needs so they can be addressed. Enlist the buddy or mentor systemWorkplace relationships are extremely important for well-being, but they can be more difficult to maintain when everyone is remote. It may take intentionally reaching out for virtually “grabbing coffee” or checking in with a colleague, mentor or supervisor who can help provide mental, logistical or emotional support. Don’t overlook the simple power of connecting, even if that means a virtual hangout. Proactively help othersIf you are struggling, that means others are no doubt feeling the same way. Reaching out and providing a compliment, offering to help with a workload or sending someone a lunch delivery will help them and has the added benefit of giving you an emotional boost. Research has shown that kindness is one of the fastest ways to elevate mood and boost resiliency. Set boundaries and know when to turn offEven the highest performer can only run on adrenaline so long. The body and mind need downtime and regular rest periods. Intersperse periods of intense focus with downtime and recovery. The rhythms of hard work and rest need to balance over time. Set time with boundaries to unplug with peace of mind and come back rejuvenated. ​Finally, remember the basics: Take a lunch break in your day, walk around your neighborhood and get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep to help make sure you’re on the top of your game. Work will still be there when you return, more rested, motivated and focused to keep moving forward.