Outside of work, we think of agility in terms of being swift, flexible and graceful — like a soccer player stopping the ball on a dime to change directions or a gymnast twisting into position for a flip.

Years ago, I watched Dr. Frances Conley — who in 1986 became the first woman to be full professor of surgery at a U.S. medical school — guide a resident as they operated on a patient with a tumor on their spine.

HR’s strategic priorities are shifting. According to a recent survey, HR’s number one focus in 2021 is "employee wellbeing and mental health," replacing the 2020 top focus, "employee experience in the workplace." An emphasis on DEI and the need to manage remote workers are also new on the list of top priorities for HR teams.

In an era of mass personalization, we can only see shadows of our future and the significant shifts that lie ahead.

HR teams are increasingly embracing AI applications. These teams use the applications to help with recruiting, performance and succession management, and task allocation.

When we think of diversity in the workforce, we typically think of it along the lines of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. But focusing only on those four is its own sort of constraint. To truly create a successful and diverse workplace, you need to ensure you're also embracing neurodiversity too.

Years ago a storm came through the town where I lived and damaged a building on my father’s property. He needed it repaired, so I volunteered for the task. I’m not very handy at building and repairs, but I wanted to give it my best shot.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

For some, shaping over 38,000 employees into a team of enthusiastic learners could be considered biting off more than you can chew. But Lan Tran, who has nearly a decade of learning and development leadership, is not one to be intimidated by initiating a workplace culture shift.

Until a few weeks ago, few of us ever heard about a mental condition called the “twisties.” But then Simone Biles, who has been called the greatest gymnast of all time, opened up about the condition: experiencing dangerous disorientation while performing moves she had spent years practicing.

On November 16-17, 2021, the annual Cornerstone Convergence is back to bring together the brightest minds in HR, Learning and Development. And just like in 2020, this year's Convergence is all virtual and completely free.

We're working on a new season of the HR Labs podcast, so we thought we'd give you an easy place to catch up before the new season starts. And this is that place.

Over the past year, employees have enjoyed some new work-from-home habits. They can wear sweatpants all day or adjust their working hours to fit other tasks like taking care of children or running personal errands into their day.

No one doubts that human resources leaders stepped up and guided organizations through unheralded events during the height of the pandemic. There's a running joke: if you worked in HR and didn't earn a degree in public health or urban planning in 2020, did you really work in HR?

Whitney Meyer is relatively new to her role as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at the University of North Florida (UNF) — and she’s far from alone.

HR’s approach to employee management has evolved over time: What was once “employee satisfaction” or “employee engagement” is now “employee experience.” This newest iteration is the most holistic approach yet, focused on offering employees everything from career development and fruitful work relationships to social impact opportunities.

Whether you're in a stockroom, a fast food chain or even a bank, it's not uncommon today to encounter robots doing jobs that humans once did. In fact, tech research firm Business Intelligence estimates that the market for corporate and consumer robots will grow to $1.5 billion by 2019. While this development is exciting, it also drives the debate of whether or not intelligent machinery will challenge the role of human workers.

How much has the world of work changed as we embraced social distancing and found our own version of “shelter at home?”

Workforce Strategies for the New Economy - New hire onboarding to boost retention & engagement - Strategies to manage & develop multigenerational talent - Succession planning for the roles that matter most in the futureWorkforce Strategies for the New Economy - New hire onboarding to boost retention & engagement - Strategies to manage & develop multigenerational talent - Succession planning for the roles that matter most in the future

Last month, I wrote an obituary for normal: the way things used to be. Many typical practices and ways of working are no longer effective, forcing everyone to utilize the most valuable skill of 2020: adaptability.

The world of work changed virtually overnight with the global spread of COVID-19. In this series, we'll share personal stories and perspectives from Cornerstone employees who—like so many of us—are doing their best to balance life, work and learning from their couches, kitchen tables and other makeshift office spaces.

HR and IT need to work together to not only overcome their individual challenges, but also drive overall enterprise results. Effective IT and HR collaboration is critical when selecting and deploying a TMS. This paper will explore strategies and tactics to ensure the organization is better positioned to deliver on a talent strategy through a modern, integrated Talent Management System (TMS) that can support and enable candidates, employees, managers, and the business as a whole.

It’s official: We’ve entered the 2020s. The turn of the decade marks significant change—from new technology to the where and how we work. It begs the question: What does the future of work look like? We’re only halfway through 2020, and organizations have already experienced incredible amounts of disruption. Moving forward, companies will have to continue adapting to fast-paced change.

In the age of Big Data, business leaders and HR professionals are still learning to combine age-old intuition with analytics when it comes to making workforce decisions. Josh Bersin, principal and founder of research firm Bersin by Deloitte, mentioned in a recent interview that only 4 percent of the market is currently running sophisticated people analytics, while 50 to 60 percent of companies are still trying to make sense of the data they have.

Ready or not – digital transformation is here. With technology developing more rapidly than ever, the way we do business is changing and it affects everything from customer acquisition and our product offerings, to our tools and processes, to our workforce and work environments.

Why IT Needs to Think “Cloud” When It Comes to Empowering IT…And the Business Cloud platforms are the new normal. And it’s not just for the big guys; cloud is giving midsize business the same edge. So it’s no surprise that cloud deployments are popping up across every aspect of business—from sales and marketing to manufacturing. But why stop there? Talent Management, along with other HR components, is primed for clouded reinvention.Why IT Needs to Think “Cloud” When It Comes to Empowering IT…And the Business Cloud platforms are the new normal. And it’s not just for the big guys; cloud is giving midsize business the same edge. So it’s no surprise that cloud deployments are popping up across every aspect of business—from sales and marketing to manufacturing. But why stop there? Talent Management, along with other HR components, is primed for clouded reinvention.

In 2011, a group of online gamers collectively solved a problem in three short weeks that had puzzled scientists for decades: They found the structure of an enzyme that helps AIDS-like viruses reproduce. This communal discovery has become a go-to example that illustrates the benefits of gamification,

Editor's Note: This post is part of our "Cartoon Coffee Break" series. While we take talent management seriously, we also know it's important to have a good laugh. Check back every two weeks for a new ReWork cartoon.

Continuous change is the reality in our fast-paced world. Oftentimes, we find ourselves having change fatigue when everything is in a constant state of flux. In addition, it is difficult to gain support for change initiatives and most of them fail anyway (commonly believed to be about 70%). HR professionals are required to be proficient in change management. Yet, some practitioners may find themselves on the sidelines when major organization-wide change efforts are designed and implemented. This leads us to ask: What is HR’s role in change management?Continuous change is the reality in our fast-paced world. Oftentimes, we find ourselves having change fatigue when everything is in a constant state of flux. In addition, it is difficult to gain support for change initiatives and most of them fail anyway (commonly believed to be about 70%). HR professionals are required to be proficient in change management. Yet, some practitioners may find themselves on the sidelines when major organization-wide change efforts are designed and implemented. This leads us to ask: What is HR’s role in change management?

Your Human Resources department isn’t just a team of experts in managing people—they’re experts in managing your company’s people. And if it’s operating effectively, your HR folks have tried and true tactics for keeping things running smoothly. While every successful HR team is unique, most probably have regular check-ins with employees to discuss their goals and offer them development opportunities; gauge employee sentiment based on how they act at the office; take managers out for coffee to discuss leadership or succession questions. What’s the common denominator? Adequately addressing people problems requires people to interface.

With the stress of being newly remote comes a focus on logistics: How do I get my webcam to work? What does it mean if someone isn’t responding to my email? What if my internet goes out in the middle of a big presentation? But moving past all that, zero in on why you’re trying to connect remotely in the first place—and how you can accomplish that goal.

The steady advance of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies has been reshaping work and jobs for the past decade. Well before covid-19, robust debates were underway about the future of work and what potential scenarios for employment might emerge.

As technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), predictive analytics and blockchain become more commonplace, organizations are struggling to find candidates with the skills needed to keep up and evolve these new systems and platforms. More than 80% of talent development professionals report a skills gap in their organization, and 78% anticipate a future skills gap.

In the HR world today, we hear a lot about upskilling or new skilling the workforce to prepare for changes — whether it’s adapting to new technology or new ways of doing business. In fact, according to research from PwC1, the availability of key skills is a top concern for business leaders worldwide as they look to ready their companies for the future of work.

With so much talk about digital disruption, consumerization of technology and changing workforce demographics, where does this leave learning content? In this webinar, join our panel of content experts from TED, Grovo, PowerForward, and CyberU. Together, we'll discuss: • Workplace trends and changes to the industry • How they're seeing companies adapt their content strategies as they consider what learning content solves talent and business needs • Success stories and lessons learned to bolster your organization's L&D strategies With so much talk about digital disruption, consumerization of technology and changing workforce demographics, where does this leave learning content? In this webinar, join our panel of content experts from TED, Grovo, PowerForward, and CyberU. Together, we'll discuss: • Workplace trends and changes to the industry • How they're seeing companies adapt their content strategies as they consider what learning content solves talent and business needs • Success stories and lessons learned to bolster your organization's L&D strategies

Retaining a high-performing workforce requires closing the skills gap and developing each employee, from hire to retire. Realize the benefits of better performance and higher productivity with these five strategies for creating an effective learning strategy:Retaining a high-performing workforce requires closing the skills gap and developing each employee, from hire to retire. Realize the benefits of better performance and higher productivity with these five strategies for creating an effective learning strategy:

The landscape of the corporate training industry is changing, thanks to evolving learner expectations and technologies. The learning organization must modernize to stay relevant, address the most pressing challenges faced by learning leaders and capitalize on the large investments made in training. Training Industry, Inc. research has identified a number of key features of the modern learning system that incorporate innovations and trends in order to address the changing market and contemporary learning preferences.The landscape of the corporate training industry is changing, thanks to evolving learner expectations and technologies. The learning organization must modernize to stay relevant, address the most pressing challenges faced by learning leaders and capitalize on the large investments made in training. Training Industry, Inc. research has identified a number of key features of the modern learning system that incorporate innovations and trends in order to address the changing market and contemporary learning preferences.

It’s no secret that some of the most successful companies today are the ones that have fostered a diverse workforce. Over the years, studies have shown businesses that bring together people of different backgrounds, perspectives and talents result in a competitive edge and even higher profits.

While gender and ethnicity are critical components of diversity in the workforce, so too are learning and work styles. And as an organization attracts different types of learning styles and personality types, leadership teams need to understand how to adapt their management style to provide the best environment possible for each employee to succeed. That starts with developing a broader understanding of effective communication with workers who all process information and learn in different ways.

There’s a lot of coordination that goes into a company’s learning and development programming, from identifying skills gaps and creating engaging content to scaling initiatives company-wide. And because there’s so much complex planning involved, organizations can sometimes get caught up in the details, and overlook how L&D fits into broader organizational goals.

Organizations today are challenged with delivering relevant learning and training programs that align business strategy with the growing expectations of talent. With the shortage of critical skills and professional training, management teams are required to increase their workforce’s productivity to drive business performance and meet critical KPIs. To stay competitive, organizations must develop a learning strategy that engages their talent. Cornerstone Learning empowers talent with personalized training programs, collaborative learning initiatives and certification paths ensuring that coursework actively addresses specific competency and skill gaps. With a single point of access, deliver rich e-Learning experiences, mobile learning, Instructor-Led Training (ILT) administration, virtual classroom sessions and functional content management. Cornerstone Learning (LMS) improves employee performance, supports compliance and fosters collaboration within your organization.

Over $3 billion is spent every year on K-12 professional development (PD), yet only 29% of teachers are “highly satisfied” with the results. How can we allocate so much money and resources to training programs, yet end up with over two-thirds of educators saying the process doesn’t deliver the results they want? To discover how you can efficiently deliver PD that provides teachers with the experience and knowledge they desire, take a look at “The ABCs of Professional Development.”Over $3 billion is spent every year on K-12 professional development (PD), yet only 29% of teachers are “highly satisfied” with the results. How can we allocate so much money and resources to training programs, yet end up with over two-thirds of educators saying the process doesn’t deliver the results they want? To discover how you can efficiently deliver PD that provides teachers with the experience and knowledge they desire, take a look at “The ABCs of Professional Development.”

In today’s job market, employers prioritize technical and specialized skills, especially when hiring junior-level employees in an effort to address ever-changing needs. But technical skill shortages in the labor market exist and are likely to continue as technology continues to evolve and rapidly permeate our working lives. As a result, organizations are developing learning and development strategies to address their urgent need for tech talent.

Attracting high-quality talent is important, but there must be a balance between candidates’ ability to do the job and their ability to thrive in the work environment.Attracting high-quality talent is important, but there must be a balance between candidates’ ability to do the job and their ability to thrive in the work environment.

New skilling was an urgent need, and challenge, for companies long before the COVID-19 crisis. In 2017, McKinsey estimated 375 million workers (about 14% of the global workforce) would have to switch jobs or acquire new skills by 2030 due to automation and artificial intelligence. And just recently, the McKinsey Global Survey found that 87% of executives were experiencing workforce skill gaps, or expected them within a few years. Yet, less than 50% had a clear sense of how to address the problem.

In this research partnership between HCI and Cornerstone People Research Lab, we investigate nascent new skilling efforts and patterns of collaboration for skills discovery and the development and delivery of learning programs. Although new skilling is itself new, we’ve found that organizations in which elements of a new-skilling approach are emerging also tend to outperform their peers on a range of talent and business outcomes.

These high-performing organizations engage in practices that recommend six action items for building a new skilling approach to learning and development that can better keep pace with the changing needs and priorities of the organization and its people.

Just about every business today has the tools and technology at their fingertips to build cultures teeming with social activity, with more and more of it focused on "social learning," or strategies and practices designed to boost collaboration, productivity and build cultures that constantly engage. While the concept has been around for decades, the social media explosion of the last few years has brought tons of renewed interest to social learning -- and equal amounts of hype and confusion.

HR leaders around the world are currently navigating the "Great Resignation" — a major increase in the number of people quitting their current job. This has made competition for top candidates even more difficult than it has ever been.

Today’s human resources professionals manage more moral, ethical and legal responsibilities than ever before.

Beyond compensation and benefits, HR teams are now tasked with challenges like fostering diversity in the workforce, addressing issues of inequality and setting standards around workplace conduct. Often, human resources ethics policies around these issues can directly impact how a company attracts and retains talent. According to a recent report, for example, 79 percent of American workers said they would not accept a job with a higher salary from a company that has failed to take action in sexual harassment cases. While HR ethics conversations that challenge the status quo in the workplace are marks of progress, they require HR departments to make tough ethical decisions.

Acting as the moral heart of a company can seem like an overwhelming task. But no matter the issue, HR professionals that uphold strong ethical standards and strive for a fair work environment will maintain employee confidence and attract new candidates. Here are six HR ethics guidelines organizations can follow to master the art of ethical decision-making and become a valuable resource for their employees.

1) Know the laws
As a representative of an organization, HR professionals need to make tough decisions and hold employees accountable for wrongful actions—and that's not an easy task. To do so effectively requires confidence and authority. Knowing important labor laws and compliance practices will help manage these issues as they arise, as opposed to after the fact.

For example, if an employee were to request short-term disability, you would need to understand your benefits provider’s short-term disability policy and eligibility. You will also be expected to know insurance laws and explain them to your employee. Familiarizing yourself with these laws early on will save you time and equip you with knowledge to navigate legal challenges in the future.

2) Prioritize professional development
HR is a constantly changing field, especially as new conversations arise and technology continues to change the way we work. Staying on top of these changes requires a new set of skills and knowledge. Participating in trainings is one way to stay ahead of the curve.

Many HR professionals also pursue advanced degrees and certifications specific to the field. Some become specialists in a particular area, like payroll, recruiting or benefits. Others, like HR generalists who have a broader set of responsibilities, may choose to continue their professional development through workshops and continued education. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to learning. HR professionals, especially those who are new to the industry, should assess their progress and consult their managers to find a career path that works for them.

3) Be an ethical HR leader
Conflict between colleagues is inevitable in the workplace. Imagine, for example, an employee tells you that their manager, a high-level executive, has treated them unfairly. A situation like this requires you to engage in tough conversations with everyone involved. Being an ethical HR leader means being confident in your moral decisions and effectively communicating them to employees. And, according to the Josephson Institute of Ethics at UC San Diego, making an ethical decision requires three things:

Editor's Note: This post is part of our "Cartoon Coffee Break" series. While we take talent management seriously, we also know it's important to have a good laugh. Check back every two weeks for a new ReWork cartoon.

An estimated 75% of voluntary employee turnover is influenced by managers’ behavior. Translation? Employees aren‘t quitting their jobs—they’re quitting their bosses. That’s bad news for organizations planning for innovation, succession, and market longevity. Human capital is an organization’s most valuable resource—and turnover is expensive not just in terms of sourcing, rehiring, and training costs, but also lost productivity. Yet being a good, let alone a great, boss is tough. Managers may have skills, training, education, and experience to create an engaged, motivated workforce. According to Gallup, today’s great managers—those who drive higher levels of engagement and productivity in employees—are “strengths-based, engagement-focused, and performance-oriented.” However, amid the frenzied discussions of the importance of employee engagement, managers aren’t always given the specifics on how to drive that engagement. Organizations concerned about engagement (and every organization should be) must start providing managers with better techniques and tools, the type that allows them to more effectively—and effortlessly—nurture commitment, motivation, and productivity from every employee.An estimated 75% of voluntary employee turnover is influenced by managers’ behavior. Translation? Employees aren‘t quitting their jobs—they’re quitting their bosses. That’s bad news for organizations planning for innovation, succession, and market longevity. Human capital is an organization’s most valuable resource—and turnover is expensive not just in terms of sourcing, rehiring, and training costs, but also lost productivity. Yet being a good, let alone a great, boss is tough. Managers may have skills, training, education, and experience to create an engaged, motivated workforce. According to Gallup, today’s great managers—those who drive higher levels of engagement and productivity in employees—are “strengths-based, engagement-focused, and performance-oriented.” However, amid the frenzied discussions of the importance of employee engagement, managers aren’t always given the specifics on how to drive that engagement. Organizations concerned about engagement (and every organization should be) must start providing managers with better techniques and tools, the type that allows them to more effectively—and effortlessly—nurture commitment, motivation, and productivity from every employee.

In times of uncertainty and doubt, organizations look to their leaders who are often the difference between merely surviving the moment and thriving into the next one. How do you build a strong leadership pipeline to ensure you have the bench strength you will need to overcome disruption?

Hear from Steve Dobberowsky (Senior Principal for Talent Management, 10+ years of leadership expertise) and Ed Turi (Senior Principal for Value, 10+ years as adjunct professor of leadership development) about how to define, develop and evolve your talent into your future leaders.

You’ll also hear what this strategy looks like in practice from Chad Setera, Director, Training & Development at TravelCenters of America, who will take you through their journey of putting these concepts in place.

Every organization has a point during the year when they are focused on the performance appraisal process. If reviews are done on a common date cycle, it would be at that time. If they are completed on employee anniversary dates, their focus might be during budget time when the organization discusses how much to budget for employee increases. Also, if the organization does any kind of mid-year goal review, performance appraisals might be discussed then.

Any manager will tell you how challenging it is to write consistent and richly detailed employee reviews. It's important to get the wording and review phrases just right, while providing concrete examples in the performance appraisal comments. It can take up a lot of a manager's time.

Editor's Note: In today's fast-paced news cycle, we know it's difficult to keep up with the latest and greatest HR trends and stories. To make sure you're updated, we're recapping our most popular articles every month in our "In Case You Missed It" series. Keep reading for December's top stories!

Proving the impact of a single learning investment is relatively easy. Answering the broader question of “What impact is L&D having on the business?” is hard. In this Spotlight webinar, Ericsson’s global head of learning measurement and analytics will share how he’s guiding assessment, evaluation and measurement strategies that provide data to help executives understand the impact of employee learning on business performance.Proving the impact of a single learning investment is relatively easy. Answering the broader question of “What impact is L&D having on the business?” is hard. In this Spotlight webinar, Ericsson’s global head of learning measurement and analytics will share how he’s guiding assessment, evaluation and measurement strategies that provide data to help executives understand the impact of employee learning on business performance.

In a world of expensive hardware/software consolidation, how do HR teams select the best talent management products for the future? Cornerstone enables organizations of all sizes and in every industry to source and recruit top talent, develop and engage employees throughout their careers, improve operational execution, and cultivate future leaders. By unifying key functional areas of employee recruiting, onboarding, development, performance, compensation, succession and collaboration into one easy-to-use system, our clients entirely eliminate the need for separate point solutions or other legacy HR technology.

Editor's Note: This post is part of our "Cartoon Coffee Break" series. While we take talent management seriously, we also know it's important to have a good laugh. Check back every two weeks for a new ReWork cartoon.

Performance management starts at the very beginning of the hiring process, when a job is defined. From there, it involves continuous evaluation of employees' work to ensure it meets or exceeds expectations.

Today, some form of performance management is practiced in most organizations, but unfortunately only 21 percent of employees agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work. In order to improve performance management, companies must create a work environment that empowers employees to perform to the best of their abilities by providing continuous development opportunities, as well as continuous feedback and coaching.

At its core, performance management involves goal-setting, evaluation and reward. When performance management is done well, employees become more productive, profitable and creative contributors.

One of the basic premises of being an effective leader is to have regular one-on-one meetings with your staff. Yet often, these meetings feel like torture to the employee, lacking forethought and focus. As a manager, it is important to make these meeting motivating and meaningful to help encourage strong employee performance.

Poor onboarding dooms new hires and companies from the start: they’re eight times more likely to be disengaged at their work and are 11 times less likely to recommend their company to their network. Also, 40% of poorly onboarded new hires report being disengaged inside of three months. Use this onboarding guide to learn about today’s best practices for helping new hires reach their potential. Poor onboarding dooms new hires and companies from the start: they’re eight times more likely to be disengaged at their work and are 11 times less likely to recommend their company to their network. Also, 40% of poorly onboarded new hires report being disengaged inside of three months. Use this onboarding guide to learn about today’s best practices for helping new hires reach their potential.

This part is part of our monthly TED Talk Tuesday series, spotlighting can't-miss TED Talks and their key takeaways. You can learn more about our partnership with TED here.

The days of employees spending decades at a company -- and receiving a gold watch in gratitude -- are long gone. Workers today are constantly on the move, a fact of life that will only accelerate as job growth picks up. But the turnover poses particular challenges for companies looking to hold onto their best and brightest.