HRM and skills development – September 2024

What matters most to motivate performance, according to employees
McKinsey has conducted a survey of more than 1,000 employees across the globe, to shed light on what matters most to employees and to offer a new fact base for employers to weigh varied performance management methodologies. They tested a range of options to understand employee perceptions, including approaches to goals, performance reviews, ongoing development, and rewards. The most resonant overall survey finding was that performance management is most effective when it features strong, consistent internal logic that employees understand.

Robot planning tool accounts for human carelessness while packaging
Researchers at Washington State University have developed a new algorithm that may make robots safer by making them more aware of human inattentiveness. In computerised simulations of packaging and assembly lines where humans and robots work together, the algorithm, developed to account for human carelessness, improved safety by about a maximum of 80% and efficiency by about a maximum of 38% compared to existing methods. The study (abstract) is published in IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems.

‘Surprise!’: Generation Z is eager to work
Udemy has published a new report titled “Gen Z in the Workplace: Welcoming the Next Generation”. Recognising the importance of Generation Z (Gen Z) for the future workforce, the research, based on responses from over 6,500 multi-generational learners, challenges many stereotypical perceptions of Gen Z (defined in the report as people born between 1997 and 2012). Often depicted as “lazy” and “not interested in returning to the office”, Udemy’s data reveal that Gen Z respondents are actually the most motivated by professional development (65%) compared to their Millennial and Gen X counterparts. You can download the report after filling in your details.

How employers are tackling bullying and harassment at work
CIPD from UK investigated if employers are doing enough to prevent and manage bullying and harassment in the workplace. They found a clear gap between employers’ confidence in having the policies and procedures to handle conflict and employees’ confidence to take forward a complaint and seek resolution. Almost half (47%) of employees experiencing conflict at work reported that they ‘just let it go’ while less than a third (29%) discussed it with their manager and/or HR. The report (782 kB) includes insights on how employers and employees may assess the level of conflict in workplaces, and makes recommendations for how organisations have a better response to unhealthy conflict in the workplace.

The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise: Moving from potential to performance
Investment in people and supporting technologies is increasing, but the clock is ticking to scale and create value by GenAI at the workplace, according to Deloitte. The Q3 edition of their “The State of Generative AI in the Enterprise” series, titled Moving from potential to performance (50.67 MB), reveals how organisations are navigating challenges and measuring value. Two critical areas of focus are data foundations and governance (in combination with risk and compliance).
 

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