Latest news with #Workhuman
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gen Z Is Streaming Through The Workday — 84% Say It Boosts Focus, While Half Admit They've Delayed Tasks To Finish A Show
Gen Z employees often stream TV shows or movies during the workday, with 84 % saying it helps them focus, according to a recent Tubi–Harris Poll survey. The survey found that more than half, 53%, slowed assignments to finish an episode, and 48% admitted to lying to supervisors about their on-screen habits. Remote work, born of pandemic necessity, turned homes into hybrid offices and mini screening rooms. As virtual meetings increased, background TV morphed from guilty pleasure to workflow tactic. Don't Miss: Named a TIME Best Invention and Backed by 5,000+ Users, Kara's Air-to-Water Pod Cuts Plastic and Costs — Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Tubi's parent, Fox Corp. (NASDAQ:FOX, FOXA)), said the platform reaches 97 million monthly viewers in 2024, underscoring how entertainment infiltrates the workday. The same Harris dataset indicated that 81% say that watching ads is a fair trade-off for access to free content on streaming. Demand carries a price tag. According to Tubi and The Harris Poll, U.S. viewers shell out a combined $129 monthly on streaming and pay-TV bundles. In fact, 44% of young adults even cling to an ex-partner's login even after they broke up. Workhuman, a human capital management software provider, defines a growing trend called "fauxductivity." In an August 2024 research brief, Meisha-ann Martin, Ph.D., senior director of people analytics and research at Workhuman, said employees feel "expected to immediately respond to all messages," pushing some to stage activity—mouse jigglers, fake status lights—rather than confront burnout. Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: The Global Human Workplace Index, conducted by Workhuman, surveyed 3,000 full-time staff in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland and found 48% of executives admitted faking output is common on their team. Gallup's "State of the Global Workplace," published last month, reported that fully remote employees show higher engagement yet greater stress and loneliness than on-site peers. The firm said 45% of remote staff felt "a lot of stress yesterday," implying many turn to background shows for relief during solitary stretches. "You can't learn working from your basement," JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon told Bloomberg in May, defending the bank's five-day office mandate for most employees. Streaming platforms see an opportunity in changing work habits. According to the Tubi and The Harris Poll survey, 52% of Gen Z remote workers said they don't want to return to the office because they'd miss streaming during the day—a trend that appeals to advertisers targeting daytime audiences. Read Next: Tired of Grid Failures and Charging Deserts? This Startup Has a Solar Fix and $25M+ in Sales — Can you guess how many retire with a $5,000,000 nest egg? . Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? This article Gen Z Is Streaming Through The Workday — 84% Say It Boosts Focus, While Half Admit They've Delayed Tasks To Finish A Show originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
09-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Using Incentives And Recognition To Boost Productivity
No matter what industry you work in, one of the most important factors for driving results is having a productive and highly motivated workforce. Unfortunately, having an engaged team doesn't always come easily. Gallup reports that just 31% of employees feel engaged at work — and that disengaged employees result in $1.9 trillion in lost productivity in the United States each year. Part of the reason for this is because many employers overlook one of the basic tenets of work psychology. Using a carefully crafted incentive and recognition program can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement, productivity and other valuable employee metrics. The concept of using incentives in the workforce comes from the psychological theory that our behavior is largely shaped by perceived consequences. Trying to achieve a reward motivates us to pursue a certain behavior, while fear of punishment acts as a deterrent. However, for those perceived consequences to have actual power, they need to be consistently reinforced. Another important consideration is the inherent desire among most employees to feel valued, which is a powerful driver of workplace satisfaction and motivation. When employees don't feel valued, they are less likely to give their best effort, and are more likely to look for a job where they believe they will be more valued. Unfortunately, many employers don't deliver on these basic needs. Workhuman reports that 46.4% of employees say they are only 'somewhat valued' by their employer, and an additional 10.7% don't feel 'valued at all.' While many workplaces struggle to keep employees engaged or make them feel valued, the right incentives can completely transform the work environment—and the level of engagement. So, how do incentives motivate desired behavior? First, there's the fact that behavior is shaped by perceived consequences. Incentives act as positive reinforcement for desired behavior. For example, Toyota's famous kaizen mindset, which encourages all employees to look for ways to make continual improvements to company processes, incentivizes idea sharing by offering monetary rewards and personal recognition for implemented ideas. Incentivizing this program results in over 250,000 suggestions per year. Another example comes from a case study featuring a collaboration between Blueberry Pediatrics and Motivosity. As a fully remote company, Blueberry Pediatrics was struggling with engagement. They partnered with Motivosity to implement a centralized platform and realized an 89% increase in participation in employee programs. In addition, a peer-to-peer giving and recognition system led to a 30 times increase in employee recognitions, further driving engagement and deepening relationships among team members. As these examples illustrate, incentives can provide a powerful motivation to improve performance at work. Whether in the form of a monetary reward or public recognition, incentives create psychological motivation for employees to do their best — and even go above and beyond what is expected of them. Where recognition comes from can also make a difference. As one report from Gallup notes, 'Nearly one-quarter [of employees] said the most memorable recognition comes from a high-level leader or CEO. Employees will remember personal feedback from the CEO — even a small amount of time a high-ranking leader takes to show appreciation can yield a positive impression on an employee. In fact, acknowledgement from a CEO could become a career highlight.' Which types of incentives work best? Academic studies into incentives reveal that in many cultures, monetary rewards tend to be more powerful motivators than other incentives — but in other cultures, a psychological incentive proves more effective. A bonus or significant performance-based incentive isn't the answer to every situation (especially for businesses on a tight budget). Fortunately, money isn't the only way you can incentivize employees. And in fact, monetary rewards are often temporary, rather than permanent motivators. Employees who feel seen, valued and appreciated are more likely to remain loyal, engaged and productive in the long run. For many, consistently receiving public recognition and praise can go a long way in helping them this way. Some organizations may link incentives to the results of a team's campaign, seeking greater buy-in and collaboration from a department or even across the entire company. Rewards like team outings, special meals or even extra time off or unique experiences can give teams an extra goal to work for as they strive to complete a project or hit KPIs. Rewards can even be as simple as gift cards to a favorite retailer, restaurant or subscription service. Alternatively, some companies go in a different direction with rewards, like giving employees more autonomy with more flexible work arrangements. Regardless of the specifics of your incentive program, it's important that you adapt it to the needs of your organization and the values of your employees. Incentives should always be linked with desired employee behavior or work outcomes, and appreciation should be expressed consistently. At the same time, the incentives should feel meaningful, relevant and (when possible) personalized to your employees based on their contributions and interests. With the right incentive and recognition program, you can ensure that your employees feel valued and engaged at work. This will, in turn, make them more productive and less likely to look for jobs elsewhere. And best of all, incentivizing engagement, innovation and performance doesn't have to always be monetary. By providing recognition for quality work and understanding what types of incentives are the most meaningful for your team, you can give them greater motivation to do their best — and then get the results you want for your business.
Forbes
28-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Collective Effervescence: Hope From HR Leaders As They Face Challenges
Teamwork and thought leadership can overcome any challenge. If you're in the business of HR nowadays, the world of work can feel bleak. The divides amongst us grow broader and deeper; our businesses face layoffs, real and existential threats; DEIB has become a four-letter word; the C-suite implore us to help solve and ready the organization for an AI-laden near future, except instead of building the plane as we fly it, we're dismantling and repurposing the parts as we take off. At the interpersonal level, those of us in HR can feel like caretakers. We are the willing, compassionate warriors who strive to prevent and alleviate the suffering of others. We are a place where people air their grievances. And many times, that's a good thing. But who cares for the caretakers? Enter Workhuman Live, an HR conference put on by Workhuman, an employee recognition software company. My team attended Workhuman Live in Aurora, Colorado, the week of May 12th this year, and came home full of topical insights, new friends, and, more importantly, hope. Waypower and Willpower In psychology and the social sciences, hope is a measurable psychological state with tremendous power to enable action. Its component parts are Waypower and Willpower. Waypower encompasses the strategies necessary to achieve a goal, and willpower refers to the motivational energy required to reach it. Workhuman Live and events like these, when done well, can provide both. For ten years, Workhuman Live has gathered HR professionals, senior leaders, social scientists, and thought leaders to explore: How do we make work more human? From the likes of Adam Grant and Trevor Noah this year, to Michelle Obama, Brené Brown, Amal Clooney, and others in past years, this conference explores a wide range of topics. It seeks to unpack big questions, ponder challenging ones, and tread on uncomfortable ones, providing a place for HR professionals to collaborate, strategize, and bring actionable insights home to make a meaningful impact. This all contributes to the Waypower aspect of Hope. Beyond the brainpower and best practices, though, this conference provided attendees with the powerful experience of collective effervescence, a sociological term describing the feeling of belonging and connection to a group, making one feel like they are part of something larger. With high-energy visuals, engaging and thoughtful emcees KeyAnna Schmiedl and Holly Ransom, high-powered speakers, coffee bars, customizable water bottles, and (actually) good, healthy food, the week in Colorado at Workhuman Live was a place of connection and re-energization. Through this, Workhuman Live enlivened our Willpower. Key Themes: AI is Here to Stay One of our biggest takeaways from this year's conference was, possibly no surprise, the role of AI as a workplace disruptor. Met by some with cautious optimism, others with trepidation, and others with doomsday predictions, there is no doubt that AI is here to stay and changing work in ways yet to be fully revealed. With heavy-hitters weighing in like Adam Grant, Kelly Jones, the Chief People Officer at Cisco, and Kerry Dryburgh, the Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer at BP, it was nice to know that we are kindred spirits pondering the question: how will AI affect the future of work, workforces, and (up)skilling? Adam Grant suggested that we tap into the collective wisdom and creativity of our own workforces by launching a sort of AI hackathon, inviting employees to unlock the best possible ways to deploy AI to improve the organization. Whether you take his advice or not, the answer is not to crawl under your desk in the fetal position and hope that AI goes away soon. Great leaders are People-Centric We sat down and interviewed conference presenters, authors, and leaders, and asked them to differentiate between good and great leaders. Although our interviewees hailed from different industries, backgrounds, and areas of study, they all agreed that great leaders need to be people-centric, building relationships and cultivating the best in their people. Best-selling author and keynote speaker Cy Wakeman has been pondering this question for some time. Her insights were summed up with 'I think there's a totally new skill needed for great leaders. They are not going to manage the systems and the processes. That is for AI. Leaders should be managing the energy of their people. The new great leaders will be alchemists.' Niamh Graham, Vice President, Global HR at Workhuman said the great leaders truly care about their people. '[They] have to be a good listener, and [they] have to care.' We also spoke with Kia Afcari, Director of Greater Good Workplaces at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center (GGSC), who brings an academic lens to the question, given the GGSC's focus on the psychology and neuroscience behind wellbeing in the workplace. Kia shared, 'We've been doing a lot of research and writing on kindness in leadership. Known in academia as prosocial behavior, prosociality is generally defined as 'positive' social behavior intended to promote the welfare of others. Companies with prosopical CEOs perform better. Employees perform better for prosocial managers.' He writes in his article Why Kind Workplaces are More Successful, 'fostering a prosocial and well-being–oriented workplace is not only 'the right thing to do' but also a strategic business decision.' One way to initiate a more intentional approach to developing people-centric leaders is to explore the compassionate leadership toolkit, which includes a free assessment, and consider attending WorkHuman's next conference for educational and morale purposes.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
9 in 10 companies lack ‘future-ready' talent strategies, Adecco says
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. Only 10% of companies qualify as AI 'future-ready,' according to the results of an Adecco Group survey of 2,000 C-suite leaders across 13 countries and a variety of industries. The talent firm defined 'future-ready' as having structured plans to support workers, build skills and lead through disruption created by artificial intelligence. Companies struggling with the transformation have one thing in common, according to the report: They place unfair expectations on workers. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of organizations expect workers to proactively adapt to AI, but one-third have not instructed workers on how to use the technology, Adecco said. The small segment of companies that are AI future-ready also shared characteristics; 65%, for example, have adopted skills-based workforce planning and moved away from rigid job structures, according to the survey. The Adecco report echoes a consistent theme: To support and guide talent through the ever-accelerating pace of AI and generative AI transformation, companies need a robust plan and cannot leave employees to navigate AI use on their own. 'The difference is the mindset,' Denis Machuel, Adecco Group's CEO, said in a statement. 'Future-ready organisations aren't simply reacting to AI. Instead, these leaders are rethinking how their business works, how talent grows and how decisions are made.' However, to agree on a talent strategy, senior leaders must first be united on core talent issues, such as the organizational barriers preventing talent improvement, Adecco said. Also, if leaders expect their workforces to adapt to AI, they need to act as role models, the firm said. The survey found that only about a third of leaders worked to develop their own AI capabilities over the last 12 months. Additionally, companies are lacking data, which Adecco called the missing foundation for workforce strategy. Just 33% are investing in data to understand and close skills gaps, its research showed. Critical data includes understanding employees' generative AI training needs, according to a May report by Amazon Web Services. Lacking this understanding — and not knowing how to implement the training programs — may prevent companies from creating robust training plans that properly upskill workers, the report said. Two weeks ago, at a Workhuman conference, the founder of the AI Leadership Institute and one of the original Amazon team members who developed Alexa, emphasized HR's critical role in making sure workers are prepared for the changes. Organizations that have a future-ready mindset and have done the work see flexible, adaptable, tech savvy and proactive employees, Adecco said. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 ways Yelp prioritizes employee engagement in the ‘big stay' era
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. AURORA, Colo. — Yelp made waves in 2022 when it became one of the early adopters of shifting to permanently remote work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, which came about in large part due to employee feedback, is just one of the ways Yelp has put listening to workers at the center of its people strategy, Chief People Officer Carmen Amara and Senior Director of People Business Operations Brad Auernig told a Workhuman audience Tuesday. Employee engagement has shifted in what's being called the 'big stay' — a time that began around 2023, when employees decided to stay put in their roles, prizing stability over the draw of a new position. Yelp is experiencing this phenomenon along with other workplaces; its average tenure expanded from 2.8 years in 2022 to 3.9 years today, Amara said. 'But just because retention is high, that doesn't mean that employee expectations are not evolving,' Amara said. Potential challenges of the 'big stay' include maintaining workers' motivation, avoiding career stagnation and preventing burnout, she said. Amara and Auernig outlined a few strategies Yelp is using to keep workers engaged. Listening to employee feedback creates 'a foundation necessary for employees to thrive,' Auernig said, pointing to several approaches the company takes to listening: consistently through an annual survey, regularly at large events, and as-needed through focus groups and smaller surveys or events. What about survey fatigue? 'The truth is employees get worn out in providing feedback when they don't see change,' Auernig said. 'It's about turning insights into action quickly and effectively.' Yelp asks leaders to take feedback and do '1-2-3.' First, pick one issue. Next, devise two solutions. Then, commit to three follow-ups. 'Don't just listen,' Auernig said. 'Do something with what you hear.' When employees stay longer in the organization and their roles, 'they need to feel like they're continuing to move forward,' Amara said, noting that investment in growth and development is essential — not optional. How can HR foster this feeling? Yelp offers cross-functional projects, for one, Amara said. Employers can also offer mentorship and job shadowing, promote continuing education and certifications, and encourage workers to use AI tools to create a personalized development plan. 'It's really imperative that we do not wait for promotions to celebrate growth,' Amara said. 'We absolutely need to recognize skill-building, stretch assignments and progress along the way.' Finally, employees need to understand how the organization they work for makes a difference every day for those it serves. Yelp consistently reinforces the 'why' of the company, Auernig said, and helps employees connect how their work contributes to the broader project. 'When people feel connected to the purpose of the company, they will thrive,' Auernig said. 'They will bring their best selves to work.'
