Category: Business Trends

Productivity Paranoia: The Design Challenge Ahead.

Last week Microsoft’s Work Trend Index discovered a profound problem at work: while 87% of employees believe they are highly productive, only 12% of CEOs agree.

This is a staggering finding. While employee work harder than ever, CEOs simply do not believe it.

Microsoft believes this is a symptom of hybrid work, but I ... Read more»

We Are Becoming A PowerSkills Economy

Everyone keeps talking about the economy these days. Interest rates are rising, inflation feels out of control, and there’s a hint of recession in the air. Yet job growth remains strong and unemployment is low. What’s really going on?

After years of study and hundreds of conversations with business leaders, I’ve come to a ... Read more»

The Healthcare Industry Has A Talent Crisis: We Found The Cure.

We just completed a massive study of the talent and HR challenges in healthcare, and the findings are astounding. And there is a lot to learn from this industry.

To start, you should understand that healthcare is now the largest industry in the United States. Almost 14% of the American workforce serves in this ... Read more»

The Confusing Job Market: CEOs and CHROs Seem Baffled

We have entered one of the most confusing job markets in decades. While the unemployment rate continues to drop (3.5% here, 2.4% in Japan), companies are also worried about the slowdown. So they’re “hiring” and “laying off” simultaneously. What a confusing time.

Consider the following data, taken from a recent PWC pulse survey among ... Read more»

The Hot Labor Market Has Almost Become A Crisis

Unbelievable. After four months of worries about a recession and a steady increase in interest rates, today the BLS reported that 528,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate dropped to 3.5%. This is the lowest it has been since 1969, a year when I was in middle school.

And at the same time ... Read more»

It Doesn’t Look Like A Recession To Me

I’ve had many conversations with business and HR leaders about the economy in the last few weeks, and many are worried about a downturn. I just don’t see it happening.

Today’s job numbers were pretty impressive. The US unemployment rate remains at 3.6%, 372,000 jobs were created, and forward-looking segments like professional services, research, ... Read more»

Amazon Is Running Out Of Workers. You Can Avoid This Problem.

Despite the biting headlines about the stock market correction and possible economic slowdown, one thing is very clear. Jobs are being created.

This week’s BLS study shows that the US unemployment rate remains very low at 3.6% and is 2.2% lower than a year ago. In other words, companies are hiring.

EMSI believes there are ... Read more»

Irresistible By Design: The Winning Strategy For The Future

Such a crazy, disruptive, surprising world. One day it’s a pandemic, then a war, then inflation, and now a mass shooting. As I watched George Carlin’s documentary this week I had to reflect: maybe he was right. Are we really a species that may not survive?

Well, let me make you feel a little better. ... Read more»

Becoming Irresistible: Now Is The Time

This week we launch our Irresistible Conference at the same time the stock market has plunged, interest and mortgage rates are rising, and economists are worried about a recession. It reminds me of our first Impact conference in 2008, which we launched the month the financial meltdown began.

Whether the economy goes down or ... Read more»

The Search For Relevance In A Time Of Change

I just finished a series of meetings with CEOs and top HR leaders and it’s a puzzling time. Companies are growing and seeing tremendous demand, yet they’re finding it harder than ever to attract, hire, and retain people.

One of these companies is a highly respected company: Glassdoor ratings over 4.8, winner of every “best ... Read more»

Lessons From The Amazon Labor Union. Are Workers Now In Charge?

What does the Amazon Labor Union win teach us about leadership, management, and HR? Of all the myriad challenges we’ve faced over the last few years, one trend is clear. Worker power is on the rise.

And I don’t just mean unions (like the Amazon Labor Union win in Staten Island) or the Starbucks ... Read more»

Unleashing Human Potential: The Real Secret Of Business Success

As we prepare for our Irresistible Conference (where I will be launching my book), I’ve been thinking back about all we’ve been through over the last five years. It’s a lot.

We’ve suffered through the pandemic, political instability, a global climate crisis, and now a war. Employees are burned out, stress levels are at all-time ... Read more»

Haphazard Organization Design Is Holding Companies Back From Growth

Just released. New Research on Designing Jobs for the Future of Work.

Every day there’s another roadblock to growth. Inflation at nearly 8%, a war in Eastern Europe, more jobs than we have people, and employees leaving companies in droves.

As part of our Global Workforce Intelligence Project we’ve been interviewing CHROs in healthcare, ... Read more»

What To Do About Russia And Ukraine

Talk about surprises. We may have found the issue that brings people together in this country. Ukraine and Russia.

It’s not easy to watch the Russian Federation indiscriminately bomb cities and families, and CEOs are taking notice. As of March 10, more than 300 global corporations have chosen to discontinue business operations in Russia, and ... Read more»