This is a weekly roundup of the latest in HR news.
This week is so full of Human Resources news that there is not enough room to fit it all into the headline. The CEO of a furniture company caught fire on social media when she insensitively answered a question about bonuses and further demonstrated the class divide between senior leadership and those they employ.
Still, that story pales in comparison to the layoffs at Meta and Disney, which will put thousands out of work. Other HR news was about the return to relocation benefits, the former Vice President of HR at Microsoft explaining the recent tech layoffs, nurses becoming gig workers, and the sense of purpose people are demanding from their jobs. Let’s dig into the specifics:
CEO’s “Let Them Eat Cake” Moment
Somehow leaders have failed to learn that video and written word can end up going viral on social media – and those tone deaf moments will live on for eternity. Millions and counting have now seen MillerKnoll CEO Andi Owen’s response to employee questions about whether they’d be getting a bonus and how to stay motivated despite not getting this additional money. In the video, which NPR shares in its article, Owen starts off with optimism as you would expect from a leader. But then she devolves into a – albeit short – rant:
“Don’t ask about ‘what are we going to do if we don’t get a bonus?’ Get the damn $26 million,” Owen says in the video referencing an internal performance goal. “Spend your time and your effort thinking about the $26 million we need and not thinking about what you’re going to do if you don’t get a bonus, all right? Can I get some commitment?”
All the while, Owen is waving her finger at the screen and before she signs off with, “Have a good night,” she mouths the word, “Boom,” while raising her hands in the air. Watch the video and decide for yourself what this says about the general state of employer-employee relations. The NPR article is worth a read because it includes examples of other such cringe-worthy displays from other CEOs.
Meta and Disney Lay Off Thousands of Employees
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, and Disney are juggernauts of American industry, however, they are both making comebacks after some big losses. Both companies announced more layoffs. CNN reported that Nkechi Nneji, a Meta spokesperson, confirmed previously announced layoffs took place on Wednesday. This is part of the company’s plan to cut another 10,000 employees in coming months, according to CNN. This time around the layoffs affected members of the sustainability, well-being, user experience, news feed, and messaging teams, according to LinkedIn posts. LinkedIn shared that the compnay cut technical roles in software engineering, graphics programming, and gameplay development, too. And HR itself could be next on the chopping block in May, according to LinkedIn.
Yahoo! Finance is reporting that Disney will cut more jobs next week. It anticipates that the entertainment company will slash 15% of its entertainment division. This comes after Disney restructured its organization into three core divisions – Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products – in February.
Former Microsoft VP of HR Talks Tech Layoffs
Check out a fascinating Business Insider article written by Chris Williams, the former Vice President of Human Resources at Microsoft, about why tech layoffs are happening in droves. He explains why the recent job cuts are a correction and not necessarily a sign of gloom and doom for technology’s future or the future of the economy. In fact, he promises that “there are too many rays of hope to count” in the tech industry.
RTO Means Return of Relocation Benefits
Many companies are insisting that workers return to the office now that the worst of the pandemic is in the rearview mirror. Their commitment to RTO is evident in the fact that many companies are once again offering relocation benefits, according to the Wall Street Journal. The writer of the article cites ZipRecruiter job ads mentioning relocation money doubled from $3.8 million, after falling to 2 million in 2020.
Colgate-Palmolive and Walmart are among the big companies telling employees they need to come into the office a couple times per week. Chevron and Appian Corporation, a cloud computing company based in Virginia, are among the companies featured in the article that have offered relocation benefits, which run the gamut from a lump sum of a few thousand dollars to full-service moving packages or paid rent in corporate housing. The cost to move a new hire ranges between $19,000 and $72,000, according to WSJ.
Nurses Become Gig Workers
The Wall Street Journal also reports that gig worker apps are helping hospitals respond to a shortage of nurses that has been plaguing healthcare for some time now. Providence and Advocate Health are using the apps to make up for the scarcity of nurses in their healthcare systems.
“The embrace of gig work puts hospitals in more direct competition with the temporary staffing agencies that siphoned away nurses during the pandemic,” according to the writer of the article.
HR Wants to Find Its Purpose
LinkedIn shares the results of the social media company’s latest survey that showed that 82% of U.S. workers said it was important to work for a company in which the culture and values are aligned with their own. This position was strongest, with 91% of the vote, among those in Human Resources. Marketing (90%) and community and social services (89%) round out the top three taking this stance.
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