The Women's Recession - Can HR stop the exodus? - Introducing the Top 100 HR Tech Influencers for 2021 - Human Resource Executive
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Introducing the Top 100 HR Tech Influencers for 2021
M AY 2 0 2 1 • $ 8 . 9 5
The
Women’s
Recession
Can HR stop the exodus?
Tech Tools HBLC Keynoter
Helping HR Joan Lunden’s
Post-COVID Caregiving Story
Page 6 Page 14
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Human Resource
May 2021
COVER STORY
Executıve ®
The Women’s Recession BY JEN COLLETTA
Pandemic-driven lockdowns forced many women to choose between work and family, setting women’s labor-force participation back several decades. What
can HR do to stop this alarming trend? Page 8
HR Technology Columns
Top 100 HR Tech Influencers 5 HR in the Flow of Work
BY HRE STAFF The Need for Human-Centered Leadership 3
The third annual list of industry innovators is unveiled.
Inside HR Tech
Using Workplace Tech Proactively 4
Tech Tools for a Post-Pandemic World 6
BY TOM STARNER
Learn about five tech solutions that are poised for post-COVID growth. READ MORE AT HREXECUTIVE.COM
Benefits
• How Good Are You at Making ‘The Ask?’
How Joan Lunden Became a Caregiving Advocate 14
BY KATHRYN MAYER
• A Tool to Help Sourcing Mature Quicker
The Health & Benefits Leadership Conference keynoter shares her personal story. • Business Leaders Weigh In on the Mental Health Crisis
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thoughts on what to expect.
HR IN THE FLOW OF WORK By Josh Bersin/Columnist
The Need for Human-Centered Leadership
The pandemic has highlighted drives creativity and problem-solving in the company, • Learning through reflection: Human-centered
the need for leaders who are and how to support people during times of disruption. leaders need time and space to sit back, think and
empathetic, inclusive and HR plays a critical role in helping leaders reconcile consider how to do even better in the future.
highly flexible. The old style of these two different styles and foster the capabilities ° Sabre builds in self-reflection time for leaders.
management, with its at-all-costs needed for authentic human-centered leadership. Going The CEO pulls up calendars to check they’re taking
focus on the bottom line isn’t beyond traditional leadership development programs, time outs, and the company uses Microsoft 365
working in this new world of the most successful HR teams are taking innovative Insights/Cortana to schedule breaks.
work. Leaders today must embrace new management approaches to helping leaders develop new capabilities. • Caring about employee wellbeing: Now more
principles and demonstrate the ability to think creatively, • Learning from team members: A leader’s team than ever, leaders need to be aware of factors impacting
to consider the wellbeing of their teams and to roll up arguably has the best insights into the leader’s skills, the physical, mental and financial health of employees.
their sleeves and get involved in the actual work. behaviors and daily actions. 360 reviews have long been ° Zebra Tech’s “Managing Your Energy”
It may seem silly to use the phrase “human-centered” part of leadership development programs, but some program encompasses sessions conducted by the
in a discussion of leadership, since the main function organizations take this approach in a new direction to company’s EAP, during which leaders learn how to
of a leader is to motivate and guide people toward accelerate leadership growth and development: recognize symptoms of burnout.
achieving a common goal or purpose. But in reality, ° At Sanofi, employees rate their managers and • Coaching and providing feedback: The best
often the “people” part of leadership gets lost in the job. decide which project to work on in its new internal leaders today act like coaches, not managers.
For instance, when you think of leadership, do you think gig work marketplace. ° Walgreen Boots Alliance shifted from a
of individual and team performance, deadlines, projects, • Learning from other leaders: Senior leaders traditional performance management approach to
status reports? Or do you think about the needs of the set the tone for the organization and are important role continuous feedback, listening and coaching. More
people who make work actually happen? models for leaders further down in the organizational frequent touchpoints were important for increased
If honest, most managers would admit they think hierarchy. When these senior leaders demonstrate connection and engagement of employees.
primarily of the first. Josh Bersin Academy research that a safe environment, trust and empathy are just as One of the big lessons learned over the last year
shows that it’s time for a rebalance. Of the hundreds important as financials, others follow their example. is that leaders need to put people before profits if
of leadership models in the market, we believe they all ° Biogen’s extended leadership team was their business is to succeed. I believe 2021 will be an
fall into one of two main categories: divided into groups of eight to 10; a senior leader exciting opportunity for transformation, change and
• Business-centered leadership: Leaders focus was assigned to each group. Groups collaborated on innovation. Now is the time for leaders to lead in a
on how to grow, optimize and improve the business, topics such as creating trust, psychological safety human-centered way. HR’s role will be to define what
with a focus on innovation, marketing, growth, and leading through uncertainty. this looks like and to put programs and practices in
operations, R&D, manufacturing, quality and financial • Learning to be better listeners: Listening is place to cement new behaviors into daily work.
results. Companies embracing this style teach leaders perhaps the No. 1 power skill of all. In our pandemic Go to joshbersin.com to download the
about technology, the competitive marketplace, supply response study, listening and acting on feedback was complimentary Big Reset Playbooks.
chains and competitive advantage. identified as the most important practice.
• Human-centered leadership: Leaders focus ° Target engages senior leaders in facilitating Josh Bersin is an analyst, author, educator and
on hiring, developing, coaching, inspiring and pushing listening sessions with employees on difficult thought leader focusing on the global talent market and
people to grow, innovate, serve customers and improve topics like racial inequality. HR provides leaders the challenges and trends impacting business workforces
the company. Companies embracing this style teach and employees with ground rules to help guide around the world. Send questions or comments to
leaders to understand what makes people thrive, what behaviors and expectations with great success. hreletters@lrp.com.
May 2021 3
INSIDE HR TECH By Steve Boese/Columnist
Using Workplace Tech Proactively
You likely have seen the recent news about a group of seems likely that most existing HR tech or project management tech solutions
first-year associates at the investment bank Goldman would have provided much more than raw data.
Sachs who circulated a rogue employee pulse survey
among themselves and then shared the (not-so-positive) Productivity, Collaboration and Communication
results with management. Among the findings, they These tools are largely relegated to knowledge or “desk” workers, like the
reported working an average of 98 hours per week since associates at Goldman: the now-ubiquitous communication platforms like Slack or
the beginning of the year and sleeping an average of only Microsoft Teams, video conferencing tools like Zoom or WebEx, and, of course, still
five hours per night. Regardless of your opinion on this specific situation, the story likely the single most-used piece of technology in the organization, email. Details vary
pushed work/life balance back to the front page once again. from organization to organization, but most of the stories boil down to excessive use
It got me thinking about how—or really if—existing HR technology provides of video conferencing, “chat” messages flying fast and furious and extending late into
HR leaders with the tools they need to understand, monitor, influence and improve the evening and the weekends, and a never-ending stream of email—so much email.
employee work/life balance. And I determined that overall this is a gap, or possibly Add into this mix the fact that, for many knowledge workers, all of these tools, and their
a missed opportunity, in HR tech. associated and incessant notifications, are being pushed not just to computers, but also
Let’s take a look at the areas where HR tech typically intersects with work/life to smartphones, and it’s clear that, for many, work never is far away.
balance and speculate on if or how tech could have helped at Goldman Sachs (or The data that these systems capture—message volume, traffic patterns, response
similar organizations). times, collaboration pods and networks, sentiment data from chat and email text
content, and, most importantly, date and time stamps of all of the above—speaks
Understanding How Employees Feel most directly to the work/life balance issue: 10 p.m. Zoom meetings, chat messages
This is probably the most straightforward application for tech to aid HR being sent at 7 a.m. Saturdays and emails pinging back and forth 24/7 in some cases.
leaders in this area. Simply asking employees how they feel and about their Being able to access, analyze, interpret and draw conclusions from this broad data set
experiences using check-ins, pulse surveys or even more expansive engagement provides HR and the organization with the best opportunity to flag potential problems
surveys can all be useful to better understand work/life balance issues. The as they begin to percolate, or at least before they escalate as at Goldman.
market for these types of tools is pretty mature and robust, including such However, the core problem is that these technologies, and the workforce insights
providers as Culture Amp, Reflektive, Lattice and several others. But these types they offer, are not usually within HR’s purview. These are classic tools provided by,
of tools are effective only if they are used—and used properly. At Goldman Sachs, provisioned for and administered through IT, meaning data are largely invisible to HR
junior staff members had to take it upon themselves to launch their own work/ leaders, and thoughts of changing that are met with a chorus of “privacy” arguments.
life balance pulse survey. So, I think we can assume Goldman either was not But this is the information—not traditional HR data—that has the clues about
using this kind of HR tech tool or was not using it in a way that was adequately what is actually happening in the organization as it happens. Pulse surveys, unless
surfacing these issues. you administer them incredibly frequently, are backward-looking. So are time,
attendance and payroll reports. The only data that lives in real-time comes from
Time, Attendance, Scheduling and Payroll the tools that people use to communicate with each other. Understanding this data
As you well know, the entire HR tech industry rests on the foundation of payroll could have helped Goldman’s HR and business leaders see problems developing
and time and attendance technologies. ADP, UKG, Paychex, Paycom, SAP, Oracle before they had to come to light via a user-generated survey.
and scores more can provide these capabilities. All organizations have them (at There’s an opportunity here for HR and technology leaders to begin conversations
least payroll), and most, if not all, provide adequate reporting and analysis to allow about what data—and in what format—can proactively illuminate issues like the work/
HR leaders to understand trends indicating potential work/life balance problems, life ones at Goldman. While email, Zoom and chat data is incredibly telling, combining
such as overtime hours. Such spikes might indicate the organization is working that with time, attendance, sick days, and survey and sentiment data would present an
some employees too much, or that employees are eager to take the extra hours and even more compelling picture. This kind of capability may not yet exist in the HR tech
pay. It’s hard to say just from a chart of overtime trends. market, but I bet it could (and should) be on the roadmap of solution providers today.
So, let’s look back at our Goldman Sachs example. Could their time, attendance, The Goldman case is an extreme one, but it does offer some useful lessons.
scheduling or payroll systems have raised any early warning signals? Maybe. Whatever issues with work/life, stress or burnout may be happening in your
These jobs are almost certainly exempt, so Goldman would not need to track their organization, wouldn’t it be better to have an early warning rather than to find out
work hours to calculate pay. But, if these associates are required to track their time, via a PowerPoint presentation from your employees?
whether it is billable or not, to specific projects and/or clients, then Goldman would
have been able to run simple reports showing the number of hours being logged Steve Boese is chair of HRE’s HR Technology Conference & Exposition®. Send
each week, and perhaps used that data to take some preemptive actions. And it questions or comments to hreletters@lrp.com.
Human Resource
Executıve ®
VOLUME 35, NUMBER 3
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44 Human
Human Resource
Resource Executive
Executive®®
2021 Top 100 HR Tech Influencers
Meet this year’s Influencers, who share exceptional expertise, deep knowledge, bold ideas and broad influence in HR and, especially, HR
technology. Each Influencer consistently makes an impact online and off with their work. For more, visit HRExecutive.com/Top-100/.
Name/Title Company Name/Title Company Name/Title Company
Jeanne Achille, Founder and CEO The Devon Group Mike Gioja, CIO/SVP-IT, Product Paychex Leena Nair, CHRO Unilever
Management & Development
Al Adamsen, CEO & Executive Director PAFOW / Insight222 Steve Goldberg, Vice President and Ventana Research Kevin Oakes, CEO Institute for Corporate
Research Director, HCM Practice Productivity (i4cp)
Dominic Agostino, Global Head Human IBM Global Finance Adam Grant, Organizational psychologist The Wharton School, The Christy Pambianchi, Executive Vice Verizon
Resources and author University of Pennsylvania President and CHRO
Aron Ain, Chairman and CEO UKG David Green, Executive Director Insight222 Seth Patton, GM, Microsoft 365 & Microsoft Microsoft
Viva Product Marketing
Gretchen Alarcon, Vice President ServiceNow Ron Hanscome, Research Vice President Gartner Joey Price, CEO Jumpstart: HR
and General Manager
Cecile Alper-Leroux, Vice President, UKG Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer Sapient Insights Group Mandy Price, Co-founder/CEO Kanarys
Product and Innovation and Managing Partner
Jason Averbook, Co-founder and CEO Leapgen Zoë Harte, Chief People Officer Upwork Laurie Ruettiman, Writer, speaker, author Punk Rock HR
Meg Bear, SVP of Engineering and SAP SuccessFactors Nancy Hauge, CHRO Automation Anywhere Tim Sackett, President HRU Technical Resources
Operations
Derek Belch, Founder and CEO STRIVR Chris Havrilla, Vice President, HR Deloitte Consulting LLP Eva Sage-Gavin, Senior Managing Director, Accenture
Technology and Solution Provider Research Talent & Organization/Human Potential
Katarina Berg, CHRO Spotify Emily He, Senior Vice President of Global Oracle Pete Schlampp, EVP Product Development Workday
Marketing-HCM
Josh Bersin, Global industry analyst Josh Bersin Academy Siona Henderson, People partner Google Jonathan Sears, Principal, Americas Solutions EY
and Technology Leader, People Advisory Services
Juan Luis Betancourt, CEO Humantelligence Kathleen Hogan, Chief People Officer Microsoft Jon Shanahan, President and CEO Businessolver
and Executive Vice President, HR
Steve Boese, Chair/President and HR Tech Conference/H3 HR Jim Holincheck, Vice President-Advisory Leapgen Ellyn Shook, Chief Leadership and Human Accenture
Co-founder Advisors Services Resources Officer
John Boudreau, Senior Research Scientist University of Southern California, Tim Huval, Chief Administrative Officer Humana Tracy Skeans, COO, Chief People Officer Yum! Brands
and Professor Emeritus Marshall School of Business
Erika Broadwater, National President/Employer NAAAHR/Essity Ilonka Jankovich, Venture capitalist/ Randstad Innovation Fund/ Al Smith, Chief Technology Officer iCIMS
Attractiveness and Talent Acquisition Leader Founder Taptrove Ventures
Ben Brooks, Founder and CEO Pilot Inc. Ravin Jesuthasan, Senior Partner and Mercer Tyrone Smith, Global Director, Head Udemy
Global Leader for Transformation Services of People Analytics & Insights
Mimi Brooks, Founder and CEO Logical Design Solutions Dawn Klinghoffer, Head of People Analytics Microsoft Brian Sommer, Founder and President TechVentive
Marcus Buckingham, Head of Research, ADP Research Institute Jennifer Kraszewski, Vice President Paycom Erin Spencer, Senior Research Analyst Deloitte Consulting
People and Performance Human Resources
Yvette Cameron, Senior Vice President, Oracle Brian Kropp, Group Vice President Gartner Heidi Spirgi, Chief Strategy and Growth Cornerstone OnDemand
Global HCM Product Strategy and Chief of HR Research Officer
Kelly Cartwright, Head of Talent Acquisition Amazon Web Services Michael Krupa, CTO, Inclusive Futures Cisco Dan Staley, Principal PwC
Technology Strategy Technology Strategy
Jason Cerrato, Senior Director, Research Gartner Nickle LaMoreaux, CHRO IBM Mark Stelzner, Founder and Managing IA
Analyst-HR Technology and Transformation Principal
Potoula Chresomales, SVP Product Skillsoft Madeline Laurano, Founder Aptitude Research Jill Strange, Director Talent Development Keurig Dr. Pepper
Management
Jackye Clayton, DEI strategist SeekOut Jason Lauritsen, Keynote speaker, independent John Sumser, Principal Analyst HRExaminer
author and consultant
Mervyn Dinnen, Analyst, author, content Two Heads Consulting Jessica Lee, Vice President-Global Marriott International Katy Tynan, Principal Analyst, Employee Forrester
marketing strategist Performance & Talent Advisory Experience and Future of Work
Amy Dufrane, CEO HRCI Chris Leone, SVP and GM Oracle Human Oracle Erica Volini, Global Human Capital Leader Deloitte Consulting
Capital Management Cloud
Kris Dunn, Chief Human Resources Officer Kinetix Melanie Lougee, Head of Employee ServiceNow Pat Wadors, Chief People Officer Procore
Workflow Strategy
Debasis Dutta, Vice President and General SumTotal Systems Lexy Martin, Principal, Research Visier R “Ray” Wang, Principal Analyst, Constellation Research
Manager, products and design and Customer Value Founder and Chairman
Torin Ellis, Diversity strategist and Principal The Torin Ellis Brand Trish McFarlane, Founder/Principal Analyst/ H3 HR Advisors Don Weinstein, Chief Product and ADP
Consultant Technology Officer
Mary Faulkner, Principal IA Barbry McGann, SVP Product Management Workday Rebecca Wettemann, Principal Valoir
Carmen Fernandez, Chief People Officer Marsh & McLennan Rebecca McKenna, Vice President Global LRP Publications Sarah White, Founder and CEO Aspect 43
Companies Events and Publisher
Alexis Fink, Vice President, People Analytics Facebook Jeanne Meister, Managing Partner Future Workplace Amy Wilson, SVP Product and Design SAP
and Workforce Strategy
Ashutosh Garg, CEO and Founder eightfold.ai Donna Morris, EVP, Chief People Officer Walmart Sean Woodroffe, Senior Executive Vice TIAA
President and Chief People Officer
Stacia Garr, Co-founder and Principal Analyst RedThread Research Holger Mueller, Vice President and Principal Constellation Research Stacy Donovan Zapar, Founder The Talent Agency
Analyst and principal
Tina Kao Mylon, SVP, Talent and Diversity Schneider Electric
May 2021 5
Tech Tools for a Post-COVID World
Technology is helping HR make smarter, faster, better decisions.
BY TOM STARNER consume financial education, create a Sprout At Work software tools they need to make
personalized financial plan, invest for According to a LinkedIn survey, accurate and timely HR decisions, Moore
W
hile the nation’s emergence the future, and track and manage all of employee burnout has already increased explains, including integrated surveys,
from the COVID-19 pandemic their finances in one unified location. by 33% in 2021, while the American among other advanced features.
remains a work in progress, the It also helps users better understand Institute of Stress estimates that Moore says that in 2020, for
events of the past 18 months the investing process and plan for their employee stress is costing U.S. employers example, the platform offered COVID
clearly have created a need for futures through automated investing, risk mitigation dashboards for clients,
new approaches to meet the challenges 401(k) investment advice, target date helping the C-suite identify threats and
employers—and employees—are facing. goal investing and investment analysis. ensure the proper allocation of resources
Analyst Stacey Cadigan, a partner “BrightPlan’s focus in 2021 will be on to adapt to the COVID environment.
at global technology research and continuing to partner with employers “We see a lot of opportunity for
advisory firm ISG, says the pandemic to support their employees’ financial growth—for us and our clients—in this
reshaped HR priorities, especially when wellbeing, advancing equity with unprecedented business environment,”
it comes to technology. their DE&I efforts and empowering Moore says.
“As we come out of a business companies to attract, retain and engage
climate filled with health and economic top talent,” De Beer says. IBM SkillsBuild
challenges … the need for better, $300 billion annually. Brea Giffin, director In what can be considered a win-win
smarter and faster decisions has never Equifax I-9 Anywhere of partnerships for Sprout at Work, says for employers and job seekers, IBM
been more important,” Cadigan says. With a recent Conference Board this illustrates the need for tech solutions recently opened up its workforce training
Technology is helping employers survey showing that a robust 36% of to manage work/life integration. platform, SkillsBuild, to the public—at no
make those decisions around wellness, companies are willing to hire workers And that’s why Sprout At Work sees cost. This move comes on the heels of an
compliance, data analytics, learning who are 100% remote, innovative itself in growth mode. eye-opening IBM study that found nearly
and more. With that as context, HRE remote hiring processes will be critical “When we feel well, we perform a quarter (24%) of U.S. workers plan to
checked out tools in these areas that post-pandemic. Considering a correctly well,” says Giffin. “Our results change employers in 2021, and more than
saw strong pandemic-driven growth completed Form happen because our digital platform a third (36%) plan to seek additional skills
during 2020. The following five tools are I-9 is required removes barriers and users can enjoy through online courses.
just a handful of the promising solutions of every new accessibility from anywhere.” The more than 1,000 SkillsBuild
primed to help employers meet the hire, Equifax Sprout At Work allows employers classes are designed to empower job
evolving needs of their workforces now offers its I-9 to create gamified challenges to seekers with workplace readiness and
through the pandemic and beyond. AnywhereⓇ to engage and inspire employees: from technical skills—even outside the tech
help employers personalized health programs to rewards space. SkillsBuild also offers a new
BrightPlan Total Financial meet that like product and gift card redemptions, mentoring platform to help aspiring
Wellness Solution objective. vacation days, premium reductions, tech professionals complete portfolio-
Employee wellness comes in more The tool charitable giving and more. Employees building projects. Users can take a self-
than one dimension, all of which have uses guided can connect a wearable device or app for assessment that helps them identify and
risen to the forefront for HR leaders. experiences a seamless, secure tracking experience. connect with a personalized learning
During the pandemic, BrightPlan, and a network Based on Sprout At Work’s growth experience that fits their interests and
which offers an employer-sponsored of trained I-9 potential (on track for 25% growth in skill set.
financial wellness solution, saw a nearly completers to 2021, with higher sales in the first quarter The
fivefold increase in annual recurring help employers of 2021 than in any other full year on COVID-19
revenue, customer pipeline and number get Forms I-9 done more accurately, on record), it’s clear that wellness tools pandemic,
of customers. time and in person (as required by law); that connect employees regardless of combined
with I-9 Anywhere, employees can meet location will be a “need-to-have,” not a with rapid
up with a trained completer to review “nice-to-have” solution, Giffin says. technological
the documents before submitting. In developments,
response to increasing demand during ZeroedIn is profoundly
the pandemic, the company expanded ZeroedIn workforce analytics software changing the
its trained Form I-9 completer network automates artificial intelligence inside HR, workplace, says Justina Nixon-Saintil,
and Employment Eligibility Verification monetizes HR’s data science activities IBM vice president and global head of
Section 2 and 3 capabilities to help and provides employers with predictive corporate social responsibility. With that
accommodate more remote new hires talent and business indicators to help change, employers and HR leaders are
and rehires nationwide. build budgets and business cases with increasingly seeking to build stronger
A new module for I-9 Anywhere now fact-based evidence, according to Chris and more diverse talent pipelines.
delivers digital Section 3 options through Moore, the company’s founder and CEO. “Think of IBM SkillsBuild as an
the completer network. It is designed to The company’s revenues and income investment in the community, especially
According to Marthin De Beer, more seamlessly help employers manage were up more than 40% in 2020 from for those without affordable access
BrightPlan’s founder and CEO, 2020 Form I-9 requirements for employees the prior year, and it saw new multi-year to traditional education who also may
“put the focus back where it should who are rehired within three years of come from vulnerable populations,”
be: on benefits that really matter to the date that a Form I-9 was originally says Nixon-Saintil.
employees.” A BrightPlan survey found completed, and when employment Resources like IBM SkillsBuild are
that workers rank financial wellness, in authorization documentation has expired. increasingly essential as technologies
fact, as more important than healthcare “The current guidelines require that including hybrid, cloud and AI change
benefits. every Form I-9 is essentially reviewed job roles within organizations, Nixon-
BrightPlan offers Total Financial by a human, which logically runs a bit Saintil says.
Wellness Solution, a comprehensive counter to the idea of remote onboarding,” “For the HR space, this increases
personal finance solution that is real- says Jason Fry, AVP, Equifax Workforce the chance for upskilling or reskilling
time, personalized and integrated Solutions. “So, mobile-first software like necessary in all industries as we move
with employer benefits. The platform I-9 Anywhere that connects new hires to contracts with customers like the city of out of the pandemic,” she adds.
provides users with both digital and a national network is the best way to help Detroit, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.
human financial planning and coaching future-proof a critical part of new employee ZeroedIn’s goal is empowering HR Send questions or comments about
assistance, enabling employees to onboarding.” professionals with the workforce analytics this story to hreletters@lrp.com.
6 Human Resource Executive ®
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Cover Story
Ending the
Women’s
Exodus
The pandemic led to record job losses for women.
Now, bold employer action is needed to address
the underlying factors driving women out of the
workforce.
BY JEN COLLETTA
S
he-cession. Pink Collar Recession. No started, to handle children’s remote schooling, shopping, On top of fears of their career stalling, many weren’t
matter what you call it, it’s happening. cooking, cleaning and other household tasks, and the able to take a step back because they were the main
The statistics are stark: More than 5 female turnover rates started ticking up. On top of that, or sole provider, she says, “and that resulted in a lot of
million payroll jobs held by women were lost the type of jobs more likely to be held by women— families putting kids back in childcare earlier than they
in 2020. Of those women, nearly 2.5 million service-oriented positions such as teachers, childcare would have felt comfortable. They were forced into this
left the workforce entirely in the last year. workers, social workers, often called “pink collar” jobs— tradeoff position.”
Just in the month of December, women accounted for a were among the hardest-hit by closures.
stunning 100% of job losses. Women of color are reflected A story in The Washington Post described that one What women want
disproportionately in all of these numbers. out of four American women who became unemployed While numerous vaccines have put a potential end
And it’s not letting up: A recent report from McKinsey during the pandemic cited a lack of childcare—twice the date on the pandemic, the impact on working women
found that women are 1.3 times more likely than men to rate of men who said childcare issues caused their job persists. Even among those who have been able to stay
consider leaving the workforce, with about one in four loss. in their positions thus far, stress and burnout are driving
women on the brink. “The pandemic exacerbated the difficult choice up their status as flight risks; a recent report from
The trend has turned back the clock on women’s women have had to make between paying for childcare accounting software firm Xero found that, while about
labor force participation more than 30 years—but, despite or sacrificing their career to be a full-time caregiver,” half of employees without kids reported the pandemic
the stunning turn, it’s not an entirely unforeseen crisis. says Star Carter, co-founder, chief operating officer and has had an extremely or very negative impact on their
general counsel at diversity, equity and inclusion platform mental health, that figured stood at 62% for parents.
How we got here Kanarys. “As a mother myself of young, school-aged Research from Eagle Hill Consulting also painted a bleak
There were a host of issues already at play that children, I’ve also felt the burden of childcare even before picture, with more than one-third of parents surveyed
bubbled up to the surface once the pandemic started, the pandemic, and now, I have had to adapt to juggling saying they plan to leave their current job after the
says Lexy Martin, principal of research and customer work, children’s schooling and other household needs all pandemic.
value at Visier. within the confines of my home.” So, how can employers stem the tide and keep their
Expectations that women are primary caregivers, Many mothers were placed in untenable situations, working parents, particularly women?
women taking time off for motherhood during ages said Abby Haynes, senior research associate at The Mom It all comes back to flexibility.
when workers may see promotions, male-oriented work Project, a digital talent marketplace for women. Through A Perceptyx study recently found that nearly half
cultures, performance assessments skewed toward in- research over the last year on the effect of the pandemic of women have become either much less or somewhat
office workers—“all of these factors cause frictions for on working moms, Haynes says, the organization less likely to want to return fulltime to the physical
women more than for men,” Martin says. connected with many whose employers simply told them workplace, compared to six months ago. While
Layer in wider, male-dominated cultural norms that to “take a leave or step away from the workforce for a bit” about a quarter of both men and women reported to
put the onus on mothers, when pandemic shutdowns if the new demands were too much. Perceptyx they preferred a hybrid arrangement, men
8 Human Resource Executive ®
said they would ideally women comprised all of the job losses for women. While None of these ideas are “outlandish,” she notes.
work in-office three to women of color are more likely to work in industries “But the consequence [of not taking action] is the loss
four days, while women hard hit by the pandemic, and also less able to work from of Black female employees who are ready to share
hoped to be there two to home—making a lack of childcare a definitive reason for innovative ideas and an unwavering work ethic to sustain
three days. decisions to leave the workforce—logistics alone aren’t your company.”
Jana Galbraith, director driving the job losses.
of people experience at “Two times as many women of color in our studies ‘From challenge comes change’
Xero, says her company reported feeling as though their workplace was testing While employers should be focused on retaining their
has prioritized flexibility employees to see who persists, who remains resilient; female talent, they also need to think about inviting back
in the last year—allowing that’s pretty huge,” Cohen says. About 20% more those who’ve left in the last year.
employees to work women of color say that their workplace assumes Hybrid setups, enhanced flexibility and strong leave
traditional hours, in blocks that, when they’re working from home, that means plans are good tools to attract new female employees, but
of time throughout the they have more time to work—despite competing organizations also need to communicate transparently
Amber Joiner-Hill day and in the evening— responsibilities. about expectations—from recruiting to onboarding and
and that has helped keep With women of color less represented in leadership throughout the employee lifecycle, Cohen says.
working mothers engaged and retained. than white women or certainly men, and structural “We hear all the time that women simply won’t try
That idea extends throughout the culture, she says. racism a reality in many workplaces, some women of to reenter the workforce until they know they’ll have a
“They know it’s OK to bow out of meetings or to turn color have been facing significant pressure to “prove” flexible schedule and be supported and that they can
off their cameras or to ask for help—there’s no scrutiny themselves throughout the challenges of the pandemic— make it all work,” she says. “If they’re coming back
or judgment,” she says. “Over the past year, we’ve seen all while projecting a positive, resilient façade. to work parttime versus fulltime, they need the full
kids on laps during meetings and dogs jumping on desks, “It’s a feeling of always being on trial,” Cohen adds. assurance of the company that 20 hours means 20 hours.
and that’s totally accepted—and welcomed. It gives That’s certainly not a new phenomenon, says Amber And they need to be told along the way, ‘We want to retain
people a lot of comfort that they don’t have to pretend Joiner-Hill, owner and principal consultant at Magnolia you for the long haul so we’re willing to work with you.’
there’s nothing going on in the background.” Detroit Consulting, who spoke on the topic of women of That’s a huge step toward
Dr. Pam Cohen, chief research and analytics officer color leaving the workforce during Augsburg University’s luring women back.”
at The Mom Project and president of its research arm Forum on Workplace Inclusion this spring. Rooting out
Werklabs, says the organization sees more companies Joiner-Hill conducted a study of Black women who left unconscious bias and
reframing how they think about flexibility—and its the traditional workplace to start their own businesses—a systemic barriers—
consequences on women’s careers. demographic that has grown by 164% since 2007—and particularly those faced
by women of color—also
needs to be part of the
strategy, says Whitney
“There is no one solution for the macroeconomic Benner, chief people
factors that contribute to this dilemma, but HR officer at real-time
information discovery
teams can start with combating structural sexism and platform Dataminr.
“There is no
Abby Haynes
developing equitable benefits and support for all one solution for the
macroeconomic factors that contribute to this dilemma,
working parents.” but HR teams can start with combating structural sexism
and developing equitable benefits and support for all
—WHITNEY BENNER, CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER, DATAMINR working parents,” she says. “We cannot make meaningful
progress until we acknowledge that we need to ‘level the
playing field’ and lift everyone up. Only then can we all
“For women, previously having some flexibility found that the gender wage gap and glass ceiling were collectively thrive and reach our full potential.”
meant oftentimes that they were sidelined on just the start of what pushed them out of predominantly That was among the aims of this month’s
opportunities or thought of as less of an employee. white institutions (PWIs). Altering dialect, demeanor or International Women’s Day, the theme of which
Even in places where flexibility had been encouraged dress to fit into an environment that doesn’t represent encapsulated the new environment facing many working
before, it’s becoming more of the norm now,” Cohen Black individuals; pressure to be a “good representative” mothers, and their employers: “A challenged world is an
says. However, as we get closer to some in-office work of Black workers; and micro-aggressions like being told alert world, and from challenge comes change.”
resuming, there is a risk for companies retreating back to be “nicer and less assertive” are all frequent sources of Consulting firm Accenture is looking to transform
to traditional practices, she says. frustration, she says. the challenges of the last year into innovation with a new
“There needs to be a lot of effort taken on the part of One woman recalled program announced last month in which it will hire 150
companies to continue that trajectory [toward flexibility] a colleague touching mothers for technology, strategy and consulting jobs in its
and realize that, with some combination of in-office and her natural hairstyle and Midwest division. Flexibility—along with mentorship and
remote work, they can really better support women who calling it “cute.” development opportunities—will be key to the positions.
need flexible schedules—and that that doesn’t mean they “She can’t file a report “With more than 5 million women being forced to
can’t progress on the career ladder,” she says. because of how it made leave the workforce due to the pandemic,” says Allison
Many women who’ve worked with The Mom her feel so she had to Robinson, founder and CEO of The Mom Project, “it’s
Project, Haynes says, have expressed a desire for put those feelings on a critical that companies step up and follow through. It’s
more employer support in the way of mentorship and shelf,” Joiner-Hill says. not just ‘nice,’ it’s a business and economic imperative
development opportunities. In particular, they want to “Eventually, this shelf that will propel organizations forward.”
feel like they can continue to further their career even gets full of feelings and While organizational actions like Accenture’s could
if they’re not moving at lightspeed because of external experiences that are encourage other companies to follow suit, there are
conditions. exceptionally difficult other causes for optimism, Cohen says: from the number
Star Carter
“It’s a difficult time to push the pedal to the metal; a to describe to someone of employers that have announced permanent remote
lot of moms just don’t feel like they have the capacity to who never has been treated or perceived differently policies to a federal administration that has pledged
do that right now. They need to press pause in order to because of their racial identity. So, something’s got to support for working women to increasing cognizance
manage work and home dynamics,” she says, noting that give: Either the work suffers or they leave.” on the part of company leadership about the value of
employers shouldn’t view a step back as a step down. Employers looking to avoid those consequences diversity.
“There are times in your career where you can jog or run have work to do, she says. White leaders and “It’s not going to work anymore to just have a
or sprint—and a lot of moms feel that right now is a time employees need to educate themselves on diversity, homogenous group thinking together,” Cohen says.
to just walk.” equity, inclusion and anti-racism; don’t expect Black “Companies are realizing they need fresh ideas and
people to do the emotional labor of teaching these energy and you have to accommodate women, and
‘Something’s got to give’ lessons. Provide Black women mentors to connect especially women of color, to do that—and, if you can,
While women have borne the brunt of the pandemic- them with career development, sponsorship and you’ll be far better off.”
driven job losses over the last year, women of color advocacy. Create transparent and equal pay scales. And
in particular have been disproportionately impacted. recognize that not all supervisors are true leaders, she Send questions or comments about this story to
For instance, in December, Black, Hispanic and Asian says. hreletters@lrp.com.
May 2021 9
Case Studies IN HR EFFECTIVENESS
Automating Healthcare Reform
with ADP Health Compliance
Before ADP:
Time-consuming,
manual compliance processes
W
ith the labor-intensive requirements of the
Affordable Care Act (ACA), Elwyn Inc.—a
health and human services nonprofit
serving children and adults with disabilities—found
itself struggling to manage healthcare compliance
in-house.
“When you think about having to capture hours
manually for 5,000 employees with a very small
staff, it doesn’t make any sense at all,” said Irene
Stewart, executive director, benefits compensation
and HR operations at Elwyn.
That’s when she turned to ADP.
After ADP:
Streamlined compliance
that saves time and money
To mitigate compliance challenges and
automate the formerly manual processes,
Stewart worked with ADP to implement the “Our account representative, Stephanie, was “There’s no reason to spend a department’s
ADP SmartCompliance® Health Compliance. on top of things for us right from the beginning time manually performing all the ACA employer
“Automating the process with all the required and that gives her a unique perspective on Elwyn’s mandate and reporting requirements,” Stewart
form coding and calculating the various employee needs. She understands our business,” Stewart said. said. “I’m always willing to be a positive reference.
hours has been a nice, seamless process,” Stewart I think [ADP SmartCompliance] is a very good
said. The easy choice: solution, and it was easy to implement.”
The ADP SmartCompliance tools and ADP SmartCompliance®
relationship with ADP have also helped Elwyn ADP, the ADP logo, ADP SmartCompliance
save money and time. With ADP’s help, Elwyn When asked if she would recommend and Always Designing for People are registered
was able to eliminate two incorrect IRS penalties ADP SmartCompliance to her peers, Stewart trademarks of ADP, Inc. Copyright © 2021 ADP,
totaling $10,000—a significant savings for the is unequivocal. Inc. All rights reserved.
nonprofit.
“Time is money, so from an ROI perspective,
[working with ADP] is a huge time-saver. And with
that time savings, we’re able to focus on higher-
value work,” Stewart said. HIGHLIGHTS
With ADP:
An incomparable level of service Client name: Elwyn Inc.
Elwyn has also realized the benefit of having Headquarters: Media, Pa.
a dedicated ADP account representative
managing compliance. Because their account Industry: Nonprofit
representative understands the nuances of the
business, she can help Elwyn stay ahead of Problem solved: ADP SmartCompliance® helped Elwyn automate healthcare compliance tasks and
potential problems and keep them seamlessly mitigate challenges—saving time and money.
compliant.
10 Human Resource Executive ® SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONCase Studies IN HR EFFECTIVENESS
JChef Uses PTO Genius to Boost
Engagement and Reduce Costs
The Challenge JChef Employee Pulse
immediately saw
2
Retaining key employees is key to JChef’s
020 brought explosive growth for Miami-based a reduction in growth. Using the PTO Genius employee pulse
JChef. During the height of the pandemic, the PTO liability and allows them to track employees at risk of burning
No. 1 kosher meal kit in the U.S. experienced an increase in out and nudge them to take time off before it’s too
a 400% growth in subscriptions and a 3X increase employee happiness late.
in reorders. “Business was booming. We were and peace of mind.
very fortunate to be in business and thriving,” said “I was getting Vacation Assistant
Gabriel Saul, founder and CEO of JChef. emails every day JChef uses the Vacation Assistant to encourage
To meet the demand, JChef doubled service with employees employees to disconnect from work as PTO
staff and invested in new systems and equipment thanking us for approaches methodically—reducing disruptions in
to improve operational efficiency. “We had to hire giving them the workflow and maximizing the effectiveness of PTO.
fast and arm them with the tools they needed to be option to do more
successful. But even with that, the demand was too with their PTO Travel & Experiences
high.” Logistical staff at JChef soon found themselves before losing JChef likes to actively promote PTO. They use
working more hours than ever to meet the demand for it. It was great PTO Genius’ travel and experiences features to
meal kits. “I rolled up my sleeves and packed boxes for morale and inspire employees to take time off and connect
myself. We were excited about helping our customers goodwill,” said Saul. with the things that make them happy.
through the pandemic, but you could see the team was Other solutions
burning out as the year went on,” said Saul. JChef implemented The Ongoing Benefits
The problems started to mount as 2020 also generated
progressed, and demands on employees increased: tangible results for After 90 days of PTO Genius, JChef has
• High burnout the young company: managed to generate ongoing ROI on the
• High PTO balances platform, reporting higher company KPIs:
• Low retention PTO Optimizer • 100% reduction in churn
• Low engagement JChef uses • 51% reduction in workplace accidents
• Low employee happiness the AI-enabled • 38% increase in profitability
“It was starting to get bad. In the beginning, PTO optimizer to • Higher employee engagement
employees couldn’t take time off, so employees proactively notify employees of company-friendly • Higher reported employee happiness
started to burn out. That snowballed into times for them to take PTO—removing ambiguity • Lower average employee balance
disengaged users before it took a turn for the and minimizing disruptions to workflow. • Better reported sleep
worse when we started to lose some key hires. We
pushed PTO, but no one was taking it. We needed
a fix. Fast!” continued Saul.
The Solution
HIGHLIGHTS
JChef reached out to PTO Genius in the fourth
quarter of 2020, looking for a solution to their PTO
Organization: JChef
problem. “No one had taken PTO. Everyone maxed
out their PTO, and a lot of employees were going
Headquarters: Miami, Fla.
to lose it. That was the first problem we needed to
solve.” Saul noted. Genius quickly enabled time-
Industry: Ecommerce
to-cash conversion of up to 25% of accrued PTO,
which allowed employees to cash out PTO for
About JChef: JChef is the No. 1 kosher meal kit. They offer fresh ingredients and delicious, easy-to-
retirement, student loans or college savings. “The
follow recipes delivered weekly all across the U.S.
team appreciated that. They worked hard all year;
we wanted to give them options,” added Saul.
12 Human Resource Executive ® SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONBenefıts
How Joan Lunden Became a
Caregiving Advocate
The author and TV personality will share her story at the
Health & Benefits Leadership Conference.
BY KATHRYN MAYER
F
or many working moms, starting lived, to helped take care of them until is only going to increase,”
a new job just weeks after having both of their deaths. Lunden said, citing statistics
their first child would be a logistical “As part of what has become known from the Department of
nightmare. But for Joan Lunden, the as the sandwich generation, I found Health and Human Services
situation was made easier thanks myself caring for my children—ranging that about half of Americans
to her employer, ABC, which in 1980 in age from young babies to teens and turning 65 will develop a
recognized it needed to help Lunden’s young adults—at the same time I was disability “serious enough
new caregiving reality as she became the caring for my aging mom and brother, all that they will require care.”
latest host of Good Morning America. while working full time,” says Lunden. “We are in the middle
“I was fortunate,” says Lunden, Decades after Lunden paved the way of a caregiving crisis, and
who will share her caregiving story at ABC, many more employees are on a that is why I so strongly believe that expanded paid-leave benefits in 2019,
during this month’s free, virtual Health similar journey—parenting, taking care any paid leave policy should address for instance—gaps still remain. While
& Benefits Leadership Conference. “I of older family members or both. Those the full range of caregiving needs larger employers are more likely
worked for a company that not only gave challenges have only been exacerbated that families will face,” Lunden told to offer competitive benefits like
me time off when my daughters were by the COVID-19 pandemic, during lawmakers during her testimony. caregiving and parental leave, most
born, but when I returned to work, I was which many daycares, schools and “Families everywhere are counting mid-size and smaller companies are less
privileged to be one of the first working eldercare facilities closed, leaving many on you, Congress, to enact this type likely to. Part-time workers are even
women in this country to be allowed to employees juggling homeschooling of comprehensive paid family medical less likely to receive such benefits. And
bring my infant daughter to work with or taking care of an elderly relative leave that will help all of us when we though the federal Family and Medical
me.” while working from home. As a result, need it the most.” Leave Act allows many employees to
At that time, perks like that were many female workers in particular have That legislation wasn’t passed last take off up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave
highly unusual, Lunden explains. already exited the workforce, with many year, but it was reintroduced again this each year without risk of losing their
“It was in my best interest, but also more considering doing so. year, giving some advocates hope for a jobs, it doesn’t provide any financial
in their best interest. I helped to keep It’s just one reason it’s a group that permanent national paid leave law. In assistance for employees.
the ratings up, so they made profits. Lunden is passionate about helping. March, nearly 200 employers—including “A few short weeks would give time
I think far too many businesses lose She is the spokesperson for the Etsy, Levi Strauss & Co. and Pinterest— to bond with a new baby, a chance to
fabulous employees when they don’t senior referral service A Place for wrote to House and Senate leaders say goodbye to a loved one and peace of
extend paid leave and [give people the] Mom, a company that helps caregivers asking them to pass permanent paid mind to care for yourself in life’s most
assurance of keeping their jobs.” and families find the right care and family and medical leave through the challenging times,” Lunden says about
Lunden’s self-described “good fortune” resources for their loved ones. She Biden-Harris administration’s recovery enforcing a paid family leave program.
to be in that position with ABC—as well co-authored Chicken Soup for the Soul: package. “Paid family and medical leave will
as the hundreds of letters she received Family Caregivers, published in 2012, and “We cannot emerge from this support families, and also employers,
from women nationwide explaining how hosted the series Taking Care with Joan pandemic and remain one of only two since they won’t have to lose workers
meaningful benefits like hers would be Lunden—which explores the challenges countries in the world with no form of when life happens. In the end, not having
in their own lives—helped light a “fire in of caregiving—on the RLTV network. national paid leave,” the letter read. “We to make that choice between income and
me to embark on a path as a women’s and She’s also taken her advocacy efforts need a policy that is inclusive and that caring for our loved ones will make us all
family advocate and do my part to help to lawmakers. Early last year, Lunden protects all workers equally, regardless stronger, both at work and at home.”
families get the support they need.” testified during a House Ways and of what kind of work they do, where It’s a fight Lunden refuses to give up.
That fire burned even brighter years Means Committee hearing in support they live or whom they love.” “I’m hoping to use my public
later when she began taking care of her of the Family and Medical Insurance Advocates say a federal leave policy platform to help ensure that Americans
mother, who had dementia, and her older Leave Act. The legislation would would help millions of employees who everywhere get the support they
brother, who had begun experiencing provide 12 weeks of partial income take care of family members. Research need to tend to new babies and aging
complications from Type II Diabetes. for family leave. Funding would come by the AARP says there were about 41 relatives and still be able to keep their
Lunden spent years traveling cross- through a payroll tax. million family caregivers in the United jobs,” she says. “It was 40 years ago that
country from the East Coast, where she “The number of American workers States in 2017, and they provided about ABC extended paid leave to me for my
worked and was raising her children, to who will need personal medical leave 34 billion hours of unpaid care for other maternity leave and allowed to bring my
California, where her mom and brother for themselves or a family member adults. The economic value of their newborn daughter to work. Americans
efforts was estimated at $470 billion. wrote in, happy to see a change beginning
And although some states offer paid to take place, but asked, ‘What about the
caregiving leave and employers are rest of us?’ Here we are, 40 years later, still
Catch Joan Lunden’s keynote address during the free, beginning to zero in on caregiving and asking the same question.”
virtual Health & Benefits Leadership Conference, May parental efforts—a recent survey of 113
11-13. Visit benefitsconf.com to register. large employers by the Business Group Send questions or comments about
on Health found 40% of respondents this story to hreletters@lrp.com.
14 Human Resource Executive ®You can also read
