In this podcast I discuss the urgent need to better automate, upskill, and integrate recruiting. CEOs believe recruiting is the third “most time-wasting” process in their companies (after emails and meetings), yet it’s more important than ever. This year companies need to really rethink and transform this function, and this podcast explains the issue. And yes, AI is part of the answer.

Additional Information

Why Do Companies Hire Too Many People?

HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity

Are Diversity And Inclusion Programs Going Away?

AI in HR: Brand New** Certificate Program From The Josh Bersin Academy

This week Meta (Facebook) announced revenue growth of 25% year over year and a headcount cut of 22%, with net income soaring to $14 billion, almost a 35% net profit. That spectacular outcome is a result of focus and a clear and rigorous process of reducing headcount.

But the big story is not this company, it’s the big idea that companies often over-hire. And this over-hiring results in bureaucracy, slowdown, and loss of innovation. Just as Meta has learned this, I believe every company has to learn this lesson. In today’s talent-constrained global economy, it’s time to run our companies with a focus on “fewer people” and “more clarity.” This podcast explains.

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The Myth of the Bell Curve

The Dynamic Organization Research

HR and HR Technology Predictions for 2024

The Four Day Work Week Arrives

In this podcast I discuss our Dynamic Organization research and how this new way of running a company is rapidly growing around the world. As the title points out, Dynamic Organizations are 31X more effective at bringing innovations to market and far outperform their peers (Netflix is discussed in detail). But this is not as easy as it seems.

This podcast is a summary of 200+ discussions we had with HR leaders this week, talking about speed and agility in organization design, Irresistible Leadership, and the urgent need for a more dynamic operating model for HR which we call Systemic HR. I encourage you to listen because it brings together these three pivotal ideas and will help you build a more productive team and company as the labor market gets hotter this year.

Additional Information

HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity

Introducing The Systemic HR Initiative

Building A Dynamic Organization

Companies Have Been Neglecting Their Leadership, And It Shows

In this podcast I tell the narrative for the 2024 predictions, and why labor shortages, productivity, and dynamic organization models will become core topics this year. I also discuss the new role of DEI, employee activation, labor unions, and what we can expect in the economy. The 15 predictions are all imperatives and our new research should help you learn, prioritize where to focus, and see around the corners for this exciting year ahead.

Additional Resources

HR Predictions for 2024: The Global Search For Productivity

Are Diversity And Inclusion Programs Going Away?

The Predictions Infographic

Get the Predictions Report and Action Guide: Join The Josh Bersin Academy

This week I introduce a big idea: Employee Activation. This idea, which comes from important work we’re doing with Medallia, shows you how to move “beyond engagement” to a whole new world of employee listening and action-taking based on feedback.

In the new world of labor shortages, high turnover, unions, and general employee stress, Employee Activation might be the big answer.

Here’s a definition:

“Employee Activation means designing the company so that managers, line executives, and employees can adjust, change, and redesign work around worker’s needs, suggestions, and demands.”

(This week’s podcast was recorded on a walk, so I apologize for some of the “animal sounds” in the background)

Additional Information

Is DEI about to DIE?

Welcome to The Post-Industrial Age (Labor shortages as far as the eye can see)

Why AI Projects Are More Like Traditional IT Projects Than You Think

2024 is off with a bang. The death or decline of DEI strategies, increased activity among unions, and job numbers in December that predict a secular labor shortage for years ahead.

In this podcast I give HR and business leaders some advices on “what to do about DEI programs” in this new political environment, and how to think about this ongoing labor shortage. Imagine a world where every employee has 15 job offers to think about each day? That’s where we are!

And get ready for our comprehensive Predictions report coming this month!

More Resources

Are Diversity And Inclusion Programs Going Away?

Conservatives Going After Corporate DEI Programs Next

Bill Ackman Letter re: Harvard

Elevating Equity: Best-Selling Certificate Course in The Josh Bersin Academy

In this podcast I walk through the big business and HR stories of 2023 and what they tell us for the year ahead.

2024 looks like a year with a strong economy, continued labor shortages, with employees continuing to take charge. And as you expect, AI will change everything.

And there’s one big story that defines everything, but you’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear it. Join me as we look ahead and stay tuned for our detailed 2024 Predictions report coming in January.

As I look back on the year and think about all the challenges we face in business, I’m reminded of the simple human formula of how we care for each other. This topic, that of “care,” is not something people talk about a lot at work. But in many ways it’s fundamental to business success. This podcast explores that issue.

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Workplace Mental Health Has Become A Strategy For Business Performance

The Four-Day Work Week: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

The Healthy Organization: Next Big Thing In Employee Wellbeing

Corporate Citizenship Redefined: Trust, Inclusion, and Responsibility

This week I want to give you some insights on AI, the use of LLM’s, and how to think about a “knowledge graph” for your company, and how it applies to HR.

Yes, your AI strategy, your employee experience strategy, and your own career as a professional are all dependent on your “Knowledge Graph.”  In HR your knowledge graph includes your understanding of HR practices, vendors and tools, economic and workforce data, company culture, industry trends, HR benchmarks, and the many case studies of successful solutions in the domain.

If you think about the knowledge graph in your company, you can develop the right AI strategy for the organization.

Additional Information

How To Execute The Four-Day Workweek (Harvard Business Review)

Introducing Galileo, The World’s First AI-Powered Expert Assistant For HR

Why Are Some Companies More Dynamic Than Others?

We’ve just completed a major study of the 4-day week and the results are surprising: companies of all sizes are seeing real benefits and this podcast explains why. While we’ve all been comfortable with the 5-day week since the early 1920s, it’s now time to let go of that paradigm. Lots to discuss and think about here, but it’s real.

Additional Information

Our New Research and Toolkit On The Four-Day Workweek

The Four-Day Work Week: An Idea Whose Time Has Come (Videos and Examples)

Your Co-Workers Are Less Ambitious Than You Were (Qualtrics and WSJ)