Hello. Welcome to Working It.
I just returned from a gathering with some of my oldest friends. Every November we rent the same house in the Cotswolds and eat, drink and talk non-stop. Spending time with people who have known you since before you hit adolescence, let alone before you got a job or had kids, becomes almost familial, but without the complicated dynamics. (We know each other’s weaknesses 👀)
Friends are important in good times, but in tougher times these deep connections become essential. I’ll always remember the episode on the podcast Working It about surviving a bad boss, a real narcissist, or someone who makes you doubt yourself. What’s the expert advice? Spend lots of time with people who truly understand and accept us. They anchor us to reality.
Read tips from a chief learning officer on how to inspire and keep your employees learning. (What do CLOs do to educate themselves? I was intrigued and asked about it). And office therapy reassures people who feel guilty about saying no to co-workers’ requests for help.
Is it time to learn differently? 🎓
Everyone seems to be talking about the need to train, upskill, and reskill (insert your choice of dynamic-sounding verb) employees. The rise of generative artificial intelligence will reinvigorate the role of chief learning officer, making the role central to every business’ strategy.
Is that happening at the moment? Not enough, according to a detailed report from Emeritus, a global online learning company. Its CLO Strategy Report 2024 is a treasure trove of data from 500 CLOs around the world and in-depth interviews with 20 luminaries. In particular, the findings at the beginning are as follows: “In our research, nearly all CLOs say being connected to the CEO’s strategic direction is ‘very important,’ but 45% of CLOs say they are ‘somewhat connected’ to the business. , or even felt ‘very disconnected’” strategy. ”
Is it “Learning 101” to align employee training and skills with the broader strategy of the business? But in many cases, that is clearly not happening. However, one encouraging finding of the Emeritus report is that many CLOs (67% in this report) choose to measure their department’s success against key business performance indicators rather than traditional L&D metrics. It means that you are doing it. So even if the CEO is far away, the results don’t have to be.
What can we learn from the most effective CLOs when it comes to implementing AI training and skills? We asked Amelie Villeneuve, Global Head of Learning at Standard Chartered Bank. The company has launched an AI learning hub for its 90,000 employees, which is currently in the foundation stage. Next year, Ameri says, those with the foundation certification will “move into sandbox learning and have the opportunity” to learn more about how to implement AI to foster growth and productivity in many safe situations. is to experiment with. ”
Where do CLOs study? Amelie says, “The last course I really liked was the storytelling course at Pixar, and now I’m hooked on some of the courses at Harvard X.” Even more surprising: “I’m a bit obsessed with non-traditional learning. In my spare time, I have a farm and produce horses for show jumping and dressage 🐎, and compete and produce. It teaches me a lot about personal leadership and performance.” (Side note: What other “non-traditional learnings” are you doing from other readers, CLO or not? I would love to hear about it.)
Ameri said the bank was “ruthlessly” cutting back on courses that employees were unable to complete. Generally, many of us are unable to complete digital courses at work. According to Ameri, this is because the content is too long, too generic, or poorly designed in terms of the amount of time expected to be spent learning. “Learning consumers are now much more sophisticated and are looking for seamless, hands-on, and integrated experiences. Anything less than the quality they get from digital interactions with consumers won’t work.”
The FT reported last month that EY had laid off “dozens of staff” in the US who were taking part in multiple digital training classes at once during May’s EY Ignite Learning Week. Regardless of the ethics of doing it (Anjuli Laval has an interesting article about employees fired for misdemeanors), this case perhaps suggests something broader. This means we still have a long way to go in terms of making all online training fully engaging.
In a nutshell, the mission of a CLO is nothing less than deploying the future of work 🔮 in the form of AI and other skills. However, some courses still fall short, as they have not yet reached the ears of enough CEOs.
Want to know more? Watch the FT Working It film about the future of executive learning online or in person. (Introducing Global Alumni’s innovative “green screen” studio for innovative, interactive online learning. We think it’s a game changer.)
*Do you have innovative ideas for corporate learning? Are we doing it all wrong? Please contact us by email: isabel.berwick@ft.com
This week’s Working It Podcast
The UK and some other wealthy economies have long-term disease problems. And the number of unemployed people claiming benefits is increasing among young people, who are often diagnosed with a mental health condition. what’s happening? And are there solutions available to employers and business leaders to help more people return to and remain in paid employment?In this week’s podcast episode, we hear from experts in the field We speak to two of our FT colleagues, Chief Data Reporter John Byrne Murdoch and Contributing Editor and Columnist Camilla Cavendish.
office therapy
Problem: I recently had a heated conversation with a colleague (in a very quiet office). They kept asking me to do big things that were uncharacteristic of them, and I felt like that was “your problem.” I declined because I was very busy.
I then learned that this colleague had serious family issues and was cutting back on his hours (none of this was made public). I feel like a terrible person. We don’t know each other very well. How do I apologize/offer to take on some of their work without mentioning personal issues that I’m not supposed to know about?
Isabel’s Tip: There are two layers here. The superficial “question” (which you refused) and the hidden reason for the question (which you did not know at the time). What would you do if you were in your co-worker’s shoes? The appropriate response will be tailored to you as an individual and the (silent) team dynamics of your office.
From my perspective, I would send a note or ask to meet for a coffee meeting to apologize frankly and sincerely and let them know I regret the verbal abuse, lack of cooperation, etc. There’s no need to overshare. Being human is.
Take this as a lesson for the future. Strange requests often have a good reason. And where is the manager 🕵🏽♂️? They probably know what happened to this colleague. If possible, tell your boss that if he had asked you to take on extra work, it would have saved you from an awkward interaction and would have been more professional.
You have been placed in a difficult position due to a management failure. There’s no need to suffer. You didn’t know the whole story. By next week everyone will have forgotten about this 📆.
Top 5 stories from the world of work
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a degree. Employers in the United States value more than college qualifications. Claire Bouchey speaks to members of the “new collar” workforce, people who are hired for their skill sets, not for where (or if) they went to college.
Don’t have a work phone? Companies are asking employees to bring their own phones. A growing number of employees don’t have work phones, which creates gray areas when it comes to regulation, security and etiquette, writes Ben Parr.
Why incivility doesn’t exist in the workplace: I agree with Emma Jacobs’ analysis. And she has the statistics to back it up. Being rude is bad for both the person and the team.
Lunch with FT — Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum: Jean Daly led the rebuilding and re-envisioning of the 3,500-room museum at a rumored cost of £1 billion, as well as the search for 2,000 missing objects. We do interesting interviews with people.
How to throw a party you can’t miss: It’s not strictly about work (although you can invite your co-workers…). Alice Lascelles details her tips for hosting a great seasonal event.
One more thing
We don’t often admit to praising our opponents, but we think the Wall Street Journal’s coverage of the world of work and management is excellent. One of our writers, Rachel Feinzeig, left Career and Workplace Beat this week with a column titled “8 Lessons from 11 Years of Writing About Work and Life.” It’s exactly what the headline says: smart and nimble. “I believe in hard work, but I don’t think you’ll get anything just by trying. Be good about yourself and others.”
Words from the Working It community
A newsletter a few weeks ago about corporate philanthropy (or lack thereof) attracted a lot of posts and a lot of ideas. I’ve heard stories of innovative companies doing great things, but feeling pressured to accept partnerships and projects that companies want, even if they don’t align with their objectives or long-term funding needs. I have also heard from charities who are frustrated because they feel that
Let’s return to this topic. Our taster will be Alex Freeman from Impetus, a charitable foundation that supports organizations that improve education and employment outcomes for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“We have a venture philanthropy model that not only provides long-term, unrestricted funding to organizations in our portfolio, but also works closely with them to expand their impact and make them stronger and more resilient. We work together. A large part of this model is a pro bono partnership.
“Our pro bono network gives charities access to specialized resources they lack, especially financial and consulting firms, who can use pro bono projects and partnerships without the high costs associated with corporate giving. , we can support charities in a transformative way by providing them with the business expertise they need to expand their reach and impact.”
