4.7 Thinking big and bold about the future ready workforce

We’ve all heard the saying “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” And while many people might not wake up every day and head to their dream job, this idea still reveals a core truth about employee motivation: purpose is key to engaging and retaining top talent.   In the last episode of this season of HR Labs, employee engagement expert Jason Lauritsen talks with host Marc Ramos about how people can connect their jobs to a sense of meaning, even if that simply means understanding how their job is supporting the company. Together, Jason and Marc discuss how organizations can keep pace with evolving employee expectations and help their people discover the “why” behind their work.    At Cornerstone, we believe it’s essential for employees to feel productive and valued at work. That’s why our team is passionate about helping people find their purpose and matching them with the right skills and growth programs. Learn more about how Cornerstone’s AI-driven Talent Experience Platform (TXP) can engage employees by expanding their access to a variety of learning and growth opportunities.  Watch: Jason Lauritsen’s Cornerstone webinar on talent mobility and employee empowerment in the new age of work.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a tool of the future; it’s here, and it’s here to stay. Already, some 61% of workers are already embracing generative AI like ChatGPT. Organizations have the opportunity to incorporate AI into more areas of the business—particularly when it comes to learning.    Host Marc Ramos sits down with Marc Zao-Sanders, CEO of learning tech company Filtered, to talk about how AI can enhance the ways organizations provide practical, tailored learning for employees. They break down how AI helps rein in “content chaos,” different use cases for generative AI, and other applications for AI in HR. A truly agile, future-ready workplace needs to use technology as a tool to engage workers, close skills gaps, retain talent, and more. For the past 10 years, our team at Cornerstone has been integrating AI and machine learning into our products to help customers upskill their people and uncover growth opportunities. Learn more about how using AI can grow your people and organization.

Many employees, at some point in their careers, will ask themselves questions like: Why do I feel unhappy at work? Why do I feel the need to do something new? Why am I feeling uncomfortable in this role? A mentor can play a key role in helping people feel more connected to their work.   Whitney Johnson, CEO of Disruption Advisors, unpacks this relationship between mentors, employee growth, and development with host Marc Ramos. They discuss how the S-curve model can provide a framework for navigating career stages, the differences between mentoring and coaching, and why mentorship is also about being mentorable.  Connections to mentors can help employees see new possibilities for their careers. Our team at Cornerstone has developed an opportunity marketplace that uses data to match people with the projects, mentors, and internal gigs they need to build skills—and to thrive. Learn more about how the opportunity marketplace can help you grow your people at scale through mentorship.

The economy is changing—as new jobs come into demand, organizations will need their employees to develop more capabilities. How well organizations can manage changing skills needs is likely to be a source of competitive advantage. So how can organizations stay skill-oriented to thrive in the future? Raffaella Sadun, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School and leader of their Digital Reskilling Lab, talks with host Marc Ramos about what it really means to be a skills-based organization. Together, they cover why reskilling should be connected with employee motivation, how to engage managers in skills efforts, and how technology solutions can help. Looking to get your team ready for what’s ahead? Cornerstone’s Skills Graph helps you better understand your people’s capabilities and close skills gaps. It automatically creates skill profiles based on job titles, work history, learning habits and more. With the power of AI, it links your people to tailored learning content to hone existing skills and master new ones, preparing them—and your organization—to thrive in the future. Learn more about the Skills Graph.

The way we think about learning in the workplace is undergoing a major shift: Organizations are becoming facilitators and validators of content, rather than owners and controllers. Across industries, technology is driving this trend toward socially co-created knowledge and learning that is more collaborative and iterative than in the past.  Julian Stodd, a researcher, consultant, and founder of Sea Salt Learning, joins host Marc Ramos to explore this evolution and what’s on the horizon for organizational learning. They also discuss how companies are better positioned than ever to connect learning models with what their employees need and desire.   Learning is a key element in future-proofing any workplace. Our AI-driven Content Studio uses employee data to match workers with relevant mentors, skills, and learning material they need to take the next step in their career journey. It’s a great way for companies to acknowledge and validate their employees’ goals, and connect them with the right tools for the future.   

Workers today are surrounded by disconnection—and when learning is detached from business, people can't always see their next career move or find the training, mentors, or experiences to get where they want to be.  This season on HR Labs, Cornerstone Chief Learning Officer Marc Ramos will explore how HR leaders can instead develop interconnected approaches to people, skills, business, and technology to unlock the next level of work and workplace. Marc will talk with HR, talent, and learning experts who are driving this change in their companies and industries. They’ll discuss everything from AI to mentoring to reskilling, and how technology driven learning systems can help connect work, people, and purpose.   Subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts, and join us for new episodes starting this month. Learn more: https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/resources/article/hr-labs-season-5-building-connection-into-workplace-future/  

We’ve had to respond to massive instances of change over the last few years, from navigating remote work, to the Great Resignation and skills shortages. What’s on the horizon? And how can HR leaders prepare their organizations to be future ready?  John Helmer, writer, consultant and the host of his own podcast, The Learning Hack, sits down with host Summer Salomonsen for the final episode of the season. Together they discuss beneficial outcomes of building a future-ready workforce right now, and the trends and market shifts shaping the learning and talent strategies of tomorrow.   Season four is packed with strategies to meet the future ready, from leveraging AI to building equity into the employee experience. For more resources, access our whitepaper, Meet the Future, Ready: A Guide for Talent Leaders. 

As HR leaders, it’s on us to provide equitable experiences to our employees. But how can we make sure our actions reflect our intentions and we deliver on that promise?    Jenn Hultman, leader of global operations and strategy for talent acquisition at Amazon, joins host Summer Salomonsen to discuss how we can build equity into the employee lifecycle starting with recruitment. Together, they walk through how to adopt an equity-focused mindset about recruitment, and ways to uphold equitable processes and practices to give every employee access to the same opportunities. Equity is a crucial part of every conversation we have about creating a workplace that “works” for everyone. But if you’re looking for more DEI&B resources, check out HR Labs season 3, where we delve into topics like unconscious bias and microaggressions in the workplace, and provide actionable tips for HR leaders. 

AI is all around us. Still, there’s untapped potential in how organizations can leverage the technology, which means HR leaders have the opportunity to see even more of a benefit.   Chief Research Officer, Author and Podcast Host, Ben Eubanks joins host Summer Salomonsen to help us unpack opportunities for AI to support HR functions now and in the future. Together, they explore AI’s role in not only taking on rote and repetitive tasks, but also helping HR teams become better “people” people by giving us the ability to ask the right questions and execute better judgements.    Together with Lighthouse Research & Advisory Cornerstone has produced new insights on skills intelligence and AI. Access the report The Business Case for Skill Intelligence to learn more.   To learn more from Ben, check out his book Artificial intelligence for HR: Use AI to support and develop a successful workforce and listen to his podcast We’re Only Human.

It’s no surprise: The best way to help people achieve their full potential at work is to provide opportunities for development. But are we—organizations and individuals alike—being too limited in thinking about career growth?  Leadership speaker and author Julie Winkle Giulioni joins host Summer Salomonsen to help us look beyond promotions as the only way to measure career growth. Together, they discuss what it means to provide career possibilities, review a framework managers can use to support their employees’ growth needs, and examine why it’s so crucial in our current moment to prioritize organic growth opportunities. Cornerstone specializes in employee growth and development and can connect employees to learning content at every stage of their career. Learn more about how Cornerstone’s content subscriptions can help employees design career success.    Learn more about Julie’s award-winning books Promotions Are So Yesterday and Help Them Grow Or Watch Them Go.