--- title: "HR Thinking Round-Up: Juggling meaningful work and the productivity puzzle" description: The tricky balancing act between creating meaningful work, enabling flexibility and ensuring productivity runs throughout these latest shares. image: https://blog.bps-world.com/hubfs/MicrosoftTeams-image%20(25).png --- **Featured** # HR Thinking Round-Up: Juggling meaningful work and the productivity puzzle Featured / **HR Thinking Round-Up: Juggling meaningful work and the productivity puzzle** ![William Geldart](https://blog.bps-world.com/hubfs/WG-LI.jpg) [**William Geldart**](https://blog.bps-world.com/author/william-geldart) March 2, 2023 With so many competing priorities, the selection below is designed to bring some clarity and focus.     ### Latest Insight #### [5 ways employer branding will change in the year ahead](https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/5-ways-employer-branding-will-change-in-2023) [LINKEDIN TALENT BLOG](https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/5-ways-employer-branding-will-change-in-2023) It's tempting to think that anything badged '2023' is in danger of looking old hat. But this piece around employer branding remains super-relevant and topical. 'How you handle lay-offs' and 'communicating your social values' receive a perennial mention but it's 'stability' that grabbed me. Does your company project an image that suggests it's a safe and reliable bet for a prospective jobseeker?      #### [The New-Collar workforce](https://hbr.org/2023/03/the-new-collar-workforce) [HBR](https://hbr.org/2023/03/the-new-collar-workforce) Skills-first hiring is one of the best ways to increase talent pool diversity and break some of the barriers that continue to drive inequality. "Unnecessary degree requirements don’t just hurt workers. They also deprive companies of talent while yielding little to no benefit." This article delves deep into the topic and outlines some of the ways companies such as IBM is building a new taxonomy of skills.    #### [What is job crafting and how can it create more meaningful work?](https://www.hrzone.com/engage/employees/what-is-job-crafting-and-how-can-it-create-more-meaningful-work) [HR ZONE](https://www.hrzone.com/engage/employees/what-is-job-crafting-and-how-can-it-create-more-meaningful-work) Business Psychologist Lucy Cox explores HR's role in making meaningful work a reality. Task crafting, relationship crafting and cognitive crafting are all part of the job crafting melting pot (that's a lot of crafting). Ultimately, the process has to be led by an individual but HR can still play an integral part in creating the right platform for change.    #### [Global Leadership Forecast 2023](https://www.dropbox.com/s/536o80740ss51fm/Global%20Leadership%20Forecast%202023.pdf?dl=0) [DDI](https://www.dropbox.com/s/536o80740ss51fm/Global%20Leadership%20Forecast%202023.pdf?dl=0) 13,695 leaders. 1,827 HR professionals. 1,556 organisations. This is a heavyweight look at a restless leadership landscape.  Fragile workforces are keeping CEOs up at night while hybrid working is causing consternation amongst the C-Suite.   #### [LinkedIn Learning evolves](https://joshbersin.com/2023/02/linkedin-learning-evolves-watch-out-hr-tech-competitors-skills-careers-and-more/) [JOSH BERSIN](https://joshbersin.com/2023/02/linkedin-learning-evolves-watch-out-hr-tech-competitors-skills-careers-and-more/) Since starting out in 2015, LinkedIn Learning has grown fast and exponentially. Content has been king throughout this period. However, according to Josh Bersin, it will be LI Learning's ability to make its offering more contextualised and relevant that will stand it apart from other providers. In other words, LinkedIn's enterprise solution will help answer the question around how individuals and the organisation can adapt and grow. ### **In the News** #### [Would you prefer a four-day working week?](https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/fourdayweek) [UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE](https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/fourdayweek)  Last year, 61 UK companies committed to a 20% reduction in working hours for all employees for six months. With no drop in wages. And now the results of this trial have been analysed and published by social scientists from the University of Cambridge. The net findings point to a significant reduction in stress and illness with productivity relatively unharmed. In some cases, productivity* improved* during the trial period.    #### [America's best places to work in 2023](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/americas-best-places-to-work-2023/) [VISUAL CAPITALIST ](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/americas-best-places-to-work-2023/) If you haven't signed-up to the *Visual Capitalist *mailing list then do so right away! It's a treasure trove of infographic goodness with this recent creation taking data from Glassdoor to plot America's finest. Despite recent travails, big tech dominates with customer success software provider, Gainsight, taking top spot.     ### Who's Talking? #### [Interviews should be conversations, not interrogations](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/willducey_candidateexperience-interviewing-futureofhr-activity-7016074928261124097-wuKp/) [BEN WATKINS/LINKEDIN](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/willducey_candidateexperience-interviewing-futureofhr-activity-7016074928261124097-wuKp/)  SaaS Recruiter, Ben Watkins, fans the flames and the recruiter community piles in with their views.    #### [Activity is not achievement ](https://twitter.com/GautamGhosh/status/1627980595501621248?s=20) [@GAUTAMGHOSH/TWITTER](https://twitter.com/GautamGhosh/status/1627980595501621248?s=20)  Gautam Ghosh provides commentary on an *HBR *article that lambasts the 'culture of busyness.'     ### What's On? #### [WATCH: A work(place) in progress](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qTne1K-754) [MILLERKNOLL/GETHIN NADIN](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qTne1K-754)  Renowned HR thinker and award-winning psychologist, Gethin Nadin, gives his thoughts on the physical workplace and how to create a sense of wellbeing. This pre-recorded webinar delves into the interwoven nature of our workplace relationships and the idea of creating 'destination spaces' and 'circulation spaces'.     #### [Future of HR 2023](https://futureofhr.eu/) [FUTURE OF HR ONLINE CONFERENCE](https://futureofhr.eu/)  This free two-day international event will feature plenty of talks, insights and networking opportunities. The Future of Recruitment and The Future of Employee Experience headline with the online conference running from Wednesday 22 March - Thursday 23 March.    *Want the latest HR Thinking straight to your inbox? Subscribe below and you'll receive original and curated thinking from fellow practitioners. ⬇️* [Back to Insights](https://blog.bps-world.com/) ## What to read next [**Attraction**](https://blog.bps-world.com/topic/attraction#index_view)     2 mins read [![How to create and lead with candidate personas: what makes up a persona?](https://blog.bps-world.com/hubfs/Blog-5.jpg)](https://blog.bps-world.com/how-to-create-and-lead-with-candidate-personas-what-makes-up-a-persona) ###### [How to create and lead with candidate personas: what makes up a persona?](https://blog.bps-world.com/how-to-create-and-lead-with-candidate-personas-what-makes-up-a-persona) As the recruitment landscape gets ever more complex and competitive, candidate personas are coming to the fore. But... By [**William Geldart**](https://blog.bps-world.com/author/william-geldart) on May 28, 2019 [**Attraction**](https://blog.bps-world.com/topic/attraction#index_view)     2 mins read [![How to create and lead with candidate personas: why personas?](https://blog.bps-world.com/hubfs/Blog-6.jpg)](https://blog.bps-world.com/how-to-create-and-lead-with-candidate-personas-why-personas) ###### [How to create and lead with candidate personas: why personas?](https://blog.bps-world.com/how-to-create-and-lead-with-candidate-personas-why-personas) Why should you invest time in crafting candidate personas? Because to attract your key hires you've got to build... By [**William Geldart**](https://blog.bps-world.com/author/william-geldart) on May 23, 2019 [**Attraction**](https://blog.bps-world.com/topic/attraction#index_view)     6 mins read [![Talking Brand: Should we stop playing at the edges with job postings?](https://blog.bps-world.com/hubfs/Talking%20Brand%20-%20job%20postings.jfif)](https://blog.bps-world.com/talking-brand-should-we-stop-playing-at-the-edges-with-job-postings) ###### [Talking Brand: Should we stop playing at the edges with job postings?](https://blog.bps-world.com/talking-brand-should-we-stop-playing-at-the-edges-with-job-postings) The conversion rate of job postings is so low, yet we're still doing more of the same. How can we rethink this crucial... By [**William Geldart**](https://blog.bps-world.com/author/william-geldart) on September 6, 2022 ![](https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=336233&fmt=gif) ![](https://dc.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=336233&fmt=gif)