HBR’s Most-Read Research Articles of 2021

Summary.   

What will it take to make work better? Over the past year, HBR has published a wide array of research-backed articles that explore topics ranging from retaining employees to overcoming meeting overload to fostering gender equity in the workplace. In this end-of-year roundup, we share key insights and trends from our most-read research articles of 2021.

As the workplace rapidly transforms in the wake of the pandemic, social movements, and more, a fundamental question remains: How can we ensure we’re making work better — for employees, organizations, and society at large?

Over the past year, HBR has published a wide array of research-backed articles exploring that question, looking at everything from retaining employees to overcoming meeting overload to fostering gender equity in the workplace. With the year coming to an end, we decided to take a look at what resonated most with our readers in 2021. Our most visited articles include a broad range of ideas, but several distinct trends emerged:

Managing Through the Great Resignation

Our two most-read research articles from the past year both focus on one of the biggest issues on all our minds: the Great Resignation. In Who Is Driving the Great Resignation?, data from nine million employees at 4,000 companies around the world sheds light on which segments of the global economy have experienced the most resignations. It turns out that rates have been highest among mid-career employees, and among those in the health care and tech sectors. The article recommends that firms take a data-driven approach to boosting retention by quantifying the problem, identifying the root causes that are driving employees to leave, and developing tailored retention programs.

A related piece, Research: Why Rejected Internal Candidates End Up Quitting, explores a common driver of resignations: If an internal candidate is passed up for a new opportunity, research shows that they are more than twice as likely to quit shortly thereafter. Of course, not every internal candidate is the right fit for the job, so what can organizations do to encourage internal applicants while still making the necessary hiring decisions? The authors found that rejected internal candidates were half as likely to quit if they interviewed with a hiring manager, or if they were passed over for another internal candidate, since these signals suggested that even though they didn’t get the promotion this time, their candidacy was taken seriously. In other words, even if an employee is rejected today, they are more likely to stick around if they feel they have a good chance of advancing tomorrow.

What Employees Want (and Need) to Thrive

Of course, convincing people not to quit is really just the bare minimum.

Complete at HBR

 

A New Approach to Rebalancing the U.S-China Trade Deficit

Tariffs have not succeeded in reducing the U.S. trade deficit with China. A much better way for the U.S. to tackle this problem and rebuild domestic production is a cap-and-trade system similar to the one for greenhouse gas emissions. The beauty of such a system is its insulation from political favoritism and bureaucracy: Market forces would determine who buys licenses and what gets imported. The cap’s level can be managed relative to a target such as GDP or the size of the trade deficit.

Three years of trade war and supply disruption from the pandemic have the United States looking to reverse decades of migration of American production lines to China and the resulting loss of industrial capability and manufacturing jobs.

The U.S. government wants to rebuild domestic production, especially of critical items, and reduce dependence on an increasingly hostile strategic rival, and U.S. corporations are rethinking their sourcing risks given that China President Xi Jinping could shut down shipments to the United States at any time.

The one policy tool that would do both is a cap-and-trade system that would entail the U.S. government issuing rights to import certain dollar amounts of Chinese goods and then allowing those rights to be traded.

The Need for a New Approach

Other tools have failed: U.S. imports from China continue to rise and in 2021 will likely exceed the pre-trade war 2018 peak of $539 billion. If the United States were to raise existing tariffs on Chinese goods or impose new ones, China could easily follow suit as it has in the past; tariffs also create uncertainty for buyers in terms of their duration and the likely tit-for-tat responses they provoke. The United States has won the lion’s share of the complaints it has filed with the World Trade Organization against China for issues involving individual products, but by the time the WTO has completed the long adjudication process and levied a penalty tariff, the damage has been done.

Complete Article at HBR

 

Difficult questions to answer in a job interview

If you are about to show up for a job interview, you should be prepared to answer those questions that will stagger you. Here are some recommendations.

According to a small business report, 50 percent of companies in 2016 say the hiring stage is the toughest challenge they face. 50 percent of companies keep the hiring area active, this means that your ideal job is waiting for you.

Now, it's time to prepare for interview questions that would make even the most skilled of interviewees nervous.

Despite all the preparations, a job interview is a nerve-racking experience. To make matters worse, interviewers have numerous questions that can easily get in the way of the interviewee.

These questions are not malicious. They try to get a clear picture of the candidate to make sure they are qualified for the job and that they can be a good fit for the company.

Over the years I have hired hundreds of people and interviewed thousands of candidates. As a recruiter, taking candidates out of their control state allows me to see how they can thrive under pressure in the workplace.

No matter how experienced or prepared you are, sometimes these questions are designed to trip anyone up. If you want to avoid it, you should prepare some answers for difficult questions like the following 11 examples.

1. "Can you tell me about yourself?"

This may sound like an innocent and straightforward question, however, it can mislead you to the point of delving too deeply into your personal life. The great interviewers through conversation determine aspects such as culture; You should focus it on your academic training, your professional career and recent work experiences.

How to respond: don't talk about your family or your hobbies. Stay focused on sharing information about how you can be a good fit for the organization.

2. "Are you the type of person who checks your email on vacation?"

On the one hand, you want to convey the dedication and passion you have about your job, you want to assure the interviewer that you are available and that you are trustworthy; Similarly, you must imply that you know the value and importance of work-life balance away from it.

Complete Article at Entrepreneur India

 

Job Interview Preparation Checklist: Don't panic! Be prepared by following these 10 steps.

So you applied for a job online, and just got a call from the recruiter asking if you can interview with the hiring manager. You are super excited until you hear that the interview is happening in 48 hours. Two days. OMG!

Don’t panic; just prepare! Glassdoor has got you covered. Complete with timing and strategy, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of essential ways to gear up for your interview and knock it out of the park. Ready, set, prep!

As soon as you hang up with the recruiter:

1. Study for your interview like it’s a final exam.

Find as much information as you can on the company or organization, and commit as much of it to memory as possible.

If the job you’re interviewing for requires knowledge in a certain field, do all of the learning and brushing up you can on information that will be relevant to your interview.

2. Generate a list of potential interview questions (and their answers!) beforehand.

Base your list of questions on both what you expect them to ask and the real life experience of others

Reach out to people who worked in similar companies and positions as you are interviewing for and ask them about their interview experience

Use tools like Glassdoor’s interview question database to look up real interview questions and their answers.

36 hours before the interview:

3. Write out answers to every question you anticipate, and practice delivering them out loud.

Even if you don’t remember your responses word for word, you can fall back on certain key points and phrases.

Write your own list of questions for the interviewer, and be prepared to ask them when the time arises.

Make sure your questions are nuanced and well-researched. Never ask for any information that can be simply found online.

Complete Article at Entrepreneur India

 

So You Botched a Job Interview. What’s Next?

Summary.   

There’s nothing worse than preparing for an interview and blowing it. How can you move forward after flubbing a question — or an entire interview? The author offers five ways to turn a bad interview into success. First, take time to debrief yourself after the interview. Second, use a thank-you note as an opportunity to clarify any questions you might not have answered as well as you would’ve liked. Third, try to keep from ruminating. Fourth, keep your job search moving. Finally, prepare for your next interview — either at the same company or a different one.

You’ve prepared. You’re ready. You either go to an office or hop on a video interview. And then, disaster. Or at least you think disaster.

There’s nothing worse than preparing for an interview and then blowing it. I’ll never forget the time I was meeting with three people, each with a role open. It was going perfectly until one of them asked, “How do you use your role to drive business?” At the time, I was transitioning careers from lawyer to HR business partner, and my job was to mitigate risk. I had never even thought about how my role was used to “drive business.” Worse, I had no idea what that even meant. I tried to tell a good story but could see by the interviewers’ body language (and the fact that one of them asked the question again after I answered) that my answer wasn’t resonating. I knew in that moment that I blew it.

Complete Article at HBR

Stop Working So Hard. Differentiate Yourself Instead.

Know your value and optimize every action you take towards showcasing that value.

ou’ve probably heard the phrase “work smart not hard” so many times that seeing it written down almost sends you off into a slumber. Yet working hard may not get you noticed the way differentiating yourself does. When it comes to business leadership, some people believe that it all comes down to productivity and efficiency. And while these things certainly play a role, there’s also something to be said for the power of knowing your value and optimizing every action you take towards showcasing that value.

So, how can you differentiate yourself from everyone else?

It’s okay if you can’t answer that question right now. Here are a few ways to identify your “selling points” and leverage them effectively.

Find your selling point

Some people don’t like it when workers are treated as commodities by companies, but in this case, it makes for a great metaphor. When a startup founder launches their business, one of their key considerations is the unique selling point of their product or service — the thing that makes it different from the competition.

Likewise, if you want to differentiate yourself and tap into your true worth, you need to know your “selling point.” 

What can you do better than everyone else at your workplace, or even among your friends and family? Examples include:

• People skills
• Knowledge of software
• Logic
• Experience working for respected companies

Your selling point doesn’t necessarily have to be something that’s directly related to your work. Being funny might not make you a better leader, but it could certainly make it easier for you to network. Being a math whizz doesn’t have an obvious link to a job as a human resources director, but maybe it could help you add a component of data analysis to what you do.

You can get creative, but just make sure that your selling point isn’t that you’re cheaper than everyone else.

Complete Article at Entrepreneur India

How Midsize Firms Can Attract — and Retain — Talent Right Now

Summary.   

Midsize companies have weaknesses when it comes to addressing the talent issues they face — but they also have critical strengths. The authors present three steps leaders can take to leverage those strengths and prevail in the toughest talent market in memory. First, they should identify and prioritize exactly which talent they’re lacking — the solution for a shortage of managers is different than one for a shortage of developers. Second, they should revamp the recruiting and onboarding process. Finally, they should craft a retention strategy. By combining the advantages they have over large companies with focused initiatives, middle-market companies can get through the current crisis and find themselves with stronger long-term talent capabilities as well

While companies of all sizes are struggling to keep and find people during the Great Resignation, it’s hitting the middle market especially hard — and middle-market companies often find themselves with an inadequate toolkit to address the problem. The same old approaches aren’t working in the crisis and will not build the capabilities companies will need in the long run.

And crisis isn’t too strong a word. In surveys conducted by AchieveNEXT in August and again in September, middle-market CFOs and CHROs said that attracting and retaining talent is their number-one challenge — cited as such three times more often than supply-chain disruptions and nearly four times more often than costs. Worse, nearly half (47%) told us that their enterprise lacks the tools to address their talent-retention problems.

Complete Article at HBR

How to Convince Yourself to Do Hard Things

Summary.   

When we’re tired or stressed, our brains want to save mental energy and help us make decisions quickly. We’re wired to move toward things that make us feel good and away from things that make us feel uncomfortable. Our brains tag effort as bad, because it’s hard work, and we’re more likely to “go with our gut” instead of carefully considering all the available information. So how do we do hard things when our brains are constantly telling us to avoid effort? The author offers three tips.

Ask anyone how they’re feeling these days and chances are they’ll reply with some version of “exhausted.” We’re tired of operating amid uncertainty. We’re tired of balancing childcare with work. We’re tired of staffing shortages and supply chain problems.

When we feel like this, our brains want to save mental energy by directing our focus to the most readily available, recallable information to help us make decisions quickly. We often do this by going with our gut and making our best guess.

Complete Article at HBR

Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein Applied the Concept of 'No Time' to Boost Their Creativity. What Does It Entail?

According to neuroscience, taking a break from our busy schedules and devoting some time to doing absolutely nothing is key to fostering creativity.

An essential element to achieving success is implementing a proper routine on a daily basis, as science and history point out.

The magazine also points out that many successful people have dedicated a large part of their lives to "no time." 

Steven Kotler, author of the book "The Art of the Impossible" and a TED speaker, pointed out that "no time" has to do with a quiet moment in which a person can isolate himself, herself or themselves from the noise and demands of the world.

It's no wonder that the internet is full of articles related to the morning routines of important and famous figures, giving suggestions on how to add positive activities to your day-to-day life.

In order to have a beneficial and satisfying life, it is advisable to take into account  gratitude practices, nature walks and connection with oneself, since they are backed by research that confirms that all these activities are good for people. Likewise, science indicates that "no time" is much needed in such a routine, because if you spend most of your day with all of these existing habits, it is unlikely you will have time for yourself.

Complete Article at Entrepreneur India

5 Skills Public Health Officials Need to Combat the Next Pandemic

Summary.   

The pandemic has highlighted the huge challenges that public health agencies face in combating such major, fast-moving threats. In this article, the people who led New York City’s response to the pandemic, highlight five leadership skills that public health managers require and recommend training programs to ensure that they have them.

In the United States, federal and state initiatives to revitalize public health agencies have focused primarily on hiring and training frontline personnel, such as community health workers, epidemiologists, and microbiologists. The Covid-19 pandemic also exposed a need to improve leadership skills of executives of public health agencies.

During the pandemic, there was a massive turnover of public health agency leadership, with many state and local public health officials being fired or resigning due to public abuse, disputes with elected officials, exhaustion, or public controversies. A New York Times investigation published in mid-October found that “more than 500 top health officials …left their jobs” during the pandemic in what has been called “the largest exodus of public health leaders in American history.”

While many people have the technical qualifications to fill these newly vacant positions, they also require key leadership skills. Many programs provide leadership training and coaching for business and government, but few address the unique cognitive and management skills that are needed to lead public health agencies, particularly during infectious disease epidemics. Based on our experience leading the Covid-19 response in New York City, we believe that public health leaders require five essential skills to effectively manage the next pandemic.

Skill #1: Translate Science

Public health leaders are expected to not just be managers and spokespersons for their organizations but also subject matter experts for complex issues that cross multiple disciplines, including epidemiology, microbiology, and medicine. They must be able to rapidly assess new scientific information and synthesize the key points for different audiences, including policymakers, health care professionals, and the public.

Complete Article at HBR

Microsoft India to hire from local talent pool for new India Development Center

 

Microsoft is going to increase its footprint across India, through the launch of its India Development Center (IDC) in Delhi NCR. For the IDC, the company aims to hire talent from the local pool from engineering and management institutions.

Though the company has an IDC at the NCR but citing the prospect of the market at NCR, Microsoft is further expanding its facility in the region by opening one more site at Noida to better meet the needs of the customers and create a direct and indirect economic impact in the region.

The development centre expands over an area of  150,000 square feet and is built to drive digital innovation through expanded teams in Cloud & AI, Experiences and Devices Group, Microsoft Digital Teams, and the new Gaming division have a growing presence in India.

Complete Article at People matters

MedCord's Aayu App to hire 10,000 people pan India

MedCord, a healthcare platform has recently launched the ‘Aayu Ambassador Program’ to generate employment for about 10,000 people pan India and 2,000 people in Rajasthan. The aim of this program is to spread awareness about healthcare in every nook and corner of India. 

Aayu app is planning to hire people in its core team for the roles like Director Marketing, Lead UX, Lead Content, Director Partnerships, Brand Manager, Business Analyst, Product Analyst, Copywriter, Senior Backend Developer, Jr. Backend Developer, Jr. Kotlin Developer-4 (fresher). 

Commenting about the program, Shreyans Mehta, the Co-Founder at MedCords, stated that the services of the Aayu App are now being used in cities, villages, and even hamlets in large numbers. The objective of the Aayu App is to provide efficient, accessible, and affordable health care services to every Indian.

Mehta added that in this age of technology, platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp are being used widely and efficiently. This is the right time to deploy technology and use it for the right purposes, which is to take health care services to the doorsteps so that people can avail these facilities from the comfort of their home, he said. This will reduce the overcrowding at the hospitals for health care services, and strengthen the technical healthcare infrastructure simultaneously.

Complete Article at People matters