Mentoring the marginalised

Research shows that having mentors at work makes us happy and more successful. However, finding a mentor is more easily said than done — especially for employees from marginalised communities.

Executives tend to choose employees to mentor who have similar backgrounds to their own. But with 76pc of CEOs being white, and with white men comprising 70pc of the 533 executive officers named on federal regulatory forms, this presents a major mentorship problem for professionals of colour. Meanwhile, only 7.9pc of CEOs are Hispanic or Latinx, only 7.8pc are of Asian ethnicity, and just 3.8pc are Black or African American. This disparity can be addressed with “bridge mentorships,” or mentorships that intentionally connect diverse individuals to help level the playing field and provide more equal opportunities. Bridge mentoring programs aim to address cultural differences in the corporate environment by closing the knowledge gap between socially marginalised communities and the majority group (typically white people from the middle or upper classes).

(Adapted from “A Better Approach to Mentorship,” by Christopher “CJ” Gross, published by HBR Ascend)

Focusing on skills

A host of changes have brought HR to the centre of C-suite conversations, with employers thinking differently about how to spot, foster, and grow talent. Rapidly, skills have come to dominate the conversation; the average number of posts mentioning skills-first-related topics on the LinkedIn networking platform roughly doubled from October 2021 to October 2022. And employers are working hard to put skills at the centre of their talent strategies — from hiring to advancement — as evidenced by groups like OneTen and the Business Roundtable. As talk of a possible recession dominates many business circles, a key question hangs in the balance: How can employers maintain their growing investments in skills-first approaches to maximise a return on investment for their workers and their business? New data from LinkedIn provides a compelling case for doubling down on skills-first efforts. The 2023 Workplace Learning Report revealed that Gen Z and millennial workers are the most likely to value opportunities for career growth and skill-building, even more than they value work-life balance.

(Adapted from “Focus on Skills to Grow Your Workforce,” by Aneesh Raman and Elyse Rosenblum, published on June 21, 2023, by MIT Sloan Management Review)

Renting clothes in Japan

Prospective visitors to Japan can now ditch the environmentally unfriendly suitcase and instead reserve clothes for their trip under a sustainability experiment with Japan Airlines. Travellers can rent outfits up to a month in advance by season, size, formality and colour scheme. The clothes will be delivered to a hotel or Airbnb accommodation ahead of arrival and collected at the end of the visit to be washed and recycled. The rental clothes are a combination of excess stock from retailers and second-hand garments collected by a partner company. Renting a wardrobe for five days would set you back between ¥5,000 ($35) and ¥7,000, depending on the season and purpose of the visit. Customers will be able to hire up to eight outfits for as long as two weeks, with smart, smart casual and mixed options in three sizes.

(Adapted from “Japan Airlines Gives Tourists Chance To Reduce Baggage By Renting Clothes,” by Leo Lewis and Akane Hayashi, published on July 5, 2023, by the Financial Times)

Learn to prioritise

More than 60pc of employees are disengaged at work, according to a global survey by Gallup. The same study reveals that stress levels are at a record high, with 44pc of employees feeling exhausted, tired, and burned out. For the newest generations, the numbers look worse. Over 50pc of Gen Z and younger millennials are more burned out than their older peers, and professionals under 35 are the most disengaged, feeling little connection to their colleagues. Here’s the thing: When you’re just starting out in your career, it’s easy to accidentally overwork yourself. Each task you’re assigned may feel equally important. But putting 110pc into every item on your to-do list is a recipe for burnout. A better way to develop in your role is to identify and prioritise the tasks that will be most recognised by your manager and organisation.

(Adapted from “How to Stay Engaged at Work (Without Burning Out” by Tracey Wik, published by HBR Ascend)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 10th, 2023