Middle managers need help. Just one in three middle managers believe they have the “clarity, organizational support, and resources to succeed and to coach employees effectively on skills and career development,” according to a Betterworks survey of 2,105 leaders in the US and UK.

This may be because many middle managers don’t know how to have regular conversations with employees about their performance, Jamie Aitken, VP of HR transformation at Betterworks, told HR Brew, something that being “sandwiched” between the organization’s demands and employees’ expectations has only exacerbated.

“In HR, we give these middle managers the role, and the responsibility, of being really great coaches, and helping the members of their team succeed,” Aitken said. “[But] we haven’t given them enough support, I don’t think—traditionally, in HR—to really, truly give them the competency and the muscle strength to do that work.”

Encourage enablement. HR pros should encourage managers to have regular conversations with employees about development and performance, Aitken said. And instead of focusing on “performance management”—which tends to be a “backward-looking” reflection on the last six months or year—they should focus on “performance enablement.”

Keep reading here.—MC

Talent acquisition teams: It’s time to amp up automation. And not just for screening candidates or scheduling interviews. We’re (mindfully) going big to create better candidate experiences.

AI’s potential in talent acquisition spans from the initial hiring process all the way up to the organization at large. Get all the details on how this opportunity could impact your org in Josh Bersin’s on-demand e-book.

As an industry maven with 25 years of experience, Bersin has been around for many HR evolutions. In this e-book, Bersin tackles:

• how AI will change the HR space
• the role of conversational AI in recruiting
• how organizations are saving millions annually by leveraging AI for hiring efficiency

See how automation can impact your org’s entire HR operation. Get the e-book.

Like the Road Runner from Wile E. Coyote, financial security still eludes many employees. Some 54% of employees surveyed by Betterment in October 2022 said financial anxiety has impacted their ability to focus at work. And 47% said an employer-sponsored emergency fund would “entice” them to change jobs.

And yet, just 2% of employers offer emergency savings accounts (ESAs), according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2023 Employee Benefit Survey.

The nuts and bolts. ESAs are post-tax savings accounts that can be funded by employers and employees. As the name suggests, Robertson said, these accounts are designed to provide employees a nest egg to cover unexpected, emergency expenses.

The bottom line. Given the potential impact that financial insecurity can have on employee well-being and retention, HR pros might want to consider advocating for their organization to offer an ESA.

Keep reading here.—AS

Here’s this week’s edition of our Coworking series. Each week, we chat 1:1 with an HR Brew reader. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Jill Waite has worked in the restaurant and retail industries her entire career, beginning with a stint at Chuck E. Cheese when she was 16 years old. She also worked in operations and development at companies including Sephora and Circuit City before taking the HR reins at Chicago-based hot dog chain Portillo’s as CPO in 2019. Waite “found [her] heart” in her work with people, recruiting, development, and culture.

As a corporate leader, Waite maintains that execs and leaders must have good relationships with and take cues from those on the front lines of the biz. It’s key when driving good business outcomes. “I just feel like the answers are with the individuals that are doing the work,” she said.

Waite recalled a pandemic-era decision to send employees from Portillo’s corporate office to restaurants with staffing issues. These employees connected with their work differently after the experience, since they built relationships with restaurant staff and learned about their work.

“It built even more of a mutual respect and understanding for what our restaurants or our plants go through each and every day,” she said.

Keep reading here.—AD

HR’s new AI-pproach. AI is officially entering the HR space. SHRM’s AI Outlook 2024 brought industry leaders together to discuss AI’s transformative role in HR. Tune in to this free on-demand webcast to learn how leaders at SHRM and BambooHR are using AI and putting people first. Watch the keynote + more here.

Is new tech the future of employee dev? It’s a tough but super important question. That’s why we teamed up with BambooHR to host a virtual event that’ll answer this question and give you a top-notch overview of the crossroads between technology and HR. Tune in, register now.