New jobs in sustainability and green technologies are being created faster than workers can be trained to do them—and unfortunately, learning by osmosis is not currently an option (no matter what Garfield says).

Where in the world? Europe is facing a growing knowledge and skills gap in green technology, according to a recent survey of more than 12,500 European businesses, and the Financial Times reported that the personnel deficit is preventing the region from properly investing in green technology. The demand for these workers will likely only increase, as the World Economic Forum predicts the global green economy will create more than 10.3 million new jobs by 2030.

The EU could need to double its workers to 1 million by 2030 just to handle solar projects, according to SolarPower Europe. “Companies in the industry are not only faced with the challenge to retain their workforce, but to grow it during a time when there is already a lack of fresh talent,” Sanda Bozic, head of HR EMEA at developer BayWa r.e., said in an interview with Reuters Events.

Satellite view. The skills most in-demand at companies around the world are sustainable development, environmental remediation, and environmental policy, according to a 2022 report by LinkedIn.

More than two-thirds (68%) of sustainability leaders say they were hired internally to fill their jobs, according to research from Boston Consulting Group. And 60% of people currently on sustainability teams say they were not originally hired for their “sustainability expertise.”

Companies like Salesforce, Deloitte, and Schneider Electric are trying to get ahead of the curve by offering employees reskilling opportunities. KPMG, for example, offers 10 courses on sustainability, ranging from an introductory course on sustainability reporting to how to build a sustainable supply chain.

Too bad reskilling can’t happen while we nap, eat lasagna, or complain about Mondays...yet!—KP

Welcome to our regular HR advice column, Ask a Resourceful Human. Here to answer all of your burning questions is Massella Dukuly, the head of workplace strategy and innovation at Charter, a media services company that aims to transform the workplace. Dukuly has trained over 10,000 leaders at startups and global enterprises, including Squarespace and the New York Times. Sign up for Charter’s free salary transparency playbook here.

Got a question for us? Use this form to submit it.

My company is hiring for completely new roles. How can we standardize the interview process and objectively evaluate candidates when we’re not yet sure what success will look like?

Even if you’re not clear on how the role will evolve, it’s important to understand at least a few goals that you’re hoping this person will accomplish. This will allow you to reverse-engineer and determine specific skills and experiences required for the job so you can come up with standardized success criteria.

Let’s break it down. Say you’re hiring your very first “director of hybrid work happiness” (if this isn’t a real thing, it should be).

It might feel impossible for you to spell out what success looks like as you interview candidates because the world of work is evolving every day. The good news? Because you’re hiring, you do know, at least in the near future, what you’d like your new director of hybrid work happiness to accomplish.

Step 1: Identify two or three short- to mid-term goals.

• Maintain a consistent pulse on employee sentiment of hybrid strategy.
• Implement and maintain initiatives to support employee engagement in a hybrid environment.
• Partner with cross-functional team leaders to standardize 1:1s.

These are excellent goals, but you can’t stop there. Without a clear path to understanding how these goals might be achieved (through skills and experiences), we’re simply hoping for the best.

Keep reading.—MD

Kerri Jones, now CPO at the home services and repair provider Frontdoor, is proud of her unique professional background. With more than a decade of foundational experience in HR, Jones most recently worked in other operational and project management roles at companies including H&R Block and Waddell & Reed. She led H&R Block’s overhaul of its recruitment program of more than 10,000 seasonal professionals during tax season, shaving more than 10 days off the time it took to fill open roles.

Jones is focused on evolving Frontdoor’s culture and deepening employee engagement, especially as it transitions to a remote-first workplace. She said it’s paramount that she connects every employee’s work to the company’s mission, and her experiences in overseeing big projects in operational capacities is helping her bring Frontdoor’s employees along for the ride.

How do your experiences in operations and project management influence how you approach HR?

I’m really thinking about the business first, and then HR follows…It’s about using all of my past leadership experiences to really lead teams through change. My team does that by focusing on acquiring and developing top talent, by ensuring that our culture continues to be inclusive…And the other thing that we do is…keep our pulse on employee engagement and [organize] teams in the right way to drive that business transformation forward.

Do you feel like because you had dabbled in other areas of business, you were teed up perfectly for this moment in the HR/people world?

Bill Cobb, our CEO…reached out to me and said, “Hey, you know what, I'd like to talk to you about the chief people officer role.”…What he was really looking for me to come in and do was to help drive transformational change…Because I did [an] “operational tour” [of different roles], I was able to really hone my skills there and understand what great looks like and what it can look like.

Keep reading.—AD

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: An estimated 19% of workers in the US could see at least half their job tasks impacted by OpenAI technology. (Vice)

Quote: “Employers need to make sure not to say things like, ‘Well you should be happy to have a job.’ They also need to treat the people who are laid off as much like human beings as possible, and the remaining employees need to see that they are doing this.”—Melissa Jezior, chief executive at Eagle Hill Consulting, on handling employees with care during layoffs (Yahoo)

Read: What ethical and economic considerations should decision-makers take into account as AI expands into the workplace? (Charter)

Meaningful motivation: Virtual calls and half-empty offices got your employees feelin’ invisible? Keep ’em smiling and motivated with Workhuman’s employee recognition program. It’ll keep your employees feeling valued for their hard work. Learn more.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}