As the hybrid workforce has grown, so has the friction between in-person and remote employees.

Some 74% of in-person employees think working in the office may give them an advantage over their remote colleagues when it comes to promotions, and 72% agree or are on the fence that they should be paid more than their remote counterparts, according to a Checkr survey of 3,500 Americans who work in an office four or more days per week.

There’s an element of “proximity bias” here, said Sara Korolevich, head of digital content at Checkr. “[It’s] the visibility of managers seeing workers [physically] and seeing how they’re being productive” that leads in-office workers to feel like they’re more valuable than remote workers.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. One people leader offers insight into how HR teams can alleviate any location-based rivalries.

Keep reading here.—MC

Work is in the middle of a vibe shift: accelerating labor crunches, evolving work expectations, skyrocketing labor costs. Things are, well, changing. That’s why it’s superrr important to boost all of your outdated workforce management systems (WFM) into the future.

Fortunately, Workday can help. They put together a new guide that outlines 3 hidden costs of yesterday’s WFM practices and how Workday can address their root causes. Prepare to embrace a powerful new approach to management.

What’s so bad about outdated WFM practices, anyway? They often involve inefficient manual processes that can waste time, create needless errors, and generate poor-quality data. In short, they create headaches for your biz.

Step up your WFM game.

In the 1999 workplace comedy Office Space, Peter Gibbons, played by Ron Livingston, works as a programmer at a software company called Initech. After a therapist hypnotizes him to stop caring about his job, he tells two consultants tasked with downsizing Initech about how little work he does, as well as about his micromanaging bosses.

What do the consultants do? Because of Peter’s honesty, they promote him and fire his bosses.

While most workplaces don’t operate this way, encouraging employees to speak their minds and use conflict as an opportunity to address their concerns in a timely, empathetic manner can engage a workforce, Katya Laviolette, chief people officer at password management company 1Password, told HR Brew.

Uncover issues. While HR leaders can’t hypnotize their employees to share what’s on their minds, they can create the space for them to feel comfortable discussing issues. One way to do this, Laviolette suggested, is for HR to be a “bridge” and facilitate discussions between employees who have unresolved issues.

Keep reading here.—MC

Oracle this month announced a new HCM solution for midsize enterprises aimed at streamlining the implementation of its suite in a cost- and time-effective way.

The offering, Oracle HCM Now, provides HR leaders at enterprises with up to 15,000 employees with a predictable implementation over six months in three phases, at a fixed cost to help with budgeting for the transformation.

“We kind of liken it to a model home,” said Yvette Cameron, SVP of global HCM product strategy at Oracle. “You start with the foundation…HR and recruiting, because you need to manage your people, you need to hire your people. You get…successful on that and then you move to adding the next level…payroll and other components. And then from there, phase three…the more advanced innovations.”

Zoom out. Less may not be more. Oracle Now offers the type of integrated system for midsize enterprises that’s often reserved for the largest global companies. Having one tech platform that integrates all HR solutions may even help employees best take advantage of those offerings.

Keep reading here.—AD

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Just 10.7% of Gen Z workers think generative AI won’t be good for society. (WorkLife)

Quote: “An era of unprecedented merger deals [in the health insurance industry] allowed big insurers to cement near-monopolies in markets across the country…increas[ing] corporate profitability at the expense of affordable high-quality care.”—Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, president of the American Medical Association, on why workers are paying 7% more in 2023 for employer-sponsored health insurance plans (CBS News)

Read: Is there an “effort-reward imbalance” in your workplace? It could lead to burnout. (the New York Times)

TA meets AI: The era of AI is here, even in the world of talent acquisition. How can TA pros take advantage of this tech? Get the scoop in our latest article, sponsored by PwC.*

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