TD Magazine—April 2024
The United Kingdom is making a major investment in artificial intelligence, according to TD Magazine. The government is investing the equivalent of $150 million to create 12 new “UK Research and Innovation Centres” to help make the UK a leader in AI innovation.
TD Magazine—May 2024
Remember when we were amazed to see computers convert speech to written text? Now, IBM is providing a service to do the opposite: transfer text into natural language – in other words, human-sounding voices. Even better: it translates to several languages, including Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Hindi and English. Even better than that: IBM is providing a “lite” version that translates up to 10,000 characters per month at no cost.
Also in the May edition, Christopher Allen brings us “Every1 Word2 Counts.” His idea is to cut down on how much learners have to read, changing out text for graphics, video scenarios and other experiences. Modern learners tend to skim more, determining if the reading is useful, timely and relevant. Allen emphasizes that content isn’t king – experiences are.
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Are things a little tense around the workplace? SHRM has conducted some vital research into how much incivility is a problem – and what to do about it. Don’t miss the link to the embedded research results. Honoring the goal of less text and more information, it’s a one-pager filled with interesting results. This includes how incivility shows up in the workplace:
- Addressing others disrespectfully.
- Interrupting or silencing others while they are speaking.
- Excessive monitoring or micromanaging.
- Ignoring others or paying little attention to others.
- Unprofessional or disrespectful body language.
Chief Learning Officer Magazine
CLO Magazine offers insights into the value of coaching in the workplace in “Achieving meaningful growth through coaching and mentoring,” by Elizabeth Loutfi-Hipchen. She emphasizes the trend toward leveraging technology in the coaching process, as well as targeting coaching toward niche areas like diversity and wellness. She also emphasizes the value of creating a culture supportive of coaching.
Harvard Business Review
Return-to-work policy is a hot topic in the post-COVID era. Rebecca Knight addresses this issue in her article, “When Someone You Manage Isn’t Following the Return-to-Office Policy.” Working with employees to return them (part or full time) to the office takes a variety of skills and practices, including showing compassion, collaboration, creativity and prioritizing inclusion. It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation!
Yahoo Finance
Finally, let’s take a look at the long view, shall we? In “Most people expect to retire in their early 60s. Is that realistic?,” author Kerry Hannon explores the factors entering into a decision to retire early from the workforce. In short, the number of workers who expect to retire by age 62 has declined sharply. Also, it’s not an all-or-nothing decision, with many workers seeing themselves entering into part-time work or side gigs. Finances and health top the list of concerns regarding retiring early. And don’t miss her take on Social Security and retiring early.
See you next month!