The Must-Read Articles for Talent Professionals This Week

“For many of us,” writes workplace expert Jennifer Moss in a recent article for Harvard Business Review, “being an adult at work today is like being a kid at a school without art, gym, and recess — no fun. And, that’s a huge reason why so many of us are disconnected, bored, and disengaged.”

If you were a recess fan back in elementary school, you may be thinking: Wait a second, Jennifer. It can’t be all that bad.

But Jennifer has some data that supports her claim that people really aren’t happy at work:

• Research from Gallup suggests that 50% of the global workforce is quiet quitting, while 18% are being quite vocal about their unhappiness (a phenomenon that’s now been dubbed “loud quitting”)
• Meanwhile on the social media front, hashtags such as #QuietQuitting and #ActYourWage have accumulated over 1.2 billion views
  

This doesn’t mean, however, that employers should simply throw up their hands and give up on employee happiness. Jennifer suggests three meaningful steps that companies can take to insert a little art, gym, and recess back into the workplace. To find out what those steps are, be sure to check out Jennifer’s piece at the top of our list below of must-read articles for talent professionals.

And further down our list, you can also learn why Gen Z is rethinking the idea of college; why some companies’ DEI efforts have a lot in common with a wrestling term; and why you may be approaching your emails (careful with those emojis!) all wrong.

Here are the must-read articles from this week:

1. Creating a Happier Workplace Is Possible — and Worth It (Harvard Business Review)

2. Report Confirms U.S. Labor Markets Have Shifted from ‘The Great Resignation’ to ‘The Great Stay’ (Guy Berger on LinkedIn) 

3. Freelancers Will Reshape the Market in 2023 (Freelancers Union Blog)

4. I’m Part of Gen Z and Apparently to Most I Have a Lazy Girl Job (Linda Le on LinkedIn)

5. Scammers! (Recruitment Isn’t Broken Newsletter)

6. Stop Talking About Employee Engagement (Vadim Liberman on LinkedIn)

7. ‘The World Is Rapidly Evolving’: How Gen Z Is Rethinking the Idea of College (Business Insider)

8. What Does Wrestling Have to Do with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in the Workplace? (Jackye Clayton on LinkedIn)

9. 5 Ways to Be a Better Leader from Ex-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (LinkedIn Talent Blog)

10. You’re Emailing Wrong at Work. Follow This Etiquette Guide (The Washington Post)

Here is the must-listen podcast:

This Is How AI Is Changing Nearly Every Aspect of Work (The New Way We Work)