Connect with the Next Generation Workforce This Week on the HR Happy Hour Show on Alexa

If there is anything certain about the world of work these days, perhaps it’s that almost nothing is certain. These are definitely incredibly challenging times for everyone, as people everywhere have either been directly impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic, from either the actual virus itself, or from the economic fallout from the mitigation measures we’ve all had to take to try and bring the virus under control. Things have been so crazy in the last month, and that is the understatement of the year.

But even among all this turmoil, one thing about work and workplaces remains certain, even if it may be a little delayed in the next year or so. Namely, that a new, or next generation of workers will complete their education and preparation, and begin to enter the workplace and as all generations before them, influence and impact work, organizations, and how the workplace evolves. And as a slightly more experienced member of the workforce, one of the things I have come to learn and embrace is that for HR and business leaders, it is important to recognize, understand, and appreciate the point of view and the mindsets of whomever it is that will be joining my organization over the next few years. And one of the best ways to begin that process of learning and understanding is to listen to what these younger and soon to be the newest members of the workforce have to say about work, organizations, jobs, and more.

With that in mind, this week on our HR Happy Hour Show on Alexa, we are running a full week’s worth of questions and answers about work and workplaces asked to a group of current high school students, (I jokingly refer to them as the Kids of H3 HR), that individually and collectively help illuminate what these young people really think about work, managers, culture, leadership, and more. Starting from today, and running all week, we are sharing excerpts of these insightful teens talking about work and workplace issues. These commentaries were just a part of a larger learning and development assignment that my H3 HR partners Trish McFarlane and Karen Hunter have been leading for their own kids, as they try to continue the learning process despite schools being currently closed.

I would encourage any HR or business leader to give these ideas and comments a listen, and don’t worry you have time, each “Alexa” episode is only 2 – 3 minutes in length, to gain some insight as to what real teenagers, smart teenagers, really are thinking about the world of work.

There are several ways you can access and listen to the HR Happy Hour Show on Alexa. First, if you have an Alexa-enabled device at home, just add the “HR Happy Hour” skill to your device’s daily news update and you will receive the latest show whenever you ask Alexa to play the news. You can also listen and subscribe to the HR Happy Hour on Alexa wherever you get your podcasts – Apple, Google, Spotify, Stitcher – just search for “HR Happy Hour” and you will find the show there. Finally, you can bookmark and visit www.hrhappyhour.net, where all the HR Happy Hour Podcast Network shows are posted.

This was a really fun project to work on, thanks to all five of our excellent guests for their ideas, honestly and contribution to the HR Happy Hour Show.