Workplace trends

Childcare worker pay isn’t matching demand

Pay for childcare workers is at an all-time low. The median wage sits at $14.60 per hour, placing it in the bottom 5% of all occupations, according to research from the Chicago Fed. This low compensation has a significant impact on the U.S. economy given that without access to affordable and reliable childcare, many parents, most commonly women, will be forced to withdraw from the labor force to care for their children. And while high demand for childcare services should translate to higher wages in order to attract more workers, the childcare sector is uniquely constrained as young parents are often earlier in their careers and have limited funds. This creates a vicious cycle in which the industry struggles to hire and retain qualified staff, and parents struggle to access the care they need.

New dating app marketing campaigns aren’t paying off

Online dating apps are missing the mark with younger users, as many of their marketing campaigns are failing to resonate. In fact, Bumble, The League, and Hinge have all faced backlash for recent marketing campaigns, from complaints about offensive advertisements to talks about misleading taglines. Bumble’s paying users only grew by 18% in Q1, down from 31% growth a year earlier, as 79% of Gen Zers claim to be giving up on apps and rather opting for in-person interactions, according to a recent Axios study. This shift presents a cautionary tale for businesses across industries, highlighting the importance of understanding younger demographics’ desire for authenticity and the need to adapt to evolving preferences.

The AI corner

Big tech’s eagerness for AI is backfiring

Big tech companies have been hastily releasing new AI features, only to backtrack shortly thereafter. Microsoft, for example, is the latest to join this trend, scaling back its Recall AI features on its new Copilot+ PCs. The feature, which acts as the computer’s “photographic memory,” will now be limited to a small group due to rampant privacy concerns. This followed Google reeling back its AI-generated answers after the feature produced bizarre errors like recommending users to eat rocks, and OpenAI swiftly removing a voice feature that sounded eerily similar to Scarlett Johansson. Most recently, Adobe delayed an update to its Terms of Service after facing backlash from artists over AI training concerns. These continuous releases and retractions highlight the ongoing complexity of widespread AI integration.

Apple’s ChatGPT partnership is putting the Chinese market at risk

In China, companies must obtain approval before launching AI chatbots, allowing regulators to ensure new language models won’t influence public opinion against their government’s wishes. This requirement has put Apple in a precarious position as it recently teamed up with ChatGPT – a model not yet approved in China. The region is Apple’s second-largest iPhone market, but this new partnership is quickly threatening its standing as other smartphone makers with approved AI models are luring users to upgrade their devices. Among them is Huawei, which is expected to capture 17% of China’s smartphone market this year, up from 13% last year, while Apple’s share is projected to drop to 16% from 18%, according to Counterpoint. Apple is racing to find a local Chinese partner for their AI services, but until then, it risks losing ground in this crucial market.

Navigating mid-year employee feedback

As we enter the second half of the year, it’s time to think about how you’re setting your team members up for success and keeping them motivated to achieve their 2024 goals. The key? Clear, intentional feedback.

Whether or not your organization has formal mid-year reviews, the halfway mark is a crucial time to take a strategic pause, course-correct, celebrate wins, and provide your team members with clear direction to ensure a more successful H2. With only 26% of employees feeling they receive regular, meaningful feedback, per TINYPulse, you have the power to bridge that gap on your team.

So, how should you navigate mid-year feedback talks?

Come prepared

Feedback-related conversations can be intimidating for your employees, so it’s important to prepare for the conversations. Before each one-on-one meeting, take some time to review your team members’ overall performance, key contributions, strengths, and shortcomings. Come ready with notes, specific examples that you can reference to support your points, questions to engage them in the discussion, and potential goals for the rest of the year. This level of preparation demonstrates your commitment to their success and sets the stage for a productive and empowering conversation.

Align expectations

Start the feedback conversation by explaining the purpose and walking them through how the meeting is going to work. Emphasize that the goal is to align expectations, address what’s working and where things can improve, create space for open communication, and most importantly, set your team members up for success. Make it clear that this is a dialogue, not a lecture, and that you really want to hear from them as well throughout the conversation. By fostering a two-way exchange, you’ll gain valuable insights into their perspective and can collaboratively chart a course for a thriving second half of the year.

Focus on behaviors, not traits

Try to frame your feedback around your employees’ behaviors, as opposed to their characters. Critiquing behaviors is less personal and more solvable – they can be changed or repeated –, making it way more productive and useful to your team members. For example, telling your employee that they are “too aggressive” or “overly judgmental” doesn’t provide any meaningful direction or guidance for how to improve. Instead, saying, “Try asking more questions before critiquing others’ work” or “Try not to interrupt people when they’re sharing their ideas” is less personal and more achievable as it gives real tips and guidance on how to act.

Don’t linger on examples

While it’s helpful to share examples that give context to your feedback, it can also open the door to defensiveness and lead your team members to focus too heavily on the specific scenario you mentioned, rather than actually processing your point. So, instead of getting caught up in the past, do your best to frame your feedback around how things can work better in the future. Language like “from now on” and “next time” helps promote a forward-thinking mindset and ensures your message resonates.

Emphasize successes

Remember that feedback isn’t just about pointing out when things go wrong – it can also be an extremely effective way to highlight what’s working and the kinds of behaviors your employees should continue. So, do your best to give your employees positive feedback when you believe they’ve done something really well. Doing so not only instills confidence in them, it also reframes feedback as a mechanism for helping them maximize their performance as opposed to just being a scary thing that only comes up when there’s an issue.

Acknowledge your role

If we’re truly honest with ourselves, we can admit that if someone on our team didn’t meet the mark
or deadline, more often than not, there were likely certain things that we, as leaders, could have done to prevent the misstep. You play a part in your employee outcomes, so when you discuss areas to grow and improve, try to use inclusive language like “we” and “us” to make it clear that you hold yourself accountable too. And when relevant, try and brainstorm strategies that address your role as well, even if it’s as simple as you checking in more or scheduling a meeting to set expectations before a big project. This approach makes the feedback feel less like an attack on your team member and instills a more collaborative, proactive mindset.

Discuss growth paths

Nearly 80% of surveyed employees would be more likely to stay with their company long-term if it offered effective training and development opportunities, per online education platform edX, so use these feedback sessions as an opportunity to discuss your employees’ growth and development paths within the team and company. Take this time to understand what your team members are looking for in their roles and the kinds of skills they want to acquire. Then, set goals and explore opportunities for the rest of the year that reflect both professional growth and collaborative, team-oriented objectives.

Water cooler chatter

Maryland is pardoning 175,000 citizens with marijuana convictions. The decision comes one year after the state legalized recreational marijuana use, and is mostly directed at cases of misdemeanors. According to the governor, the decision is aimed at mitigating the widespread societal and economic fallout caused by the war on drugs.

NASA crew’s space trip has been extended indefinitely due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. While NASA has confirmed that Starliner can return if needed, it prefers thorough safety checks before approving reentry, so for now, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will remain floating in space with no return date.

Question of the week

Last week’s answer: Iceland

This week’s question: What percent of digital nomads receive higher education?

Just for laughs

Workout to train for when manager shifts priorities