Bi-Weekly Roundup: 9/7 - 9/21

Automation causing workforce cuts, unlawful discrimination, protests at McDonalds, and more in this edition of the Bi-Weekly Roundup.

Wells Fargo is Cutting Roughly 10% of its Workforce

Wells Fargo has been under multiple investigations since 2016 for opening millions of fake customer accounts, and since then has been making wide scale transformations to improve transparency with customers and employees. But over the next three years, Wells Fargo will be cutting 26,500 jobs from its workforce. Though such a large reduction, the company states that it will also reflect displacements and the normal team-member attrition. In addition to cutting jobs, Wells Fargo will reduce its branch count by 800 by the year 2020. Where will all these jobs go to? The answer is automation. The banking company cited customers’ “adoption of digital self-service capabilities” for the planned cuts.

Is the adoption of automation really to blame for these cuts? Read more about the bank’s decision to reduce its workforce here.

McDonald’s Workers Across the US Walk Out to Protest Sexual Harassment

On Tuesday, September 18th, hundreds of McDonald’s employees across ten cities staged a one day strike, empowered by the #MeToo movement. Others demonstrated outside the company’s headquarters in Chicago. They called for more respect in the workplace, better training for managers, and more accountability. Many carried signs with the famous #MeToo accompanied by the McDonald’s logos, while others took to Facebook Live to state their frustrations by saying, “It’s time to say, ‘I’m not on the menu’”. Ten employees have filed charges against the company, while 17 other complaints were filed nearly two years ago.

Catch up on the protest here.

Charges Filed Against Facebook and 10 Other Employers for Unlawfully Discriminating Job Seekers

The ACLU, Communication Workers of America, and a law firm filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commision on behalf of three women and WWA members who allege job ads posted on Facebook targeted only men. This isn't the first time Facebook ads have come under fire. Last December, The New York Times published an article about ads placed on Facebook that targeted specific age groups.The latest charges allege that Facebook is placing ads that discriminate based on age and sex categories that employers choose, and that Facebook is earning revenue from its choice to place these ads that exclude older workers and women.

Do you think Facebook is in the wrong? Read more about Facebook enabling discrimination here.

Only 31 Percent of HR Leaders Believe They Have the Culture Necessary to Drive Performance

Culture isn’t a “soft topic” anymore. Today’s leaders can see the value in having an unique culture that appeals to many, because it has grown to be a key differentiator for how and why organizations outperform others. Culture can impact the ability to attract and retain top talent. According to Gartner Inc., aligning a company’s workforce with culture can improve performance against revenue goals by 9 percent, but failure to do so can cause employee performance to decline by as much as 12 percent.

Does you organization have a workforce-culture alignment? You can read more about Gartner’s findings here.

HR Managers Require Curated Interview Questions - Here’s 10

While questions geared towards candidates can be relatively the same, candidates applying for a HR manager position need more specific questions to make sure they heavily align with the company culture and fit in with the rest of team. Glassdoor recently shared a list of 10 interview questions to ask when hiring a HR manager, and the list hits the nail on the head. One question that stood out is “As a HR manager, how will you drive results?” This is something that's often overlooked, but as HR’s importance grows, more and more leaders are expecting HR to drive business results. This question can help you understand the value your candidate could bring to your company.

Check out the other 9 interview questions for HR managers here.

Want to read more? Be sure to check out the Phenom blog for more great content.