At the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda 2021 conference late last month, global leaders came together to discuss how to restore trust in a post-COVID-19 world.
One of the week’s highlights came from PwC, which released its Upskilling for Shared Prosperity report. The report found that upskilling global workforces will be critical for a post-COVID economic recovery.
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“The report notes that unemployment is expected to rise as economies continue to experience the effects of the pandemic,” Bob Moritz, global chairman of PwC, said in the report. “Therefore, upskilling the global workforce is key to stimulating the economic recovery from COVID-19.”
According to the report, the three broader advantages of upskilling are increases in productivity and job creation—especially of high-quality, fairly paid jobs—which in turn helps reduce wage inequalities, especially those created by skill-based technological change.

The report also notes that business sectors that have suffered from low-wage growth and output for decades could reap significant benefits from upskilling. For example, health and social care could add $380 billion in additional GDP through upskilling by 2030.
Increasing upskilling won’t be easy, PwC notes in the report, which was developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. Challenges include the disconnect between current education programs and the skills that employers need now and in the future. Businesses and policymakers, however, can take steps that the report spells out to create more inclusive and sustainable economies.
Leaders, in particular, will require some upskilling focus, says Forrester principal analyst Katy Tynan, whose work centers on preparing leaders for the future.

She notes that even in normal times, too many leaders struggle to inspire and engage their teams and organizations. Tynan will discuss the expected demand for upskilled workforces in a keynote address, Not All Leaders Are in the C-Suite, at the Spring HR Technology Conference & Expo, which will be held March 16-19. With the added stress of a global pandemic—which has transformed how, when and where we work—employers have seen some leaders rise to the challenge, Tynan says, but others have not.
Typically, the development focus is on senior leaders: CEOs, presidents, CHROs, CIOs. But, when the “gritty work of change” gets done in organizations, it often happens through the effort of leaders who don’t reside in the C-suite: frontline managers, directors and team leaders. Yet, in many cases, employers have underinvested in upskilling these key resources—leaving significant gaps in their ability to respond and rise up to meet the type of challenges that emerged this past year, Tynan recently told HRE.
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“There’s another transition coming,” she said about the need to constantly revisit the skills leaders are equipped with, especially those outside of the C-suite. “It’s not enough to say, ‘OK, now we know how to do [leadership development for managers].’ Because next year there will be something very different and managers are going to have to pivot again and learn new skills. You have to keep investing.”
At Spring HR Tech, which is free to attendees, Tynan will offer up data about the value of developing these frontline leaders and explore ways to strengthen this critical community to ultimately drive organizational resilience and adaptiveness—essentially, the highest level of upskilling.
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Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Happy Guru Nanak Jayanti to you and your family.Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Happy Guru Nanak Jayanti to you and your family.
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54: Percentage increase in number of employees at risk for depressive disorder
New data finds that when comparing numbers from Feb. 3, before the widespread outbreak of COVID-19, and June 28, there is an increased risk among employees of 54% for depressive disorder, 49% for PTSD, 41% for general anxiety disorder and 11% for addiction.
Results were gleaned from a June index from Total Brain, a mental health and brain performance self-monitoring and self-care platform. The index, also in partnership with the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions and One Mind at Work, is based on 500 anonymized assessments randomly selected among thousands of Total Brain assessments taken each week.
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What it means to HR leaders
The index continues to prove that mental health impacts of coronavirus are not dying down months into the pandemic. That’s despite the fact that some HR and benefits leaders plan to expand, roll out or communicate existing mental health benefits, apps and other resources in an effort to help employees.
June’s index found that the number of employed adults at risk for mental health conditions remained “alarmingly elevated” when compared to February data. Nearly half of employees say they’re suffering from PTSD, 41% from general anxiety disorder and 11% from addiction.
“The numbers do not lie,” says Total Brain CEO Louis Gagnon. “There is a mental health crisis in our country, and the data supports our case for increased attention on employee mental health among HR leaders.”
Several studies have spotlighted the toll the pandemic is taking on employees’ mental health.
“The need to address workplace mental health has never been more important as the levels of anxiety, depression, PTSD and other mental health conditions are dramatically impacted by the continuing stress, uncertainty and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Garen Staglin, chairman of One Mind at Work.
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Fitness classes at Pinterest’s luxe San Francisco headquarters are among the social media company’s most popular perks for employees. Yoga, aerobics and other classes are on offer so that workers can burn calories or downward dog to their heart’s delight.
When the coronavirus pandemic hit and employees went remote, Pinterest didn’t want workers to lose one of their favorite perks. “That’s one part of our benefits offering [that] employees really relied on and really enjoyed. We didn’t want to take that away because we couldn’t be in a physical office,” says Alice Vichaita, head of global benefits at Pinterest.
So the company turned to virtual class sessions offered via Zoom or Google Hangouts. “We set up reminders in our various Slack channels so we can remind [workers] 15 minutes before class starts, see it and join,” Vichaita explains. “We have a wellness calendar that people can opt into and see the programming coming up.”
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In addition to its regular slate of offerings—yoga, meditation and so on—the company in early May added a weekly dance class for parents and their kids on Google Hangouts. It’s a move to help Pinterest’s working parent population—a group that’s especially struggling during the pandemic as they juggle taking care of work and their children simultaneously.
“I think employees really enjoy stuff they can do with their kids—and something that can occupy their kids and get a little break in the day,” Vichaita says.
Pinterest is one of several employers turning to virtual fitness classes as the pandemic continues to force employees to stay home, away from their employers’ on-site fitness centers or missing out on gym memberships offered as a benefit.
Regina Ihrke, senior director and wellbeing leader, North America, at Willis Towers Watson, agrees that wellness components have intensified due to the pandemic. “Leaders have been bold in redefining their organization’s purpose and their commitment to the health and safety of their employees, families and customers, which has put a laser focus on wellbeing,” she says.
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Research from the consulting firm finds that 60% of employers are offering new easy-to-implement virtual solutions, such as online workouts, to support employees who work from home. Another 19% are planning or considering these solutions. Meanwhile, half promote healthy nutrition and weight management for at-home employees, and 25% are planning or considering adding such programs.
In general, employers say moving fitness classes online and providing virtual wellness offerings is one way to enhance flexibility and help employees during an unprecedented time.
“We already are pretty flexible as a culture, but I think we learned to be even more flexible because everyone is going through different things,” Vichaita says. “There isn’t really a one-size-fits-all. We should lead with empathy and work with employees to see what works for their situation.”
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