January 23, 2023

Professional Development – 2023 – Week 3

Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/54585499@N04/

.NET

The New Built-in Guard Clauses Coming in .NET 8 (via Nick Chapsas)

We already have things like ArgumentNullException.ThrowIfNull(…) and ArgumentException.ThrowIfNullOrEmpty(string s). In .NET 8, ArgumentOutOfRangeException may potentially get methods to check for zero, negative, negative or zero, greater than, greater than or equal, less than, less than or equal.

New C# Features Are Just Syntactic Sugar (via Nick Chapsas)

This was an interesting insight that most language updates affect the compiler rather than the runtime. Nick shows some examples that satisfy the compiler, yet you can work around it in other ways. The takeaway is that you can’t expect the compiler and the runtime to offer the same protections.

Business

9 Trends That Will Shape Work in 2023 and Beyond (via HBR)

  1. Employers will “quiet hire” in-demand talent.
  2. Hybrid flexibility will reach the front lines.
  3. Managers will find themselves sandwiched between leader and employee expectations.
  4. Pursuit of nontraditional candidates will expand talent pipelines.
  5. Healing pandemic trauma will open path to sustainable performance.
  6. Organizations will drive DEI forward amid growing pushback.
  7. Getting personal with employee support will create new data risks
  8. Concerns around AI bias will lead to more transparency in recruiting tech.
  9. Organizations must address workforce-wide erosion of social skills.

Helping Gen Z Employees Find Their Place at Work (via HBR)

  1. Increase information-sharing to alleviate fears of uncertainty.
  2. Show them paths to career progression to incentivize them.
  3. Explain how their individual contributions matter.
  4. Give them room for autonomy to keep them motivated.
  5. Provide specific, constructive feedback to demonstrate that you are invested in their success.
  6. Harness community and connection to engage and empower them.
  7. Prioritize wellness and mental health to show you care.

Research: The Unintended Consequences of Right-to-Repair Laws (via HBR)

This was an interesting take on the downsides of right-to-repair — flooding the market with cheaper stuff (leading to environmental waste), making things more expensive because people aren’t buying them as frequently (leading to customers not buying them).

Talent Management

How Financial Accounting Screws Up HR (via HBR)

“Financial accounting is the scorecard that tells companies how well they’re doing. The fact that it provides such a misleading view of human capital is a huge problem.” Basically the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) used in the US allows for companies to paint a different picture around human effort and investment such that the companies look more valuable.

Rethink Your Employee Value Proposition (via HBR)

The focus here is getting away from meeting needs of the moment, to more future-oriented needs. Four things comprise a system: material offerings, growth and development, meaning and purpose, connection and community. Leaders should assess what the company has and what employees need, change the conversation to be more integrated, and continually update as needs change.