This project will allow you to examine trends and topics in the workforce introduced in Chapters 2 and 3, by focusing on areas of interest to you personally. You may choose to focus on demographic groups such as gender, race, sexual preference or sexual orientation, or you may focus on broader themes such as work-life balance, Generation Z and their workforce desires, supporting remote workers or any other topic introduced in Chapter 2. A list of suggested topics is included in this document. If you would like to consider a different topic, please reach out to me via email for approval.
Your final deliverable will be a 4–6-page paper (excluding references), which focuses on the key information from external research. At least 12 reference sources should be used, and each should be of high quality. Avoid blogs. Sources such as SHRM, Deloitte.com, McKinsey.com, Accenture.com and Mercer.com are excellent starting points, as are articles from HBR. You may also cite academic journal articles from journals such as Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Human Resource Management Journal, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Managerial Psychology, and Journal of Business and Psychology. You may use other sources not listed here, but they should be similar in nature to these examples.
Although you can include additional sections in your paper, your final paper should include a section on each of the following:
- The history of your chosen topic through 2019. For instance, if you choose remote work, you might provide some statistics about how many companies or employees used remote work and in what context until 2019, what the purported advantages and disadvantages were thought to be, etc.
- The current state of your chosen topic. Sticking with the remote work example, you might discuss the return to work here, the advantages and disadvantages of remote work that we saw during the pandemic, and which employees/how many employees are working remotely currently (and why).
- Emerging trends and research on your chosen topic. Here, you should consider articles published within the past 2 years, discuss a new or increasingly important issue related to your topic, and provide your own informed opinion on how HR professionals and managers should move forward in this area. For instance, with remote work, you might discuss how many people do/do not want to return to work, cite research about whether or not working remotely is “good” for employees and organizations, then provide your opinion.
Your final paper should meet the following guidelines:
- Your paper should be formatted in APA style.
- Citations should be formatted in accordance with APA style.
- Your paper should be 4-6 pages excluding references.
- You should cite at least 12 unique sources.
Below is a list of topics you may choose from, many of which are covered in your text (Chapters 2 and 3) but some of which have been identified as emerging workforce trends for 2022 by SIOP, the Society of Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Some of the topics are much broader than others (e.g., gender, age) and therefore you have the autonomy and responsibility to narrow the topic in an organized manner. If you wish to write your paper on a topic not listed here, please reach out to me via email for approval.
List of Approved Topics
- An aging workforce
- Race/ethnicity
- Gender
- Sexual orientation/sexual identity
- Disability
- Work-life balance
- Generational differences (Gen Z, Millennials, Baby Boomers, etc.) in the workplace
- Social media in the hiring process
- Occupational Health and Safety Act
- People analytics/artificial intelligence
- Flexible work/alternative work arrangements
- Employee engagement and organizational commitment of remote workers
- Gig economy
- Employer’s role in employees’ mental health
- The Great Resignation
- Employer’s role in employee well-being
- Managing the transition to post-pandemic work
On the next page, you can find a written communication rubric which will be used to grade this paper.