With the economic upheaval, more than 60% of workers who lost jobs have changed their industry, according to a recent survey from Harris Poll, with many workers pivoting to health care, computer programming and warehousing. Community colleges haven't seen much of an uptick in students due to social distancing, but enrollment in online skills courses such as web development and financial analysis are up significantly. Full Story: USA Today (10/21)
Take to the sidewalk for that next meeting Steve Jobs was known for his walk-and-talks, and this method of meeting or taking a call is good for you physically as well as mentally. "Even if you are still working remotely, for the most part, implementing solo walking meetings now will plant a seed for shared walking meetings in the future," writes executive wellness coach Naz Beheshti. Full Story: Forbes (10/21)
How good leadership reduces stress for everyone Managing during the pandemic is difficult, but studies show that an empathetic boss goes a long way to easing workers' stress levels as well as retaining employees. Effective leaders "prioritize fulfillment of others' needs, attend to employees' emotional suffering, work to empower employees, and emphasize serving the community," according to a Journal of Applied Psychology study. Full Story: HR Dive (10/21)
Washington state has released an e-tool designed to help employers outside of health industries select the correct face mask or other respiratory protection. The e-tool contains links to videos and other resources for protection required due to the coronavirus pandemic. Full Story: Safety + Health (10/16)
The Landscape
UPS rolls out rainy-day savings plan for workers United Parcel Service is adding a program for its workers to save for an emergency within their 401(k) as a way to prevent workers from having to tap into their retirement savings early. Other companies such as MasterCard and Etsy are looking into similar savings programs as an added employee benefit. Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (10/22)
How to redesign a company to work from anywhere Many small companies pioneered work from anywhere by embracing all-remote models, which require forming new habits around communication, productivity monitoring, regulation and privacy, Harvard professor Raj Choudhury says. He outlines best practices for redesigning socialization and avoiding a gap if some workers remain on site. Full Story: Harvard Business Review online (tiered subscription model) (10/20)
Walking is an effective -- and cheap -- form of exercise and one that removes the guilt of not making it to the gym. "That's why we get diseases when we don't move -- simply because we're genetically programmed to move. This is our evolution," says Emmanuel Stamatakis, professor of physical activity, lifestyle and population health at University of Sydney. Full Story: MEL Magazine (10/21)
The Water Cooler
2020 Milken conference sessions online for free After initially being delayed a few months due to the pandemic, the Milken Institute Global Conference went virtual this year. The entire lineup of videos from eight days of sessions is available online. This year's lineup is a bit heavy on finance topics, but there are still many insightful sessions covering education, health care, science, food, social justice, sports and more. Full Story: Milken Institute (10/2020)
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