Legislation to establish a four-day workweek, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has the support of unions and advocacy groups. Though it faces challenges in Congress, if passed, the 32-hour week would be phased in over four years and would double overtime pay for working more than 12 hours. Full Story: Inc. (tiered subscription model) (3/14)
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Recruiting & Retention
Initial jobless claims dropped to 209K last week Applications for US jobless benefits unexpectedly declined to 209,000 last week, below economists' expectations of around 218,000. However, continuing claims increased by 17,000 to reach 1.81 million. "The revised data for continued claims are consistent with a job market that is showing some signs of loosening but is still relatively strong," said Nancy Vanden Houten from Oxford Economics. Full Story: MarketWatch (tiered subscription model) (3/14)
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Survey: Most employers conduct pay-equity audits A Society for Human Research Management survey of HR professionals found 75% of employers do regular pay-equity audits that commonly examine gender, race and age, although 74% of those surveyed say women face labor market discrimination. "Hiring managers, given their role in the hiring process and their ongoing responsibilities to the productivity and engagement of their teams, should be trained on these pay equity topics," says Annemarie Schaefer, vice president of research at SHRM. Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (3/12)
Leadership expert Julie Winkle Giulioni learned early in her life that coloring outside the lines can get you in trouble, but as a career choice, charting your own path, taking risks, learning from failure and being creative can be good rules to follow. Become a "career artist" by evaluating your current job and finding ways to add your own unique flair through special projects, mentoring or taking on new challenges, Winkle Giulioni advises. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (3/14)
Polynesian women are some of the rising stars in women's basketball teams, including University of Utah forward Alissa Pili, who is Samoan and Alaska Native; University of South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao who is Samoan; Oregon State combo guard Talia von Oelhoffen who is Native Hawaiian; and Stanford University point guard Talana Lepolo who is Samoan and Native Hawaiian. "I know girls who are Polynesian or Indigenous don't always put themselves out there. I hope seeing us doing our thing is going to be the push they need to see they can do it, too," says Pili. Full Story: USA Today (3/6)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, born on this day in 1933, is the second woman to be appointed to the US Supreme Court. How many women, total, have been appointed?
Ever heard of the “Poly Pipeline”? The term seems to have emerged from college football, when schools began making a concerted effort to recruit players of Hawaiian, Samoan and Tongan descent. These players were known to have considerable size, athleticism and passion for the game. Many have become stars over the years: Junior Seau, Troy Polamalu, Kailee Wong, Juju Smith-Schuster and Mant’i Teo, among others. The pipeline is expanding, as we see in today’s Workplace Chatter story talking about the Polynesian women making their mark in college basketball. Perhaps the most well-known of them is Alissa Pili, the 6’2” star forward at the University of Utah. Pili, who is Samoan and Alaska Native, has become a symbol of pride for Polynesian and Indigenous people. Hundreds of them are driving hours and long distances to see her play and lend their support. What I like about Pili’s story, though, is how she had to step way out of her comfort zone and make some big changes in order to find success. She left Alaska, where she was raised and where her family lives, to play for USC. What a culture shock that must have been! She stayed at USC for three years, but as her playing time declined, she began looking at her options. She decided to transfer to Utah for her senior year. It would be the decision that moved her out of the shadows into the spotlight of women’s college basketball. How do we need to bust the comfort zones on our teams? How do we need to think differently about our talent pipelines? Pili was on the small side for what the Utes wanted in a forward, but she was a creative scorer who knew how to use her strength to gain advantage. So Utah gambled and it paid off. Seems like there’s a lesson in there for us, folks. What do you think? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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