The Federal Trade Commission has proposed a rule that would bar companies from requiring employees to sign a noncompete agreement, which limits workers' ability to leave for a rival or to strike out on their own in the same field. The FTC says barring noncompete agreements could raise pay by almost $300 billion annually.
There was a 49% decline in the number of applicants from Generation Z applying for jobs in the skilled trades between 2020 and 2022, according to data from online recruiting platform Handshake. Workforce shortages continue to be reported across such industries, but job postings in technical roles received about five applications for each post in 2022, compared with roughly 10 per post in 2020, the data shows.
National Health Interview Survey data over a 20-year period showed that on average, 3.9% of women with employer-sponsored health coverage had trouble affording medical care, compared with 2.7% of men with the coverage, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research also noted that 5.2% of women were unable to afford prescription medications compared to 2.7% of men, and women reported more difficulties affording dental care and mental health services.
Managers and employees disagree on the value of remote work, partly because employees tend to account for commute time when evaluating productivity, whereas managers do not. One solution is an organized hybrid structure in which all employees go to the office two or three "anchor" days weekly, during which meetings and other group activities are held.
Taking time out during the working day to exercise is a privilege that's still reserved for the most senior executives who are not monitored remotely by productivity software or at the beck and call of bosses. "That's part of the privilege of having some authority," says Jessica Vibberts, a founder and CEO of a consulting company, who has performed planks and air squats while talking to staffers in her office.
I was talking to a friend recently about her job. She’s restless in her work and wants a change.
“But I just don’t know what my passion is,” she told me.
I cringed inside. “Passion” has to be one of the most overused words today. We fling it about like confetti at a New Year’s Eve party. I looked at my friend.
“Mama, passion in work is overrated,” I told her. I shared with her that I made this discovery during the early part of my publishing career. I had just gone through my divorce and was learning how to be a single mother. All I cared about was survival and being a good mother to my babies. That became my sole focus. If I found “purpose” or “passion” in my work, great. But it wasn’t my first priority. Work was simply a means to an end.
“My passion is Kawai and Kiaha. Period,” I told her. I explained that taking care of them -- creating a home that was warm, friendly and where they felt safe and loved -- drove me to do my job well. And as that happened, I got better at it. I discovered skills I didn’t know I had. I found areas that were interesting to me and pursued those. I received raises, got promoted and grew professionally.
“And I found the thing I love to do,” I told her. “But the only reason I found it was because I was attending to my true passion, Kawai and Kiaha.” She nodded thoughtfully and then we ordered brownies.
Rachel Feintzeig talks about expectations about passion and career in today’s Leadership & Development story about enjoying work more. “So many of us are plagued by the nagging feeling that we should not just like, but love our jobs,” she writes.
That’s spot on. I believe this is why so many people today are discontented in their work. We put enormous pressure on ourselves to find jobs that perfectly match our passions. The truth is that passion -- the thing that truly fuels and energizes us -- may or may not be woven into the work we do every day. We need to give ourselves a break and know that this is perfectly OK.
What do you think? Does passion drive your work? Or are your passions outside of your work? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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