A House subcommittee held a hearing focused on the administration's approach to the regulation of independent contractors, with Chair Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., saying, "We believe independent contractors are critical to the 21st century economy." The hearing came a day before the beginning of the confirmation hearing for Julie Su, President Joe Biden's selection to serve as Labor secretary. Full Story: Financial Advisor (4/19),ThinkAdvisor (free registration) (4/19)
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Recruiting & Retention
Employee pay rising faster than inflation Pay gains among US employees are starting to outpace the rate of inflation, which could boost buying power and factor into potential new interest rate hikes, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report found. In the first quarter of this year, the median weekly earnings of full-time and salaried employees grew by 6.1% over the same period a year before, while inflation was 5.8%. Full Story: BNN Bloomberg (Canada) (4/18)
Biden calls attention to caregiving with executive order An executive order signed by President Joe Biden directs federal agencies to take steps to bolster access to quality long-term care and child care. The order will be funded from existing commitments and involves more than 50 specific actions. Full Story: The Associated Press (4/19),Reuters (4/18)
Technology
Survey shows growing discontent among tech workers A new HackAJob survey reveals that only 11% of tech pros are satisfied with their present employers, and that 77% are searching for work that can provide them with more appealing opportunities. The discontent can be attributed primarily to unfair compensation, with 34% of tech workers saying they don't feel good about their salary. Full Story: Digital Information World (Pakistan) (4/18)
The HR Leader
Employee freedom becoming essential to "real growth" The most forward-thinking companies are giving their workers more freedom, which is leading to greater opportunities for growth, writes Chris Kay, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi. Creativity that results in real growth is becoming essential to businesses overcoming challenging times, according to a Deloitte survey of 1,015 executives. Full Story: Fast Company (tiered subscription model) (4/18)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Love or hate Spam, the meat product, you can visit a museum dedicated to it in what city? Check your answer here.
Most days I work from my home office, but if I become bored with the routine, I’ll ride to Starbucks and work from the communal table in the middle of the store. When I have a heavy writing assignment, I’ll hole up at the local Panera with a cappuccino and write for 2-3 hours. Change of scenery is good for workflow and stirring the creative juices. I like the way advertising powerhouse Saatchi & Saatchi does it with its “2+2+1” approach, profiled in today’s HR Leader story. This work flexibility model is the perfect mix of workplaces to nurture in-person collaboration, deep working and creative stimulation. As we continue to wrestle with the question of where we want employees to work, I hope we examine models such as Saatchi & Saatchi’s and create our own experiments. Moving forward successfully will require us to think, function and collaborate in new ways. The old ways shouldn’t go away -- not all of them, at least. But they do need to make room for fresh ideas. Does your organization have a flexible work model? How well is it working? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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