Private sector payrolls gained 77,000 jobs last month, down sharply from January and well below the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 148,000, according to ADP. "Our data, combined with other recent indicators, suggests a hiring hesitancy among employers as they assess the economic climate ahead," said Nela Richardson, ADP's chief economist.
Companies are skimping on workforce tech such as videoconferencing and collaboration tools, putting productivity and employee well-being at risk, according to a Diversified survey of more than 1,600 US employees. The survey indicates that 89% of employees use personal devices for work because they are easier to use, creating cybersecurity issues, and 88% say their company's technology limits creativity.
Employers are exploring possible vendor solutions and compounded versions of GLP-1 drugs in an effort to make coverage more affordable. Companies like Omada and Noom provide health coaching and lifestyle support, while others use a step therapy approach to manage prescriptions. Compounded GLP-1s are considered a short-term solution, but safety concerns persist.
Tulsa Welding School in Oklahoma has integrated OcuWeld, a proprietary virtual reality app, into its seven-month welding program to complement hands-on training. Students use the Meta Quest headset to practice welding techniques such as TIG, MIG and stick welding, which has been found to accelerate student progress and reduce anxiety about making mistakes.
Neha Ruch, author of "The Power Pause," advocates for career breaks for mothers to focus on parenting, highlighting the personal and professional growth that can result. Ruch's research found that 1 in 3 women will pause their careers within two years, and 84% of millennials anticipate taking a career break. These statistics highlight a growing acceptance of career pauses as a part of modern professional life, suggesting that workplaces may need to adapt to these trends.
Last Wednesday’s column about return-to-office mandates sparked excellent conversations with many of you readers. The anecdote about my friend Dallas -- the federal worker who just received orders to return to his office -- seemed to hit home. I received several notes detailing personal experiences and thoughts on the topic.
I shared this with Dallas when I saw him on Sunday at a bowling party. We discussed the situation more.
“This RTO thing is really messing up some of my co-workers’ lives,” Dallas said. He explained that he works on a team of 35 people, five of which are veterans (including himself). He and the other veterans got into a conversation about the RTO order, how it was affecting their non-military peers and why they responded differently.
“We’re Navy,” he said. “We’re used to working 12-hour shifts, going home, and then getting called back to work three hours later. When we get called, we go. If we get orders to move, we move. That’s the life.”
These guys were not judging their non-military co-workers. They understood that the order had disrupted their lives and sympathized.
“We get it. It’s screwing them,” Dallas said. “We gotta be here too, but again, we’re trained this way. Resilient. I’m not saying these other folks aren’t resilient, but change isn’t their normal. Not like this."
These insights intrigued me because they reflected and supported many of your arguments, for and against RTO.
The order has put many workers in a precarious situation and they now have hard decisions to make. Dallas and his friends admit that's a tough place to be.
But they will not be pushing back on the policy. They are federal workers and military veterans. They chose this work. An order is an order. So they just go.
Talk to me. What do you think? Has your employer required workers to return to the office? What's been the response? Are you seeing your organization losing people owing to policies like this? Let me know!
Do you enjoy this brief? Share it with others. Want different stories? Something about it bug you? Tell me. In the words of Frasier Crane, “I’m listening.”
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