No major job loss from Calif.'s $20 fast-food wage | Layoffs hurt morale for at least a year, research finds | What can leaders learn from younger generations?
California's $20 minimum wage for fast food workers has not caused significant employment reductions or major price increases, according to research by the University of California Berkeley. The study revealed that the new wage raised non-managerial wages by about 18% without adversely affecting employment. Full Story: USA Today (10/9)
Help employees make informed decisions. As an employer, you can help workers make the right decisions about Medicare. Our resources offer guidance and advice to help you focus the discussion. Learn more.
Layoffs may offer short-term financial benefits, but new research finds they will lead to a long-term drop in employees' engagement, morale and confidence in the company, write Culture Amp's Didier Elzinga and Amy Lavoie. "So layoffs could actually set your company back a year or more on engagement and morale, something many businesses can't afford in times of uncertainty and in a highly competitive employment environment," write Elzinga and Lavoie, who recommend companies identify which tasks can be eliminated after layoffs to help remaining employees focus on important work. Full Story: Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (10/9)
Employer-based insurance premiums up this year A KFF survey found that average annual premiums for employer-based health insurance coverage increased to $25,572 for family coverage this year, up 7% from last year, and to $8,951 for single coverage, up 6% from the previous year. Employees contributed $1,368 for single plans and $6,296 for family plans, mostly unchanged from last year, while the average deductible for single coverage was similar to 2024 at $1,787. Full Story: KFF (10/9),Fierce Healthcare (10/9)
Technology
Rising workloads push employees to rely on AI Knowledge workers are increasingly relying on AI to manage growing workloads, according to a Wrike report. While AI has improved job performance for over half of the workers, surveys show it only supports a small portion of their workload. Employees using AI still spend nearly half their week on low-impact tasks, and business leaders are encouraged to focus on strategic AI use and employee training to enhance productivity and reduce unnecessary work. Full Story: CIO Dive (10/8)
The HR Leader
HR needs to redefine what it does Human resources is at a crossroads, as highlighted by leadership expert Ashley Goodall's insights on redefining its role to support employees more vigorously. Following the disruptions of the pandemic, HR's task is to reconcile the company's objectives, such as productivity and leadership development, with what employees value, such as impactful work and a supportive environment. Full Story: MIT Sloan Management Review (tiered subscription model) (10/10)
Editor's Note
SmartBrief will not publish Monday, Oct. 14 In observance of Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day, SmartBrief will not publish Monday, Oct. 14.
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
The "People Power Revolution" propelled Corazon Aquino to the Philippines presidency in 1986. What peculiar name was given to the events leading to the overthrow of Yugoslavia's government in 2000?
Hello dear SmartBrief on Workforce readers, We made a mistake yesterday, rerunning the Reflections column from Tuesday. My apologies for the oversight. Today we look at interruptions. Interruptions are unavoidable, but they can really throw off a day, as discussed in yesterday’s Leadership & Development story from Eblin Group. I know that’s true for me this week. I’ve had several interruptions each day, as we implement some new processes. Some have been the same question from different people. Some have been questions for which I had no answer -- and I had to chase the answer. And every time I got back into my own work, I had to spend a few seconds trying to remember where I left off. But all of the interruptions were necessary. My team is working hard to keep things on track. These interruptions are part of that process. So it’s my responsibility to keep the boat steady. To that end, I’ll be following the advice in this story about coming up with a reference guide for common questions. I expect this to be a living document, something we will all add to as new questions come up. I can also see me having a another reference guide, one just for me with questions I hear often, but may want to address individually. I’d love to hear what you do to manage interruptions. How do you identify what’s important now and what can wait? How do you keep them from derailing the projects on your desk? Let me know! I'd love to hear your tips and tactics. Do you love 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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