Mental health benefits can help reduce worker suicide rates
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April 11, 2025
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Top Story
Office attendance stalls despite new RTO mandates
(Luis Alvarez/Getty Images)
Placer.ai reports that despite stricter return-to-office mandates in early 2025, office visits have stalled, with January and February showing a year-over-year decline of 4.8%, widening the post-pandemic gap to 37.8%. Regional factors like weather disruptions and hybrid work preferences continue to shape attendance trends, indicating that hybrid work models are deeply ingrained and impacting industries reliant on office foot traffic.
Full Story: GlobeSt (free registration) (4/11) 
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Dive Into the 2025 State of Employment
Work is evolving fast, and staying ahead means adapting to meet the challenges of tomorrow. During ExpressTalks, you'll learn about the trends and insights that will shape hiring decisions and workplace dynamics in 2025. Watch today!
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Recruiting & Retention
Why employers should focus on "total motivation"
(Halfpoint Images/Getty Images)
Understanding "total motivation" is crucial to improving employee retention, as it encompasses both indirect motivators like economic pressure and direct motivators such as a sense of purpose, say talent managers, who add the approach highlights the importance of viewing employees as individuals. "If you're able to focus more on [direct motivators], you'll get that higher employee performance and that longer-lasting person without reliance on just the compensation," The Shield Companies' Jared Snyder said at a recent Society for Human Resource Management event.
Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (4/8) 
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Leadership & Development
Benefits & Compensation
A study in the Journal of Business Ethics reveals that pay transparency can lead to increased feelings of entitlement among top performers while demoralizing lower-ranked employees, potentially affecting workplace dynamics. Despite these challenges, transparency can still uncover pay disparities and reduce biases, suggesting the need for a supportive culture that values contributions at all levels.
Full Story: HR Dive (4/10) 
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The HR Leader
Effective communication is the foundation of a strong working relationship with your boss, and it is to receive coaching and feedback to advance in your career, writes Bruce Tulgan, founder and CEO of RainmakerThinking. The article dispels the myth that high performers don't need direction, arguing that everyone benefits from clear deadlines and performance benchmarks.
Full Story: Psychology Today (4/10) 
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Workplace Chatter
Managing Gen Z: Lessons from the locker room
Tagovailoa (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Managing Gen Z employees requires a shift from traditional leadership styles, as exemplified by Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who emphasizes the importance of showing care and understanding their need for work-life balance. Business leaders are advised to adapt to Gen Z's expectations for personal time and a deeper understanding of tasks to avoid alienation and leverage their innovative potential.
Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (4/8) 
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About the Editor
Reflections
Reflections
(Kanoe Namahoe)
Welcome to Friday Faves! Every Friday, I spotlight books, podcasts, articles, email newsletters, documentaries or other content pieces that I enjoy. I also share suggestions that I get from you. Got a favorite for your peers? Send it to me. I may include it here for a future column.
 
Miami Dolphin quarterback Tua Tagovailoa takes on criticisms of Gen Zers in today’s Workplace Chatter story from The Wall Street Journal. I appreciate his perspective and he makes some good arguments. 
 
But.
 
Tua is also not the average Gen Zer. He’s an elite athlete who’s been competing at a high level for most of his life. Tough is who he is. 
 
Don’t misunderstand me. This was not luck. Tua earned his toughness. He endured the pressure, demands, failure, uncertainties, disappointments. He didn’t coast his way to a college championship or the Heisman. Or the NFL. He persisted. He fought. Strength was his reward. 
 
What’s the point? Reality is harsh and we all have to accept that. The workforce is rigorous. Being successful in it calls for resilience. It calls for toughness, earned through endurance. That’s a fair price to have the life we want.
 
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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