Initial jobless claims for the week ending July 2 rose to a seasonally adjusted 235,000, according to the Labor Department, exceeding economist forecasts of 230,000. Meanwhile, layoffs in June reached 32,517, the highest monthly total since February 2021, according to a report from job placement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Full Story: Reuters (7/7),CNBC (7/7)
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Recruiting & Retention
Workforce reentry programs can help former prisoners Employers may be hesitant to hire people who were formerly incarcerated, but the current labor shortage is opening up new and better jobs for such individuals. Workforce training and reentry programs such as Hinds County Reentry Program prepare former prisoners to find and hold a job, which is key to rebuilding their lives and staying out of prison, studies show. Full Story: The Associated Press (7/10)
Study: Weekend-only exercise still confers benefits Adults who only have time to exercise on the weekends can still reap benefits from the physical activity, researchers reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. They examined data on nearly 351,000 adults who took part in the National Health Interview Survey from 1997 to 2013, followed participants for a median of 10.4 years, and found that weekend exercisers and those who worked out more often had similar all-cause mortality hazard ratios, especially compared with people who were inactive. Full Story: The Hill (7/7)
Benefits & Compensation
How health insurers support women's contraceptive access AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles and Senior Vice President of Clinical Innovation and Strategic Partnership Kate Berry say health insurance providers are fully committed to women's health care, and they have supported and delivered on Affordable Care Act provisions involving access to contraception. "We continue to work hard every day to ensure that people have access to many affordable contraception choices," Berry said, noting that many plans go well beyond the ACA requirements that members have access to one product within each contraceptive category without cost-sharing. Full Story: Apple Podcasts (7/8)
The HR Leader
Negotiations can be relationship-building opportunities Approaching a negotiation as a "win-win" situation and a chance to build relationships instead of using strong-arm tactics can result in better outcomes, says Darden professor Allison Elias, who focuses particularly on the benefits for female leaders. "There's a great deal to be said for building relational capital with others, especially if these are parties with whom you might have to negotiate repeatedly in the future," Elias says. Full Story: Darden Ideas to Action (University of Virginia) (7/6)
I was in high school when my parents brought home a gal named Linda to live with us for a short time. Linda had recently been released from prison and was part of a rehabilitation program at our church. It was my first time meeting someone who had been incarcerated. Linda fascinated me. She was young -- in her 30s -- and covered in tattoos. She looked hard but was very kind and humble. And protective of our family. When a neighbor boy stopped by to see me, she sized him up and told him he’d have to come back when my parents were home. (He didn’t.) She had brains and street sense and was determined to rebuild her life to get her children back. I thought of Linda when I read today’s Recruiting & Retention story about reentry programs -- like Mississippi Center for Re-entry and MagCor -- aimed at helping people who were formerly incarcerated find work. Programs like these are doing great work helping folks like Linda and Tyrone "TMan" Gladney -- another former felon who I covered -- get back on their feet and build new careers. “If you give somebody who’s been incarcerated a chance at a job, eight times out of 10 they will prove to be one of the most loyal persons to you because you were actually looking out for them and giving them a chance,” Gladney told me. To be clear, giving people second chances doesn’t overlook the fact that they committed a crime. That is fair. Gladney made that clear to me in our interview. He knew he had an uphill climb in gaining trust from potential employers. So did Linda. They didn’t dwell on this or complain that it was unfair. They seemed to accept that this was part of the process of rebuilding their lives. I can respect this. I don’t know where Linda is today. I like to think she’s doing well and has established new relationships with her children and family. Gladney did. He has a lucrative trucking business and enjoys spoiling his grandchildren. Second-chance programs can work. Are you working with reentry programs or employing ex-felons? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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