Are parents on leave protected from mass layoffs? | Using co-working spaces to alleviate employee loneliness | Survey: 69% of savers may have to work in retirement
Some workers have discovered that being on parental leave will not protect them from being included in a mass layoff. This article highlights people who lost their jobs while on parental leave, including data scientist Alex Gable and engineering leadership recruiter Niki Woodall. Full Story: The New York Times (2/9)
Learn how to build age inclusion at work 83% of employers say a multigenerational workforce drives success and growth. Help your employees thrive in every phase of their careers. Download the free Employee Resource Group Toolkit from AARP that can help everyone work better together. Get the free toolkit.
How DEI Is Changing Around the World Implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives is becoming an imperative for organizations—not only to boost employee well-being, but to also attract and retain talent. Read the report to learn how to turn good intentions into action around DEI.
Pay transparency can have drawbacks, research suggests Research indicates that while pay transparency reduces salary inequities, it also can lead to lower overall wages and employee bargaining power, fewer performance-based raises and higher turnover among top talent, write professors Tomasz Obloj and Todd Zenger. "Given these findings, we submit that pay transparency should be viewed as a tool for change, but perhaps not an end in and of itself," the researchers write. Full Story: Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (2/8)
The HR Leader
What young people need to know about leading, managing Organizations are feeling the repercussions of a shortage of leaders in the workplace, and the answer may be to guide and train the incoming generation of employees to work effectively with others. According to research by DDI, young professionals need to learn how to identify and encourage up-and-coming talent, strategize effectively, keep on top of change, develop decision-making skills for maximum effectiveness and be an influential presence for others. Full Story: Forbes (tiered subscription model) (2/9)
POLL QUESTION: On this day in 1996, IBM's Deep Blue is considered the first computer to win a game against which chess grandmaster? Check your answer here.
“I just got laid off.” My husband’s words hit me like a bullet. The restaurant where he had been a chef was facing financial issues and had to make cuts. Since he was the new guy on the line, he was the first to go. Shock and fear whipped through me as I looked down at Kiaha, who was napping in my arms. He was just a few months old. I didn’t have a job. David wanted me home tending to our son and finishing school (I was a senior in college). What in the world would we do? I thought of that day when I read today’s top story on workers losing their jobs while on parental leave. Layoffs are brutal, but when you have a new child, it’s terrifying -- even if you have savings and family support. That moment feels like the earth is moving underneath you. But what I think is jarring to many people is that a family friendly corporate culture and generous parental leave benefits are not protections against job loss. We tend to trust that and we shouldn’t. I made that mistake. My husband and I were both loved at the restaurant. We met there. David got his start as a chef there. It’s where we had our wedding reception. It’s where we announced that we were pregnant with our son. That place was home and the people there were family. And yet, when economies go south, companies have to make tough decisions. They have to lay off people who are great at their work, like David was. It’s raw. Can you relate? Have you ever been in this situation? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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