30% of major employers keep vaccine mandate, 20% drop it | What to do before rehiring a former employee | How to tell if your job posting is problematic
Thirty percent of large employers are sticking to vaccine mandates, 50% are offering a choice between vaccines and weekly tests and 20% have jettisoned all vaccine policies, according to a Gartner survey. Among reasons why some companies, including Starbucks, have dropped the mandate include employee pushback, as well as the cost and effort related to implementing the rules. Full Story: CNN (1/26)
Our free Toolkit can help your business. Many of your employees may also be caregivers. Help them thrive with our free Caregiving ERG (Employee Resource Groups) Toolkit. It can help you start or optimize a caregiving ERG and make your workplace more inclusive. Download your toolkit now.
How to stay one step ahead of compliance The pandemic has only intensified the frequency and speed with which new workforce legislation is rolled out. Join our webinar to learn how HR and business leaders should rethink their approach to adapt to the ever-evolving nature of compliance. Register now!
Companies court suburban talent with urban amenities A growing number of US companies are turning their suburban campuses into hubs with amenities typically found in cities as part of a push to attract younger talent. Walmart's new 350-acre complex in its Bentonville, Ark., hometown will feature retail shops, food trucks, a hotel and walking and biking trails, as well as office space. Full Story: The New York Times (1/25)
Technology
The Starr Conspiracy takes staff to the metaverse Business-to-business agency The Starr Conspiracy is encouraging employee engagement and connection by buying all 72 of its staff members an Oculus Quest 2 to facilitate meetings and socializing in the metaverse. "The pandemic has given us the license to innovate and find bold ways of working that support people in the flow of work, look out for their well-being, and can tap into human creativity," said co-founder, CEO and partner Bret Starr. Full Story: Ad Age (tiered subscription model) (1/26)
The HR Leader
How to recognize and stop low-effort thinking Low-effort thinking is easy to spot in others, but we usually fail to recognize when we are being illogical, giving weak defenses to arguments or morally disengaging, writes Susan Fowler. "I believe we can all benefit from high-effort thinking because we're better able to tolerate different perspectives, embrace nuanced arguments and hold opposing ideas as food for thought, even if we occasionally need to eat our words," Fowler writes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (1/27)
About the Editor
Kanoe Namahoe
My daughter, Kawai, had a bumpy senior year in high school and by January of that school year, she was fed up with the teachers, the students and the entire city. “I’m just over this place,” she told me one night. She was at a dual-enrollment high school and taking classes at Ventura College, our local community college. She had planned to continue attending VC but was now rethinking her plans. “I can’t deal with these people anymore,” she said. I suggested she take a gap year and do it in Hawaii where her grandparents live. She didn’t know what a gap year was, so I explained. She looked surprised. “That’s a thing?” she asked incredulously. “It definitely is -- especially after Malia Obama did it before going to Harvard,” I responded. So she did. And it was just the experience she needed -- a breath of fresh air, some new challenges and a lot of self-reflection. Spending time with her grandparents also helped her process some issues that were wearing her down. She was a new person when she returned seven months later -- refreshed, focused and mentally calibrated. Sabbaticals and gap years can go a long way toward helping workers right themselves, as we see in today’s Leadership & Development story. They can get fresh energy. Clear the mental fog. Find answers they’ve been seeking. Do things they’ve been putting off or accept the challenge that scares and thrills them at the same time. Does your organization have a program that allows for sabbaticals or gap years? How would you use that time if you had it? I’d go to graduate school. I’d move to Hawaii, enroll at University of Hawaii Manoa and get my MBA. Tell me what you would do. I always enjoy hearing from you!
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