Jobless claims fell last week in a sign of continued labor market strength in the face of Federal Reserve rate hikes and economic uncertainty. Initial jobless claims fell to 192,000, a 20,000 claim drop from the previous week, with the four-week average of weekly claims remaining historically low at 196,500.
Participant Advice and SEC Rulings The latest DC Pulse dives into the types of retirement advice that participants value. Explore what types of services other plan sponsors are offering to meet this need. Get a quick update on recent SEC and DOL rulings.
Over the past 10 years, college enrollment has fallen about 15% and the number of apprentices has risen more than 50%, according to federal data and Robert Lerman, a labor economist at the Urban Institute and co-founder of Apprenticeships for America. While the majority of apprenticeships have traditionally been in construction trades, about 40% are now outside of construction, including in cybersecurity and banking, Lerman says.
Helping workers who are also caregivers Employers, here's a way to show your support for workers who are also family caregivers. The on-demand Prepare to Care Workshop offers tips and resources and can make caring for a loved one more manageable. Ask your employees to register today.
A Financial Trends report from Marsh McLennan notes that workers need their employers to provide more information than ever as retirement plans have become more complex in recent years. To better serve team members, the report recommends that employers stay educated about a potential economic downturn, provide access to independent financial advisors as a benefit, understand the crossover between retirement and wealth management, consider alternative assets and be proactive instead of reactive in thinking about inflation and a potential recession.
When your team is not performing well, it's time to get curious about whether you've offered both clear and reasonable expectations and if your feedback has been direct, kind and actionable, write consultant Amii Barnard-Bahn and Institute for Global Flourishing CEO Noemie Le Pertel. "Making the conscious decision to drive performance from empathy is the difference between the true competitive advantage -- discretionary effort -- and punching the clock," they write.
Unilever's Dove brand continues its work to end hair discrimination against people of color by partnering with LinkedIn to offer free LinkedIn Learning Courses that address how to end this discrimination in the workplace.
Coach Colton rushed out to the floor with the athletic trainer. They knelt on the ground next to Jesse*, who had come down hard on his ankle after a rebound. They examined the injury. A few minutes later, they lifted Jesse* to his feet and walked him slowly off the court. Another player, Zach* ran out to help. He took Jesse’s arm off the trainer’s shoulder and put it around his own.
Next to me, Coach Ray smiled approvingly at Zach. “That’s a teammate.”
His words echoed in my head as I watched Zach settle his teammate carefully onto the bench and helped him elevate his foot. My brain began itching.
Are we leading teams -- or individuals? Are folks proactive about looking out for each other? Do we managers demonstrate this type of attentiveness to our team members? Or are we allowing ourselves to get buried in the demands of the day?
It was a convicting moment. I didn’t like my answers to the last two questions.
I want to nurture a Zach-like culture on my team -- one where everyone is committed to their work but also has their eyes open to offer help and encouragement to their colleagues. My team is terrific at supporting each other but there's always room for growth.
Especially with me. I can do a better job of this. I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are you doing to help folks be more proactively attentive to their peers? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
*Names changed to preserve students’ privacy.
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
