Employment and Workplace Trends

It was a little easier to find a job in November, another sign that the economy is gaining strength. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the economy added 227,000 jobs last month as the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.

People looking for jobs in health care and leisure and hospitality were most likely to get hired. Despite heading into the holiday shopping season, it was harder to get a job in the retail sector.

The healthcare sector added 54,000 jobs in November, in line with the average monthly gain of 59,000 over the prior 12 months. Most of those new jobs were filled in the ambulatory healthcare sector, which grew by 22,000 jobs. Hospitals increased hiring by 19,000 and nursing and residential care facilities added 12,000 jobs

Employment in leisure and hospitality trended up in November by 53,000 jobs, following little change in the prior month. The bulk of those jobs occurred at bars. Leisure and hospitality had added an average of 21,000 jobs per month over the prior 12 months.

Government jobs were also plentiful last month. In November, government employment rose by 33,000 jobs, in line with the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months. Employment increased by 32,000 in transportation equipment manufacturing in November, reflecting the return of workers who were on strike.

Harder to get a job in retail

Retailers normally staff up in November, in anticipation of holiday shopping, but that didn’t happen last month. The retail sector lost 28,000 jobs in November, after showing little net employment change over the prior 12 months. In November, employment declined in general merchandise retailers by 15,000 while electronics and appliance retailers added 4,000 jobs.

Employment showed little or no change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; wholesale trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities and professional and business services. 

In November, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 13 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $35.61. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4% percent. 

The U.S. economy added just 12,000 jobs in October as hiring was held down by strikes and storm damage in the Southeastern U.S.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the nation’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in October, and the number of unemployed people was little changed at 7.0 million. In October 2023, the jobless rate was 3.8%, and the number of unemployed people was 6.4 million. 

Job seekers found the most opportunities if they applied for positions in health care or in government. Health care added 52,000 jobs in October, in line with the average monthly gain of 58,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment rose in ambulatory health care services and nursing and residential care facilities.

Employment in government continued its upward trend in October, adding 40,000 jobs. That was similar to the average monthly gain of 43,000 over the prior 12 months. 

Most other sectors reduced the number of jobs. Within professional and business services, employment in temporary help services declined by 49,000 in October. Temporary help services employment has decreased by 577,000 since reaching a peak in March 2022.

Manufacturing employment decreased by 46,000 in October, reflecting a decline of 44,000 in transportation equipment manufacturing that was largely due to strike activity.

In October, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 13 cents, or 0.4%, to $35.46. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.0%.

College students go deep into debt to get a degree that qualifies them for a high-paying job. But thanks to a recently-negotiated contract with the Teamsters union, some delivery drivers for United Parcel Service (UPS) will earn up to $172,000 without spending a day in a classroom.

“I have never seen a national contract that levels the playing field for workers so dramatically as this one,” said Teamsters General Secretary-Treasurer Fred Zuckerman. “The agreement puts more money in our members’ pockets and establishes a full range of new protections for them on the job.” 

Thinking about applying for one of those jobs? You aren’t alone. Bloomberg News recently reported that searches on job site Indeed for jobs at UPS rose 50% after the historic contract was signed.

Danelle McCusker Rees is president of human resources and operational training at UPS. In an interview with CNBC, she said she began her UPS career in 2002 as a part-time driver helper. 

“Every UPS job – even one that is part-time – is an opportunity for a career,” she told the network. “I’m an example of that.”

Between 2018 and 2022, McCuster Rees said 38,000 part-time UPS employees were promoted to full-time positions.

What UPS is looking for

So, how do you get a job there? McCuster Rees said the company seeks people who have a  “customer-focused mindset."

“Agility is important as well ... as a company, we have the ability to quickly adjust to changing market conditions, and our employees have to be flexible too,” she said.

Being a good driver and always showing up when you’re supposed to are also traits the company likes. And now it’s paying a premium price for those individuals.

In addition to delivery drivers earning up to $172,000 in salary and benefits, a couple of other driver jobs pay well, too. 

Tractor-trailer drivers earn $162,000 on average while long-haul drivers earn an average of $172,000 in salary and benefits. Neither job requires a college degree.

If you’re looking for a job, be careful where you look. Scammers have picked up on a new trick where they take outdated ads from real honest-to-goodness employers, change the text around, then post them on employment websites and career-oriented platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed. 

The modified ads seem to be real job offers with legitimate companies. But the scammer’s goal is to trick job seekers into sharing personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card information, etc.

So how do you know if you’re dealing with a scammer?

The first gotcha is that many of the hijacked job postings are angled toward people who want to work remotely and at their own speed, so the offers that are being fed are ones to work from home as a customer service representative or a personal assistant. 

Step two is to ask you for information so they can – ahem – deposit your salary. Social Security number? Bank account number? Don’t do it.

They’re so brazen that sometimes, they say you got the job and send you a check to buy equipment that you have to cash (and send money to them). Every single one of those moves has “scam” written all over it.

In its Top 10 Work-from-Home scams, Aura adds that when you contact one of the supposed employers, they ask to conduct a quick job interview over WhatsApp or another messaging service. Or, that you’ll quickly be "hired" and asked to perform illegal work. But, when you catch on to the scam, the fake “company” will cut off all contact.

Other things to watch out for

On top of those alarms, the Federal Trade Commission says there are three other ways to spot and avoid phony job postings:

Verify job openings before you apply. Go to the official website of the organization or company you’re applying to and look at the company’s “career opportunities” or “jobs” section. If the job you’re being pitched isn’t there, take a hard pass.

Check out what others are saying. Search the name of the company along with words like “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” If there’s something fishy, the results might include the experiences of others who’ve lost money.

Never deposit a check from someone you don’t know. Let’s be real – a trustworthy employer will never send you a check and then tell you to send them part of the money. 

Widespread layoffs in recent months have sent millions of Americans to the unemployment office but fortunately, there were a lot of companies across several industries that did a lot of hiring last month.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the economy created 253,000 jobs in April, pushing the unemployment rate down to 3.4%. Hiring was widespread across a number of different industries.

For example, companies in the professional and business services sector hired 43,000 new employees last month. Professional, scientific, and technical services added 45,000 positions.

Employment in health care increased by 40,000 in April, a healthy increase but slightly lower than the monthly average over the previous six months. Doctors' offices, hospitals, and residential nursing centers all added employees.

Bars and restaurants continued to hire workers. Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in April, adding 25,000 jobs. However, the industry still has fewer employees than it did before the pandemic.

Social assistance agencies hired 25,000 employees while agencies providing individual and family services added 21,000 to their staffs.

Even financial services firms were hiring

In spite of turmoil within the banking industry, employment in financial activities increased by 23,000 in April, with gains in insurance carriers and related activities. In spite of a slowing housing market, real estate added 9,000 jobs last month.

At the same time, employees took home bigger paychecks. In April, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose to $33.36.

If all of this sounds like good news, it is – for people looking for jobs and those who already have one. It’s not so good for the Federal Reserve, which has been hiking interest rates in an effort to reduce inflation.

In fact, the Fed is trying to increase the rate of unemployment – even if it means pushing the economy into a recession – to reduce consumer spending and bring down prices.

Working remotely has become a mainstay since the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are countless ways for consumers to earn money – or extra money – from home. 

For those who may be looking to bolster their bank accounts, earn some extra income, or improve their financial standing, a remote side job could be just the thing. 

Picking a remote side job

FlexJobs, a site dedicated to highlighting remote work opportunities, put together a list of over two dozen remote side jobs that are currently hiring. Below are just some, including the average hourly wage for each, though actual pay will depend on where employees live. 

• Project Manager ($37/hour): This option came with the highest average hourly wage, and interested candidates can choose from positions like Senior Software Engineer, Senior Product Manager, Database Administrator, Program Coordinator, and more. 

• Curriculum Writer ($33/hour): The second highest-paying remote side job is a curriculum writer. Some companies are based in Hong Kong or Toronto, but employees can work anywhere in the world. Interested applicants for these jobs must have strong writing, organization, and communication skills, and in some instances, knowledge about specific state standards or rubrics may be necessary. 

• Executive Assistant ($29/hour): Organization is essential for remote executive assistants. Those hired will be responsible for keeping schedules in check, planning travel, taking care of expense reports, and sometimes even posting on social media.

• Writer ($29/hour): These positions can include everything from Bloggers, Reporters, Content Managers, Editors, Journalists, Copywriters, News Writers, or Columnists. There are also opportunities for technical writers and authors.  

• Recruiter ($27/hour): These remote side jobs range from industry-specific recruiters, like Blood Donor Recruiters or American Sign Language Recruiters, to general Corporate Recruiters. Experience and skills will vary from position to position. 

• Social Media Manager ($26/hour): Interested applicants for these positions should have a solid grasp of all things social media. This includes the different platforms – Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube – as well as different post formats – videos, images, text, etc. 

• Copy Editor ($25/hour): Do you have a solid grasp of grammar, punctuation, and spelling? Can you check documents for consistency? Do you excel at proofreading? Then these remote side jobs are likely to be a good fit. 

• Graphic Designer ($24/hour): Whether you’re interested in part-time, full-time, contract, or freelance work, there are many opportunities for graphic designers. These positions could be Creative Directors, Illustrators, Conceptual Professionals, Commercial Artists, Layout Managers, Designers, or Art Directors. 

• Search Engine Evaluator ($24/hour): Many of these positions are geared toward consumers who are bilingual – Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish are just a few of the languages that require Search Engine Evaluators. 

• Career Coach ($24/hour): Whether you’re interested in working with students, seniors, or those in the middle of their career lives, there are options when it comes to remote career coaching. There are also language-specific career coaches, including French and Portuguese, as well as scouting for sports like soccer, football, or volleyball. 

Don’t fall victim to job-related scams

While consumers looking for jobs online should consider a number of things, including their skill set, how much time they want to devote to the job, and what their schedule will look like, it’s also important to be aware of the scams that exist within the job search.

Some red flags consumers should keep in mind are salaries that are much higher than similar jobs, employers asking for personal information (Social Security number, bank account information) right off the bat, emails that come in from personal accounts, not company accounts, or a company making a hiring decision very quickly. 

People should be diligent in their job hunt, researching the companies, the open positions, and the salaries they’re being offered. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Warwick is dispelling one of the biggest beliefs about working overnight shifts. While many consumers think it may just take time to adjust to this new schedule, the researchers found that this isn’t the case for all overnight workers. 

“There’s still an assumption that if you do night work, you adjust at some stage,” said researcher Bärbel Finkenstädt. “But you don’t. We saw that most workers compensate in terms of quantity of sleep, but not in terms of quality during the work time.” 

Risks of shift work

The researchers conducted their study on two groups of hospital workers – one group worked the night shift for three or more nights per week, and the other group alternated between morning and afternoon shifts. All participants wore devices that tracked their sleep, circadian rhythms, and surface temperature. 

After analyzing the results from the wearable devices, the team identified significant differences between night shift workers and day shift workers. Night shift workers had poorer sleep quality, and nearly 50% of them experienced disruptions to their natural circadian rhythms. 

These findings held up regardless of how long the participants worked night shifts. Participants who had been on that assignment for years were experiencing poorer sleep, and the longer they did night work, the worse their outcomes were. 

“Nearly 20% of the night workers could not even adjust their circadian rhythms during their free time, with the severity of impairment tending to increase with the number of years in night work,” said researcher Francis Lévi. “The telemonitoring technology, and analysis methods we have set up make it now possible to objectively evaluate circadian and sleep health in night workers in real time, and design prevention measures for individual workers whenever necessary.” 

While working nights is unavoidable in many industries, the researchers say it’s important that efforts are taken to ensure that workers are prioritizing their health as best as they can. 

“I think there’s a misunderstanding that night shift work is just an inconvenience, whereas it can be linked to serious health risks,” said researcher Julia Brettschneider. “We can’t avoid shift work for many professions, like health care workers, so we should be thinking about what can be done in terms of real-world adjustments to improve working conditions and schedules of shift workers. A better understanding of the biological mechanisms helps to find answers to this question.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California explored how comparing job performances of physicians can be harmful. According to their findings, health care providers are more likely to feel unsatisfied with their roles and experience burnout when they're compared to their peers.

“Behavioral interventions such as providing peer comparison information offer attractive, cost-effective ways to promote positive behavior change,” said researcher Dr. Justin Zhang. “This research highlights the importance of assessing less visible outcomes, such as job satisfaction and burnout, when policymakers and organizational leaders implement seemingly innocuous behavioral interventions.” 

Long-term effects of job comparison

The researchers conducted a five-month experiment with nearly 200 primary care physicians to understand how being compared to others can affect job satisfaction and burnout. One group of doctors received information about their job performance compared to their colleagues, which is a behavioral method traditionally used among health care providers to improve their caregiving. The second group of doctors didn’t receive any comparative data on their performance versus their peers. 

Ultimately, the comparison among the physicians wasn’t found to be helpful. Rather than promote better preventative care, the doctors who received information on how their performances compared to other doctors experienced greater dissatisfaction in their roles and a higher likelihood of burnout. 

The researchers explained that many of the health care providers felt that this practice of comparing them to their peers affected how they viewed their superiors. They didn’t feel supported by doctors in leadership roles, and that impacted how they felt about their own positions. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that more work is done to guide health care providers in a way that is more supportive. 

“This work also underscores the importance of attending to the way in which an intervention may inadvertently change employees’ perceptions of their managers and thus elicit negative reactions,” said Dr. Zhang. “To preempt negative perceptions, such as reduced feelings of leadership support, this research suggests that organizational leaders ought to engage employees in the design phase of an intervention, probe their feelings, and revise the design if needed. 

“Finally, this work highlights that when leaders offer the necessary context and support to accompany a peer comparison intervention, recipients may draw more positive inferences about their leaders’ intent. This can buffer against the harmful effects of peer comparison interventions on well-being.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University explored how consumers can improve their relationships with their coworkers. According to their findings, practicing mindfulness may improve interactions among coworkers, which in turn can lead to improvements in their work roles. 

“An understanding of how individuals bring mindfulness with them to work, and how these practices may contribute to interaction and relationship quality, is especially relevant as work landscapes are ever-changing and interdependence is increasingly becoming the norm,” said researcher Christopher S. Reina, Ph.D. 

Improving workplace relationships

For the study, the researchers conducted several formal and informal interviews. They spoke with consultants, managers, and professionals that practice mindfulness about their experiences in the workplace as well as other individuals who prioritize mindfulness at work. 

The researchers learned that mindfulness can have important benefits in the workplace. They found that efforts like being an attentive listener or taking a mindful moment before the start of a meeting can have a ripple effect on workplace performance and interpersonal relationships with colleagues. 

“Interestingly, interviewees noted how other individuals around them had noticed the emotional effects of their mindful behaviors on interactions and relationships,” said Reina. “We found initial evidence that our interviewees’ efforts towards bringing their mindfulness into the workplace were seen by their colleagues as having a positive effect.” 

These improved relationships resulted in improved individual functioning and better group outcomes. 

“Mindfulness reminds us that our thoughts and emotions are complex,” Reina said. “They are contextualized by prior events experienced within a social environment, and within this social environment, individuals must be aware of both their own and others’ thoughts and emotions in order to navigate these complexities with skill and compassion.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter explored how loneliness may influence employment status.

Ultimately, the team identified a link between the two; those who experience loneliness may be more likely to be unemployed down the road, while those who are unemployed may be more likely to feel lonely. 

“Given the persisting and potentially scarring effects of both loneliness and unemployment on health and the economy, prevention of both experiences is key,” said researcher Nia Morrish. “Decreased loneliness could mitigate unemployment, and employment abate loneliness, which may in turn relate positively to other factors including health and quality of life. Thus, particular attention should be paid to loneliness with additional support from employers and government to improve health and well-being. 

“Our research was largely conducted pre-pandemic, however, we suspect this issue may be even more pressing, with more people working from home and potentially experiencing isolation because of anxieties around COVID.” 

The link between loneliness and unemployment

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 15,000 people enrolled in the Understanding Society Household Longitudinal Study. The team looked at survey responses from 2017-2019, and 2018-2020, while also taking into account several important factors, including age, marital status, gender, education, ethnicity, and the number of children the participants had. 

The researchers learned that loneliness seemed to be directly linked with employment. Participants who reported feeling lonely at any point throughout the study were nearly 18% more likely to become unemployed down the road. The opposite was also true – participants who were unemployed at any stage of the study were more likely to report feeling lonely. 

“While previous research has shown that unemployment can cause loneliness, ours is the first study to identify that lonely people of any working age are at greater risk of becoming unemployed,” said Dr. Ruben Mujica-Mota. “Our findings show that these two issues can interact and create a self-fulfilling, negative cycle. There is a need for greater recognition of the wider societal impacts of loneliness in the working age population.” 

Moving forward, the researchers hope more work is done by employers and legislators to help employees who may be struggling with loneliness. 

“Loneliness is an incredibly important societal problem, which is often thought about in terms of the impact on mental health and well-being only,” said researcher Atonieta Medina-Lara. “Our findings indicate that there may also be wilder implications, which could have negative impacts for individuals and the economy. We need to explore this further, and it could lay foundations for employers or policymakers to tackle loneliness with a view to keeping more people in work.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Northwestern University explored the value behind scientific conferences that are often both expensive and time-consuming.

Whether the conferences were held virtually or in person, the study findings suggest that they have proven to be valuable ways for scientists to collaborate, share ideas, and meet new people. 

“Scientific conferences are a very expensive industry,” said researcher Emma Zajdela. “People often talk about whether or not we should rethink conferences. Our results suggest that the way organizers design conferences can have a direct effect on which scientific collaborations are formed and, by extension, on the direction of scientific inquiry.”

The power of collaboration

To get a better understanding of the value behind scientific conferences, the researchers created a mathematical model that predicted how well attendees made connections at these events. They then compared their results with data from Scialogs, which are scientific conferences designed to promote collaboration. 

The study showed that these efforts to get scientists talking to each other were valuable. When participants were assigned to specific groups, they were more likely to collaborate with their fellow conference attendees and also keep in touch with them after the conference. Additionally, those who joined small groups were eight times as likely to work with those same conference attendees in the future. 

“Today, science is conducted by teams, so the formation of new teams is especially important,” said Zajdela. “Science isn’t done by individuals anymore. It’s more interdisciplinary and multi-institutional. We need these conferences because scientists can meet other researchers who they might never have met otherwise.” 

It’s also important to note that these findings held up regardless of whether the events were virtual or in-person. In fact, virtual gatherings were more effective at helping scientists create long-term collaborations. While those who attended in-person events were 1.6 times more likely to interact with their new connections after the conference, those who attended a virtual conference were twice as likely to engage with their new networks. 

“We interpret these results as coming from the fact that scientists did not have the same opportunities for formal interactions (during breaks or meals) in the virtual conferences as they did in the in-person conferences,” Zajelda said. “Therefore, the sessions they were assigned to were the only place that they could meet people to form teams with; hence the greater importance of interaction in these sessions for team formation.” 

Regardless of the setting, the researchers hope these findings emphasize the importance of attending these kinds of sessions.

It was nearly two years ago, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, that offices across America closed and employees began working from home. It set off a number of wide-ranging changes in the economy.

Rents plummeted as people moved out of apartments in the cities and purchased homes in the suburbs, sending home prices skyrocketing. Because people could work from anywhere, real estate markets in secondary cities like Boise and Des Moines boomed.

Now that COVID-19 is finally in retreat in the U.S. and many restrictions have been lifted, many businesses are trying to coax employees back to the office. But it’s not that easy. 

The “Great Resignation,” which began last year with millions of Americans quitting their jobs, has shown no sign of letting up. Nearly 4.3 million people quit their jobs in January, according to a Labor Department report issued earlier this week.

Bill Catlette, a  director at the National Foundation for Transplants, says we won't know how the current “Great Resignation” trend plays out until it collides with a recessionary economy. Right now, he says employees have a lot of leverage.

“Most companies have already made concessions in the form of pay, benefits, work schedule, and location flexibility,” Catlette told ConsumerAffairs. “The ones who don’t will pay a price, one of which involves being forced into the shallow end of the talent pool.”

Many employees want to continue working remotely

Employees cite a number of reasons for wanting to continue working from home. Near the top of the list is avoiding the daily commute. But there are many employees like Keren Gifford, an information technology worker in Pittsburgh, who hopes to continue working remotely for social reasons.

“There’s not much point in returning to the office if we’re just going back to the old boys’ club,” Gifford told the New York Times. “What a relief not to have to go in day after day, week after week, and fail at making friends and having fun.”

Piotr Majchrzak, co-founder and co-CEO of Boldare, says remote work was more successful than many business leaders dared hope. But he says there are downsides as well, which is why CEOs are encouraging a return to the office.

“Switching to a dispersed model can often put team working under stress: communication suffers, people aren’t sure what their colleagues are working on, and previous levels of information-sharing aren’t enough in a remote business environment,” Majchrzak told ConsumerAffairs. “The result is declining efficiency.”

No going back to 2019

Ira Wolfe, president of Success Performance Solutions, also weighed in on the issue. He notes that most of us long for a return to the normal of 2019, but so far it seems elusive and serves as a warning for CEOs. 

“Even as pandemic restrictions wane, an inflation crisis, fallout from the Ukraine crisis, economic volatility, and perpetual uncertainty will be the normal environment,” Wolfe said. “Leaders need to adapt their approach to work and how things get done to the environment which will be fluid. For those organizations with a vision to get ‘back to normal,’ it will likely turn out badly.”

Michael Alexis, CEO at teambuilding.com, believes a hybrid combination of office and remote work could become the new norm, at least in the short term. Smart companies, he says, will use it to attract and keep top-shelf talent.

“The volume of remote (work) is still very high, and I believe that top-performing employees who value this flexibility will move towards companies that provide a remote option,” he told us. “In order to stay competitive, other organizations will need to follow suit.”

With many consumers now working from home, it can be difficult to differentiate between working and non-working hours. However, a new study conducted by researchers from Cornell University found that this may be the key to long-term motivation. 

According to their findings, consumers who work outside of designated working hours – whether late at night or on weekends – may be less likely to stay motivated during working hours. 

“Even if you’re still working 40 hours a week, you’re working during time that you’ve mentally encoded as time off, or as time that should be for a vacation, and that can make you feel suddenly that your work is less enjoyable,” said researcher Kaitlin Woolley. 

Taking time off can help motivation

The researchers conducted three studies – one on college students and two on full-time employees. The researchers surveyed the participants on either a holiday or a weekend and asked the group to rate their level of interest in their work, how satisfied they were with their roles, and how engaged they were with what they were doing. In each of the trials, half of the group was reminded that it was either a holiday or a weekend, while the other half carried on with their work. 

Overall, it was clear to the researchers that working during what should be non-working hours greatly affected the participants' motivation and satisfaction. In each of the trials, when participants were notified that it was a holiday or weekend, their work wasn’t as enjoyable and they weren’t as satisfied in their roles. 

The college students reported that studying and doing homework was 15% less enjoyable when they knew it was President’s Day, while full-time office employees said their jobs were nearly 10% less enjoyable on Martin Luther King Day. Similarly, workers reported lower levels of job satisfaction when working on a Saturday versus a Tuesday. 

“The real benefit of time off on the weekend or on holiday is that it’s not just that I have time off, but my family and friends have time off, too,” said Woolley. “And so one thing we suggest for managers is, can you create a ‘weekend shift’ so people feel like they’re in it together with other people?” 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings help employees find a greater balance between work life and personal life. 

“It’s hard sometimes for workers who aren’t in a position of power, whereas I think managers have the responsibility to create that environment for their employees,” Woolley said. “I do think people are becoming more aware of the importance of that, and shaping their jobs and their life choices to allow for it.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Bath explored how support in the workplace may benefit consumers’ relationships at home. According to their findings, having friends in the workplace may help employees be supportive of their partners and encourage them to think more creatively to solve problems both at home and at work.  

“Employees take the support they receive from co-workers home with them, and in a loving relationship they transfer this support to their partner,” said researcher Yasin Rofcanin. “This might mean they encourage them to open up about stresses, seek to resolve issues, or make improvements to the juggle of work-life arrangements that benefit the family. 

“The result is that both members of a couple benefit,” Rofcanin said. “Spouses pass on support received from co-workers and partners will be more creative at work, in what is termed a ‘gain spiral.’ So it pays for employers to recognize the value of caring co-workers.” 

Wide-reaching benefits of workplace support

For the study, the researchers analyzed diary entries from over 200 full-time employees. All of the participants were in dual-income relationships, and 80% of them had children. Participants reported on their experiences at work, their relationships with their spouses, how workplace experiences affected relationships at home, and vice versa. 

The study showed that there was a positive correlation between support from co-workers and greater support in spousal relationships. The more supported the participants felt at work, the more likely they were willing to share those feelings with their spouses at home. Participants were more likely to get creative in their problem-solving with their partners, and they generally felt a greater sense of balance between work and family responsibilities. 

The researchers also found that this trend correlated with performance at work. When employers felt more supported at work, which translated into better relationships at home, they were also more likely to be more creative in their roles at work. 

The researchers explained that this relationship between workplace support and stronger spousal relationships was most effective when co-workers helped with problems related to home life. This included feeling supported through dealing with a sick child, general life challenges, issues with caregiving responsibilities that may affect work performance, or any other personal issues that may come up. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings prove to be beneficial for employers. While co-workers aren’t guaranteed to be friends, creating a supportive work environment can benefit employers’ personal and professional lives. 

“So much research points to the stresses of being in a dual-income couple, it’s refreshing to see a win for loving relationships alongside work,” Rofcanin said. “While we’re not suggesting employers should meddle in relationships, they may be able to positively contribute to the quality of relationships at home by putting policies and procedures in place to minimize work-family conflict, such as limiting overtime and expectations to respond to emails outside of hours.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California Davis explored how many businesses are falling short on compensating their hourly employees.

According to their findings, several states have a law in place that is designed to compensate employees when they show up for work and their shifts are cut short; however, the study revealed that many employees aren’t receiving these funds and are unaware these laws are in place. 

“Shift cuts undermine the well-being of workers and their families,” said researcher Savannah Hunter. “The law may not be enforced consistently. We really need better support of labor in this country, generally.” 

Employees are missing pay

To better understand how well these laws are being implemented, the researchers surveyed over 1,000 hourly workers from across the country. Participants were asked if they knew about the laws regarding shift cut compensation, in addition to their general work experience, how often their shifts were cut short, and general awareness of local wages. 

Currently, the states with this mandate in effect are: New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, California, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C.

Ultimately, just 4% of the participants were aware that there were laws in place in their states that required them to be paid when their shifts were shortened. However, nearly 40% of the participants reported experiencing shortened shifts. Of those who knew of the law, just 25% said they were compensated for shortened shifts most of the time. Additionally, just 17% of employers reported being aware of such laws. 

“Places like San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Oregon recently implemented similar policies to improve the predictability and regularity of workers’ schedules,” said researcher Ryan Finnigan. “But we found that the enforcement process for these kinds of policies really needs to improve for them to be effective.” 

The researchers explained that when employees aren’t given these funds after shortened work shifts, it’s their responsibility to report it. While each state handles the specifics of the law differently, most are required to pay employees their full hourly wage for each hour of work they missed. 

Hourly workers are losing money when their shifts are cut short, while also missing out on the opportunity to be fairly compensated because they are unaware these laws exist and their employers aren’t carrying them out. Moving forward, the researchers hope that these findings bring awareness to this nationwide concern. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Arkansas explored an interesting connection between consumers’ personalities and their job performance. They learned that workers’ dominant personality traits may predict their success in certain occupations. 

“Although past studies made statements about the effects of personality traits on job performance in general, the specifics of these relationships really depend on the job,” said researcher Michael Wilmot. “More interesting findings exist when we take a deeper look at performance within the different jobs.” 

What traits best align with different industries? 

For the study, the researchers analyzed 15 earlier studies that explored the Big Five personality traits – conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and neuroticism. They then looked at how those traits fared across nine industries – law enforcement, clerical, customer service, health care, military, professional, sales, and skilled. 

The researchers learned that workers’ success in certain roles could be predicted by their personality traits; however, the most important factor was the complexity associated with the occupations. The study also showed that certain characteristics are better suited to specific fields. For example, openness was associated with great success in professional occupations, whereas emotional stability was linked with better performance in law enforcement or the military. 

One trait was consistent across all of the fields: conscientiousness. Workers with high levels of conscientiousness are likely to perform well across the board, regardless of what field the job is in. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings can be of use to both consumers on the job hunt and employers looking to fill roles. 

“These findings should prove useful for scholars pursuing a richer understanding of personality – performance relations and for organizations honing employee talent identification and selection systems,” Wilmot said. “They should also benefit individuals trying to choose the right vocation and, really, society-at-large, which would reap the collective benefits of better occupational performance.” 

Less than a month after voting to form a union, employees at a Starbucks store in Buffalo, N.Y., have gone on strike over grievances about working conditions. Six employees on the schedule to work instead formed a picket line in front of the store. Three other employees reported to work as scheduled, but Starbucks closed the location for the day.

The striking employees stated that the surge in coronavirus cases and illnesses among the staff had created “unsafe working conditions.” In recent days, Buffalo area Starbucks locations have been operating on a take-out-only basis.

“Pressure to go to work is being put on many of us when some of us already have other health issues,” Starbucks Workers United said in a statement. “The company has again shown that they continue to put profits above people." 

Company response

Starbucks spokesperson Reggie Borges told NPR that the company has taken significant steps to protect its employees and has offered compensation when employees test positive and must isolate.

"Over and above that, all leaders are empowered to make whatever changes make sense for their neighborhood, which includes shortening store hours or moving to 100% takeout only, which is the case in Buffalo," Borges said.

The Starbucks employees announced plans to form a union at the end of August. At the time, they said the move was not motivated by grievances. The employees, which Starbucks refers to as “partners,” said they wanted to be real partners with the company.

While Starbucks is a respected brand among ConsumerAffairs reviewers, earning 3.1 stars in a 5-star system, some reviewers side with the employees.

“Starbucks is taking advantage of their devoted customers and great employees,” Karen, of Sparks, Nev., wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review. “Prices roll out higher and higher every couple of months. Starbucks keeps taking customers’ money but will not pay their employees well.”

Starbucks has said it will raise wages for its U.S. baristas at least twice in 2022, bringing its minimum wage to $15 an hour by the summer. Meanwhile, the unionization effort that began in Buffalo could spread.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported this week that employees at a Starbucks location in the Loop have requested a union certification election to affiliate with the Service Employees International Union.

As companies continue to try to balance virtual and in-person work, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin uncovered interesting findings related to corporate conferences. 

Their work showed that when deciding between hosting an in-person or virtual conference, opting for a virtual event is better for the environment and more inclusive for long-distance attendees. 

“Conferences disseminate research, grow professional networks, and train employees,” the researchers wrote. “Unfortunately, they also contribute to climate change and present barriers to achieving a socially sustainable work environment. Virtual conferences demonstrated a clearly discernible and, in some cases, orders of magnitude improvement across nearly all metrics”  

Creating opportunities for diversity 

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from in-person conferences across several different industries that turned virtual over the last few years. They gathered information from these events and asked participants to answer questions about their personal experiences related to attending in-person and virtual events. 

It was clear to the researchers that virtual events won out over in-person conferences for several reasons. From a personal standpoint, virtual events required less travel time and less time away from work for attendees; this translated into spending less money to attend conferences. 

The study also showed that virtual conferences made it easier for more diverse attendees to participate in networking events. International workers weren’t constrained by travel requirements, cost, or time away from work, which made it possible to remotely engage with long-distance colleagues. 

“When we went virtual, it brought a lot more voices to the table that just weren’t able to be there for in-person events because of the cost, time, and other reasons,” said researcher Kasey Faust. 

Similarly, the researchers learned that virtual conferences had a significant impact on women – especially working mothers. Without the demands of traveling, it was easier for women to be more active with their colleagues while remaining local. Overall, the study showed that women’s attendance at work conferences went up by more than 250% due to the increasing number of virtual conferences. 

Staying virtual is better for the environment

Hosting virtual conferences also generated some environmental benefits. Workers were able to learn from each other and network with their colleagues without the environmental footprint of domestic or international travel. The study showed that the environmental impact of one attendee traveling to an in-person conference prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was the same as 7,000 people attending an online conference. 

Though there were several benefits linked to virtual events, the researchers found that one drawback was that some participants felt it was hard to stay connected and engaged on a virtual platform. They explained that while many industries are shifting back to in-person events, having the option to participate either remotely or in person will likely be the norm moving forward. 

“Tech companies are already doing this with their events,” said researcher Manish Kumar. “Smart people will hybridize their events at least to some extent.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Iowa State University explored how using a supportive tone of voice can lead to better outcomes in the workplace. The team says coworkers respond better to these tones than harsher, more critical tones. 

“What we say within a group, the ideas we suggest, and the way we support others, signals something about who we are to our coworkers,” said researcher Melissa Chamberlin. “It can attract people to us or repel them.” 

Maintaining support in the workplace

To understand how employees’ tones of voice may change the way they’re perceived at work, the researchers conducted a four-month study involving first-year graduate students in an MBA program. The students were required to work in teams, and they shared what they thought of their fellow team members based on trust, their quality of work, their tone, and their overall respect. As the study came to a close, participants were able to choose their own teams; they explained their decision-making for the selections at the end of the experiment. 

The study revealed an interesting trend among the students: It was more desirable to work with those who had more supportive tones, but those with more challenging tones were perceived to produce better quality work. However, the students were more likely to choose to work with those who had more supportive voices than those who were more challenging. 

The researchers explained that speaking in a challenging voice usually projects confidence among workers while also highlighting improvements, new ways of doing things, and what needs to change. Conversely, supportive tones tend to highlight what’s working with the current system in place and emphasize the things that are going well. 

In practice, a supportive tone tends to be more attractive to workers. While someone using a challenging tone may have a better work-related reputation, they aren’t as likely to get others to want to work with them. 

“Because challenging voice is the predominant form of speaking up we encourage in classrooms and as managers, we thought it was going to be a strong driver of people selecting team members later. But as it turns out, this more supportive voice that helps establish relationships and a sense of trust amongst individuals in the group was more important,” said Chamberlin.

“There might be times that challenging voices reign supreme but other situations where supportive voices become more critical for a team. Supportive voicers can keep teams together to make sure the work gets done.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Otago explored one potential reason why many consumers may feel compelled to procrastinate on certain tasks. Their findings showed that getting rid of deadlines -- or keeping them short -- may help beat procrastination. 

“We interpret this as evidence that specifying a longer deadline, as opposed to a short deadline or no deadline at all, removes the urgency to act, which is often perceived by people when asked to help,” said researcher Stephen Knowles. “People therefore put off undertaking the task, and since they are inattentive or forget, postponing it results in lower response rates.” 

Making the most of deadlines

For the study, the researchers had participants complete an online survey in which they were given either one week, one month, or no deadline to respond. By completing the survey, a donation would be given to a charity on the participants’ behalf. The team was focused on understanding how the deadlines impacted how long it took the group to complete the survey. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that the deadlines played an important role in getting the participants to respond. Not having any deadline was linked with getting the most responses. In contrast, having a month to answer the survey questions led to the fewest responses overall. 

The study showed that participants were more likely to complete the surveys faster when given no deadline or given one week. The more time that the participants had to do the survey, the more likely they were to procrastinate.

“While in our study we attempted to deal with participants’ potential beliefs that there might be an implicit deadline by running a field rather than a laboratory experiment, it is possible that not specifying a deadline in our No Deadline treatment might still have led participants to assume that there is an implicit deadline,” the researchers wrote. 

There was a lot of job-switching in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic prompted millions of people to move and make major life changes. It turns out many people who changed jobs earned more money.

A report from ADP shows that overall wage growth in the third quarter of this year rose 3.3%. But people who changed jobs during that period saw their wages grow twice as fast, at 6.6%.

Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, says wage growth has begun to match pre-pandemic levels for all employees. What stands out is the sharp increase in pay for people who quit jobs to take new ones.

 "As the economy continues to regain lost footing due to the pandemic, we are seeing pockets of unevenness in wage growth across the workforce as employers continue to offer competitive compensation, as well as in sectors such as leisure and hospitality which reported the greatest employment gains,” Richardson said. “Further, females switched jobs at a higher rate than men and outpaced their male counterparts in wage growth and job switching wage growth, though from a lower wage level."

Labor shortage gives employees more leverage

The labor shortage may be contributing to the trend. Employers are struggling to fill open jobs and are having to offer increased compensation to attract qualified workers. As employers increased their hiring, wage growth was positive across almost all sectors. The biggest wage gains were in trade, professional services, and construction.

Leisure and hospitality saw the biggest job gains, with 15% employment growth. The sector is slowly recovering from the major layoffs during the pandemic. 

The data suggests that employers are filling jobs with people they have attracted from other organizations, not from the ranks of the unemployed. Job switching increased from the previous quarter from 5.8% to 6.6%. 

Who’s getting hired

People aged 24 and under got hired the most, followed by people over age 55, possibly reflecting those rejoining the workforce in recent months. ADP said female wage growth jumped by 4.5%. That’s partly because they are coming from a lower wage, while the increase for men has been much more subdued, only at 2.4% in September 2021.

Before the pandemic, job switchers normally saw only a $5,000 to $10,000 a year bump in pay. During the pandemic, the rewards for people who leave one job for another have been larger, especially women.

Data from LinkedIn shows that job transitions for women have risen 54% when compared with 2020, which is a record. Men have also been on the move but at a slightly slower pace, increasing 46%.

While much of the workforce has shifted online over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Toronto explored a tricky part of the online interview process. 

According to their findings, the stress and anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have made the virtual interview even more harrowing for some applicants. 

“Even before the pandemic, interview anxiety was a concern for many applicants,” said researcher Julie McCarthy. “With COVID, it’s a multiple whammy because the competition for jobs has increased and exacerbated the issues around anxiety in interviews.” 

Understanding pandemic anxiety

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, McCarthy and her team were researching how interview anxiety affects consumers. They decided to include questions about the pandemic into their questionnaires and evaluated the responses from over 8,000 people who applied for jobs between April 2020, and August 2020. 

The researchers learned that pandemic-related anxiety impacted how the candidates performed in their interviews. It also affected how they felt about the interview process and the companies where they were interviewing. 

Participants who expressed a lot of worry about the pandemic weren’t likely to do as well during their interviews as those who weren’t as anxious. The researchers found that job candidates who lived in places with the highest cases of COVID-19 were typically the most nervous about the virus. 

Practice makes perfect

While nerves are natural in high-pressure situations like job interviews, it’s important for consumers to feel confident and as relaxed as possible. The researchers’ biggest piece of advice: practice. 

“Get yourself used to the video camera,” said McCarthy. “Conduct a mock interview with someone in your network whom you trust. It’s also important to build your pre-interview confidence levels by thinking about what skills you have to offer and what it is that excites you about working for that company.” 

The researchers worry that additional stress may weed out candidates who are really good fits for their roles but ultimately lose out on the job because of their interview performance. To help consumers feel more comfortable, the team recommends that employers put themselves in the shoes of the people they’re interviewing and tweak the system. 

“To be strategic and maximize benefits for the organization, organizations really want to be thinking about how the platform looks from the applicant’s perspective,” McCarthy said. “If it’s elevating their anxiety levels unnecessarily, then it may be artificially reducing their performance when that candidate could be an amazing individual on the job. 

A new study conducted by researchers from the Institute for Operations and the Management Sciences explored the wide-ranging effects that come with raising the minimum wage. 

While a higher minimum wage is beneficial because it encourages stronger work performance from employees, the researchers found that it also changes how consumers view businesses. Overall, the researchers learned that customers had a more positive view of a business when its minimum wage is higher.

“Our primary question was to determine whether a minimum wage increase leads to an increase or decrease in consumer opinions of service quality,” said researcher Dinesh Puranam. “We found that generally, when workers are paid more, they deliver better service. Customers respond by reducing negative feedback on restaurant review platforms.” 

Benefits of higher minimum wage

For the study, the researchers analyzed nearly 100,000 online reviews that included opinions on over 1,700 restaurants in Santa Clara County in California. The study focused on this area because the minimum wage rose by 25% throughout the county in 2013. The researchers analyzed customers’ responses to restaurants, comparing how locally and nationally owned establishments stacked up against each other. 

Ultimately, the study showed that having a higher minimum wage changed how customers perceived restaurants. When the minimum wage was higher, consumers were less likely to leave bad reviews online. 

However, this wasn’t true for all businesses. Locally owned businesses experienced fewer negative reviews than nationally owned restaurants. Customers reported better service in these restaurants and better overall quality. 

“Locally-based independent restaurants have greater ability to monitor and manage individual employee performance when compared to national chains, where process-driven cultures allow little room for local variance in quality,” said researcher Vrinda Kadiyali. 

The researchers hope that independent restaurants use these findings to their advantage. Offering more than the minimum wage is likely to attract more employees and encourage them to work harder, which really pays off for customers. 

“Our research suggests that independents’ can improve their success by providing a better customer experience through improved service,” said researcher Vishal Narayan. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased stress levels in just about every area of consumers’ lives. Now, a new study conducted by researchers from the American Psychological Association explored how stress levels are impacting how consumers feel about their jobs. 

According to their survey findings, many consumers are facing increasingly higher levels of stress and are considering leaving their current positions within the year. 

“Stress at work can have broad negative consequences for employers and employees alike, including loss of productivity, high turnover, and repercussions for employees’ physical and emotional health,” said researcher Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D. “A workplace that pays attention to worker well-being is better positioned to recruit and retain engaged and productive staff.” 

Workplace stress is on the rise

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from over 1,500 adults enrolled in the Work and Well-being Survey. Participants answered questions about their work experience since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, how stressed they’ve been feeling, their likelihood of staying in their current positions, and what their employers can do to improve mental health. 

Nearly 45% of the participants said they plan to find new jobs within the next year because of increased stress levels. Those figures were even higher for participants of color and participants with disabilities. 

Low salaries were the biggest source of stress for participants, followed by long hours and lack of opportunity for growth. That stress correlated to an inability to focus, a lack of motivation, and an unwillingness to put in an effort at work. This was especially true for frontline workers; 35% of these employees said they frequently felt fed up at work within the last month. 

What can employers do?

Nearly 90% of the participants believe their employers can do more to help their mental health in the workplace. Some ideas included encouraging employees to use their time off, prioritizing mental health check-ins, and providing flexible hours. 

If employees were only given one perk to improve their stress levels, getting higher compensation was the top choice. That was followed by having a more flexible schedule and improving benefits. 

Ultimately, the researchers explained that the pandemic not only changed consumers’ lives, but it also changed the way they work and think about work. To help combat the added stress, they recommend that employers use these findings and implement strategies that give consumers time to focus on their mental health. 

“During the pandemic, many employers switched to remote work where possible, thus providing greater flexibility for their employees,” said Dr. Evans. “Policies that promote flexible hours and breaks during the workday and provide other forms of support for employees to take care of themselves may also help employers retain staff in competitive markets.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health explored how the air quality in an office can impact workers in several ways. 

Their work showed that poor ventilation at work can affect employees’ productivity levels and overall cognitive function. 

“Our study adds to the emerging evidence that air pollution has an impact on our brain,” said researcher Jose Guillermo Cedeño Laurent. “The findings show that increases in PM2.5 levels were associated with acute reductions in cognitive function. It’s the first time we’ve seen these short-term effects among younger adults. 

“The study also confirmed how low ventilation rates negatively impact cognitive function,” he continued. “Overall, the study suggests that poor indoor air quality affects health and productivity significantly more than we previously understood.” 

Improving air quality 

The researchers had over 300 office workers between the ages of 18 and 65 from around the world participate in the study. At each workers’ desk space, a sensor consistently monitored levels of PM2.5 and CO2, humidity, and temperature. Participants were prompted to complete cognitive assessments and workplace productivity surveys either when the sensor detected higher than normal levels of the pollutants or at scheduled times. 

The researchers learned that higher levels of both PM2.5 and CO2 can have significant impacts on the participants’ cognitive function and workplace performance. 

In terms of cognition, math skills were impacted by rising CO2 levels, while accuracy and response times took a hit when both pollutants increased. The participants also struggled to correctly answer questions on the cognitive assessments when pollution levels were highest. This means that not only is cognition affected, but the participants’ abilities to focus and complete tasks at work are also going to be affected. 

While improving ventilation has been a key component of reducing infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study also highlights that there are other significant benefits associated with better air quality in office buildings. 

“The world is rightly focused on COVID-19, and strategies like better ventilation and filtration are key to slowing infectious disease transmission indoors,” said researcher Joseph Allen. “Our research consistently finds that the value proposition of these strategies extends to cognitive function and productivity of workers, making healthy buildings foundational to public health and business strategy moving forward.”

With enhanced unemployment benefits expiring this week, there’s a strong chance that millions of unemployed Americans are busy polishing their resumes. Fortunately, there are plenty of job openings.

The Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary shows there were nearly 11 million job openings in July and only 8.7 million people who were out of work and looking for a job.

Job openings increased in several industries, with the largest increases in health care and social assistance, a sector trying to fill 294,000 slots. There were also more than 100,000 openings in financial services, hospitality, and food services.

But many businesses and industries still require applicants to have a degree from a four-year college. Many low-wage workers who have been collecting unemployment don’t meet that requirement.

No degree necessary

A lack of a college degree doesn’t mean they can’t land a good job, though. Skillpointe, a career placement organization, has published a list of the top 25 jobs in the U.S. that don’t require a college degree. Some, however, will require training and certification.

If you know your way around a computer, the top two jobs on the list might be appealing. Number one is software developer, and the second is systems analyst. 

"While retail and hospitality have faced significant challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic, other industries still offer amazing opportunities with lots of growth, strong salaries, and future job security, all without a college degree," said Todd Wilson, SkillPointe’s founder. "These jobs do require some training, but fast-track options are available at local community colleges and trade schools for a fraction of the cost of a four-year program. Employer apprenticeships are also a great option."

When it comes to pay and benefits, Stillpointe says a software developer is by far the most attractive job, earning a median salary of $91,000. But other jobs also have their advantage.

Truck drivers are in demand

For example, truck drivers are in demand to help alleviate supply chain issues. Many transportation companies are providing generous signing bonuses and a median salary of $45,000. Others help with training and licensing.

The job of an information security analyst may have the best long-term future and pays a median salary of $100,000. These people are urgently needed to deal with the proliferation of cybersecurity threats.

Construction, technology, healthcare, and public service jobs dominate the top 25 list. Construction has the most jobs on the list with six and is expected to grow with increased infrastructure spending.

Results from a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Arizona may help consumers maintain their energy levels while taking virtual meetings. 

According to their findings, keeping the computer camera turned off during virtual meetings can help consumers feel less tired and actually perform better in their roles. 

“There’s always the assumption that if you have your camera on during meetings, you are going to be more engaged,” said researcher Allison Gabriel. “But there’s also a lot of self-presentation pressure associated with being on camera. Having a professional background and looking ready, or keeping children out of the room are among some of the pressures.” 

Staying more engaged during work hours

The researchers collected more than 1,400 observations of more than 100 employees over the course of a four-week period. They looked at how often the participants kept their cameras on or off during meetings, their overall fatigue levels, and their effectiveness in subsequent meetings and other work-related tasks. 

It was clear that employees who kept their cameras on for most of their meetings struggled with their energy levels. Not only was keeping the camera on associated with more fatigue, but the employees were also less likely to participate in later meetings. This led to their overall work performance taking a hit. 

“When people had cameras on or were told to keep cameras on, they reported more fatigue than their non-camera using counterparts,” said Gabriel. “And that fatigue correlated to less voice and less engagement during meetings. So, in reality, those who had cameras on were potentially participating less than those not using cameras. This counters the conventional wisdom that cameras are required to be engaged in virtual meetings.” 

These findings were particularly true for women and new hires. The researchers explained that in both cases, these employees may feel that their jobs are on the line, and they feel pressured to always be on camera during meetings.

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings help employers understand that having cameras on for virtual meetings isn’t the best way to measure employees’ productivity. Instead, eliminating that pressure can lead to better workplace performance. 

“At the end of the day, we want employees to feel autonomous and supported at work in order to be at their best,” said Gabriel. “Having autonomy over using the camera is another step in that direction.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Cincinnati explored the positive benefits associated with coworkers disrupting each other in the workplace. 

Although some workers may feel like disruptions throw them off in terms of productivity, the team’s findings suggest that it can actually help reinforce camaraderie. The study highlighted that when coworkers are disrupted, it helps create greater feelings of belonging in the workplace. 

“If the past year of social distancing and isolation has shown us anything, it is that humans are social beings who have an inherent need for interacting with others,” said researcher Harshad Puranik, Ph.D. 

Strengthening workplace relationships

For the study, the researchers had 111 full-time workers complete surveys twice a day for three weeks. The participants answered questions about how often they got disrupted while working, their overall job satisfaction, how comfortable they felt with their coworkers, and how drained they felt by their jobs. 

Ultimately, the researchers found that there were repercussions to productivity when workers were interrupted; however, perhaps more importantly, they found that there was a social aspect involved. The study found that disruptions were associated with greater camaraderie in the workplace, and participants reported feeling like they belonged among their coworkers.

“Our study revealed that by providing this avenue for social interaction with one’s colleagues, work interruptions led to a greater sense of belonging,” said Dr. Puranik. “This sense of belonging, in turn, led to higher job satisfaction.” 

Weighing the positives and negatives

The researchers explained that there were some negatives associated with persistent workplace disruptions. Some participants reported feeling mentally drained by being interrupted because it interfered with their ability to complete tasks. 

However, the researchers say the positive social aspects outweighed the negative productivity aspects. While disruptions may make it harder to get things done at work, they can help coworkers build stronger social bonds. 

“The sense of belongingness mitigated the negative effect of interruptions on job satisfaction,” said researcher Heather C. Vough. “Thus, interruptions at work may have gotten a bad rap due to a failure to consider their human element.” 

CVS has announced that it will raise its hourly minimum wage for workers from $11 to $15 over the course of the next year. The company said wage increases will start this month and starting hourly rates will hit the $15 mark by next July. 

The pay bump comes as companies struggle to attract workers as a result of pandemic-related factors. CVS noted that 65% of its hourly employees already make more than $15 an hour, but the pay increase should help it expand its workforce. The company has also dropped its high school diploma or GED requirement for most positions. 

"Attracting and retaining top talent across our businesses is critical as we continue to redefine what it means to meet people's health needs," CVS CEO Karen Lynch said Wednesday.

Raising pay

CVS joins other retailers in raising pay to help fill positions. Amazon, Target, and Best Buy have all recently unveiled plans to shift to a $15-an-hour starting rate. Walmart said the pay increase would help it keep its employment numbers high enough to keep up with changing consumer demand brought on by the pandemic. 

“We saw major changes to customer behavior last year we believe will be lasting, and we have to continue working to stay in-stock, deliver items on time and provide the best omni experience possible,” CEO John Furner told The Wall Street Journal.

The federal minimum wage stands at $7.25 an hour. President Biden has expressed support for raising the minimum to $15, but a proposal to increase it to that figure stalled in Congress back in February. 

With people suddenly able to work for anyone from anywhere during the pandemic, lots of people changed jobs. When they did, the data shows they earned more money.

In a report from ADP, researchers found that wage growth among people who changed jobs increased 5.8% since June 2020. But they appear to be the exception since overall wage growth slowed by 2.3% in the second quarter.

"ADP data shows a rise in U.S. job switchers across industries along with increased wage growth for switchers," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. 

Richardson said there could be a number of reasons for that. One possibility is employers increasingly had a difficult time finding talent and were willing to offer competitive compensation to get the people they wanted.

Hospitality workers didn’t benefit

But there was one area where job switchers didn’t benefit. Leisure and hospitality employees not only experienced the greatest job loss during the pandemic, but both job holders and job switchers are now earning lower wages on average compared to a year earlier.

Some of the biggest wage increases were provided to job switchers in mining and resource businesses, such as oil production. Their new jobs paid an average of nearly 12% more than the jobs they left.

Job switchers in professional and business services earned nearly 10% more in their new jobs and those who took new jobs in information services saw their salaries go up more than 9%.

Employment growth for all age groups increased as the economy continued to reopen and COVID-19 related restrictions were lifted in the second quarter. Younger workers got the most new jobs during the period.

Younger workers’ paycheck grew less

Workers 24-years-old and younger increased their employment by 13.5% last month. However, wage growth was lower among that age group.

The possibility of continued remote work could mean 2021 could see even more job switching. In a recent investigation, Slate interviewed a number of people who have already quit their jobs because they didn’t want to return to an office.

Employers may be reevaluating their return-to-office mandates in light of this trend. It not only might help retain their current workforce, it could also make it easier to recruit top shelf talent -- those willing to switch jobs if it means they continue working remotely.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of California at Riverside explored what qualities are important for leaders to be the most effective. 

Their findings suggest that leaders tend to get the most respect from workers when they adopt certain emotional expressions during communication. The researchers explained that maintaining a happy, calm disposition is likely to yield the best results -- especially for women in positions of power. 

“When we interact with a leader regularly, such as our immediate boss or supervisor, we have enough firsthand information to evaluate their effectiveness,” said researcher Thomas Sy. “But we usually have little contact with leaders at the highest levels and less information about them. Therefore we tend to rely on schemas. Schemas are powerful. Even in the absence of data they shape our behavior.” 

What makes an effective leader?

The researchers conducted five surveys that included responses from more than 1,200 participants about what qualities best described effective leaders. Specifically, the team wanted to see what workers thought about their leaders’ emotions and how they would react to different emotional displays.

Ultimately, the researchers learned that having a generally positive attitude was beneficial for those in leadership roles. Participants responded best to leaders that were calm and cheery in interactions, as opposed to those who were frequently worried or angry. 

“Every role that has emotions that must be expressed, including leaders,” said Sy. “To be effective, leaders must perform emotional labor. What was surprising in our research is that women were rated more effective, and this could be explained by implicit theories of leadership emotions.” 

The researchers also found that when women and men both had positive demeanors, women were considered to be more effective leaders. However, status also played a role; those who were higher up the leadership chain had more freedom to express negativity without being considered ineffective, whereas those who had a lower rank didn’t have that much leeway in terms of being negative. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope these findings are helpful for consumers in leadership positions.

“Past research shows the emotions of a leader affect the performance of followers,” Sy said. “The leader’s emotions are contagious, spread throughout the team, and affect the effectiveness of the whole group.” 

Gold tumbled to its lowest value since mid-April on Tuesday, in part due to a stronger dollar and because of anticipation related to this week’s U.S. jobs report. 

The Labor Department is set to release data on Friday that will show a gain of 690,000 jobs this month, compared with 559,000 in May, according to a Reuters poll. Bob Haberkorn, senior market strategist at RJO Futures, says a stronger dollar is combining with the expected jobs data to put downward pressure on gold. 

“The calls for interest rates to trend higher are going to be much louder from the Fed if we do get a better-than-expected jobs number,” he told Reuters. 

In the run-up to the release of the report, Spot gold fell 0.93% to $1,761.66 per ounce (as of 1:39 pm EDT Tuesday) after reaching $1,749.20 -- its lowest value since April 15. U.S. gold futures slipped about 1%, hitting $1,763.60.

Market uncertainty waning 

In early June, gold was valued at over $1,900 an ounce -- a six-month high. The precious metal performed well throughout the pandemic, a trend reflective of its tendency to be utilized as a “safe haven” asset during times of market uncertainty. 

But now that markets are strong, investors are finding it harder to make a bullish case for gold. Friday’s employment numbers will come on the back of comments from Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin, who suggested that the Fed had made “substantial further progress” in its inflation goal in order to begin tapering asset purchases.

"It's pretty clear to me we have had substantial further progress against our inflation goal," Barkin said during an event at the Rotary Club of Atlanta. "I'm pretty optimistic about the labor market. ... If the labor market opens as I suggested it might, then I think we're going to get there in relatively short order."

With companies having to compete for workers to fill job openings, Bed Bath & Beyond has announced a number of new employee benefits.

Starting July 1, the retailer will implement three new paid benefit programs including paid parental leave, short-term disability, and an associate relief fund.

The company will also close its stores on Thanksgiving Day, the latest retailer to announce that step as holiday sales and promotions increasingly move online.

"Our purpose is to make it easy to feel at home, and that begins right here with our associates and making investments that elevate our people-powered culture," said Lynda Markoe, chief people and culture officer at Bed Bath & Beyond. "We're thrilled to implement these new company-paid programs to support the well-being of our associates and their loved ones.”

The new benefit programs include:

• Paid parental leave: This industry-leading program will provide for 100% of pay for up to 8 weeks after the birth, adoption or fostering of a new child for parents. This program will be offered to all US benefits-eligible, full-time Associates.

• Company-paid short-term disability: Currently, company employees have the option of paying for a short-term disability program. Starting July 1, Bed, Bath & Beyond will cover the cost and provide 100% of pay for up to eight weeks and 60% of pay thereafter up to 26 weeks. The program will be offered to all US benefits-eligible full-time associates.

• Associate relief fund: The creation of a fund to support associates through various hardships. All employees, full-time and part-time, will be eligible to request grants through the fund. The company will pay the costs of the program with an initial company investment and will match 50% of all employee contributions through the rest of the fiscal year.

Effects of the pandemic

The rise in corporate benefits for employees can be traced to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Not only have some businesses taken steps to reward the efforts of their employees, but they also hope to keep the workers they have while attracting new ones to fill open slots.

With airports once again filled with travelers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and airport restaurants are scrambling for employees. The TSA is offering $1,000 hiring bonuses as part of its push to add 6,000 screeners by the end of September. 

Oregon hospitals are facing a nursing crunch, again largely caused by the pandemic. Many told The Oregonian the emergency rooms have been filled lately with patients suffering mental health issues, including anxiety and depression.

A new study conducted by researchers from Rice University explored the ways that employers can get the most creativity out of their employees. 

The findings showed that having a rewards system in place was associated with the best creative outcomes. Companies that offered their workers several different incentive options got the best results. 

“Organizations spend a lot of resources and exert a great deal of effort in designing incentive schemes that reward employees who exhibit creativity at work,” said researcher Jing Zhou.

“Our results showed that the effort may be a bit misplaced. Instead of discovering one reward type that is particularly effective at promoting creativity, what is more effective is to provide the employees with the opportunity to choose from several reward types, if they submit one or more ideas that are among the top 20% creative ones.”  

What sparks creativity?

The researchers conducted a two-part study to determine how workplace reward systems can impact employees’ creativity. In the first study, employees at a company were offered to choose one of three rewards: a donation made to a charity of the employees’ choice, monetary compensation, or getting priority for days off. The workers then went about their usual routines, but they prioritized the generation of creative ideas.

The researchers learned that incentivizing creativity was a successful way to generate fresh ideas in the workplace. When employees felt like their ideas were being supported and encouraged by their bosses -- so much so that they would be rewarded for them -- they were more likely to think outside the box. 

The study also showed that the rewards system prompted the employees to come up with more ideas than they had been before the incentive program. Those ideas were also more creative than they previously were.

In the second part of the study, the researchers expanded their reach to a dozen companies to see if the results held up. Ultimately, the findings were the same; employees’ creativity increased when a rewards system was in place. 

A new study conducted by researchers from Rice University explored how bosses can foster more resiliency among their employees. 

According to their findings, bosses that actively listen to their employees and encourage on-the-job training are the most likely to create a culture of resiliency among their workers. 

“Understanding what organizations can do to help employees become more resilient is the focus of our work in my Working Resilience Research Laboratory,” said researcher Danielle King. “This research project offered an opportunity to uncover the important role of leadership and employee voice in the resilience process.” 

Cultivating strong workplace relationships

For the study, the researchers analyzed boss-employee interactions from nearly 50 different teams from five Canadian start-ups. The team paid close attention to what kind of environment leaders fostered among their employees and how different workplace cultures handled things like making mistakes, learning new things, and communicating. 

While everyone makes mistakes at work, how bosses handled their employees’ mistakes said a lot about the team’s overall resiliency. The researchers learned that employees felt the best in their roles and were more likely to put in the most effort when their bosses were encouraging and attentive listeners. When employees felt that they had a voice in conversations with their bosses, it was associated with the best workplace outcomes. 

Additionally, leaders that made it a point to prioritize learning on the job cultivated better teams. It was important for employees to feel that it was okay to try new things and mess up along the way, so long as the opportunity was used for growth and future development. 

The researchers hope that organizations can learn from these results. The way that bosses interact with their employees can greatly impact everyone’s success, and having workers that feel appreciated and encouraged is an important part of that puzzle. 

“Knowing that you have a leader who is focused on learning and not just on performance outcomes is critical,” King said. “It’s also important for them to be intentional about communicating this regularly to employees, as it can make all the difference in building more resilient teams. 

“Leaders need to verbally reward a learning mindset. For example, when a boss responds to an employee who makes an on-the-job error by saying, ‘Great, now you can learn from this experience,’ rather than berating them for making a mistake, it makes a big difference.” 

Business leaders are expressing growing concern about a shortage of workers. But what might be a major problem for businesses may be a generational opportunity for the unemployed and those seeking to change jobs or careers.

In an interview with the Financial Times, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard said the labor market is a lot tighter than it appears. Despite a still-high unemployment rate from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, he says there are a lot of job openings and a shortage of people to fill them.

“I’m evolving toward a judgment where labor markets should be interpreted as fairly tight, and you’re certainly seeing that in firms saying that they’re just going to go ahead and raise wages for these types of workers,” Bullard said. “They’re going ahead and saying, ‘let’s pay some signing bonuses to get to get workers in the door’, you’re seeing some businesses actually just staying shuttered because they can’t find enough workers.” 

‘Crisis for business’

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has expressed an even stronger view, calling the present labor market a “crisis” for businesses. It launched a major campaign to address the issue.

“As we stand on the cusp of what could be a great American resurgence, a worker shortage is holding back job creators across the country,” said chamber CEO Suzanne Clark. 

The chamber is lobbying for federal and state policy changes that will help train more Americans for in-demand jobs, remove barriers to work, and double the number of visas available for legal immigrants. 

The labor shortage isn’t just affecting the U.S. Research compiled by ManpowerGroup shows that 69% of the world’s employers are struggling to find workers with the right blend of technical skills and human strengths.

"Despite the impact of the pandemic on global unemployment we are already seeing signs of a much tighter labor market in many countries," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup’s chairman and CEO. "Companies have increasingly specific skills needs as transformation accelerates, making the need to find new ways to close the inequity gaps that exist at the intersection of race, gender, education and economic status even more urgent.”

Good and bad for consumers

Worker shortages may ultimately affect consumers in the form of longer wait times in restaurants and shortages of popular items at stores. But for those looking for a job, opportunities have never been greater.

In addition to more competitive wages, some businesses are offering new employees signing bonuses. A McDonald’s franchise in Illinois has reportedly promised new employees a free iPhone after they’ve been on the job for six months.

Amazon, Uber, and Hawaiian Airlines are just some of the companies that have recently offered signing bonuses to new employees. 

Several recent studies have highlighted the long-term health risks associated with shift work -- especially overnight shifts. 

Now, researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia explored shift work sleep disorder, which is when shift workers have inconsistent sleeping patterns due to several nighttime disruptions. Their work revealed that these sleeping issues can make consumers more likely to be involved in a car accident. 

“In the past, researchers have studied sleep disorders primarily in a controlled environment, using test-tracks and driving simulators,” said researcher Praveen Edara. “Our study goes a step further by using actual observed crash and near-crash data from approximately 2,000 events occurring in six U.S. states. We’ve known for a while now that sleep disorders increase crash risk, but here we are able to quantify that risk using real-world crash data while accounting for confounding variables such as roadway and traffic characteristics.” 

Assessing crash risk

The researchers analyzed data from the Strategic Highway Research Program, which included information on nearly 2,000 crashes across six states. Study participants reported on their typical sleeping habits, their history with sleep issues like insomnia or sleep apnea, and their work experience. 

The researchers found that there was a clear link between those with shift work sleep disorder and an increased risk of car crashes. Participants with shift work sleep disorder were three times more likely to end up in a car wreck, which was higher than any other sleep condition. Comparatively, participants with sleep apnea or insomnia were 30% as likely to be in a car crash. 

“This discovery has many major implications, including the need to identify engineering counter-measures to help prevent these crashes from happening,” said Edara. “Such measures can include the availability of highway rest areas, roadside and in-vehicle messaging to improve a driver’s attention, and how to encourage drivers who may have a light-night work shift to take other modes of transportation, including public transit or ride-share services.” 

Because of the large number of consumers that do shift work and struggle with sleep, the researchers’ goal is to find a way to make the roads safer for all drivers. Moving forward, the team hopes to expand these findings and work with experts in the medical field to ensure the health and safety of all shift workers. 

“We want to partner with public health and medical professionals whose expertise is in sleep-related research to better understand why this is happening,” said Edara. “That will also allow us to explore what kind of countermeasures we can develop and test to improve the overall safety of these drivers and the other motorists around them."

Chipotle has announced that it’s raising pay for employees as it looks to grow its workforce by 20,000.

On Monday, the company said it will pay new and existing hourly and salaried employees an average of $15 an hour by the end of June. The wage increases will be rolled out throughout the next few weeks. Hourly crew members’ starting wages will range from $11 to $18 per hour.

The restaurant chain said employees will also have opportunities to advance to a “restaurateur” position (the highest general manager position in the system) within a three-and-a-half year timeframe, with an average compensation of $100,000 a year. The company has also introduced employee referral bonuses of $200 for crew members and $750 for apprentices or general managers. 

A virtual career fair for prospective employees will be held this Thursday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT on Discord, a social platform. The event will include live sessions with Chipotle employees that highlight benefits, career paths, cooking demos, and more.

"Chipotle is committed to providing industry-leading benefits and accelerated growth opportunities, and we hope to attract even more talent by showcasing the potential income that can be achieved in a few short years," said Marissa Andrada, chief diversity, inclusion, and people officer, in a statement. "We're looking for people who are authentic, passionate and want to help cultivate a better world through real food and real personal development."

Restaurants vying for workers 

Chipotle and other restaurant chains are in the midst of a labor shortage brought on by the pandemic. Major chains including IHOP, Applebee’s, Taco Bell, and KFC have all announced their intention to bring on more workers, and smaller businesses are struggling as well.

“Finding new hires is a skillset that it was not 16 months ago,” Matt Glassman, co-owner of The Greyhound Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, told CNBC last week. “We have had an unbelievable amount of people schedule an interview and not show up. We have never had this problem before.”

Although first-time claims for unemployment benefits are declining, many people remain unemployed for different reasons. Many parents have cited the need to balance a household budget while considering child care costs and schooling needs; other people may be remaining unemployed due to better unemployment benefits. 

Quickbooks said Friday that it recently encountered a “third-party” issue when processing direct deposits. The glitch kept some people from getting their paycheck deposited into their account on time. 

“We identified a third-party issue with direct deposit processing this morning that has delayed the deposit of your employees’ paychecks into their account,” Quickbooks said.

Quickbooks, which is owned by Intuit, apologized to employers for “any inconvenience this may have caused” and said the issue has since been resolved. The company said it’s working on communicating with “impacted customers.” 

The company said those affected by the issue should see the funds available in their account by the end of the day. 

“We know how critical each paycheck is to your team. This is, even more, the case in our current environment,” the company said. “Thank you for your patience as we focus to ensure your employees’ funds are available as soon as possible.” 

President Biden issued an executive order early Tuesday that calls for workers on federal contracts to be paid a $15 minimum wage. 

Biden said he considers these workers critical to the functioning of the federal government and includes everyone from cleaning professionals and maintenance workers to nursing assistants who care for the nation’s veterans. It also applies to food service workers and laborers who are working on the President’s wide-scale infrastructure overhaul.

“This executive order will promote economy and efficiency in federal contracting, providing value for taxpayers by enhancing worker productivity and generating higher-quality work by boosting workers’ health, morale, and effort,” the White House said in a statement.

“It will reduce turnover, allowing employers to retain top talent and lower the costs associated with recruitment and training. It will reduce absenteeism, a change that has been linked to higher productivity, not just by the employees who are more present, but by their co-workers, too.”

Pinning its hopes to a recent Harvard study on the payoffs of higher pay, Biden is hoping his move will also reduce supervisory costs. The study findings show that raising the hourly wage of warehouse workers and customer service representatives at an unnamed Fortune 500 online retailer yielded a return of approximately $1.50 through increased productivity and reduced costs. If that study proves true for Biden, he feels confident that the federal government’s work will be done better and faster. 

The pay raise specifics

Biden’s wage increase won’t show up in federal workers’ next paycheck, but he has locked it in to start in the opening months of 2022. Contract solicitations will need to use the new wage adjustment by the end of January, and all agencies will need to use the $15 minimum in new age contracts by the end of March. The White House said federal agencies must also put the higher wage into effect in all existing contracts when contracts are extended, which usually happens on an annual basis.

After the 2022 increase, Biden’s plan will continue to index the minimum wage to an inflation measure so that it can be reset each year to reflect changes in the most current cost of living benchmark.

Tipped workers will have a longer waiting period than other workers. The new plan will eliminate the tipped minimum wage for federal contractors by 2024. Even though federal statute allows employers of tipped workers to pay a sub-minimum wage, employers can do that only as long as an employee’s tips fill in that gap and bring their wage up to the level of the minimum wage. Biden said that this executive order will ensure tipped employees working on federal contracts will earn the same minimum wage as other employees on federal contracts.

Federal contract workers who have disabilities are also guaranteed a minimum of $15 per hour, as are outfitters and guides operating on federal lands. That last move revokes a previous executive order from President Trump.  

The U.S. House of Representatives passed an overhaul of existing labor laws on Thursday. If enacted as written, the new bill -- the Paycheck Fairness Act --  should provide “more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.”

The legislation certainly has a champion in President Biden. He said the bill is “more than just an economic imperative — it’s a moral imperative as well.” 

“We are still a long way from achieving pay equity in America. In nearly every job — more than 90 percent of occupations — women are still earning less than men. ... Those gaps are an affront to our values as a nation — they are unacceptable to me, and they should be unacceptable to every single American,” Biden said.

Addressing the gender pay gap

Studies show that there are sizable gender pay gaps across America. In Provo, Utah, the median income for a woman is 40% less than a man, and the White House cited data showing that Black women make only 63 cents for every dollar a white man earns.

To rectify situations like that, the Paycheck Fairness Act would amend portions of two existing laws: the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It would update enforcement, remedies, and exceptions to prohibitions against gender discrimination in what workers are paid.

The proposal sends a signal to employers that if they “acted with malice or reckless indifference,” they’re looking at “punitive damages as may be appropriate.”

One intriguing part of the legislation is closing the gender pay gap among teenagers -- the age group from which pay gaps originated. To close that gap, the legislation would prompt a serious examination of the average amount earned by teenage boys and girls in informal jobs (such as babysitting) and formal jobs (like positions in retail and restaurants).

Retailers express opposition while advocates praise bill

ConsumerAffairs found that there’s also a gap in the way organizations are responding to the legislation. 

When ConsumerAffairs reached out to the National Retail Federation (NRF) for comment, the organization shared a letter it penned to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). The NRF’s stance is that the new act could be costly for employers to defend against in court and that there are already laws in place that provide necessary protections.

“This legislation will significantly limit legitimate, non-discriminatory pay differences and provide for unlimited compensatory and punitive damages in certain instances.” the NRF wrote.

“Two federal statutes already bar gender-based pay discrimination. Both the Equal Pay  Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibit unequal pay on the basis of sex and provide for substantial remedies in instances where gender-based pay differentials do occur. In contrast, the Paycheck Fairness Act would prohibit many legitimate, non discriminatory practices that retailers use to attract and retain talent and would create uncertainty  under the law.”

However, advocates say the Paycheck Fairness Act is necessary to address the inequities that have plagued women and minorities in the U.S. for decades.

“The Paycheck Fairness Act is sorely needed to make it easier for women to challenge pay discrimination – it addresses some of the key factors that research shows perpetuate pay discrimination: lack of transparency, the importing of discrimination by relying on prior salary in hiring decisions, the lack of monitoring and oversight, and the lack of real remedies,” Ariane Hegewisch, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Women's Policy Research, told ConsumerAffairs.

“The gender wage gap- the fact that it has hardly budged at all during the last 20 years, that at the current rate of progress, it will take 200 years (!!) for Latinas to reach equal pay with white men, and 130 years for Black women- is a key indicator for the structural inequalities IWPR is working to tackle.”

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says the U.S. economy is poised to grow rapidly, barring another wave of COVID-19. 

During an interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday, Powell said the economy is at an “inflection point” right now and that the nation could see a sharp rise in new jobs in the coming months.

"What we're seeing now is really an economy that seems to be much at an inflection point, and that's because of widespread vaccination and strong fiscal support, strong monetary policy support,” Powell said. “We feel like we're at a place where the economy's about to start growing much more quickly and job creation coming in much more quickly. The outlook has brightened substantially."

However, he cautioned that the fate of the economy is still very much in the hands of the virus. 

"The principal risk to our economy right now really is that the disease would spread again. It's going to be smart if people can continue to socially distance and wear masks," he said in the interview. 

Health officials are continuing to urge people to wear masks, socially distance, and get vaccinated as soon as possible. According to CDC data, more than 183 million vaccines have been administered in the U.S. so far. 

Cyberattacks a big concern

Powell said there’s a “very, very low” chance that the economic downturn set in motion by the pandemic will be as dire as the 2008 financial crisis. However, he said cyberattacks on financial institutions remain a major concern. 

"The world evolves, and the risks change as well and I would say that the risk that we keep our eyes on the most now is cyber risk," Powell said. "There are scenarios in which a large financial institution would lose the ability to track the payments that it's making, where you would have a part of the financial system come to a halt, and so we spend so much time, energy and money guarding against these things." 

Still, the Fed chairman said he’s “highly confident" that the economy will come out of the pandemic "better and more inclusive" than it was before. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many consumers go to work each day; rather than a long commute on public transportation, remote working has turned many kitchen tables and spare bedrooms into home offices. While working from home is more convenient for many people, it doesn’t come without its own set of challenges. Now, researchers are explaining how to get the most out of remote work. 

According to researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, having boundaries between work life and personal life is vital to maintaining workplace success while at home. Their study highlighted the best tips that have been collected from more than twenty years of data about remote working. 

“A key challenge most people face when they work from home is how to effectively navigate the boundaries between their work life and home life, all while continuing to be efficient and productive in their job,” said researcher Timothy D. Golden. “The need to be able to adeptly manage the boundaries between work and family is absolutely critical today.” 

Getting organized at home

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced more consumers than ever before to work from home, and many have now been home for over a year. Finding success at work, while also still being able to relax at home, can be difficult. 

For consumers to make the most of their time working at home, the researchers recommend having an organizational system. Sticking to a consistent routine each day is likely to yield the best work-from-home outcomes. It’s also important to identify things that could be the biggest distractions at home. What things are likely to make the most noise? What things could pull your attention from time-sensitive tasks? For a good roundup of remote work equipment and collaboration tools, checkout B2B Reviews' remote work toolkit. 

Working from home, especially in the last year, often means having several family members in close proximity. Golden explained that setting boundaries with other people in the home, especially where noise and distractions are concerned, can help consumers focus on their work. 

“You’re in a different physical and mental space when you’re working remotely or in the home domain,” said Golden. “Communication becomes particularly crucial when you’re immersed in the home environment to balance everything successfully.” 

LinkedIn has announced that it’s introducing “stay-at-home mom” to its list of job titles. The Microsoft-owned social network said the move is intended, in part, to help parents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic reenter the workforce. 

The pandemic led to a dramatic surge in the number of mothers who were forced to exit the labor market in order to stay home to raise children -- but women’s unpaid work in raising children has long gone largely unrecognized by society. 

In a Medium post that went viral last month, Heather Bolen called out LinkedIn for its “implicit bias against women” and said a simple change to its drop-down menu options could help millions of women reenter the workforce in the wake of the pandemic year. 

“By simply modernizing its profile editing options, LinkedIn holds the key to encouraging transparent dialogue about employment gaps,” Bolen wrote. “These conversations could help set the stage for improvements in company leave policies and work arrangements that better support primary caregivers.”

Caregiver options lacking

Bolen said that the only “viable” option LinkedIn previously offered to describe her years as a stay-at-home mom was “self-employed” or “freelance.” 

“Neither of which adequately represents my unpaid work stint,” she wrote in the article. “I would also argue that being a SAHM is full-time, but of course, LinkedIn intends to describe paid work only.”

LinkedIn previously had “zero pre-populated options to identify maternity leave, parental leave, adoption leave, sick leave, bereavement leave, elderly care leave, or for long term injury/illness, education/re-training, volunteering, long term travel, a gap year, a sabbatical — or for a pandemic,” Bolen wrote.

LinkedIn making changes

Now, on the heels of a year that forced more than 2.3 million women out of the workforce, LinkedIn has recognized the need for better options for those who took a caregiving hiatus. 

The social network announced Tuesday that it would add stay-at-home mom” as a job description. LinkedIn executives told Fortune that they “wholeheartedly” agreed with Bolen’s critiques. 

“We need to normalize employment gaps on the profile to help reframe hiring conversations,” Bef Ayenew, director of engineering at LinkedIn, told Fortune. Ayenew added that the changes are “a stopgap solution” while LinkedIn works on a larger revamp of its digital resumes over the next few months. 

Workers across the U.S. are still trying to figure out if and when they’ll need to return to the office, but Ford employees now know exactly where they stand. 

The company reportedly told its staff Wednesday that it will be moving to a hybrid work schedule that will allow some workers to come into the office on some days and work from home on others. Around 30,000 workers will be able to work from home indefinitely, with the addition of flexible hours approved by managers. 

Ford now joins several other major companies that have decided to extend work-from-home schedules. Microsoft also told its employees back in October that it would be adopting a hybrid work schedule, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that nearly half of the platform’s employees could be working remotely on a permanent basis within the next 10 years. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live, and work in new ways,” said Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan. 

Working from home after the pandemic

Ford’s decision is one that may become increasingly common in the U.S. A recent report by The Conference Board suggests that employers are starting to come around to the idea of workers staying at home to reduce the amount of money spent on office space and other associated costs.

What does that mean for American workers? For one, it could allow them to move to new, more affordable areas of the country. That shift could represent a tipping point that changes the economy and job market as we know it. 

“If [working from home] trends hold, millions of workers may relocate over the next decade in search of lower living expenses and higher quality of life,” said The Conference Board Chief Economist Dana Peterson. “As employees disperse beyond commuter zones, companies may find it increasingly difficult to reverse a decision to embrace remote work.” 

Many consumers struggle with taking time away from their desks during the workday; however, findings from a new study conducted by researchers from North Carolina State University may encourage more employees to maximize their break time. 

The researchers found that when consumers feel tired during a day at work, taking a brief break from their responsibilities can actually be the best thing for their productivity and job performance.

“A micro-break is, by definition, short,” said researcher Sophia Cho. “But a five-minute break can be golden if you take it at the right time. Our study shows that it is in a company’s best interest to give employees autonomy in terms of taking microbreaks when they are needed -- it helps employees effectively manage their energy and engage in their work throughout the day.”  

The benefits of taking microbreaks

The researchers conducted two concurrent surveys to determine what effect taking frequent short breaks had on consumers’ workplace productivity and energy levels. One study surveyed more than 200 workers in South Korea, and another surveyed nearly 100 U.S. workers. Participants completed surveys several times per day and answered questions about their typical workplace behavior, how often they take breaks, and how their energy levels varied throughout the workday. 

The researchers learned that microbreaks were an essential part of maintaining employees’ overall wellness and energy levels. Their study showed that the participants were more likely to preserve their energy and complete their tasks more efficiently when they took frequent short breaks throughout the day.

Taking more breaks was even more beneficial when employees reported feeling tired at the start of the workday. Taking microbreaks boosted their performance at work and helped them feel less tired as the day progressed. 

“Basically, microbreaks help you manage your energy resources over the course of the day -- and that’s particularly beneficial on days when you’re tired,” said Cho. 

Ultimately, the researchers hope that more employers prioritize their employees’ mental health and wellness. When taking microbreaks is encouraged within the company, employees are more likely to utilize that time and give a better work performance. 

“When people think their employer cares about their health, they feel more empowered to freely make decisions about when to take microbreaks and what type of microbreaks to take,” Cho said. “And that is ultimately good for both the employer and the employee.” 

President Biden’s Labor Department has blocked Trump administration rules that would make it easier to classify workers as independent contractors. 

The rules, which were published January 7 in the Federal Register and set to take effect this week, stated that workers should be considered contractors if they are able to control their own schedules, have a lack of direct supervision, and freedom to work for other companies. 

Uber and Lyft drivers, for example, would not be entitled to overtime and minimum wages because they have flexibility. Now, the proposed rules have been put on hold until May 7, when the Labor Department will review them again.

Debate over driver classification

The Labor Department’s action could potentially lead to new challenges to California’s AB5 legislation, which took effect last year. Under AB5, workers must be treated as employees if they work in the same business as the company that pays them. 

Uber and Lyft pushed back against the legislation in the form of a $205 million campaign. The ride-hailing firms ultimately passed Proposition 22 and were allowed to continue classifying their drivers as contractors. Although AB5 remains in place, it’s possible that the Labor Department could eventually classify drivers as employees. 

In a statement, Uber said it “looks forward to working with the Biden administration and the Department of Labor on this rule-making to ensure independent workers have access to new benefits and protections they deserve.”

With much of the world turning virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, having access to the internet and working computer equipment has been more essential than ever. While disparities in internet access have been a longstanding issue, the pandemic has highlighted how a lack of these services can affect consumers financially. 

According to findings from a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Houston, having consistent access to the internet and an understanding of information technology (IT) skills tends to lead to better job prospects and higher-earning positions. 

“Unemployment and low wages remain pressing societal changes in the wake of increased automation, more so for traditionally disadvantaged groups in the labor market, such as women, minorities, and the elderly,” the team wrote. “However, workers who possess relevant IT skills might have an edge in an increasingly digital economy.” 

Expanding access to internet services

To better understand how internet access and computer skills put consumers in a better economic position, the researchers pulled nearly a decade’s worth of data from a Turkish Statistical Institute survey. Respondents answered questions about their income level, occupation, household internet use, and IT knowledge. 

The survey clearly revealed that participants who had consistent internet access and basic computer skills had an employment advantage. Not only were these participants more qualified for jobs, but they were able to correspond with hiring managers and interview virtually. Ultimately, these factors also led to making more money because participants with the strongest IT skills had the highest salaries. 

This was true even when specific positions didn’t require a working computer knowledge. Employers were more attracted to applicants who had experience with basic things like sending emails or saving files. 

“Very few people can get these skills from their employer,” Pavlou said. “Workers are expected to obtain these IT skills themselves, in order to get a job in the first place. And the less-privileged population they are, the harder time they have obtaining these skills that require computer equipment and internet access.” 

How does the pandemic play a role?

Though these findings looked at earnings and job opportunities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Pavlou and his team believe that the last year of remote working and schooling will undoubtedly impact consumers moving forward. As more and more aspects of our lives become digital, it’s more important than ever for consumers to have access to the internet and the skills to utilize internet-enabled devices. 

“The digital divide is a major societal problem,” said Pavlou. “I think the pandemic will make it even more pronounced. People with basic IT skills will have access to more opportunities, and it is imperative for educational institutions to provide these IT skills, especially in traditionally-disadvantaged populations.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Sydney found that many employers’ efforts to build morale and boost feelings of camaraderie can actually hinder their workers’ performance. 

The findings suggest that the intention behind team-building activities can be lost when employees feel like they’re being forced to complete them. While these exercises can be helpful in bringing colleagues together, they can actually have the opposite effect when they’re mandatory.

“Since publishing our previous research on team-building exercises, many workers told us that they despise team building activities and see them as a waste of time, so we decided to look more in-depth at what’s behind this,” said researcher Dr. Petr Matous. 

Are there benefits?

The researchers were most interested in seeing what kinds of team-building activities were most beneficial to workers. They put the study participants through several self-disclosure sessions to gauge what they thought were effective and ineffective team-building strategies. 

“Almost every day at work, workers are subjected to interventions that are implicitly or explicitly designed to change our networks of working relationships,” said Dr. Matous. “Teams are formed, merged, and restructured, staff are relocated, and office spaces are redesigned. We are expected to participate in drinks after work and team building events. All this is done with the aim of improving workplace effectiveness, efficiency, collaboration, and cohesion -- but does any of this work?” 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that activities designed to build rapport among colleagues are hit or miss. The participants expressed the most frustration with these exercises when they felt forced to be involved. Many of these sessions feel inauthentic to employees, and several of the study participants reported feeling uncomfortable sharing so many personal details with their bosses and co-workers. 

This is important because when employees are consistently mandated to attend and participate in these events, it can impact how they feel about their jobs and hinder their overall job performance over time. 

“Many people do not want to be forced into having fun or making friends, especially not on top of their busy jobs or in stressful, dysfunctional environments where team building is typically being called for,” said researcher Dr. Julien Pollack. “These activities often feel implicitly mandatory. People can feel that management is being too nosy or trying to control their life too much.” 

How should companies approach this?

Though the researchers found that many team-building activities can be a source of stress or discomfort for employees, they also learned that not all exercises are the same, and there are beneficial ways to engage groups of employees. The biggest takeaway from this study is that employees want a choice; having the ability to opt out makes workers feel more in control, and giving employees the choice of who to work with in these activities can make them less uncomfortable. 

Team-building can be effective for employees and their bosses, and the researchers hope that more companies take these findings into consideration when it’s time to plan them. 

“With caution, many relational methods to improve teams and organizations can be borrowed from other fields,” said Dr. Matous. “The question is how to apply them effectively to strengthen an entire collective, which is more than just the sum of individual relationships, and that’s where analyzing methods using network science makes the main contribution.” 

On Friday, the U.K.’s Supreme Court ruled that Uber drivers should be classified as workers who are entitled to legal rights and protections. 

Uber has long advocated for its workers to retain their classification as independent contractors, arguing that drivers have flexibility and therefore should not technically be considered employees. However, in his ruling, judge George Leggat concluded that Uber workers who log into the Uber app effectively enter a contract with the company to “perform driving services for Uber London.” 

“The employment tribunal was right to find that Uber drivers are workers who therefore qualify for the rights conferred on workers by employment legislation,” said Leggatt, reading a summary of the ruling on a court livestream.

The judges said that although drivers can choose their own hours, Uber runs its business in a way that results in drivers being “very tightly defined and controlled” by the ride-hailing firm. For example, Uber controls drivers by keeping track of their ratings and ensuring that their communications with passengers are kept to a minimum. 

“Drivers are in a position of subordination and dependency to Uber," the court said, adding that the only way they can boost their earnings is by “working longer hours while constantly meeting Uber's measures of performance.” 

Uber responds

Uber said it respected the court’s ruling that it acts as an employer, but it pointed out that it focused only on a small portion of drivers who used the Uber app in 2016. 

“Since then we have made some significant changes to our business, guided by drivers every step of the way,” Jamie Heywood, Uber’s Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, said in a statement. “These include giving even more control over how they earn and providing new protections like free insurance in case of sickness or injury.”

The case will now return to the Employment Tribunal, where officials will decide how much compensation drivers are owed. 

Uber has historically pushed back against challenges to its classification of drivers. When a similar judgment was made in California, it ended up shelling out around $220 million in advertising to push through Proposition 22. Ultimately, Prop 22 rolled back the court ruling and an earlier California law called AB 5, which offered more protections to drivers. 

President Biden and congressional Democrats have been pushing for a $15 per hour minimum wage, but now the plan is facing obstacles in the Senate. 

During a marathon voting session on Thursday, Senate lawmakers gave their support to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package while also approving a measure prohibiting an increase of the federal minimum wage during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"A $15 federal minimum wage would be devastating for our hardest-hit small businesses at a time when they can least afford it," said Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, who introduced the amendment.

Blocked for now

Some Democrats oppose the plan to raise the minimum wage, and several others have been noncommittal regarding their support. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the chair of the Senate Budget Committee, strongly supports raising the minimum wage but says it should be done over time rather than all at once. Sanders said he intends to keep pushing for the implementation of a phased increase over five years rather than an immediate bump to $15 an hour during the pandemic. 

He plans to try to get the phased wage increase included in a budget reconciliation bill that would allow Biden’s stimulus plan to circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule.

“We need to end the crisis of starvation wages in Iowa and around the United States,” Sanders said, according to the New York Times. “At a time when half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck, when millions of workers are earning starvation wages and when Congress has not voted to raise the minimum wage since 2007, I will do everything that I can to make sure that a $15-an-hour minimum wage is included in this reconciliation bill.” 

‘Not the last bill we’ll pass’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she and fellow Democratic proponents of the plan won’t be deterred by any watering down it may receive in the $1.9 trillion relief bill. 

"It's not the last bill we'll pass,” Pelosi said. 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he opposes a $15 minimum hourly wage and would not support an increase to $15. However, he said he would support something "responsible and reasonable.” 

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) said he’d also like to see changes made to the plan; Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) hasn’t commented on the push to raise the minimum wage.

President Biden has signed an executive order directing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue guidance to employers on keeping workers from getting COVID-19 on the job.

Biden has signed a flurry of executive orders during his first days in office, most aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on Americans. 

Thursday’s order on Protecting Worker Health and Safety gives OSHA two weeks to provide employers with workplace safety guidance to help keep workers safe during the pandemic. OSHA will also have to determine whether any emergency requirements in the workplace -- such as mandates on masks, physical distancing, and ventilation standards -- are needed. 

In the order, Biden wrote that “ensuring the health and safety of workers is a national priority and a moral imperative.”

“I am calling for the enforcement of more stringent worker safety standards,” Biden said. “Healthcare workers and other essential workers, many of whom are people of color and immigrants, have put their lives on the line” during the pandemic.” 

If OSHA determines that an emergency rule is needed, the regulation should be issued no later than March 15. 

Federal law requires OSHA to conclude that “employees are exposed to grave danger” by a new hazard in order to justify establishing an emergency standard. While Trump was in office, OSHA provided only voluntary guidance to employers on how to equip workplaces in the COVID-19 era. 

Despite being named to Fortune’s 2021 Best Workplaces list and raising $200 million in new funding only three months ago, Instacart has decided to cut about 1,900 jobs, including 10 employees who spearheaded the formation of a union, in favor of more contract workers.

The company said it’s moving towards a newer business model that provides its technology to retailers and lets their own workers prepare customers’ orders. Officials say the new path will be rocky at first but that it’s “doing everything we can to support in-store shoppers through this transition,” according to a statement sent to Bloomberg News. 

Instacart has put together severance packages and says it is doing its best to place the impacted workers in other positions within the company or, if necessary, working directly for retailers. At the end of the change-out, Instacart told Bloomberg that the change will still leave the company with thousands of shoppers classified as employees.

Union blasts company for eliminating jobs

Reacting to Instacart’s news, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) condemned the company for eliminating the grocery workers “who have been vital to protecting food access for Americans during the pandemic.”

“All across the country, Instacart grocery workers have been bravely serving on the frontlines since the pandemic began, putting their own health at risk to ensure Americans have the food they need during this crisis,” the union said in a news release.

“Now, with COVID-19 outbreaks spiraling out of control, it is outrageous that Instacart would fire these courageous and hard-working men and women keeping our food supply secure. … Instacart firing the only unionized workers at the company and destroying the jobs of nearly 2,000 dedicated frontline workers in the middle of this public health crisis, is simply wrong.”

On Wednesday, the Trump administration released its final version of a rule that clarifies the difference between independent contractors and employees who can claim benefits. 

Under the finalized version of the rule, the Labor Department has made it more difficult for “gig-economy companies” to count workers as employees. The federal rule “respects the time-honored American tradition of being your own boss,” Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella said. 

The rule isn’t set to take effect until March 8, well after President-elect Joe Biden takes office. The Biden administration hasn’t said how it plans to handle the bill. Once inaugurated, Biden could decide to change the rule or choose not to defend it in the event that it’s challenged in court. 

Uber considers it a win

Over the years, Uber has strongly advocated to preserve workers’ independent contractor status. The ride-hailing firm has argued that flexible work is a key reason people choose to work for gig-economy companies. 

“Forcing a binary choice upon workers—to either be an employee with more benefits but with less flexibility, or an independent contractor with limited protections—is outdated,” Danielle Burr, Uber Technologies Inc.’s head of federal affairs, told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. “We appreciate the efforts made to modernize our nation’s laws.” 

But labor rights groups have already voiced opposition to the plan. The National Employment Law Project, a nonprofit labor rights group, called the rule a “narrowing” of the standards. 

“The rule gives license to employers to call most of their workers independent contractors,” said Catherine Ruckelshaus, general counsel at the National Employment Law Project. “That would dramatically narrow worker protections…in the jobs that particularly need them, including construction, agriculture, janitorial and delivery jobs.”

Creating a positive environment at work is key to employees’ happiness and job performance, and now a new study conducted by researchers from the University of California at Santa Cruz has explored how coworkers can gain the most from simple small talk. 

According to their findings, making time for small talk between employees that’s unrelated from work-related business can lead to better outcomes in the workplace and also make employees enjoy their tasks more. 

“An average workday now is getting the team together into a virtual meeting, where there’s a very clear goal and task,” said researcher Andrew Guydish. “You’re not talking to coworkers at their desks or in the hall. Everything is structured, and everything is essentially a task nowadays. So this research highlights the importance of perhaps trying to institute moments throughout the day with unstructured chat time.” 

Creating reciprocity in conversations

To understand how the small talk can benefit workers, the researchers analyzed data from a U.C. Santa Cruz dataset known as the Artwalk Corpus. The source has transcripts from nearly 70 different art walks, which required someone in a lab to virtually instruct someone else walking around Santa Cruz on where to look for specific pieces of art to be photographed. 

The researchers were most interested in understanding how often the participants were talking strictly about the task at hand versus how often the conversation veered to unrelated topics. They learned that having reciprocity in interactions, which allows both parties to contribute equally to a conversation, is what yielded the best results. When small talk was balanced with task-related talk, participants reported enjoying the task more. 

This is important when thinking of work-related projects because usually one employee has a leading role over one or more other employees. This dynamic can create an imbalance in conversations when the designated leader speaks more than others. But by creating time to talk about things unrelated to the project, everyone involved can feel like their voice is heard, which makes the whole experience more enjoyable. 

When one voice tends to dominate all conversations, this can create an exclusionary environment that makes it more difficult for others to share or feel engaged. 

“To understand this, you could draw an analogy to a classroom,” explained researcher Jean Fox Tree. “Getting feedback from the class tells the professor how they should be explaining something, and that helps everyone in the class, not just the one who’s asking the question.” 

While the researchers believe that people tend to go into interactions with the best intentions, finding ways to get everyone involved in conversation -- especially about casual topics -- can yield the best results in the workplace. 

Starbucks, which recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, is investing some of that revenue in its personnel. A corporate memo cited by Bloomberg News said the company is increasing pay for its front-line workers by 10 percent starting Dec. 14.

Bloomberg reports that it has seen a memo from Starbucks Executive Vice President Rossann Williams that increases pay by at least 10 percent for baristas, shift supervisors, and cafe attendants hired on or before Sept. 14.

The memo also said that starting pay for new employees will go up by 5 percent to help store managers attract and retain talent during the pandemic, when working conditions have become more challenging.

The company also said it will increase the extra amount above the minimum wage it pays employees in the U.S. markets where it has stores.

The pay raises come at a time when other retail and service sector businesses have faced difficulty hiring and retaining workers. Target raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour in July and gave employees who worked during the pandemic a $200 bonus at the end of that month.

The increase in payroll didn’t seem to hurt Target’s bottom line. The retailer this week reported same-store sales surged more than 20 percent in the third quarter.

In September, Walmart announced across-the-board pay hikes for its 165,000 hourly employees. It also announced the creation of new hourly and salaried leadership positions at its supercenters. 

Up to $30 an hour at Walmart

Pay for these new “team leader” positions range from $18 to $21 an hour, and some will pay up to $30 an hour. The new system will result in a boost in pay for tens of thousands of the company’s hourly workers, Walmart said.

Two years ago, Amazon raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour. The e-commerce giant said in a statement that the new minimum wage will benefit more than 250,000 full-time and part-time Amazon employees across the country, as well over 100,000 seasonal workers.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Starbucks authorized extra pay and benefits for employees affected by the health crisis, including sick pay, to encourage people who might be infected with the virus to stay home.

The improvement in hourly pay, long championed by organized labor, could remain in place once the pandemic passes. The state of Florida this year mandated a higher minimum wage and President-elect Joe Biden is on record supporting a $15 an hour minimum wage.

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Houston found that consumers’ interest in their jobs isn’t the biggest factor in their overall job satisfaction. 

They found that being interested in a role is important when it comes to how employees perform, but other factors like positive relations with colleagues and bosses are more important when it comes to feeling satisfied at work. 

“In popular guidance literature, it is widely assumed that interest fit is important for job satisfaction,” said researcher Kevin Hoff. “Our results show that people who are more interested in their jobs tend to be slightly more satisfied, but interest assessments are more useful for guiding people towards jobs in which they will perform better and make more money.” 

Finding the right fit

To understand how job interest plays a role in satisfaction, the researchers analyzed 105 related studies spanning from 1949 through 2016. After evaluating data from over 39,000 participants, the researchers learned that having interest in a position wasn’t the only thing that contributed to job satisfaction. 

The study revealed that several factors come into play when determining satisfaction at work, including the values of the company and having a good rapport with co-workers. The researchers learned that having a genuine interest in a job was more closely related to how well employees performed in their roles and any subsequent progress that they made in that role, including promotions and raises. 

“Our main finding was that interest fit significantly predicts satisfaction, but it’s not as strong of a relation as people expect,” Hoff said. “Other things that lead to satisfaction include the organization you work for, your supervisor, colleagues, and pay.” 

For those looking for a career change or those just entering into the workforce, it can be overwhelming to try to find the perfect fit. The researchers explained that many assessments tend to focus solely on job interest, but these findings highlight that several other factors can come into play. 

“To be satisfied with a job, you don’t have to worry too much about finding a perfect fit for your interests because we know other things matter, too,” said Hoff. “As long as it’s something you don’t hate doing, you may find yourself very satisfied if you have a good supervisor, like your coworkers, and are treated fairly by your organization.” 

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey says “wage transparency” is a key practice at Whole Foods. In an interview with CNBC Make It, Mackey said making sure employees know exactly what their colleagues are getting paid serves as motivation to climb the corporate ladder.

He said many companies “believe that [wage transparency] is going to stoke envy” and try to keep it hidden. Mackey said he thinks about it differently. 

The executive said an employee might think, ”‘Wow, I had no idea that a coordinator could get paid that much. I want to be a coordinator.’ Or, ‘I really want to be a store team leader, because I had no idea that including their RSUs — the restricted stock units they get from Amazon — I mean, they may be making well over $100,000.’” 

“And if you don’t have a college degree, that’s something to aspire to,” he added.

What store employees make

Here’s how much other Whole Foods employees make, according to the store’s website. 

• Team members. Employees who work on the store floor, completing tasks like stocking shelves or preparing food, make an average of $30,000. 

• Team leaders. Employees who head up a given section of the store and train new employees,  among other tasks, make around $57,000 per year. 

• Associate team leaders. Assistants to team leaders make an average of $43,000 at Whole Foods.

• Store managers. Store leaders make an average of $99,000 per year.

• Associate store team leaders. Assistants to store managers make an average of $73,000 per year. 

Promoting authenticity

Mackey told Freakonomics Radio host Stephen Dubner that wage transparency incentivizes employees to do what it takes to get to the next level and offers the opportunity to challenge wages that they feel aren’t correct. 

Complaints sometimes result in a change; other times, the company gets a chance to highlight its values and explain why the pay is correct. 

“When you reveal a pay structure very transparently ... sometimes things aren’t just. And people will complain about it. And that gives you an opportunity to correct it,” Mackey said. “At other times, though, [the pay] is correct, and you can defend it. And then you’re pointing out to people what the organization most values and rewards.”

California voters are set to decide Tuesday on the fate of Proposition 22, a bill that would leave gig workers as contractors by exempting gig-economy companies from a state law known as AB5. 

Under Prop 22, the benefits given to drivers for ride sharing companies like Uber and Lyft would be less than those afforded to employees under state law. Ride-hailing drivers would be left with minimum pay, health care subsidies, and accident insurance. Drivers would still have some benefits, and they would still be able to keep their flexibility.  

Uber, Lyft, and other companies that rely heavily on contractors have spent upwards of $200 million in support of Prop 22. Both companies have threatened to leave California altogether if they are forced to classify their drivers as employees.

Uber and Lyft recently lost an appeal in California after a judge ruled that the public’s interest is better served if the law goes into effect.

Likely to pass

Analysts say California’s Prop 22 is likely to pass. A poll of likely voters by UC Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies recently found an increase in support for the initiative; 46 percent of voters expressed support for the measure, up from 39 percent in September. 

If Prop 22 doesn’t garner enough support, Uber and Lyft have said they may have to raise prices for riders and reduce their number of workers in an effort to offset the cost of providing workers with more benefits. 

Rideshare leaders Lyft and Uber must now classify their drivers as employees. A California Court of Appeals reaffirmed that decision on Thursday. 

The judges gaveled home their view that the public’s interest is better served if the damage is corrected rather than the companies -- and their shareholders -- protected.

“When violation of statutory workplace protections takes place on a massive scale, as alleged in this case, it causes public harm over and above the private financial interest of any given individual,” the appellate court said in its ruling, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee.

It ain’t over yet

The ruling is a setback to Uber and Lyft, which spent more than two years contending that the law does not apply to them. Both companies even went so far as to threaten to leave California altogether if they were forced to define their drivers as employees.

However, there are still a few more hoops for those companies to jump through before the dust finally settles. One is a ballot measure giving voters a say on the November 3 election day. The other is that the case will be sent back to the trial court. Before being reassigned to a court, the companies can go even further and appeal to the California Supreme Court.

Vote for us and set us free

It will be interesting to watch how many Californians jump through the election day hoop and side with Lyft and Uber. The two companies and their allies have reportedly spent nearly $200 million to curry the favor of voters on Proposition 22, a measure that would allow ridesharing and food delivery companies to classify their drivers as independent contractors. 

The pros and cons that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, et al are pitching shake out like this:

• The pros include that the measure would save rideshare and delivery services, plus hundreds of thousands of jobs. It would provide drivers new benefits, and guaranteed earnings. The advocacy groups behind the measure say it has the support of an overwhelming majority of drivers, community, public safety, and small business groups.

• The cons on Prop 22 for Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash is that they can no longer write their own exemption to California law and profit from it. Plus, it would deny their drivers rights and safety protections they deserve: sick leave, healthcare and unemployment. The proposition’s naysayers say the companies will profit, but the exploited drivers will lose rights and protections. 

In recent polling conducted by the University of California - Berkeley, voters are swaying toward voting for the measure, but only by a smidge. The poll showed 39 percent of likely voters supporting it, 36 percent opposing it, and about 25 percent undecided.

Still facing serious headwinds

Of course, no news story these days would be complete without a reference to the pandemic, and this one is no different.

Ridesharing companies face quite a headwind, likely at the hands of consumers who have health safety concerns riding in a car that a person with COVID-19 could have been in earlier.

A CarGurus survey conducted early in the pandemic found an immediate sharp decline in the number of consumers planning to use a ride-sharing service. It found that 40 percent of consumers wanted to use rideshares less or not at all, while 49 percent said they would instead use their own vehicle.

To thank its workers who have persevered during the COVID-19 pandemic, Target will be giving out $70 million in bonuses as the holiday shopping season gets underway. The retailer said Monday that more than 350,000 of its hourly employees will get a $200 bonus by early November. 

“In a year like no other, I’m proud of what this team has accomplished and grateful for the care and connection they’ve provided our guests and communities,” Melissa Kremer, Target’s chief HR officer, said in a release. “Target’s success this year is a direct result of our team members turning our purpose into action and meeting our guests’ changing needs day after day.”

This isn’t the first round of bonuses Target has distributed amid the pandemic. In April, the retailer gave 20,000 of its team leads bonuses ranging from $250 to $1,500. In July, the company gave all full-time and part-time hourly employees a $200 bonus. 

Combined with the bonuses announced Monday, Target said it will have spent almost $1 billion more this year on employee pay. In addition to bonuses, the retailer has also added pandemic-related benefits like backup child care and permanently bumped its starting wages to $15 an hour. 

Thanking frontline workers

A number of large retail chains announced that they would be giving out bonuses this year to thank workers for putting their health at risk. However, only Target and Lowe’s have announced that more bonuses are coming ahead of the holiday season. This month, Lowe’s doled out an additional $100 million in bonuses to hourly employees.

Health officials say this year’s holiday shopping season could potentially coincide with an increase in COVID-19 cases. The CDC has warned that cases could rise as temperatures drop and people spend more time inside and around other people. 

According to the latest figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. has reported the most COVID-19 cases of any country with over 8,160,000. 

Microsoft will be letting some of its employees work from home permanently, according to a report from The Verge. 

In a memo to employees, the company said it will shift to a “hybrid workplace” under which employees will have flexibility during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live, and work in new ways,” said Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s chief people officer, in the company memo. “We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs, and ensuring we live our culture.”

Greater flexibility

Most of the company’s employees are still working from home, and now Microsoft says some employees will be given the option of relinquishing their assigned office space in order to work from home permanently. 

Some employees whose positions necessitate in-person duties will have to report to the office, but Microsoft said most employees will easily be able to spend less than 50 percent of their working week in the office.  

Facebook has also announced that it is letting thousands of employees switch to remote work permanently. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in May that he anticipates that half of Facebook employees could be working remotely on a permanent basis within the next five to 10 years. 

Twitter and Square have also given employees the option to work from home forever. 

JPMorgan Chase, one of the nation’s largest banks, has committed $30 billion over the next five years to narrow the racial divide when it comes to wealth. It says the spending will be targeted in underserved African American and Hispanic communities to help minority-owned businesses and increase jobs.

In announcing the project, the bank cited an existing racial wealth gap that it says has been made worse by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Chase also says it will use its existing investments, along with its financial expertise, to provide support to minority-owned businesses that have been hard hit by the pandemic.

“Systemic racism is a tragic part of America’s history,” said Jamie Dimon, Chase’s chairman and CEO. “We can do more and do better to break down systems that have propagated racism and widespread economic inequality, especially for Black and Latinx people. It’s long past time that society addresses racial inequities in a more tangible, meaningful way.”

Improving housing options

Much of the money will be used to improve housing options for minorities. Over the next five years, Chase’s investments will include loans, equity, and direct funding to increase affordable housing in underserved communities. That could consist of an estimated 40,000 home purchases using $8 billion in mortgage funding from Chase.

The bank also plans to help 20,000 minority households lower their mortgage payments by allocating $4 billion in mortgage funds for refinancing at lower rates. During the 2008 financial crisis, minority homeowners were saddled with a disproportionate number of subprime mortgages that led to a wave of foreclosures. 

Chase says renters will also benefit. The bank plans to finance 100,000 new affordable rental units, providing $14 billion in loans and equity investments in underserved communities.

Help for businesses

To support minority business development, Chase said it will provide an additional 15,000 loans to small businesses in underserved communities, allocating up to $2 billion. The program will provide assistance to minority entrepreneurs in the form of coaching, technical assistance, and funding.

To promote sound financial habits, Chase said it has set a goal of helping 1 million people open low-cost checking or savings accounts. To support that effort, Chase has committed to hiring 150 new community managers and opening new community center branches in underserved communities.

Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, praised the bank’s initiative, saying it “will  bolster the well-being of families across the country, as well as our collective economy.”

Uber and Lyft are putting nearly $100 million toward a November California ballot that would weaken a state labor law requiring each company to classify their drivers as employees. 

Reuters’ calculations show that the $100 million the ride-hailing services are pouring into the initiative is significantly less than the sum of the annual payroll taxes and workers’ compensation costs Uber and Lyft would have to pay in compliance with the new law. 

The publication said it calculated that each full-time driver would cost the company an additional $7,700 on average under compliance with the law. 

“That includes roughly $4,560 in annual employer-based California and federal payroll taxes and some $3,140 in annual workers’ compensation insurance, which is mandated in California,” Reuters said. 

Arguing against converting gig workers

Uber and Lyft have said classifying drivers as employees rather than gig workers would cause them to have to raise prices to help pay the additional costs of supporting drivers. That, in turn, would cause a drop in consumer demand.

The companies are now reportedly sponsoring a new measure under which independent contractors would receive some of the benefits they would receive if classified as employees. 

Uber and Lyft have argued that drivers are appropriately classified as gig workers because they have the ability to set their own schedules. The firms have claimed that the majority of their drivers value their flexibility and don’t want to be employees. However, many drivers have said they have been forced to take on other jobs in order to supplement their income. 

Under a new law approved by Seattle’s City Council, Uber and Lyft will be forced to pay their drivers a minimum wage of at least $0.56 per minute and $1.33 per mile driven when there’s a passenger in the vehicle. 

The new law, which is set to go into effect in January, will help to ensure that drivers in Seattle earn the city’s minimum wage of $16.39. The minimum wage requirement assumes that drivers will spend about half their time waiting for ride requests or driving to pick up passengers. 

“The pandemic has exposed the fault lines in our systems of worker protections, leaving many frontline workers like gig workers without a safety net,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan in a statement.

Seattle’s new law will also require Uber and Lyft to give all tips to drivers and not have those tips counted toward the minimum wage. Drivers must also be reimbursed for any gear they had to purchase for health and safety purposes, like masks and other protective equipment. 

Uber, Lyft oppose the policy

The new law was passed unanimously by city officials with a vote of 9-0. It was based on a similar law passed in New York in 2018, which implemented new pay rules and put a limit on the number of ride-hailing cars from services like Uber and Lyft that can be on city streets. 

California has also pushed for better pay and protections for Uber and Lyft drivers by requiring the companies to classify their drivers as employees rather than gig workers. However, the ride-sharing companies have argued that such laws could actually lead to job losses and increased rates for consumers.  

"The City's plan is deeply flawed and will actually destroy jobs for thousands of people -- as many as 4,000 drivers on Lyft alone -- and drive ride-share companies out of Seattle," Lyft said in a statement.

In a letter to the Seattle City Council, Uber contended that the policy would have a negative impact on drivers. 

"Uber may have to make changes in Seattle because of this new law, but the real harm here will not be to Uber," Uber said. "It is the drivers who cannot work and the community members unable to complete essential travel that stand to lose because of the ordinance."

Due to the impact of COVID-19, Disney has announced that it is making the “difficult” decision to lay off 28,000 employees. The lay-offs will mainly affect those working at the company’s U.S. theme parks, but the company will also lay off some employees working at its consumer products division. 

Josh D’Amaro, head of parks at Disney, said the COVID-19 pandemic has led to months of theme park closures. The closures have led to billions of dollars in operating income loss during the second and third quarters. 

While Disney’s Florida parks have reopened with new safety measures, Disneyland in California remains shut down. D’Amaro said California’s unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow Disneyland to reopen has only made Disney’s problems worse. 

"We have made the very difficult decision to begin the process of reducing our workforce at our Parks, Experiences and Products segment at all levels," D'Amaro said in a statement. 

Toll of the outbreak

D’Amaro noted that the open parks are operating under limited visitor capacity. Unfortunately, there is still uncertainty about how long the pandemic will last. 

“For the last several months, our management team has worked tirelessly to avoid having to separate anyone from the company,” D’Amaro said in a memo to employees on Tuesday. “We’ve cut expenses, suspended capital projects, furloughed our cast members while still paying benefits, and modified our operations to run as efficiently as possible, however, we simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while operating at such limited capacity.”

In the memo, D’Amaro called the decision to lay off employees “heartbreaking” but said that it was the “only feasible option we have in light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business.”

Disney’s parks in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Paris aren’t affected by the announcement.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, stress and anxiety have been at an all-time high for consumers and their families. And while there are plenty of reasons to feel anxious during these uncertain times, a new study is looking at one of the major sources of stress that has emerged since the start of the pandemic. 

According to researchers from the University of Connecticut, the pandemic has led to an increase in anxiety around job and financial security -- particularly for those who have remained employed since the start of COVID-19. 

“We definitely are seeing, within our employed participants, higher rates of anxiety than in individuals who indicated they were not employed,” said researcher Natalie J. Shook. “Controlling for demographics, controlling for income level, and also taking into account participant health and concerns about COVID -- and the extent to which people were engaged in social distancing or quarantine -- we are seeing that job security and financial concerns are the significant predictors associated with anxiety and depression.” 

Monitoring anxiety levels

The study findings are part of an ongoing survey to understand how consumers’ attitudes, behaviors, and feelings have changed since the start of the pandemic. Roughly 1,000 participants are involved in the project, and they are routinely surveyed about a variety of different topics. For this study in particular, the surveys focused on the things that have been the most anxiety-inducing since the start of the pandemic. Researchers also asked participants specific questions about their jobs and finances. 

The researchers identified links between those who were feeling the greatest stress about finances and job security with those who were experiencing symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. Based on responses to the surveys, the pandemic has specifically made participants’ question the viability of their positions at work and their financial status. Because there is so much uncertainty, it’s hard for consumers to plan for the future or predict what the next year will bring in terms of employment and finances, which is ultimately what leads to the increase in anxiety and depression. 

While it can be difficult to cope with stress and anxiety, the researchers think there is an opportunity for employers to step up and ease some of the mental burden consumers are facing during these challenging times. 

“Based on these findings, for those experiencing depressive symptoms during the pandemic, it may be particularly important for employers to be mindful and try to minimize feelings of uncertainty for the employees, as well as instilling hope or agency in employees,” the researchers explained. “For those experiencing anxiety symptoms, employers could attempt to reduce financial concerns by allowing employees to continue to work (e.g. telework), even with reduced hours and income, to ensure that employees do not lose their entire income.” 

Target has pledged to increase its number of Black employees by 20 percent over the next three years in an effort to combat racial inequality. 

In a news release, the retailer said it intends to focus on hiring Black employees and encouraging their advancement in the company. The company also said it will also be conducting anti-racist trainings for leaders and team members, as well as developing programs to increase diversity in areas like technology, merchandising and marketing -- areas with low levels of Black representation. 

Target says it’s already made progress in boosting diversity across its workforce, noting that more than half of its stores are run by women and a third are managed by people of color.

“Inclusivity is a deeply rooted value at Target and we’ve had an ambitious diversity and inclusion strategy for many years for our guests and team,” chief human resources officer Melissa Kremer said in a news release. “We know that having a diverse workforce and inclusive environment not only creates a stronger team, but also provides the perspectives we need to create the products, services, experiences and messages our guests expect.”

Prioritizing racial equality

Protests stemming from the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police earlier this year have put pressure on companies to look at their diversity and inclusion practices. Black Americans still remain under-represented in many career areas. 

Walmart has also announced new initiatives in support of racial equity. Over the next five years, the retailer will be putting $100 million toward creating a new center on racial equity. 

“The goal of the center will be to address systemic racism in society head-on and accelerate change,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a June announcement. 

McMillon said his company also intends to increase recruitment and support for people of color.

Staying motivated at work is crucial for employees’ long-term career success, but having the right attitude is also key for both personal and employment-related advances. 

Now, researchers from the University of California at Berkeley have found that being aggressive at work doesn’t always lead to the best results. According to their findings, being more aggressive at work at the expense of others can hurt both personal and professional outcomes. 

“I was surprised by the consistency of the findings,” said researcher Cameron Anderson. “No matter the individual or the context, disagreeableness did not give people an advantage in the competition for power -- even in more cutthroat, ‘dog-eat-dog’ organizational cultures.” 

Finding the right attitude

To understand how consumers’ attitudes can affect their career gains, the researchers surveyed groups of undergraduate and graduate students in the business world to gauge their personalities. The researchers then tracked their professional growth over more than 10 years and also surveyed the participants’ coworkers to better understand how they were viewed in the office environment. 

Like Anderson explained, being selfish and trying to get ahead wasn’t effective in attaining professional growth. Those who were kinder and more generous were more likely to gain more prestigious roles in their companies at a faster pace. 

The researchers fear that more aggressive personality types can hinder both personal and professional accomplishments. Though those who were more selfish were able to succeed professionally, coworkers were less likely to think favorably of them, which can harm their personal relationships. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that those in the highest positions of power take these findings into consideration so they can be more selective about who gets promoted and improve workplace dynamics. 

“The bad news here is that organizations do place disagreeable individuals in charge just as often as agreeable people,” said Anderson. “In other words, they allow jerks to gain power at the same rate as anyone else, even though jerks in power can do serious damage to the organization.” 

Bed Bath & Beyond is continuing its restructuring efforts by eliminating thousands of positions at corporate headquarters and across its retail businesses. 

In a press release, the company announced that it was reducing its workforce by 2,800 roles, effective immediately. Company officials say the move will help it save up to $350 million over the next two-to-three years as it tries to reorganize and become more profitable during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Saying goodbye to colleagues and friends is incredibly difficult, but this component of our comprehensive restructuring program is critical to rebuild the foundation of our business, construct a modern, balanced and durable business model, and meet the structural shift in customer shopping and service preferences that we have seen accelerate as a result of COVID-19,” said Bed Bath & Beyond CEO Mark Tritton. 

Trending towards success?

Tritton goes on to say that reducing the company’s workforce will help simplify its operations and help it emerge as a stronger competitor when the pandemic is finally over. He points to “significant progress” that the company has already made in 2020 as a sign of good things to come. 

“As we work to re-establish our authority in Home, Baby, Beauty and Wellness, we are encouraged by the strong customer response to new services such as BOPIS and Curbside Pickup, and the continued strength in our digital channels as we improve the curation of our product assortment, enhance the ease and convenience of the shopping experience, and make it easier to feel at home," he said.

Despite Tritton’s rosy outlook, Bed Bath & Beyond’s recent actions show just how much the retailer has been struggling in the current retail landscape. Last month, the company closed 200 stores after sales plunged by 48 percent. At the time, Tritton told CNBC that company officials saw many stores that were “dragging us down.”

Uber and Lyft won’t be halting ride-hailing services in California after all.

Last week, the ride-hailing giants threatened to suspend service in the state in response to a law (Assembly Bill 5) that would require the companies to immediately reclassify their drivers as employees. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that if a ruling requiring the reclassification went into effect Friday morning, it would be “hard to believe we’ll be able to switch our model to full-time employment quickly.” 

Fortunately for Uber and Lyft, the California Court of Appeals reconsidered on Thursday, just hours before the shutdown was slated to go into effect. Thanks to the reprieve, the companies will be allowed to continue treating their drivers as independent contractors, at least until October. 

"Our rideshare operations can continue uninterrupted, for now," Lyft said in a blog post. "Thanks to the tens of thousands of drivers, riders, and public officials who urged California to keep rideshare available for so many people who depend on it."

"While we won't have to suspend operations tonight, we do need to continue fighting for independence plus benefits for drivers," said Lyft spokeswoman Julie Wood.

Uber said in a statement that it’s “glad that the Court of Appeals recognized the important questions raised in this case, and that access to these critical services won’t be cut off while we continue to advocate for drivers’ ability to work with the freedom they want.”

An appeal is currently working its way through the court. Oral arguments in the case are set to take place on October 13.

Need for protections

Lyft and Uber have both said there’s a need for an alternative way to classify drivers that combines flexibility and benefits. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi recently proposed that gig workers be granted some protections without losing their flexibility.  

“Our current employment system is outdated and unfair,” he wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times. “It forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net,” he said. “Uber is ready, right now, to pay more to give drivers new benefits and protections.”

He proposed having gig companies set up benefits funds from which employees pull money from for needs like health insurance or paid time off. The amount of money they could take out of the fund would depend on how many hours they’ve worked. 

Over the last four months, millions of Americans have been working from home. Anecdotal evidence has indicated that the virtual workplace has worked pretty well so far.

There’s new data suggesting that, from the employees’ point of view, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. A survey by KPMG, a business advisory firm, found that 79 percent of U.S. workers at organizations with more than 1,000 employees believe the quality of their work has improved over the last four months.

Seventy percent said the quality of their work has improved while 67 percent indicate their work-life balance has gotten better. Eighty-four percent are also satisfied with their employer's response to the pandemic.

"American workers have demonstrated remarkable resiliency under the pressures of COVID-19 and against the backdrop of events signifying racial inequality," said Lisa Massman, KPMG's human capital advisory leader. 

A big unknown

The virtual workplace was one big unknown when the corporate world was thrust into it in late March, almost overnight. But productivity technology, such as services offered by Zoom and Slack, has enabled co-workers to interact with managers and one another almost as though they were in the same office.

The survey found that employees like the system so well that 55 percent would like to have the flexibility to continue working remotely at least part of the time. One byproduct also appears to be a boost in morale that is aiding employee retention. 

More than three-quarters of remote workers expressed the desire to remain with their current organization, in part because management has made them feel valued during the lockdown. As a result, KPMG believes corporations may be in no hurry to bring employees back to the office once the pandemic finally ends.

"Companies worldwide enabled remote workforces nearly overnight, and what started as an extraordinary pilot is now considered permanent in many organizations' operating models," said Joe Parente, KPMG's Consulting leader. "As a result, there should be a new focus on improving employee connectivity, better understanding of what drives positive worker experiences and overall, reshaping and rethinking how work gets done."

Room for improvement

Even though employees are happier, employers are more focused on efficiency and making sure that work gets done at the same rate as before. Massman says that may require some bold thinking.

"Organizations must design a new model of work for tomorrow, by presenting new approaches for teams to effectively work from home, leveraging technology and innovative ways to increase collaboration, and fostering an environment of inclusion and belonging - to build a more loyal, productive and sustainable workforce," she said.

Earlier this week, a California judge ruled that Uber and Lyft must reclassify their workers as employees in order to comply with the state’s new Gig Economy Law. Now, the companies say they might have to temporarily pull out of the state if efforts to appeal the ruling aren’t successful. 

“If the court doesn’t reconsider, then in California, it’s hard to believe we’ll be able to switch our model to full-time employment quickly,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshai told MSNBC. 

He said the company might have to shut down in the state until at least November, when Proposition 22 -- an initiative supported by Uber, Lyft, and Doordash with $110 million in funding from gig companies -- is set to be voted on. Prop 22 would enable ride-sharing companies to continue classifying drivers as contractors. 

Against employee classification

Just a few days ago, Khosrowshahi wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times that drivers deserved more benefits under an employment classification that falls somewhere between contractor and employee. 

“Our current employment system is outdated and unfair. It forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net,” he said. “Uber is ready, right now, to pay more to give drivers new benefits and protections.”

Khosrowshahi advocated for what he called a “third way” to classify drivers that would give them some protections without compromising their flexibility. 

“I’m proposing that gig economy companies be required to establish benefits funds which give workers cash that they can use for the benefits they want, like health insurance or paid time off. Independent workers in any state that passes this law could take money out for every hour of work they put in. All gig companies would be required to participate, so that workers can build up benefits even if they switch between apps,” the executive suggested. 

Ride-sharing service Lyft echoed its rival’s sentiments, suggesting that California’s new labor law may keep it from doing business. “If our efforts here are not successful it would force us to suspend operations in California,” Lyft President John Zimmer said on an earnings call. 

On Monday, a California judge ordered Uber and Lyft to classify their workers as employees rather than independent contractors. Superior Court Judge Ethan Schulman said the order will bring the ride-hailing companies in line with California’s new Gig Economy Law, provided it makes it through the appeals process. 

The judge said Lyft and Uber's contract drivers should be extended the same protections and benefits that the companies’ full-time employees, such as tech workers, receive.

"Were this reasoning to be accepted, the rapidly expanding majority of industries that rely heavily on technology could with impunity deprive legions of workers of the basic protections afforded to employees by state labor and employment laws," Schulman wrote.

Reclassifying drivers

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is currently fighting a lawsuit filed in May by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra which claims that Uber is illegally withholding crucial benefits from its workers by classifying them as contractors rather than employees. 

Becerra said the judge's preliminary order was a victory for drivers. 

"The court has weighed in and agreed: Uber and Lyft need to put a stop to unlawful misclassification of their drivers while our litigation continues," Becerra said in a statement. "Our state and workers shouldn't have to foot the bill when big businesses try to skip out on their responsibilities. We're going to keep working to make sure Uber and Lyft play by the rules."

Uber CEO fighting the state law

On Monday, Khosrowshahi wrote an op-ed published in the New York Times that outlines a potential “third way” to classify gig workers. He proposed having gig companies establish a benefits fund that contractors could use for needs like paid time off or health insurance. The amount of money they could take out of the fund would depend on how many hours they’ve worked. 

Khowrowshahi says this plan would enable contractors to keep their flexibility but receive crucial benefits formerly extended only to employees. 

“I’m proposing that gig economy companies be required to establish benefits funds which give workers cash that they can use for the benefits they want, like health insurance or paid time off. Independent workers in any state that passes this law could take money out for every hour of work they put in. All gig companies would be required to participate, so that workers can build up benefits even if they switch between apps,” Khosrowshahi wrote. 

In an op-ed published Monday in the New York Times, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi described a possible “third way” to classify gig workers. 

As lawmakers push to have ride-hailing drivers reclassified as employees, Khosrowshahi has argued that drivers are appropriately classified as independent contractors. In the op-ed, he detailed a proposal that he previously discussed with President Trump before the CARES Act was signed. 

Khosrowshahi said he thinks Trump and Congress should update labor laws to preserve the flexibility of contract work while extending certain protections to these workers. 

Combining flexibility and benefits

The Uber executive is currently fighting a lawsuit from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra which claims that Uber is withholding crucial benefits from its workers by classifying them as contractors rather than employees. The lawsuit alleges that Uber is breaking the state’s new law. 

But Khosrowshahi is refuting the claim that workers are unfairly classified as contractors and argues that drivers should be given an option that combines flexibility and benefits.

“Our current employment system is outdated and unfair,” he wrote. “It forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility but almost no safety net. Uber is ready, right now, to pay more to give drivers new benefits and protections. But America needs to change the status quo to protect all workers, not just one type of work.” 

Benefits fund

He suggests that all gig companies be required to set up a benefits fund that can be used by workers for needs like paid time off or health insurance. The amount of money they could take out of the fund would depend on how many hours they’ve worked. 

“I’m proposing that gig economy companies be required to establish benefits funds which give workers cash that they can use for the benefits they want, like health insurance or paid time off. Independent workers in any state that passes this law could take money out for every hour of work they put in. All gig companies would be required to participate, so that workers can build up benefits even if they switch between apps,” Khosrowshahi suggested. 

He also believes gig companies should offer medical and disability coverage to help workers if they get injured on the job. He says they currently can’t offer these benefits “without risking their independent status under the law.” 

“During this moment of crisis, I fundamentally believe platforms like Uber can fuel an economic recovery by quickly giving people flexible work to get back on their feet,” Khosrowshahi wrote. “But this opportunity will be lost if we ignore the obvious lessons of the pandemic and fail to ensure independent workers have a stronger safety net.”

With many consumers now working from home for the long haul in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study is highlighting some best practices to make the most of this time at home. 

According to experts from the University of Cincinnati, finding the right chair, putting the computer at the right angle, and taking breaks to walk away from the designated work space are all key for consumers currently working from home. Consumers’ home setups may not allow for the same kind of room or flexibility that their traditional offices offer, but they can still tweak their home arrangements to best work for them while also minimizing the risk of shoulder, back, or neck injuries. 

“The body doesn’t like static postures continually,” said researcher Dr. Kermit Davis. “You don’t want to do all sitting or all standing all the time. You want to alter your position and change it up throughout the day.” 

Making the most of the home set-up

Davis and his team wanted to look at how consumers were creating their work-from-home set-ups, so they surveyed nearly 850 faculty members at the University of Cincinnati after quarantine orders had begun in the area. To accompany the surveys, over 40 employees also sent in pictures of what their work stations looked like at home. 

Based on the photos and survey responses, Dr. Davis says that there are several improvements that consumers should be making to their work-from-home spaces. His main areas of concern were tied to computer monitors/laptops, chairs, and armrests. 

From an ergonomic perspective, the study found that over 50 percent of the survey participants were setting up their computer screens at an angle that’s too low. To optimize comfort and also prevent straining, the researchers recommend propping up the monitor, laptop, or keyboard on a stack of books. 

When it comes to chairs, over 40 percent were found to be too low to the ground. It’s certainly not necessary to spend a ton of money on revamping an entire workspace, but placing a pillow on top of the chair or pulling it closer to the desk can work to ease some of the back pain that could crop up. 

Back support was an issue for many of the participants in the study. Over 70 percent of respondents reported having no lumbar support, while just under 70 percent reported not using their chair’s back support at all. Putting a towel or cushion on the back of the chair can help alleviate some of that stress and promote better posture while sitting in front of a screen all day. 

When it comes to armrests, the researchers were concerned that many participants were using them incorrectly. Having armrests at the wrong angle can cause pain and discomfort, and nearly 20 percent of the participants had incorrectly arranged arm rests. The researchers recommend putting something soft around the armrests to avoid some of this discomfort. 

Getting up more frequently during the day

It can be difficult for consumers to create an ideal set-up in their homes to work from for the large majority of the day. However, one of the biggest things the researchers recommend is not staying in one spot for too long.

Standing desks are encouraged, as they offer flexibility in the home space and give consumers freedom to move around throughout the workday. 

Consumers can see a full rundown of Davis’ suggestions by checking out the full study here. 

Job interviews can be nerve wracking and stressful for many consumers. However, a new study is assessing how some employers may be honing in on candidates’ nerves and stress. 

According to researchers from North Carolina State University, interviews for jobs in tech are often set up to give employers a feel for how well a candidate can perform under pressure -- not how skilled the candidate is in the field. 

Candidates are often required to complete a technical interview in which they walk the interviewer through their thought process to solve a particular coding issue. However, the researchers explained that not only does this not measure a candidate’s skill, but it’s unrealistic in terms of job expectations. However, it still remains as one of the deciding factors in the interview. 

“Technical interviews are feared and hated in the industry, and it turns out that these interview techniques may be hurting the industry’s ability to find and hire skilled software engineers,” said researcher Chris Parnin. “Our study suggests that a lot of well-qualified job candidates are being eliminated because they’re not used to working on a whiteboard in front of an audience.” 

Putting on the pressure 

The researchers conducted an experiment using the technical interview format to understand how it affects job applicants and hiring outcomes. 

They had nearly 50 undergraduate and graduate computer science students participate in the study, with half performing a public technical interview and the other half solving the same problem but in private. Those who completed the problem solving step alone didn’t have to talk the interviewer through their thought process and didn’t have the pressure of the interviewer watching their every move. 

Ultimately, those who could problem solve alone outperformed those who had to complete the problem while explaining themselves to the interviewer. The study revealed that those who completed the problem privately were twice as likely to have better results than those who solved the problem publicly. 

“In short, the findings suggest that companies are missing out on really good programmers because those programmers aren’t good at writing on a whiteboard and explaining their work out loud while coding,” said researcher Parnin. 

Missing out on qualified candidates

The researchers are concerned by these findings for a few reasons. 

For starters, the conditions aren’t similar to what a coder would experience on the job, so candidates spend their time worrying about how they’ll perform in front of a potential boss rather than thinking about what they’d actually bring to the position that’s relevant. The researchers say qualified candidates are often dismissed and are wrongfully missing out on these positions. 

“If the tech sector can address all of these challenges in a meaningful way, it will make significant progress in becoming more fair and inclusive,” said researcher Mahnaz Behroozi. “More to the point, the sector will be drawing from a larger and more diverse talent pool, which would contribute to better work.” 

Recent studies have highlighted how the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened stress for mothers at home with their job and little ones. Now, researchers from Washington University are exploring how mothers’ job performance has been affected. 

According to the study, mothers’ work performance has taken a hit since the start of the pandemic -- more so than fathers’. The researchers found this to be true even in situations where both mothers and fathers worked from home. 

“Our findings indicate mothers are bearing the brunt of the pandemic and may face long-term employment penalties as a consequence,” said researcher Caitlyn Collins. “Even among households in which both parents are able to work from home and are directly exposed to childcare and housework demands, mothers are scaling back to meet these responsibilities to a greater extent than fathers. 

“Ultimately, our analyses reveal that gender inequality in parents’ work has worsened during the pandemic,” she said. 

Mothers are making more sacrifices

To understand how job and household responsibilities have been divided between couples during the pandemic, the researchers analyzed data from a U.S. labor survey and the U.S. Current Population Survey. The study included information from February through April. 

Statistics from the beginning of the study revealed that fathers had increased their workload around the house in the early part of the pandemic. However, this didn’t hold up over the long term. 

By the last month of the study, fathers were working a regular 40-hour workweek on average while mothers had lost about two hours off their weekly working total. The biggest concern here is that women will face the consequences of this loss of work, whether it’s by missing out on a raise or promotion, or by losing their job entirely. 

“Scaling back work is part of a downward spiral that often leads to labor force exits -- especially in cases where employers are inflexible with schedules or penalize employees unable to meet work expectations in the face of growing care demands,” said Collins. 

The researchers identified mothers with young children -- those in elementary school or even younger -- to be most affected by this, but the researchers are unclear why this trend has emerged. As many states are now considering a potential return to school come the fall, it’s more important than ever for couples to prioritize balance when it comes to household responsibilities. 

“Flexibility is key right now,” Collins said. “By easing work demands and allowing flexibility where possible in the coming months, employers can prevent long-term losses in women’s labor force participation. And fathers should be encouraged to provide more hours of care for their children, even if it means sacrificing paid work hours to do so.” 

Shipt workers are planning to walk out on July 15 in protest of a controversial new pay model at the company. 

Workers for the grocery delivery service say the new algorithm-based pay structure, internally dubbed “V2,” would shave at least 30 percent off their total pay. The new model replaces Shipt’s previous flat-fee model.

“The company replaced our transparent, fairer pay with a shady algorithm. Workers saw their pay plummet,” a group of Shipt shoppers wrote in a Medium post. 

“This seismic company shift is occurring at the same time that its shoppers — essential workers taking unprecedented risks during this pandemic — are already suffering significantly.” 

Business is booming for Shipt

The workers pointed out that Shipt, a service where customers pay a monthly fee in exchange for the ability to receive deliveries from grocery stores and retailers, is concurrently “experiencing obscene increases in its sales” amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

“This isn’t a company that has to cut pay because its core business crashed. The company has intentionally over-hired, preying off the millions of displaced workers who were furloughed or laid off during a pandemic,” the Medium post continued. 

“Shipt’s intention all along was to introduce the pay cut when it had more workers than it needed. That way it is still able to roll profitably forward even if a sizable percentage of Shipt’s existing workforce is forced to quit due to drastic cuts to our pay.” 

Workers plan to walk out Wednesday, the day the new pay model launches in a dozen new markets. Shipt maintains that it's “committed to helping shoppers succeed” and is open to feedback on the new pay model. 

“Our commitment to shoppers is stronger than ever, and any operational changes we make balance the interests of shoppers with the longer-term needs of the business,” Shipt said.

The employment situation in the post-coronavirus (COVID-19) world increasingly remains a puzzle as some businesses reopen and rehire their workers, but the jobless rate remains at record highs.

The economy actually added jobs in May, taking most economists by surprise. But a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts that in perspective: nearly half the U.S. population didn’t have a job in May.

The employment-population ratio, which is the percentage of adults in the U.S. population who are employed, fell to a record low of 52.8 percent. If you do the math, that means nearly 48 percent of working-age adults are unemployed.

As a point of reference, the employment-population ratio was 61.2 percent at the start of the year.

Economists say the employment-population ratio is a truer indicator of the health of the labor market because it counts the people who could be working but, for one reason or another, are not looking for a job. The monthly employment report only counts those who are looking for a job.

Torsten Slok, the chief economist at Deutsche Bank. told CNBC that the U.S. would need to create 30 million jobs to bring the employment-population ratio back to January levels. June’s employment report is expected toward the end of the week.

Extra $600 payments about to end

Americans receiving an extra $600 a week in unemployment benefits, provided by the CARES Act, will face a significant drop in income at the end of July. The extra money will run out at that time unless Congress votes to extend it.

In many states, people drawing unemployment benefits have received $600 a week in addition to whatever benefit the states provide. In some cases, recipients have earned more not working than they did when they had a job.

The additional benefit will be paid for the week ending on or before July 31. Congressional Democrats have approved an extension of the additional jobless benefit, included in the House’s $3 trillion relief bill.

Senate Republicans have voiced objections to that measure, so the outlook for final passage in the Senate is far from certain.

Though many consumers are working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers from Staffordshire University are exploring the psychology behind employees taking their lunch breaks. 

They learned that many employees skip out on their daily break time for any number of reasons. While staying busy and productive does come into play, the researchers also found that some employees feel self-conscious about taking breaks if their colleagues aren’t doing the same. 

“The legally required minimum time for a lunch break at work is 20 minutes, however there is a growing trend nationally for large numbers of people not to take breaks at work, with surveys reporting that between 66 percent and 82 percent of workers don’t always take their breaks,” said researcher Dr. Mike Oliver. 

“So, how have we got to the point where some people feel guilty about taking their legally allowable break? We were curious to look at the psychological and social behaviours of office workers to understand the enablers and barriers.” 

Why are breaks disappearing?

To better understand the culture behind taking or skipping lunch breaks, the researchers conducted several focus groups, each with nearly 30 office employees in the U.K. 

The researchers learned through interviews that there’s more to the debate than many may realize. Several different components come into play when employees are deciding to step away from their work for part of the day; however, a common theme emerged: having co-workers’ support in taking a break led employees to put work down for lunch. 

“We found that one of the best ways to make sure that you take breaks is to take them with your work colleagues, or to be encouraged to take them by your boss,” said Dr. Oliver. “If they are not physically near you, we may find it harder to act on these social prompts.” 

However, the researchers also learned that co-workers’ decisions can have an adverse effect. Just as co-workers can help encourage each other to take a break for lunch, many of the employees noted that the opposite was also true -- they were less likely to take a break if their co-workers weren’t taking that time. 

Issue of productivity

The study also revealed that many employees prioritize their work over taking a break, and this typically stems from nerves over what to do when lunch time happens. Many workers want to take the time to themselves but don’t want to appear as though they’re not productive or valuable employees. 

These findings are troubling to the researchers for several reasons. Not only can sitting at a desk for extended periods of time be troublesome for consumers’ health, but having time throughout the day to talk or think about things outside of work is a respite that all employees need. 

“This paper highlights the complex relationships that people have with taking breaks, with others and their physical environment,” said Dr. Oliver. “Some participants did not recognize the importance of taking a break in the middle of the day, but others appeared to convince themselves that by doing a less intense work activity, such as responding to emails, whilst eating lunch at their desk, would actually be taking a break.” 

“There is mounting concern about the amount of time people spend sitting down at work and not being physically active, so it is really important that people don’t put work ahead of breaks and their own physical and psychological health.”  

In a landmark ruling on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to make it illegal for gay, lesbian, and transgender workers to be discriminated against.

The Trump administration previously argued that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, under which discrimination based on sex is illegal, didn’t apply to claims of gender identity and sexual orientation.

By a vote of 6-3, the court ruled that the federal law does cover sexual orientation and transgender status. The ruling represents a victory for millions of LGBTQ workers and advocates nationwide. 

Landmark case

The historic ruling was written by President Trump's first Supreme Court appointee, Justice Neil Gorsuch. Comprising the rest of the majority was Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's four liberal justices.

"An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids," Gorsuch wrote.

"There is simply no escaping the role intent plays here: Just as sex is necessarily a but-for cause when an employer discriminates against homosexual or transgender employees, an employer who discriminates on these grounds inescapably intends to rely on sex in its decisionmaking," the opinion read.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden celebrated the ruling, saying the court “confirmed the simple but profoundly American idea that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity. That everyone should be able to live openly, proudly, as their true selves without fear.” 

Major LGBTQ victory

Gay rights advocates said the ruling was a long-awaited and overdue victory.

“The Supreme Court’s clarification that it’s unlawful to fire people because they’re LGBTQ is the result of decades of advocates fighting for our rights," said James Esseks, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project. "The court has caught up to the majority of our country, which already knows that discriminating against LGBTQ people is both unfair and against the law.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the ruling "a victory for the LGBTQ community, for our democracy and for our fundamental values of equality and justice for all."

In a release published by the Human Rights Campaign, Gerald Bostock -- one of the petitioners who claims he was fired from his job as a child welfare services coordinator after joining a gay softball team -- said there were “no words to describe just how elated I am.”

“Today, we can go to work without the fear of being fired for who we are and who we love," Bostock said. "Yet, there is more work to be done. Discrimination has no place in this world, and I will not rest until we have equal rights for all.”

After initially barring its employees from wearing Black Lives Matter attire, Starbucks has changed course and decided to allow team members to wear clothes with the message. 

On Friday, the coffee chain announced that not only would it be lifting the restriction, but that it would make 250,000 shirts supporting the movement. 

Starbucks told employees in a memo last week they would not be permitted to wear clothing or accessories that mentioned the Black Lives Matter movement out of concern that it could be misconstrued and increase the risk of confrontation. 

The company just recently penned a new memo to employees that read, "we've heard you want to show your support, so just be you. Wear your BLM pin or t-shirt."

"We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity," Friday's statement said. "We trust you to do what's right while never forgetting Starbucks is a welcoming third place where all are treated with dignity and respect."

Supporting Black Lives Matter movement

In the new memo, titled “Standing together against racial injustice,” Starbucks said it would be designing new t-shirts to “demonstrate our allyship and show we stand together in unity.” 

Until these shirts arrive, company executives encouraged employees to express their support of the movement through apparel of their own. 

“These are alarming, uncertain times and people everywhere are hurting,” the company said. “You’ve told us you need a way to express yourself at work, asking: ‘Do you understand how I feel!? Do you understand the black community is in pain?’” 

“We see you. We hear you. Black Lives Matter. That is a fact and will never change,” the company said. 

​Uber and Lyft workers have been deemed employees under California’s new gig worker law. 

The decision, made by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) on Thursday, comes in the wake of a debate between the ride-hailing companies and their workers over whether drivers should be classified as independent contractors or employees who receive benefits.

In its order, the CPUC said state law currently says that drivers for transportation network companies (TNCs) will be considered employees going forward.

"For now, TNC drivers are presumed to be employees and the Commission must ensure that TNCs comply with those requirements that are applicable to the employees of an entity subject to the Commission's jurisdiction," the commission said.

Debate over classification

In previous years, Uber and Lyft have argued that their drivers should be classified as independent contractors since they have the flexibility to set their own hours. The companies said most of their workers would prefer to be classified as such in order to preserve the “on-demand” nature of the job. 

“If California regulators force rideshare companies to change their business model it would affect our ability to provide reliable and affordable services, along with threatening access to this essential work Californians depend on,” Uber said in a statement.

In a statement of its own, Lyft called the CPUC’s decision “flawed” and said classifying drivers as employees will have a devastating economic impact on the state of California.

Lack of basic protections as contractors

Labor unions and drivers who rely on their job as a sole source of income have argued that the lack of benefits makes it difficult to afford necessary expenses. 

Last June, workers held a rally outside of Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco to support a new California legislation (Assembly Bill 5) under which they would be considered employees and would receive basic protections.

“We’re here for ourselves, our rights, that’s been taken from us by Uber and Lyft. We’re asking for a living wage and we’re asking for benefits,” longtime Uber and Lyft driver Omar A. said at Tuesday’s rally, according to CBS SF Bay Area. “They are trying to force the drivers to sign a petition against AB 5. Actually AB 5 is supporting the drivers and protecting the drivers. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

In December, Uber sued to block AB5, arguing that it was unconstitutional and that it punished app-based platforms. In May, California filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft and charged that the companies’ misclassification of their drivers violated the new legislation. 

With Americans starting to emerge from the pandemic and jumping back in line at stores and restaurants, Dunkin’ franchisees are on a hiring binge. 

Word came from Dunkin’ HQ on Monday that up to 25,000 new restaurant employees will be hired at U.S. locations. Jobs will include everything from front-counter to restaurant management.

New education perks for employees

While Dunkin’ -- or any fast-food chain for that matter -- is not out of the COVID-19 woods yet, its foot traffic is picking up. Still, unemployment is at a runaway pace, and the company wants to be ready when normalcy returns.

It may also be sensing that students might be looking to get their degree online because colleges are unsure about how on-campus education will play out this fall.

To that end, Dunkin’ is beginning a new partnership with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) to offer an online college education to franchise employees. This is similar to what Chipotle, UPS, and Walmart have offered. Thanks to an aggressive marketing effort, SNHU has become a big-time player in online education, with over 135,000 students online and on campus.

“Dunkin’ is committed to keeping America running and working. We are proud to support our franchisees who offer much-needed job opportunities, in a welcoming environment where people can feel appreciated and rewarded for serving both customers and their communities during this critical time,” said Stephanie Lilak, Dunkin’ Brands’ Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. 

“With the brand’s new partnership with SNHU, new advertising campaign, and in-store safety measures, our franchisees are providing both new and current restaurant employees a great workplace, and the chance to gain experiences and skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.”

In an email to employees on Tuesday, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said his company’s team members will have the option of working from home indefinitely, according to BuzzFeed News. 

Dorsey said it was unlikely that offices will open back up before September -- but even after the worst of the pandemic is over, employees can remain at home. 

“Opening offices will be our decision,” a company spokesperson said. “When and if our employees come back, will be theirs.”

Dorsey noted that Twitter was one of the first companies to move to a work-from-home model when the health crisis began unfolding. He said the company will “continue to put the safety of our people and communities first.”

Working from home forever

Given that COVID-19 mitigation efforts are still active and the virus is continuing to spread, Twitter has cancelled all in-person events for the remainder of the year. Twitter officials said they will assess plans for 2021 events later this year.

The company also increased its allowance for work-from-home supplies to $1,000 for all employees. Twitter said the past two months have proven that it’s possible for remote workers to thrive and produce quality work.

“The past few months have proven we can make that work,” a spokesperson said. “So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen. If not, our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions, when we feel it’s safe to return.”

Huge layoffs have accompanied the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and more are expected, but at least some employers are increasing their payrolls.

Last week, Amazon announced it would try to hire 100,000 additional employees to help with the crush of orders. At the same time, Walmart has announced it will hire 150,000 additional temporary workers to help in its stores that have remained crowded, as have other supermarket chains like Publix.

Now, CVS Health says it will hire 50,000 full- and part-time employees on a temporary basis as pharmacies remain open during the health crisis.

The jobs include store associates, home delivery drivers, distribution center employees, and member/customer service professionals. To maintain social distancing during the hiring effort, CVS will use a technology-enabled hiring process to hold virtual job fairs, virtual interviews, and virtual job tryouts. 

Taking on laid-off workers

The company said it expects many of the jobs will be filled by existing CVS Health clients who have had to furlough workers, including Hilton and Marriott.

For existing employees, CVS says the company will help employees with both child and elder or adult dependent care needs. It’s partnering with the Bright Horizons network of in-home and center-based daycare providers, giving employees up to 25 fully covered days of backup care. 

That benefit will be available early next month for both full- and part-time employees. The company has always had paid sick leave for full-time employees and now is offering 14-day paid leave for employees who test positive for COVID-19 or need to be quarantined as a result of potential exposure.

Employee bonuses

CVS is also paying bonuses to employees who are required to be at CVS facilities to assist patients and customers. Bonuses will range from $150 to $500 and will be awarded to pharmacists and certain other health care professionals on the frontlines, store associates and managers, and other site-based hourly employees.

"Our colleagues have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to providing essential goods and services at a time when they're needed most," said Larry J. Merlo, CEO, CVS Health. "As they continue to be there for the individuals and families we serve, we're taking extra steps to provide some peace of mind and help them navigate these uncertain times."

While the goal for most employees is to feel secure in their work, a new study conducted by researchers for RMIT University found that job insecurity can negatively impact consumers’ personalities. 

The study revealed that feeling uneasy about a job can manifest itself in negative personality traits like laziness and emotional instability. 

“Traditionally, we’ve thought about the short-term consequences of job insecurity -- that it hurts your well-being, physical health, sense of self-esteem,” said researcher Dr. Lena Wang. “But now we are looking at how that actually changes who you are as a person over time, a long-term consequence that you may not even be aware of.” 

Personality differences

The researchers looked at data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey to better understand how consumers’ feelings towards their jobs can affect their personalities. Over 1,000 survey respondents answered questions that gave insight into their personalities, as well as their attitudes about their current place of employment. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that job insecurity can affect how consumers perform at work, how they interact with others, and their personalities overall. 

The study found that despite fears around losing their jobs, participants were more likely to pull back from their job responsibilities and complete fewer tasks. Job insecurity was associated with less effort at work and less productivity. 

From a personal standpoint, the researchers learned that participants were more likely to react poorly to stressors and incite conflict with others during periods of job insecurity. 

Support from employers

Dr. Wang explained that job insecurity is a legitimate fear in many cases. However, she also explained that consumers often feel fear about losing their jobs when there’s no chance of that happening. 

To help ease tensions, the researchers urge employers to be a source of comfort to employees. This team says bosses should be proactive in helping to settle work-related anxieties. 

“Some people simply feel daunted by the changing nature of their roles or fear they’ll be replaced by automation,” said Dr. Wang. “But while some existing jobs can be replaced by automation, new jobs will be created. Some employers have the ability to reduce that perception, for example by investing in professional development, skills and training, or by giving career guidance.”  

A new study conducted by researchers from Penn State found yet another way social media can come into play for prospective job candidates. 

The findings revealed that employers are not only looking at social media before hiring a new employee, but posts that appear too opinionated or self-absorbed could cost consumers a job. 

“In 2018, 70 percent of employers reported looking at social media sites to help them evaluate potential employees, and almost that many -- 60 percent -- eliminated candidates on the basis of negative content,” said researcher Michael Tews. “It’s important for job candidates to be aware of how they portray themselves in social media.” 

Posts to avoid

The researchers had nearly 500 hiring managers participate in the study. Each of them evaluated a job candidate’s responses to an in-person interview; afterwards, they reviewed the hypothetical candidate’s social media posts. 

When it came time to look over candidates’ social media, the participants were shown one of 16 different social media profiles. The profiles showed a wide variety of posts, with the primary focus being on alcohol and drug use, strong opinions, and self-absorption. Ultimately, the researchers found that hiring managers were more likely to reject job candidates based on their social media presence, particularly when taking into consideration those three categories. 

While posts with alcohol or drug use cost some candidates a job, this proved to be the most acceptable posting category for job prospects. Though Tews explained that the posts involved in this study were “benign” when it came to substance use, he also mentioned that hiring managers may “perceive the content as relatively normal.” 

When it came to being perceived as self-absorbed or opinionated, potential job candidates were often dismissed. 

Tews explained that posting opinions that could be “divisive” may make prospective employees seem “more argumentative and less cooperative,” whereas those posting solely about themselves could be perceived as “less likely to sacrifice for the benefit of other employees and the organization.” 

Social media as networking

Though many consumers on the job hunt may be worried about everything they’ve ever posted, Tews is of the mindset that social media can be used for the greater good, especially when it comes to the job market. 

While he believes that job candidates should certainly do a once-over of their online profiles before going to an interview, he also believes that employers should be clearer about what posts are and aren’t acceptable for their corporation to make the process easier on applicants.  

“From the employer perspective, hiring managers should be trained on how best to use social networking content in making selection decisions,” said Tews. “To maximize the benefit of using social networking content for selection purposes, organizations should set guidelines for what content is relevant and should be examined, specify what content is irrelevant and potentially discriminatory and develop standardized rating systems to make the evaluation process more objective.” 

Have you ever sat back and dreamed of landing a job that allowed you to earn six figures? Did those dreams ever include you working at Taco Bell? 

The fast food company announced today several initiatives that it has planned for 2020 to support its employees and create a more sustainable business model. Within its plan, Taco Bells says it plans to test a $100,000 annual salary for managers of company-owned restaurants in certain markets. All corporate-owned restaurant employees will also be offered 24 hours of paid sick time moving forward.

“Through these initiatives, Taco Bell aims to enhance restaurant performance, employee satisfaction and support recruitment and retention,” the company stated.

“As Taco Bell expands its footprint, our responsibility to drive positive impact increases. Our business growth in the last decade has positioned us to create change for good and implement creative solutions for our planet, our people and our food. We’re excited to shake things up and make 2020 even more about what matters most: our purpose.”

Going green

In addition to its new incentives for employees, Taco Bell said that it will be looking to become more eco-conscious in the new year. 

The brand has set a goal of making all of its consumer-facing packaging recyclable, compostable, or reusable by 2025. It will also be adding recycling and/or composting bins to all restaurants worldwide by that time and seeking to remove certain chemicals like PFAS, phthalates, and BPA from packaging materials by that time.

“As a leader in the quick-service restaurant industry, Taco Bell is proud of the work it has done to date and the opportunities ahead for its planet, people and food,” the company said. “The brand will provide updates on progress throughout the year as it introduces sustainable packaging to restaurants, continues investing in its people and develops new vegetarian options for fans.”

If someone walks like an employee and talks like an employee, then aren’t they an employee? California says yes.

A new law in California (Assembly Bill 5 [AB 5]), which makes it more difficult for companies to hire workers as contractors, is getting pushback from gig economy businesses like food courier service Postmates and rideshare operators Uber and Lyft. These companies want things to stay as they were before 2020 rolled in, primarily for the cost savings on things like health insurance, which contractors weren’t entitled to.

Food couriers and ride share companies aren’t the only ones raising a ruckus. In November 2019, the California Trucking Association went to bat for some 70,000 truck drivers in the state, filing a suit that challenged the law. A federal judge recently agreed that the law doesn't apply when it comes to independent truck drivers. 

Other independent contractor types are also exempt from AB 5 -- medical and dental doctors, insurance agents, accountants, and others who generally work directly with customers and set their own prices. 

Winners and losers

When AB 5 was being debated on the California Assembly floor, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez said in no uncertain words that gig companies are reaping the benefits of contract labor and the laborers are getting zilch.

"The same week that workers had to go on strike because their per mileage fee was being cut, an investor was celebrating his $30,000 investment that became $120 million in one day," she said, pointing to the fact that it was the investors, not the drivers, who profited when Lyft went public. 

"Something is wrong with the way that we have allowed these companies to operate. It's time to level the playing field. It's time to be honest with workers. It's time to be honest with companies.” 

A larger section of people who live and die by the gig economy are parents who need the extra income to support their families.  

"With this job, I have the freedom to work when I have time," Alfonso Martinez, who drives for Uber in the Sacramento area, told NPR. In Martinez’ situation, his Uber gig gives him a chance to provide for his school-aged children who have special needs.

Fight to the finish?

With California taking the lead on this issue -- as it does with many other things regarding consumer privacy -- other states and municipalities are likely to take notice. However, it could take some time to find a resolution that makes both companies and contractors feel like they’re getting a win-win.

Uber operates in 600 cities and has nearly 4 million drivers; having to cough up money to pay for the kinds of benefits a normal employee would make would turn their revenue stream from black to red in a heartbeat. So, what does a company in Uber’s situation do vis-a-vis a law like AB 5? It files a lawsuit. Uber and Postmates both filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging AB 5.

The assertion of equal protection violation comes from the large number of occupations exempted from AB 5. The “laundry list of exemptions,” is proof of its “irrationality,” the companies have argued.

The holiday shopping season is over, so many retailers will be winding down their hiring to start 2020. But Lowe’s is already looking ahead to its busy spring retail season. 

The company announced on Thursday that it will be hiring over 53,000 full-time, part-time, and seasonal workers to fill out more than 1,700 stores across the U.S. this spring. To get ready, Lowe’s says it will be holding hiring events over the next three months in different U.S. regions.

“Lowe’s stores in Florida, Southern California and Hawaii, as well as parts of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, where spring weather typically arrives earliest, will host the first walk-in hiring events from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8,” the company said in a press release. “Candidates may receive on-the-spot offers during this open interview process.”

Getting ready for a busy spring season

Lowe’s plans to hold four other hiring events into early March to cover the rest of its stores in other U.S. regions. Those are scheduled to take place on Jan. 15, Feb. 5, Feb. 19, and March 4. For a full rundown of where these events are taking place, consumers can visit the company’s event page here.

Seasonal positions that will be filled during these events include cashiers, lawn and garden associates, stockers, and loaders. The company notes that around half of all seasonal workers typically convert into permanent workers. 

Part- and full-time positions also include supervisors, sales specialists, and customer service and merchandise service associates. 

“Spring is the busiest season for home improvement projects and a great time to launch a new career at Lowe’s,” said Jennifer Weber, Lowe’s executive vice president of human resources. “As part of our strategy to better serve customers and operate our stores more efficiently, these hiring events will help us build the right teams at the right times across the U.S. to meet customer demand as they plan for spring.”

The number of adults choosing to pursue teaching as a career has declined sharply over the last eight years, according to a new analysis by the Center for American Progress (CAP). 

Enrollment in teacher preparation programs has fallen by more than half in the following nine states: New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, California, Oklahoma, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and New Jersey. In Oklahoma, teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities have seen an 80 percent drop in enrollment since 2010. 

CAP researchers attributed the decline in part to low teacher salaries, which force many educators to take on second jobs or rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.  

“The state of the teaching profession is an urgent topic for policymakers and the public, especially against the backdrop of increased teacher strikes and walkouts across the country in the past two years,” the researchers said in the report. “Due to low salaries, difficult working conditions, and a lack of career pathway opportunities, the teaching profession as a whole cannot compare with other high-status professions such as medicine and law.” 

Stress and burnout

All told, there are approximately 340,000 fewer students enrolled in teacher preparation programs today than there were in 2010. 

Some would-be teachers have cited concerns about burnout as a deterrent to pursuing the career. Julia Alvarez, a senior at Michigan State University, said she’s more worried about potential burnout than low pay. 

"The stuff that really worries me is the burnout aspect because I know that I care so much and I want to help,” Alvarez, who will be graduating from MSU this spring, told U.S. News and World Report. “I'm so afraid of being five or 10 years in and being like, I can't do this anymore. That's the worst thing: wanting to help but not feeling like you can."

A number of other studies published this year have attempted to shed light on the impact of declining teacher rates, as well as look into what has fueled the trend. 

In April, a study found that 93 percent of teachers are affected by high levels of job-related stress, which takes a toll on their ability to effectively teach. A separate report found that a significant number of teachers are choosing to leave their teaching career after ten years on the job to pursue a different career path. Teachers often cited the need for a better work/life balance and less pressure on performance as reasons for resigning. 

“It’s not as if they weren’t aware that teaching was going to be demanding,” the authors wrote. “However, they feel that the demands of the job outstrip their capacity to adapt. This raises the questions: what can be done to arrest this trend?”

Consumers are traveling more than ever, but some lawmakers in Congress are worried there soon won’t be enough transportation workers to get people where they’re going.

Three members of the House have introduced the Promoting Service in Transportation Act, which would authorize the government to spend up to $30 million on an ad campaign urging people to go into the transportation industry.

The bipartisan legislation is backed by Representatives Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Don Young (R-Alaska), and Angie Craig (D-Minn.), who say there is a need for more airline pilots, air traffic controllers, truck drivers, and railroad workers.

One industry group says the need for aviation workers is growing especially fast, with 800,000 pilots, 769,000 technicians, and 20,000 air traffic controllers needed over the next decade. Selena Shilad, executive director of the Alliance for Aviation Across America, says the need is becoming critical.

“For this reason, it is incredibly important that we foster enthusiasm in flying and ensure that the many talented, skilled workers across our country are aware of the vast opportunities that exist within the aviation industry,” Shilad said.  “We applaud the introduction of this legislation, which will help to address these challenges and increase awareness of career opportunities in the transportation sector, including aviation pilots, safety inspectors and technicians, air traffic controllers, flight attendants, truck drivers, engineers, transit workers, railroad workers, and other transportation professionals.”

Greater need leads to higher wages

The need for truck drivers is currently driving the pay for that job higher. At the beginning of the year, Walmart announced an increase in the amount it is paying its drivers, as booming sales put even more cargo on the road. By March, there was growing concern that the trucker shortage would result in higher prices for consumers.

Transportation officials say the trucking industry will need 60,000 to 100,000 more drivers each year over the next decade to keep freight moving. 

The legislation would not only urge people to consider careers in transportation. Lawmakers say the act would specifically target minorities and women to increase diversity in the workforce. An estimated 90 percent of professional airline pilots and truck drivers are white males.

While employment in major industry sectors has increased in 2019, transportation job growth has lagged -- not because jobs aren’t available but because fewer people are applying them. As competition has increased for transportation workers, their salaries have risen.

The median salary of an airline pilot is $130,000 a year. The median pay for a truck driver for a private fleet is $73,000, while the Labor Department puts the median pay for all truck drivers at around $40,000.

Going back to work after a serious medical condition comes with obstacles, as recent studies involving both cancer and heart attack survivors have revealed. 

Now, researchers from the University of California at San Diego have discovered that patients recovering from a stint in the intensive care unit (ICU) are facing similar struggles returning to work. 

“We already know that more than 50 percent of patients surviving critical illness experience impairments in cognitive, physical, and/or mental health after ICU stays,” said researcher Dr. Biren Kamdar. “We now can add delayed return-to-work and joblessness to the potential adverse outcomes.” 

Job struggles

To understand the effect that time in the ICU has on later job prospects, the researchers analyzed previous studies that included 10,000 patients who spent time in the ICU. All of the patients were employed before their hospital time, and the researchers worked to determine how their employment status was affected by their illness. 

As Dr. Kamdar explained, patients often still struggle with health concerns after they leave the ICU. The researchers’ study revealed that those concerns are often compounded by stress related to newfound unemployment. 

“Survival is not enough,” said Dr. Kamdar. “We are seeing that many patients get discharged from the ICU and then experience disabilities that significantly affect their quality of life. We need to shift the paradigm of care in the ICU to include early and effective interventions aimed at helping patients get back to a normal life, including returning to work.”  

The largest proportion of ICU survivors were affected by unemployment in the first three months after their time in the hospital, a window that the researchers discovered left two-thirds of ICU patients without jobs. The longer the patient was out of the ICU, the less likely they were to be unemployed. But even after one year, over 30 percent of patients were still out of work. 

“Impacts ranged from unplanned job changes to complete job loss to early retirement,” Dr. Kamdar said. “Survivors frequently required ongoing disability benefits with rates of 20 to 27 percent at one year, and 59 to 89 percent at 76 months.” 

The researchers are putting the onus on hospitals because they say more can be done to help patients while they’re still in the ICU. They hope that future interventions can help patients get in the best shape possible upon discharge so they can make a return to their daily lives as seamlessly as can be expected. 

“Designing and evaluating novel ICU-based interventions is necessary to give patients a chance of having better long-term outcomes,” said Dr. Kamdar. “In coordination with employers, patients may be able to return to their chosen vocations.”  

Microsoft is among the employers experimenting with the work week and reported positive results by shortening it on a trial basis.

Over the centuries, the time companies require employees to be on the job has gotten smaller and the five day, 40-hour week has been the norm for several decades. But in August, a Microsoft subsidiary in Japan closed its offices every Friday. Employees worked Monday through Thursday.

Not only did employees not fall behind in their work, the company reports productivity rose nearly 40 percent over August of 2018. By reducing the number of days worked from five to four, the company hoped it could improve employees’ work-life balance and promote creativity.

The company adopted other measures, including more flexible hours and won praise from nearly everyone by limiting meetings to 30 minutes.

Microsoft is hardly the first firm to experiment with a four-day work week but different companies take different approaches. Some stay with the eight-hour day, reducing the work week by eight hours. Employees at other companies put in four 10-hour days, staying with the 40-hour week.

Both seem to be popular with employees, with many pointing out they often end up putting in 10-hour days anyway. They say it’s a small price to pay for a three-day weekend every week.

A way to attract talent

“In this intensely competitive labor market, employers are figuring out that to attract talent, they have to start offering incentives that differentiate them from competitors,” Ian Siegel, CEO of ZipRecruiter, recently told USA Today.

But it’s possible this novelty could become standard in the not-too-distant future. In September, the AFL-CIO released a report containing the union’s “vision for the future of work.” It proposed a four-day week as standard — a total of 32 hours, not 40. Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, also believes businesses will eventually go along with it.

“We are very serious about this,” Trumka told Vox. “If we’re going to free up jobs for more people, then we have to go there.”

It sounds like Microsoft is becoming a believer in the shorter work week, especially after its trial run. The company said during its experiment in Japan it cut its electricity bill and preserved other resources. Paper consumption plunged as printing decreased by more than 58 percent.

Uber is still a fairly young company, but it appears to be in the process of downsizing. The ride-sharing company has laid off another 350 employees in what Uber says is the final phase of its staff reduction.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced the layoffs in an email to employees, obtained by several media outlets. The job cuts occurred in several divisions, including Eats, the Advanced Technology Group, recruiting, and performance marketing.

“Days like today are tough for us all, and the ELT and I will do everything we can to make certain that we won’t need or have another day like this ahead of us,” Khosrowshahi said in the communications with staff. “We all have to play a part by establishing a new normal in how we work: identifying and eliminating duplicate work, upholding high standards for performance, giving direct feedback and taking action when expectations aren’t being met, and eliminating the bureaucracy that tends to creep as companies grow.”

Other cuts

Previously, Uber eliminated more than 400 jobs throughout the company and another 400 from the marketing team. For the first time, the workforce reduction has included Uber’s self-driving car unit, which is viewed as a major force in the growth of the company.

Uber stock has languished since going public, trading in recent weeks in the $30 range as analysts search for the company’s path to profitability. The stock was up sharply Monday on the news of the workforce reduction.

Uber and rival Lyft encountered additional headwinds over the summer when California's legislature signaled its intention to pass legislation that would, in effect, make ride-sharing drivers employees rather than independent contractors. Both companies said they would challenge such a law.

Uber, meanwhile, has been using its cash to expand the company through acquisitions. Last week, Uber purchased a majority stake in Cornership, an established grocery-delivery company operating in Mexico and Chile.

Uber has launched a new app that connects temporary workers with staffing agencies in need of workers. The app, called Uber Works, is only available in Chicago initially, but Uber says it plans to expand its availability “soon.”  

Shift workers who use the service can find information on pay, location, and working conditions within the app. Workers can also use Uber Works to track working hours and breaks. Employers, meanwhile, can find "vetted and qualified" temporary workers through the app. 

“We believe a more efficient marketplace will also support businesses. By providing a reliable pool of vetted and qualified workers, Uber Works can help businesses reduce scheduling headaches, weather seasonal variations, and staff up for unexpected demand,” Uber said in a statement.

The ride-hailing giant said its app was built on a commitment to delivering services that “support skill up-leveling and promote work re-entry.” Uber said it will be teaming up with “various organizations that support workers in their employment journey.” 

Trying to make a profit

The rollout of the app comes as Uber struggles to achieve profitability. In April, the company said its potential to turn a profit was being hampered by factors that include cutting prices for passengers, spending to recruit drivers, and investing in businesses such as food delivery and scooters. Going forward, Uber said it would be looking to shape its future through “worthwhile investments.” 

Uber is currently embroiled in controversy over how it classifies its workers. Some workers have expressed discontent over their “gig worker” status, which deprives them of benefits. Others, however, appreciate the flexible nature of the job. For its part, Uber has said it continues to believe its drivers are “properly classified as independent.” 

Uber noted in its announcement that staffing agencies -- not Uber -- will be in charge of employing, paying, and handling worker benefits when they use the platform.

General Electric announced on Monday that it’s freezing pension plans for approximately 20,000 employees in an effort to reduce both its debt and its staggering pension deficit. 

Chief Executive Officer Larry Culp, who has been striving to put the company on more solid footing since stepping into the position a year ago, said the plan unveiled Monday will reduce the company’s pension deficit by up to $8 billion. 

The Boston-based company’s pension deficit ranks among the worst in corporate America, according to Bloomberg. Both cuts are expected to help lower the company’s net debt between $4 billion and $6 billion.

The company said 20,000 of its salaried employees will stop accruing new benefits starting in 2021. About 700 employees in a supplementary plan will also be affected. 

GE said it will contribute 3 percent of eligible compensation to a 401(k) plan and will provide matching contributions of 50 percent on as much as 8 percent of eligible compensation. Additionally, the company will be offering a limited time lump-sum payment option to about 100,000 eligible former employees who have not started their monthly U.S. GE Pension Plan payments. 

“Returning GE to a position of strength has required us to make several difficult decisions, and today’s decision to freeze the pension is no exception,” Kevin Cox, chief human resources officer at GE, said in a statement. 

“We carefully weighed market trends and our strategic priority to improve our financial position with the impact to our employees. We are committed to helping our employees through this transition.”

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor finalized a rule that will make roughly 1.3 million more American workers eligible for overtime pay. 

Starting January 1, the minimum salary threshold will be raised to $35,568 per year. Previously, only workers who earned less than $23,000 a year could receive overtime pay under federal law. 

"This rule brings a commonsense approach that offers consistency and certainty for employers as well as clarity and prosperity for American workers,” acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella said in a statement. 

However, an earlier rule proposed by the Obama administration would have made 2.8 million other workers eligible to receive overtime pay. 

Critics say the rules don’t go far enough

Critics of the Labor Department’s new rule take issue with the fact that fewer workers will be eligible for overtime than they would have under an Obama-era rule, which proposed raising the threshold to more than $47,000. 

That rule would have made close to 3 million more workers eligible for either more pay or a shorter workweek, but it was challenged by states and business groups and ultimately never implemented 

"It's a missed opportunity in the sense that millions more could have been helped," Heidi Shierholz, a former Labor Department chief economist under Obama, told NPR. 

The Labor Department says the modified overtime rule will transfer about $400 million per year from U.S. employers to their workers over the next decade.

"Today's rule is a thoughtful product informed by public comment, listening sessions, and long-standing calculations," the Labor Department's wage and hour division administrator Cheryl Stanton said in a statement.

Feelings of doubt can creep up on consumers when they least expect it -- and they may not even know the name for what they’re feeling. 

Despite being qualified for a job or university, employees and students can feel like they don’t really belong in their roles and that their acceptance was somehow an accident. This is imposter syndrome in a nutshell: feeling fraudulent, though success has been documented. 

Because this feeling is so pervasive in many professional settings, researchers from Brigham Young University discovered a helpful way for consumers to cope with imposter syndrome. They say that cultivating a support group of people outside of the circle where one feels like an imposter could be helpful.

“Those outside the social group seem to be able to help students see the big picture and recalibrate their reference groups,” said researcher Jeff Bednar. “After reaching outside their social group for support, students are able to understand themselves more holistically rather than being so focused on what they felt lacked in just one area.” 

Building encouraging support groups

The researchers conducted a two-part study to better understand imposter syndrome and what tactics were helpful -- and unhelpful -- in trying to overcome those fraudulent feelings. 

College students in a rigorous academic environment were interviewed for the first part of the study. Researchers gauged the prevalence of imposter syndrome to see if participants identified with these feelings. They then asked those who had those feelings about how they coped on a day-to-day basis.

One of the biggest takeaways from this portion of the study was that the majority of the students who reported feeling like an imposter academically all shared a common coping mechanism: finding friends outside of their program.  

In the latter portion of the study, the opposite also revealed itself to be true. Following the interviews, the researchers surveyed over 200 college students to see if a pattern would emerge that was similar to the results from the first part of the study. 

Ultimately, students who sought out friends outside of their major were able to reduce how fraudulent they felt in school, whereas having friends in the same area of study was found to exacerbate the feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. 

The researchers were pleased with these findings, as they certainly speak to the professional environment more generally and can be beneficial for consumers struggling with feelings of imposter syndrome in the workplace. 

“It’s important to create cultures where people talk about failure and mistakes,” said Bednar. “When we create those cultures, someone who is feeling strong feelings of imposterism will be more likely to get the help they need within the organization.” 

Virtually any employer would agree that it’s important for employees to have personal goals, but a new study conducted by researchers from San Diego State University found that zeroing in on those goals -- and those goals only -- isn’t always great for the workplace. 

The researchers found that when employees adopt the mindset that their goals are more important than any other outcome, it can take a toll on workplace attitudes, relationships, and overall employee performance. 

“Employees with Machiavellian personalities tend to not trust others; show a willingness to engage in amoral behavior; and exhibit a desire to maintain interpersonal control,” said researcher Dr. Gabi Eissa. “They tend to believe that a coworker’s success is risky, so they become motivated to see others lose. Oftentimes, they feel that when co-workers lose, they win.” 

The effects of the “bottom-line” mentality

Dr. Eissa and his team were most interested in understanding how employees who prioritize a “bottom-line” mentality, meaning that they focus solely on winning (typically personal wins), affected their co-workers and their own job performance. 

The researchers surveyed employees in both the United States and India to ask about the pervasiveness of the bottom-line mentality at their companies, how happy they were at their jobs, and typical workplace dynamics and relationships. 

Regardless of where the employees worked, the outcome was unanimous: employees who are laser-focused on their own achievements tend to cause some disruptions in the workplace. The researchers found that employees’ work can get sloppy when they’re only focused on their own personal success because they tend to stray from company protocol in an effort to reach their goals. 

Moreover, the studies revealed that workplace relationships can become strained when employees are obsessed with the end goal, which previous studies have shown are crucial to overall employee satisfaction. The researchers found that employees can struggle to work together cohesively when they think of each other as competitors to be beaten. 

Unfortunately, employees can sometimes feel pressure from management to adopt this bottom-line mentality. But both employers and employees should be careful about doing this due to the tension it can create.

“Overall, we found that employees focused on the bottom-line are more likely driven to see others lose and less likely to engage in behaviors that may help others succeed,” said Dr. Eissa. “Clearly, when bottom-line outcomes are valued over everything else, employees may be encouraged to act in their own self-interest, even if it means engaging in unethical behaviors.” 

Starting January 1, nearly 2,000 part-time Whole Foods employees will lose the medical benefits they previously received through the company.

The grocery retailer, which was acquired by Amazon in 2017, told Business Insider on Thursday that it will be withdrawing benefits "to better meet the needs of our business and create a more equitable and efficient scheduling model."

Whole Foods said it’s moving to a “single-tier part-time structure” and providing its employees with resources to find other healthcare coverage options. Alternatively, employees slated to lose their benefits may choose to look into full-time, healthcare-eligible positions. 

Going forward, the option to participate in the Whole Foods’ health-care plan will be extended to employees who work a minimum of 30 hours per week. Previously, employees needed to work at least 20 hours a week to buy into the plan. Whole Foods said the policy change will affect just under 2 percent of its workforce. 

Last year, Amazon raised the starting wage for its hourly workers -- including those who work at Whole Foods -- to $15 an hour. 

Uber has argued that it won’t need to reclassify its drivers as employees under California’s Assembly Bill 5 because it’s technically a “technology platform for several different types of digital marketplaces.”

As a “platform,” the company argues that it won’t be required to reclassify any drivers from independent contractors to employees.

“We continue to believe drivers are properly classified as independent, and because we’ll continue to be responsive to what the vast majority of drivers tell us they want most — flexibility — drivers will not be automatically reclassified as employees, even after January of next year,” the company said in a statement.

Tony West, Uber’s chief legal official, said AB5 -- which is expected to go into effect on Jan. 1 after being signed by Governor Gavin Newsom -- “currently says nothing about rideshare drivers.” 

“What AB5 does do is fairly straightforward: it inserts into the California labor code a new legal test that must be used when determining whether a worker is classified as an independent contractor or an employee,” West said on a call with reporters. 

ABC test

West argued that Uber could pass the legal “ABC test” to determine if someone is an independent contractor. Under the test, a company must verify that the following are true: 

1. The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity;

2. He or she works outside the usual course of the company’s business;

3. The worker is engaged in an “independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed.”

West, who added that Uber is “no stranger to legal battles,” said previous rulings have found that “drivers’ work is outside the usual course of Uber’s business.”

Twitter users have taken issue with the official’s remarks, noting that Uber CEO Dara Khosroshahi has said numerous times over the past few years that "drivers are at the heart of the Uber experience," "drivers are who make Uber what it is," and "we can never forget that drivers represent the heart of our service." 

“This is a good point by @Uber,” wrote another Twitter user. “Just last week as my wife and I were leaving a bar, I turned to her and asked ‘are you getting a technology platform for several different types of digital marketplaces’ or should I?”

The California State Senate has advanced a bill that would offer protections to millions of gig workers. The law is currently headed to the State Assembly, where it will need to be signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Assembly Bill 5, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, requires companies -- including Uber and Lyft -- to classify their independent contractors as employees. AB5 also locks in protections like minimum wage, overtime, paid parental leave, and workers compensation.

The New York Times reports that Governor Newsom is expected to sign the bill because he endorsed it. 

"This is a huge win for workers across the nation!" the California Labor Federation said in a statement posted to Twitter. "It's time to rebuild the middle class and ensure ALL workers have the basic protections they deserve."

Reclassifying contractors

In the likely event that the bill is passed, it would go into effect on January 1, 2020. At that point, companies would have to reclassify their contractors as employees. The bill distinguishes contractors from employees in the following way: 

"A person providing labor or services for remuneration shall be considered an employee rather than an independent contractor unless the hiring entity demonstrates that the person is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, the person performs work that is outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business, and the person is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation or business.

The passage of the bill could spur major changes for the gig economy, as it’s expected to influence other states’ legislatures. 

Critics point out potential negatives 

Opponents of the bill have argued that reclassifying contractors would put thousands of drivers out of work, which could lead to longer wait times and higher costs for consumers.

“The negatives facing the economy, the companies, the drivers and the customers from this news will far outweigh any gains for individual drivers (fewer jobs, higher prices, less successful companies) once California legislators codify the CA’s Supreme Court’s original ruling into law,” Micah Rowland, labor market expert and COO of the gig recruiting/hiring platform Fountain, told ConsumerAffairs. “The California economy is large enough that other states would likely follow suit quickly after the legislature takes action.” 

Adrian Durbin, senior director of communications for Lyft, said in a statement that California lawmakers “missed an important opportunity to support the overwhelming majority of rideshare drivers who want a thoughtful solution that balances flexibility with an earnings standard and benefits.” 

“The fact that there were more than 50 industries carved out of AB5 is very telling. We are fully prepared to take this issue to the voters of California to preserve the freedom and access drivers and riders want and need."

Researchers from Penn State recently conducted a study that explored the positive effects felt by employees when their employers go out of their way to show them kindness. 

The study revealed that the effects of kindness are felt far beyond just the workplace, as the researchers found that employees experienced a boost in health, in addition to better job performance. 

“An ultimate solution to improve worker performance and health could be big pay raises or reduced workloads, but when those solutions aren’t feasible, we found that even small offerings can make a big difference,” said researcher Bu Zhong. 

The little things count

Zhong and his team conducted their experiment on nearly 90 bus drivers in Shenzhen, China. The team showed kindness to participants by adding a piece of fresh fruit to their lunch boxes each day. 

Though a seemingly small gesture, the researchers explained that bus drivers are frequently changing schedules, sitting for long periods of time, and missing meals, all factors that can increase stress and affect their overall health.

The researchers kept the experiment going for three weeks, having the bus drivers fill out questionnaires about their depressive symptoms and self-confidence one week before the study began, again one week into the study, and one last time the week following the conclusion of the experiment. 

Ultimately, the small act of kindness -- having a fresh piece of fruit at lunchtime -- boosted the bus drivers’ moods and self-confidence tremendously.

“Bus drivers reported significantly decreased depression levels one week after the experiments ended compared to one week before it began...We found that self-efficacy was significantly higher in the middle of the experiment week than in the week after the experiment ended,” said Zhong. 

The findings from this study suggest that acts of kindness can go a long way, but the team says employers shouldn’t feel pressured to do anything extravagant to make employees feel appreciated for their work. Sometimes, less is more.

“This research suggests that employees can be sensitive to any improvement in the workplace,” Zhong said. “Before an ultimate solution is possible, some small steps can make a difference -- one apple at a time.” 

As the holiday shopping season approaches, several retailers have unveiled their seasonal hiring plans. 

On Tuesday, Target announced that it’s aiming to hire more than 130,000 seasonal workers to help it “deliver an exceptional holiday experience for our guests during the busiest time of the year.” 

The chain said it plans to hire about 125,000 workers for in-store positions and about 8,000 for distribution and fulfillment center jobs. Target will pay workers a minimum starting wage of $13 per hour. The retailer is still poised to implement a $15 minimum hourly wage by the end of 2020. 

In addition to offering competitive pay, Target plans to give seasonal employees a 10 percent discount on their purchases. The retailer also plans to invest $2 million in its holiday team member appreciation program. Under the program, two hourly workers from each store and distribution center will receive a $250 gift card and a chance to donate to local charities of their choice.

“Every team member at Target is given opportunities to grow, take care of themselves and their families, and make an impact on guests and their communities,”  Melissa Kremer, Target’s chief human resources officer, said in a statement. 

Those interested in working for Target can attend one of the retailer’s seasonal hiring events, which will take place this year from Oct. 11 to Oct. 13, and Nov. 2 to Nov. 3. Last year, the company hired 120,000 seasonal workers. Officials said more than 40 percent of those workers retained their position after the holidays. 

Target’s holiday hiring announcement comes a day after UPS announced that it plans to hire about 100,000 seasonal workers this year. Amazon also said it’s preparing to bring on “tens of thousands” of people to fill additional roles during the peak holiday season. 

This year, the job Santa may be wearing brown for many U.S. temporary work seekers.

On Monday, the United Parcel Service (UPS) unveiled its intention to hire close to 100,000 seasonal workers to support its projections of nearly 40 million daily holiday deliveries for retailers that hope for a busy holiday season. We say “hope” because U.S. President Trump has to make good on his word that he’s holding off on tariffs against China until December 15, “just in case some of the tariffs would have an impact on U.S. customers.”

Seasonal hiring rates continue to inch up across the board, including UPS’s extra 100,000 holiday workers, a 5.1 percent bump from 2017.

Available jobs

The seasonal positions run the gamut from part-time to full-time and from package-handlers to drivers. There’s also the added potential that one of the temporary gigs might turn into something more permanent. In the past, an average 35 percent of UPS seasonal workers have been asked to stay on after the holidays.

UPS feels that 35 percent mark has great value for today’s workforce. “That’s important to many,” the company said in a news release. 

“Nearly 70 percent want their seasonal job to turn into a full-time position, according to a recent survey of Americans who hold, have held or would consider taking a seasonal job. And nearly all (90 percent) agreed that seasonal and temporary jobs are a good way to move into a permanent, full-time career.”

What wearing brown will get you

The hourly wages for these seasonal jobs are reported to be between $14 and $30 compared to the average U.S.’ hourly wage of $28.11. 

Many of the positions come with a bonus for students, who can earn up to $1,300 extra toward college expenses when they qualify for UPS’ Earn and Learn program. 

While it’s not an absolute, when one compares the potential employment health of delivery services, UPS seems to be in a more secure third-party position than FedEx, which cut ties with Amazon just last month.

It’s still a pretty good time to be looking for a job, according to the latest employment data from government and private sources.

The Labor Department reports nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 in August, fewer than the month before. However, ADP reported that private payrolls increased by 195,000 during the month, suggesting that employers are still trying to find workers, especially in the private sector.

Jobs appear to be most plentiful in the health care industry, which added 24,000 jobs in August and has added 392,000 new positions in the last 12 months.

Not expecting a recession

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell says the pace of hiring bodes well for the economy in the months ahead and may put an end -- at least for a while -- to worries about a recession.

“We’re not expecting or forecasting a recession,” Powell said at a news conference in Switzerland on Friday. “Incoming data for the United States suggest the most likely outlook for the United States economy is still moderate growth, a strong labor market, and inflation continuing to move back up.”

But Holden Lewis, the home expert at NerdWallet, says the pace of hiring may not be strong enough to boost home sales.

“Mortgage rates are at three-year lows, but rock-bottom rates aren't enough to support home sales,” Lewis said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “People need to feel secure about their jobs, too — and with the pace of hiring slowing down, there's a risk that job insecurity will sneak in.”

Three areas where hiring is strong

Economists at The Conference Board agree that the pace of hiring is beginning to slow down. They note that the strongest growth in jobs is coming in just three areas -- health care, professional and business services, and government.

The organization also notes that labor force participation -- the number of people in the workforce -- continued to improve in August, with the rate rising by 0.2 percentage points to 63.2. The unemployment rate remains near a record low of 3.7 percent.

If the labor market continues to tighten in 2020, that could mean employers will have to offer workers higher wages to hire and retain them. While that could squeeze corporate profits, it could be very good news for consumers.

The consensus among economists seems to suggest the most recent jobs data will not alter a likely Federal Reserve interest rate cut later this month, which again will benefit consumers by lowering the interest paid on credit card balances.

After investigating several practices common among organizations specializing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), researchers have found that there are plenty of opportunities for these groups to do more to promote their female employees. 

Despite more widespread efforts to have women in more STEM roles, study findings show that disparities still remain between men and women in how they’re promoted within their organizations, as well as the types of jobs they’re given. 

“The data suggest that we are making headway,” said researcher Reshma Jagsi. “That said, there are still many institutions that have few women in senior-most faculty positions. There also remains quite a bit of room for improvement in certain areas, including the representation of women in certain roles, such as speaking at scientific meetings.” 

Recognizing the gender differences

To understand the inequalities that still exist between men and women in STEM jobs, the researchers evaluated data from the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), which has records from institutions all over the world from researchers who go through the Foundation for research grants. 

NYSCF then created industry-wide “report cards” for the varying organizations as a way to measure how companies were going about approaching the gender disparities that exist in STEM jobs. 

Utilizing over 740 report cards from institutions in both North America and Europe, the researchers learned that women outnumber men in STEM positions in the younger parts of their careers -- such as undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs. However, as time goes on, men are getting more higher-level positions than their female counterparts. 

For 30 percent of the institutions involved in this study, less than 10 percent of tenure-track positions went to women.. Just over 20 percent of women were represented in full-time professor roles. 

According to Jagsi, the biggest issue isn’t attracting women to STEM jobs, but doing better to promote them to the highest level positions. Moreover, she noted that European STEM organizations do a much better job at this than institutions from North America. 

Moving forward, the researchers hope that organizations that have the power to make change, such as those who provide funding to researchers, can do their part to ensure that women are getting as many opportunities as their male colleagues. 

“Funding organizations are in a unique position to require institutional leaders to pay attention to equity, diversity, and inclusion within their organizations,” said Jagsi. “By requiring these report cards, they can promote actions that help all scientists thrive. We hope that other funding bodies, like the NIH, will adopt a similar report card.” 

Summer is nearly over, and if you have yet to take any vacation time this year, you probably aren’t the only one in your office who hasn’t.

The U.S. Travel Association reports that American workers left 768 million vacation days on the table last year, a 9 percent increase over 2017. The researchers found that more than half of all U.S. workers don’t use all their available paid time off.

So perhaps it’s not that surprising that 96 percent of senior managers at U.S. firms believe their employees are suffering some degree of “burnout,” according to a survey from Accountemps. The condition is defined by the World Health Organization as a syndrome resulting from workplace stress. 

A separate survey found that 91 percent of employees described themselves as at least “somewhat burned out.” Managers were asked to rate the level of burnout among their staff. They had the choice of rating it a 1, which means there is no workplace stress, to as high as 10, meaning the staff is completely fried.

The average was right in the middle, at 5.6. However, 20 percent of the managers rated their staff burnout at eight or higher. Twenty-eight percent of the employees rated their burnout in the eight to 10 range.

Constant interruptions

Interestingly, the managers attributed high burnout levels to high workloads placed on employees. But when the researchers asked employees, they blamed their burnout on working conditions such as constant interruptions.

"Employees are often okay with working hard if they know that their efforts will not go unnoticed by their employers and it helps them advance their careers," said Michael Steinitz, senior executive director of Accountemps, a division of Robert Half. "However, maintaining high productivity cannot come at the expense of staff members' well-being and engagement."

While improving working conditions may go a long way toward relieving burnout, encouraging employees to use their allotted vacation time may also help. As we reported this week, a study from Syracuse University found taking a vacation can actually work to improve health by reducing the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Researcher Bruce Hruska said people who take frequent vacations tend to have lowered risk for metabolic syndrome and metabolic symptoms. He said the researchers actually saw a reduction in the risk for cardiovascular disease that correlated to the amount of time a worker spends away from the job.

A new study conducted by researchers from Portland State University found that bosses who have a tendency towards bullying can not only impact employees’ performance on the job, but can also negatively impact safety in the workplace. 

“Organizations need to understand how important it is to curb leaders’ bad behavior and to create positive team dynamics, so that there will be fewer negative safety consequences for employees or customers,” said researcher Liu-Qin Yang. “It’s really critical to manage such leader behavior, support victimized employees, and prevent such issues.” 

Boosting the employee experience

While bosses’ leadership style can affect employees’ work performance in any field, this study focused on positions where safety is of the utmost importance, such as manufacturing techs and airline pilots. 

Those involved in the study were asked to report on their experiences with bosses in less than ideal circumstances, such as situations where aggressive leadership styles had affected various aspects of the job. 

The results revealed that aggressive and combative bosses made employees more likely to make decisions that were better for them individually, rather than for the group as a whole. When it comes to jobs where safety is of the utmost importance, the researchers say this dynamic could create hazardous conditions.

“When people are less sure about their strengths and weaknesses and their status within a group, they become more sensitive,” said Yang. “They’re more likely to respond negatively to their bosses’ bullying behaviors.” 

The study did recommend several ways for supervisors to implement safety policies, mainly in ways that prioritize employee bonding, a culture that places an emphasis on people, proper leadership, and workplace evaluations so that no one feels left out. 

Healthy relationships in the workplace are key

Ensuring that employees are happy at work is crucial to overall productivity in the workplace, and bosses who choose to form healthy relationships with their employees are more likely to get the most productive hours out of them. 

This idea was made clear in a recent study that found bosses who are profit-driven can yield employees who aren’t performing at their very best.

“Supervisors undoubtedly face heavy scrutiny for the performance levels of their employees, and as such they may tend to emphasize the need for employees to pursue bottom-line outcomes at the exclusion of other competing priorities, such as ethical practices, personal development, or building social connections in the workplace,” the researchers wrote. “However, in doing so they may have to suffer the consequence of reduced employee respect, loyalty, and even liking.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Baylor University revealed some interesting information about how supervisors’ profit-driven mindsets could be affecting their employees’ performance at work. 

According to the researchers, employees don’t perform at their best -- and develop negative views of their supervisors -- when profits and reaching the “bottom line” are the only factors of importance. 

“Supervisors who focus only on profits to the exclusion of caring about other important outcomes, such as employee well-being or environmental or ethical concerns, turn out to be detrimental to employees,” said researcher Matthew Quade, PhD. “This results in relationships that are marked by distrust, dissatisfaction, and lack of affection for the supervisor. And ultimately, that leads to employees who are less likely to complete tasks at a high level and less likely to go above and beyond the call of duty.” 

Understanding employees’ mentality

The researchers surveyed nearly 900 people to get a better understanding of how employees’ performance can be affected by their supervisors’ attitudes; half of the participants were supervisors and the other half were their employees. 

Both supervisors and employees rated each other, with supervisors sharing their employees’ performance levels. Employees were asked to describe their supervisors’ attitudes about profits, as well as how comfortable they feel around them in a non-work related conversations. 

The surveys revealed a very interesting relationship between supervisors and their employees. Bosses who focused primarily on the bottom line were more likely to have employees who thought poorly of them, which led to worse job performance. Even when both employees and supervisors shared the belief that profits should be the primary focus, the outcome didn’t improve. 

“When supervisor and employee [bottom line mentality] is similarly high, our research demonstrates the negative effect on performance is only buffered, not mitigated -- indicating no degree of supervisor [bottom line mentality] seems to be particularly beneficial,” the researchers wrote. 

Ultimately, the researchers hope that supervisors understand the effects that a bottom line mentality can have on their employees so that they can work to incorporate other leadership styles into their business practices and ensure that everyone is working to their full potential.

“Supervisors undoubtedly face heavy scrutiny for the performance levels of their employees, and as such they may tend to emphasize the need for employees to pursue bottom-line outcomes at the exclusion of other competing priorities, such as ethical practices, personal development, or building social connections in the workplace,” the researchers wrote. “However, in doing so they may have to suffer the consequence of reduced employee respect, loyalty, and even liking.” 

Improving job performance

One recent study found that supervisors who prioritize healthy relationships with their employees ultimately see better job performance than those who don’t. 

Ultimately, the study revealed that employees do their best work when they feel that their bosses care about them and respect them, and their work can suffer when they don’t feel this way. 

“The findings imply that showing personal and familial support for employees is a critical part of the leader-follower relationship,” said researcher Shelley Dionne. “While the importance of establishing structure and setting expectations is important for leaders...help and guidance from the leader in developing social ties and support networks for a follower can be a powerful factor in their job performance.”

Consumer optimism continues to be strong, and one reason for that might be because workers’ paychecks are finally starting to get bigger. A new report by ADP Research Institute shows that average pay has increased by $1.09 an hour over the last 12 months, to $28.54 an hour. That’s a 4 percent pay raise.

The biggest gains in pay came in manufacturing and construction. Employees in the services sector and professional and business services also saw strong wage growth.

Ahu Yildirmaz, co-head of the ADP Research Institute, says the labor market has gotten tighter, so when employers find someone they want to hire they have to pay more. They also have to provide incentives to current employees to encourage them not to leave.

"As labor shortages are apparent in most of the sectors, the businesses are holding on to their skilled workers by increasing their wages” Yildirmaz said.

Women are getting the bigger raises

Despite complaints about pay inequity between men and women, Yildirmaz says the latest statistics show the pay gap is now moving in the other direction.

“Female job holders are capturing larger wage gains than their male counterparts,” she said. “Since January 2019, female job holders received average wage gains of 5 percent, while men averaged wage gains of 4.6 percent."

People employed in the information industry appear to have the most leverage when it comes to getting a pay raise. The ADP report shows information workers who switch jobs now have an average salary of $41.08 an hour, a nearly 10 percent increase in the last 12 months.

Job switchers in professional and business services and construction haven’t done badly either. They’ve seen their wages rise 8.3 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively. Those working in trade jobs experienced significantly stronger growth in wages than the workers who switched to jobs in the industry.

Big raises in the Midwest

Geography also influenced pay increases. Those living in the Midwest did better than those in other regions, but only when it comes to pay increases. Midwestern workers earned less, on average, than those in other regions of the country.

The West, which hosts a large number of technology companies, was the most rewarding to people who switched jobs. Those who took positions at other companies enjoyed an average pay bump of 7.3 percent. Employees in the South and Northeast had the lowest wage growth at 3.6 percent. 

Democrats in the House passed a measure to raise the minimum wage from the current $7.25 an hour to $15.

The 231-199 vote was largely symbolic, however. Though the House measure drew three Republican votes, the GOP -- which controls the Senate -- is unlikely to take it up.

Not all Democrats support the idea either, pointing to the economic argument that nearly doubling the minimum wage would likely speed up the automation of many low-skilled jobs and put some of the people the measure is designed to help out of work.

Supporters, however, note the legislation would not impose the new minimum wage overnight. It would be implemented gradually between now and 2025. 

The last minimum wage took effect exactly 10 years ago. Adjusted for inflation, $7.25 in 2009 is equivalent of $8.66 today.

No slam dunk

The measure brought up for a vote Thursday was not a slam dunk for the progressive wing of the party. Key moderates held out until the phase-in period was lengthened. The measure would have also required the government to study the impact of the increase, particularly on small businesses.

Within the last 12 months, major retailers have committed to phasing in a higher minimum wage. In November Amazon raised its minimum wage to $15, saying it would affect more than 250,000 full-time and part-time Amazon employees across the country, as well as over 100,000 seasonal workers hired to work at the company’s fulfillment centers during the holiday season.

Target raised its minimum wage to $13 an hour in June, but it was already paying its staff at least $12 an hour.

Earlier this year, Walmart increased its starting wage to $11 per hour for Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club, Supply Chain, eCommerce, and Home Office hourly associates. The changes took effect in February.

California is currently moving to enact a new state legislation (Assembly Bill 5) that would codify and expand a 2018 State Supreme Court ruling, which states that a worker is considered an employee unless they qualify for an exception.

The proposed legislation would alter the employment classification of rideshare drivers, who don’t qualify for an exception. Under the law, companies would be required to designate most independent contractors as employees and provide them with benefits like unemployment, health insurance, and workers compensation.

Uber and Lyft, who would each be impacted by the bill in a big way, sent emails to drivers over the weekend with the goal of getting them fired up about the effect the bill would have on their flexibility and ability to set their own schedules.

“It’s also no secret that a change to the employment classification of ride-share drivers would pose a risk to our businesses. But it’s equally true that the status quo can and should be improved,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer wrote in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle. “Tell lawmakers to protect driver flexibility.”

In exchange for leaving drivers’ classification status the way it is, the ride-sharing companies vowed to set a minimum pay rate for drivers while they are picking up and dropping off passengers, create a fund for perks like paid time off, and create an association for drivers to advocate for additional improvements.

Drivers support the legislation

On Tuesday, Uber and Lyft drivers -- many of whom have been pushing to be classified as employees for some time --  held a rally outside of Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco to support the new state legislation.

Uber and Lyft driver Rashed Alsanea refuted the claim that driver flexibility is on the line.

“The flexibility, I don’t know what they’re talking about,” Alsanea told a CBS affiliate in San Francisco. “For us, still we have to work in certain times to make money. Otherwise, you’re not gonna make money.”

He said he’s forced to work 16 hours a day because the pay is so low, and the new legislation would see to it that at least drivers have basic protections.

“We’re here for ourselves, our rights, that’s been taken from us by Uber and Lyft. We’re asking for a living wage and we’re asking for benefits,” longtime Uber and Lyft driver Omar A. said at Tuesday’s rally, according to CBS SF Bay Area. “They are trying to force the drivers to sign a petition against AB 5. Actually AB 5 is supporting the drivers and protecting the drivers. That’s what we’re fighting for.”

There are a lot of things that are stressful about work, but a new study could have employees reconsidering if speaking up in front of their boss is one of them.

According to researcher Danielle King, workers are more comfortable sharing their new ideas with their bosses when they receive positive, encouraging comments.

“Given that many employee ideas for change cannot be endorsed, our results highlight the practical importance of providing sensitive explanations for why employee suggestions cannot be embraced,” King said. “Specifically, it is critically important for leaders to exhibit sensitivity in their communication with employees.”

Cultivating a positive work environment

King conducted two studies to gauge how supervisors’ responses affected their employees’ likelihood of speaking up in future situations, both of which proved that sensitivity is key for good morale.

In the first study, nearly 200 participants completed a survey that assessed their experience being rejected in the workplace.

Participants not only described a moment when one of their ideas had been shot down by their boss, but also reflected on how the experience affected their self-esteem and likelihood of speaking up again, and how their bosses had handled the rejection.

The second study had student workers at a marketing agency have their ideas rejected by their bosses. They received one of four different responses, all varying in sensitivity. Following the automated response, the students were then able to revise their pitches and resubmit their ideas.

In both scenarios, the employees were more receptive to bosses who offered clear explanations of why their ideas couldn’t work, while also encouraging them to continue sharing their ideas in the future.

When the reason for rejection was poorly explained or insensitive to the employers’ feelings, workers were less likely to express ideas in future situations.

King hopes that employers are inspired by these findings, and they implement some of these sensitivity tools in their own workplaces.

“As demonstrated in our study, explanation sensitivity led employees to opening up again,” King said. “In addition, it may be valuable to help employees understand that extenuating circumstances sometimes prevent implementation of potentially good ideas. It would also be useful to provide justification for why complete explanations cannot be revealed for strategic or confidentiality reasons. If such explanations are delivered in a sensitive manner, this should maintain the type of leader-employer relationship that encourages employees to speak up in the future.”

Staying open-minded at work

While criticism can be hard to swallow, especially in the workplace, a recent study found that being open to criticism can actually help consumers’ creativity when at work. Researchers found that when criticism comes from a boss can create some roadblocks, while receiving criticism from those of a lower rank can benefit workers’ productivity.

“It makes sense that employees might feel threatened by criticism from their managers,” said researcher Yeun Joon Kim. “Supervisors have a lot of influence in deciding promotions or pay raises. So negative feedback from a boss might trigger career anxieties.”

Target has announced that it plans to expand its child care and family leave benefits for both hourly and salaried employees.

Starting June 30, the company will offer up to four weeks paid family leave annually to allow employees to care for a new baby or sick family member. Employees who just gave birth will still get an additional six to eight weeks of paid maternity leave on top of that.

“Our workforce, like the communities we serve, is multigenerational, and our team members face growing caregiving responsibilities including infants, children, spouses, domestic partners and aging parents,” the company said in a press release.

The retailer added that its new family care benefits “pick up where traditional parental leave policies end, so our team members can support their families for years to come.”

In addition to broadening its parental leave policy, Target will also bolster its child care and elder care benefits. Starting this fall, Target team members will get 20 days of in-center or in-home backup child care or elder care in the event that school suddenly closes or a care provider cancels.

“With our new backup care benefit, team members can rest assured that their loved ones have safe, affordable, reliable care while they’re at work,” Target said.

Expanding benefits

The new “family-focused enhancements” come two months after Target announced it would increase its minimum hourly wage by $1 to $13, with plans to pay $15 by the end of 2020.

“Our team is Target’s greatest asset, from the newest faces to those who’ve been with us for many years. They’re at the heart of everything we do to fulfill our purpose of bringing guests joy,” Melissa Kremer, Target’s Chief Human Resources Officer, said in a statement at the time.

“It takes a diverse, high-performing and engaged team to create experiences that make guests feel welcome and inspired, and keep them coming back. So investing in our team members is essential to keep our business growing and thriving.”

Consumers spend a great deal of their time at work, and having a hostile work environment can be detrimental to both mental and physical health.

According to a new study, employees who experience the brunt of workplace bullying not only feel the effects in their physical health, but it can also negatively impact their self-esteem and own behavior in the workplace.

“Overall, our results show the need to consider not only exposure to and types of bullying, but also their associated consequences,” said researcher Dr. Roberta Fida. “In particular, the findings highlight that victimization is associated not only with health problems, but also with a greater likelihood of not behaving in line with the expected social and organizational norms.”

Understanding bullying

To see how bullying affected employees’ work performance and their overall well-being, the researchers had over 1,000 participants report on their experience with workplace bullying.

The participants shared if they dealt with workplace bullying versus personal bullying. They also reported on any negative behaviors that arose as a result of the bullying, how their health was affected, and how they were able to cope with the bullying, if at all.

Based on the responses, the researchers were able to divide the participants into five different groups:

• Frequently exposed to workplace bullying (4.4 percent)

• Occasional workplace and personal bullying (9.6 percent)

• Limited exposure to workplace bullying and no personal bullying (22.3 percent)

• No exposure to bullying, but with health-related symptoms (23.9 percent)

• No exposure to bullying, with no health-related symptoms (39.9 percent)

Participants in the first group were targeted for both work-related matters and personal issues, and they were found to act out at work and also feel the physical ramifications of bullying. The second group experienced less personal bullying, and they also exhibited better behavior with their coworkers and better physical health.

While each subsequent group showed less physical symptoms because of bullying -- with the exception of the fourth group -- many of the participants struggled with coping skills and dealing with negative emotions.

“The greater the intensity of the bullying and the more exposure to the different types of bullying, the higher the likelihood of engaging in counterproductive workplace behaviour,” said Dr. Frida. “Furthermore, the results show that health-related symptoms are not always associated with experiences of bullying. Indeed, while those experiencing limited work-related bullying did not report health problems, those who were not bullied but misbehaved did.”

Overall, the researchers proved that workplace bullying affects employees in a myriad of ways, and is not something that should be taken lightly by employers. Moving forward, they hope more workplaces take these findings into consideration to provide the best work environments for their workers.

Staying positive at work

In an effort to create more supportive, encouraging workplaces, researchers have explored how different initiatives can affect employees’ morale and satisfaction at work.

For example, a recent study found that expressing gratitude at work can leave employees’ with positive health benefits, while workplaces with health and wellness programs are not only beneficial for physical health, but give consumers an outlet to take their minds off the mental stressors of work.

“Most American adults work, and many spend half or more of their waking hours at work,” said Laura Linnan. “Where we work, how long we work, the conditions of our work, who we work with -- all of these factors impact our health.”

Job site Glassdoor recently compiled a list of the highest-paying entry level jobs and internships for 2019, and a majority of the positions on the list are either in technology or a technology-related field.

With an average starting salary of $95,000, data scientist topped the list, followed by software engineer at $90,000. In the internship category, Amazon and Facebook pay the most at $7,725 and $8,000 per month, respectively.

The list “can serve as a menu of aspirational jobs to potentially work toward, especially as the majority of these entry-level jobs are in the STEM field and require strong technical skills,” said Amanda Stansell, the senior research analyst for Glassdoor.

Highest-paying entry level jobs

Glassdoor said it’s a particularly good time for college students and recent graduates to kick off their careers because of the strong job market.

“With historically low unemployment rates and growing job counts, job seekers are in the driver’s seat when it comes to where they want to work and employers are willing to pay top dollar for roles and skills that are in high demand but short supply,” the study said.

These are the top 25 highest-paying jobs, according to Glassdoor:

1. Data scientist: $95,000

2. Software engineer: &90,000

3. Product manager: $89,000

4. Investment banking analyst: $85,000

5. Product Designer: $85,000

6. UX designer: $73,000

7. Implementation consultant:$72,000

8. Java developer: $72,000

9. Systems engineer: $70,000

10. Software developer: $68,000

11. Process engineer: $68,258

12. Front end developer: $67,500

13. Product engineer: $66,750

14. Actuarial analyst: $66,250

15. Electrical engineer: $66,000

16. Mechanical engineer: $65,000

17. Design engineer: $65,000

18. Applications developer: $65,000

19. Test engineer: $65,000

20. Programmer analyst: $65,000

21. Quality engineer: $64,750

22. Physical therapist: $63,918

23. Field engineer: $63,750

24. Project engineer: $63,000

25. Business analyst: $63,000

The highest-paying internships can be viewed here.

A second federal agency has ruled that Uber drivers are independent contractors, not employees, Bloomberg Law reported. The decision comes amid an ongoing dispute between drivers and Uber regarding the former’s employment classification.

Just last week, Uber drivers protested to demand higher compensation, benefits, and transparent policies. The strike took place just a few days before the company’s IPO.

Uber swiftly reached a settlement with “a large majority” of 60,000 drivers who filed, or said they planned to file, arbitration demands. However, the ride-hailing giant maintained that its drivers are independent contractors because they can decide when they want to work and are allowed to work for competitors.

Now, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has also ruled that Uber drivers are independent contractors. The Board says it will maintain a position that Uber drivers aren’t eligible for federal protections around unionizing since they don’t meet the criteria of being full-time employees.

Control over work hours

“Drivers’ virtually complete control of their cars, work schedules, and log-in locations, together with their freedom to work for competitors of Uber, provided them with significant entrepreneurial opportunity,” the NLRB said in a memorandum written last month and released Tuesday.

“On any given day, at any free moment, UberX drivers could decide how best to serve their economic objectives: by fulfilling ride requests through the App, working for a competing rideshare service, or pursuing a different venture altogether. The surge pricing and other financial incentives Uber utilized to meet rider demand not only reflect Uber’s ‘hands off’ approach, they also constituted a further entrepreneurial opportunity for drivers.”

The same determination was made earlier this year by the Department of Labor (DOL), which said gig-economy workers are independent contractors, and as such, aren’t eligible for minimum wage, overtime pay, and other protections.

Uber acknowledges disappointing IPO

The release of the NLRB’s memo comes just a few days after Uber made a disappointing debut on the stock market. In a note to staff, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi acknowledged the stock’s lackluster performance and attempted to buoy sinking optimism among employees.

"Like all periods of transition, there are ups and downs. Obviously our stock did not trade as well as we had hoped post-IPO. Today is another tough day in the market, and I expect the same as it relates to our stock," Khosrowshahi wrote. “But it is essential that we keep our eye on the long-term value of Uber for our customers, partners, drivers and investors.”

Uber said Tuesday that it’s continuing to work on improving its relationship with drivers.

"We are focused on improving the quality and security of independent work, while preserving the flexibility drivers and couriers tell us they value," an Uber spokesperson told Bloomberg Law.

College students receiving their degrees next month will head out into the job market, but where should they go? It turns out that some states are better than others when it comes to launching a career.

A study by GoBankingRates.com ranks the states that are most helpful to young people beginning a job, with many areas offering good employment opportunities and a reasonable cost of living. The study authors admit some of the results were surprising.

The best states are located along the East Coast and in the upper Midwest. The top five states to launch a career are:

• Maryland

• Massachusetts

• Minnesota

• North Dakota

• Connecticut

One reason these states top the list is there are already a large number of college graduates living there. In nine out of the top 10 states, the share of the population aged 25 or older with a Bachelor's degree is 20 percent or higher.

Maryland offers proximity to the nation’s capital with plenty of high-paying jobs. Amazon’s second headquarters in nearby Arlington, Va., will provide many more.

Massachusetts and Connecticut are attractive for similar reasons. Boston is home to a number of technology companies and is a center of academic excellence. Connecticut is close to high-paying jobs in New York City but without the cost of Manhattan real estate. A number of major corporations are also based in the state.

Bottom of the list

While there are good states for starting a career, there are also bad ones. When you look at the bottom five on the list, you find they all have one thing in common: The cost of living is high relative to salaries, and there are smaller numbers of college graduates.

• Idaho

• Florida

• Mississippi

• Hawaii

• Nevada

California is in the top 10 of the worst states to launch a career. It’s true that the state has a large population of college graduates, but the cost of living all but rules it out. It has the highest gasoline prices in the nation and some of the most expensive real estate of all the states in the ranking.

One thing the Class of 2019 has going for it is a sterling job market, no matter where they decide to settle. The economy added 263,000 jobs in April, sending the nation’s unemployment rate to a 49-year low of 3.6 percent. At the same time, average hourly pay increased 3.2 percent in the last 12 months, building on the same increase recorded in March.

In 2009, college graduates entered a shrinking job market with an unemployment rate of 10 percent. A decade later, the Class of 2019 is finding a market nearly desperate to hire workers and paying more to do so.

According to the Labor Department, the U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs in April, sending the nation’s unemployment rate to a 49-year low of 3.6 percent. At the same time, average hourly pay increased 3.2 percent in the last 12 months, building on the same increase recorded in March.

The biggest job gains last month occurred in professional and business services, construction, health care, and social assistance. Professional and business services added 76,000 jobs during the month, with the lion’s share occurring in administrative and support services and in computer systems design. In the last 12 months, this sector of the job market has added over a half million jobs.

Employees are earning more

“Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by six cents in April to $27.77, following a five-cent gain in March,” Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics William Beach said in a statement. “Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings

have risen by 3.2 percent; the over-the-year percent change has been 3.0 percent or above for nine consecutive months.”

The latest employment numbers contribute to a shifting narrative about the U.S. economy. Since early in the year, the assumption has been that the economy would slow this year, causing the Federal Reserve to back away from its policy of raising interest rates.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said last week the Fed had determined economic weakness was “transitory” and that inflation, fed by economic growth, could well pick up speed later in the year.

Good news for job seekers

In its analysis of the latest employment report, The Conference Board, an economic think tank,  said there is no sign of an economic slowdown and that the labor market should remain hospitable for job seekers. In fact, the organization said all the recent economic releases have suggested the economy will produce an inflation rate above the Fed’s target of 2 percent.

“In such an economic environment, and considering the stagnation in working-age population growth, it is not surprising that the labor market continues to tighten,” The Conference Board said in a statement. “The unemployment rate reached 3.6 percent in April, the lowest rate since December 1969. Labor markets will continue tightening in coming months and wages are likely to accelerate further.”

The Conference Board economists say the recovery in the U.S. economy and the ongoing job market squeeze most likely means the Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates anytime soon.

Just 39 percent of workers tried to negotiate a higher salary during their last job offer, according to a survey by staffing firm Robert Half.

The firm surveyed professionals in 27 U.S. cities and found that those in New York, Dallas, and San Francisco were most likely to negotiate their salary. Men were more likely than women to do so, at 46 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

But job seekers shouldn’t shy away from pushing for more pay. In fact, experts say negotiating on salary can signal to the company that you value your own worth.

A separate survey by Robert Half found that many employers are willing -- and even expect -- to make a deal with candidates. A majority (70 percent) of senior managers said they expect to engage in some back-and-forth on salary.

However, before asking for a higher salary, prospective employees should be aware of two common pitfalls, said Paul McDonald, senior executive director at Robert Half.

"First and foremost, avoid negotiating any part of the compensation package until after you've received a formal offer,” McDonald said. “Second, don't go into a negotiation without practicing the conversation in person with a trusted friend or mentor. Someone who has been in your position can help you prepare for the unexpected and make a stronger case."

Salary negotiation pointers

During the interview, it’s best to wait for the hiring manager to bring up salary, Rowan O’Grady, president of Hays Canada told Yahoo Finance. When it does come up, O’Grady recommends reiterating your excitement about the role.

Other salary negotiation tips include:

• Do your research. Before the interview, use an online tool such as Indeed.com to find the average salary for the position you have applied for. Be sure to consider where the job is based and the cost of living in that area.

• Highlight your credentials. When negotiating for a higher salary, highlight your experience or educational level.

• Be confident. Explain your reasoning with confidence, but don’t be overconfident.

• Aim high. Make the first offer and start out with a high number. Research shows that those who start out with a high number anchor this number in their employers’ minds and receive better offers.

A recent survey of nearly 3,000 professionals conducted by LinkedIn found that half (49 percent) of workers feel stressed in their jobs. Workers cited several different drivers of stress, but one in particular stood out as a key source of stress among the majority.

Seventy percent of those surveyed said workload or difficulty finding work-life balance was the biggest cause of stress. This was true across the board, regardless of age, gender, or seniority.

Behind workload, the following sources of work stress rounded out the top five:

• Confidence in job future (64 percent)

• Sense of purpose/direction (64 percent)

• Colleagues/work politics (63 percent)

• Access to tools to do your job (62 percent)

Demographic differences

While workers of all ages experienced stress related to the amount of work on their plate, the survey found a demographic difference underlying one stress-driver.

LinkedIn found that Generation Xers were more likely to get stressed about confidence in their job future.

“This is could be stemming from AI and how it’s rapidly changing industries,” according to LinkedIn. The website for job seekers noted that its data shows that Gen Xers are “less likely to have AI skills than their millennial counterparts, and unlike Baby Boomers, they still are a good 20 years away from retirement.”

Millennials reported feeling most stressed about their sense of purpose and their opportunities to learn and grow.

Combating the top two stress drivers

Workers who tend to get stressed over a lack of work-life balance should try to say “no” more, according to LinkedIn Learning Instructor and Time Management Guru Dave Crenshaw.

“By taking on less, you’ll be able to better execute your most important work, and you’ll feel less stress at work,” explained LinkedIn. “This starts with setting realistic priorities – and then relentlessly adhering to them.”

To knock out stress that arises from fear about the future of your job, experts recommend making “active learning” part of your routine. The World Economic Forum recommends learning soft skills and at least the basics of AI.

“Not only will this reduce your stress at work, it’ll make you more marketable as well,” LinkedIn noted.

Bank of America, which recently earned a spot on LinkedIn’s annual Top Companies list, has announced that it will be raising its minimum hourly wage to $20 an hour over the next two years.

Starting May 1, the company’s minimum wage will climb to $17 an hour. By 2021, Bank of America plans to have bumped its minimum wage another $3 to $20 per hour.

“If you get a job at Bank of America, you’ll make $41,000” a year, Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan said in an appearance on the MSNBC show “Morning Joe.” “With the success our company has ... we have to share that success with our teammates.”

The company said in a statement that the pay hike is part of its commitment to “being a great place to work,” as well as remaining competitive in the sector.

Competitive compensation

Earlier this week, LinkedIn released its annual list of the top 50 most sought-after companies to work for, and companies in the financial industry appeared to be making a resurgence. Bank of America, along with fellow banking companies Citi and Wells Fargo, placed among the top 25.

Bank of America earned a spot at number 18, ranking slightly higher than Citi (no. 22) and Wells Fargo (no. 25). LinkedIn said it based its 2019 ranking on job demand, overall interest from job seekers, and the employee retention rate at each company.

Back in 2017, Bank of America raised the minimum wage for its more than 205,000 employees to $15 an hour.

In a statement announcing the most recent pay hike, chief human resources officer Sheri Bronstein said the company is raising its minimum wage “because we believe that to best serve our customers and clients, we need the best teams.”

Other financial institutions have also raised wages in an effort to offer competitive compensation. In January 2018, JPMorgan Chase announced that it planned to boost wages to a minimum of $15 to $18 for 22,000 employees, “depending on the local cost of living.”

Job listings website LinkedIn has released its fourth-annual Top Companies List, which ranks the 50 companies job seekers are most interested in working for based on the level of interest they receive from LinkedIn members, as well as the employee retention rate at each company.

LinkedIn says it looks at “billions of actions taken by LinkedIn members around the world to uncover the companies that are attracting the most attention from jobseekers and then hanging onto that talent.”

This approach “looks at what members are doing — not just saying — in their search for fulfilling careers,” according to the site.

Most sought-after companies

Tech giants Alphabet, Facebook, and Amazon took the top three spots for the third consecutive year, while Tesla dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in the list’s four-year history. Meanwhile, jobs in financial industries appear to be making a resurgence based on this year’s list, which ranks Bank of America, Citi, and Wells Fargo among the top 25.

Below is a list of the top 25 companies according to LinkedIn’s rankings:

1. Alphabet

2. Facebook

3. Amazon

4. Salesforce

5. Deloitte

6. Uber

7. Apple

8. Airbnb

9. Oracle

10. Dell Technologies

11. Netflix

12. Cisco

13. The We Company

14. Spotify

15. Comcast NBCUniversal

16. Tesla

17. The Walt Disney Company

18. Bank of America

19. Lyft

20. ADP

21. Goldman Sachs

22. Citi

23. Slack

24. Adobe

25. Wells Fargo

The complete list of 50 companies can be viewed here.

Getting negative feedback at work can be hard to deal with for many consumers. To help fight those negative thoughts, researchers have explored the benefits of being more open to criticism.

According to researchers from the University of Toronto, receiving negative feedback at work can both help and hurt employees, but the most important thing is who delivers the critique: creativity can be sparked when employees receive criticism from someone of a lower rank.

“It makes sense that employees might feel threatened by criticism from their managers,” said researcher Yeun Joon Kim. “Supervisors have a lot of influence in deciding promotions or pay raises. So negative feedback from a boss might trigger career anxieties.”

Staying creative

Kim was inspired by his own experiences at work, and his team completed both a lab experiment and a field experiment to see how criticism at work affected later performance on creative tasks.

“I personally hate hearing negative feedback -- as most people do -- and I wondered if it really improved my performance, particularly when it came to completing creative tasks,” Kim said.

Both of his experiments yielded similar results: hearing criticism from a manager often prompted employees to get in their own heads and feel stunted creatively on their next projects, whereas hearing criticism from people who held lower positions spurred their creativity in future projects.

Kim explained that many employees feel that they’re in competition with their peers, and so hearing criticism from them can be just as detrimental as hearing it from a boss. However, the study also revealed that bosses are very receptive about hearing criticism from their employees, and doing so makes them more creative and productive.

According to Kim, bosses are “in a natural power position and can cope with the discomfort of negative feedback better.”

Moving forward, the researchers suggest that both bosses and employees be mindful when offering criticism, ensuring that comments are focused on work-related outcomes and are in no way personal.

“If you’re a supervisor, just be aware that your negative feedback can hurt your followers’ creativity,” said Kim. “Followers tend to receive negative feedback personally. Therefore, keep your feedback specific to tasks. Explain how the point you’re discussing relates to only their task behavior, not to aspects of the person.”

Workplace wellbeing

Consumers spend a good portion of their time at work, and it can often be stressful. One recent study found that getting into arguments with coworkers can affect your sleep, while another found that co-workers should only offer each other advice when asked first.

However, to cultivate a more positive work environment, researchers found that expressing gratitude in the workplace can improve employee satisfaction and well-being by leading to better sleep and even fewer headaches.

“Employees that receive positive feedback are healthier, and that can impact the bottom line,” said researcher David Cadiz. “Preventing headaches and other stress-related symptoms means fewer sick days, and, in this case, cuts down the cost of replacement nurses and overtime pay.”

Target announced Thursday that it’s bumping its minimum hourly wage to $13 in June, an increase of one dollar an hour for “tens of thousands” of current and future employees. The company says its goal is to hit $15 an hour by the end of next year.

The new minimum wage will apply to employees at the retailer’s stores, distribution centers, and at its Minneapolis headquarters.

“Our team is Target’s greatest asset, from the newest faces to those who’ve been with us for many years. They’re at the heart of everything we do to fulfill our purpose of bringing guests joy,” Melissa Kremer, Target’s new Chief Human Resources Officer, said in a post on Target’s Bullseye View blog.

“It takes a diverse, high-performing and engaged team to create experiences that make guests feel welcome and inspired, and keep them coming back. So investing in our team members is essential to keep our business growing and thriving,” Kremer said.

Staying ahead of competitors

In September of 2017, Target announced that it would raise its minimum wage to $11 as part of a larger goal to increase it to $15 an hour by the end of 2020. In March 2018, the retailer raised its minimum wage to $12 an hour.

By June, the company’s minimum starting hourly pay will be a full $2 higher than rival Walmart’s. Amazon, however, will still have Target beat with its hourly minimum of $15, which it established in November.

Responding to competition from Amazon, Target has been making moves to improve the experience for shoppers and employees. Over the past three years, the company has invested $7 billion in improving its operations. Improvements have included renovations and investments in technology to help the chain adapt to changing consumer shopping preferences.

Last year, Target said it was seeking to give guests “more ways to shop on their terms.” The retailer announced in June that it had expanded its pickup and delivery services in an effort to make Target the “easiest place to shop.”

Saying “thank-you” is habit for many consumers as they go about their day-to-day routine, but expressing gratitude while at work could come with a number of positive benefits, according to a new study.

Researchers from Portland State University say that being thanked in the workplace can lead to improved mental and physical health for employees.

A study of nurses

The researchers chose to focus their study on a group of nurses, who often work long hours and feel run down after shifts.

“Nurses tend to have a thankless job,” said researcher David Cadiz. “It’s very physical, and they’re often being screamed at by patients who are at their lowest. When nurses receive gratitude, it boosts them.”

Nearly 150 nurses were involved in the study, and they completed weekly surveys for 12 weeks  which asked them to describe their experiences at work, their overall health, and both positive and negative events that occurred over the course of the week.

The outcome was clear: when the nurses were thanked more for their work, they experienced several physical and mental benefits.

The researchers explain that the nurses felt better about themselves and the work they do after receiving gratitude, which improved their quality of care with their patients and also led to healthier eating habits, better quality of sleep, and fewer headaches.

“This type of study helps us understand how to keep nurses in the workforce in a healthy way,” said Cadiz. “Nurses strongly align their profession with their identity and often look out for patients more than themselves. The gratitude matches up with their identity, gives them satisfaction in a job well done, and ultimately increases self-care.”

Cadiz suggests that corporations work to incorporate gratitude into their day-to-day routines as a means of keeping morale up with employees and creating a more positive culture in the workplace.

“Employees that receive positive feedback are healthier, and that can impact the bottom line,” Cadiz said. “Preventing headaches and other stress-related symptoms means fewer sick days, and, in this case, cuts down the cost of replacement nurses and overtime pay.”

Effective in the home

As effective as expressing gratitude can be in the workplace, a recent study found that teaching children and teens to foster a mindset of gratitude can be just as beneficial.

Researchers suggest that parents help their children and teens stave off materialism by focusing on being grateful for the things and people already in their lives.

“Our findings show that it is possible to reduce materialism among young consumers, as well as one of its most common negative consequences (non-generosity) using a simple strategy -- fostering gratitude for the things and people in their lives,” wrote researcher Lan Nguyen Chaplin.

Consumers who spend their days in an office also spend most of their days sitting. But with many workplaces implementing sit-stand desks (SSDs), consumers may be able to reverse that trend.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh are currently exploring how consumers can make the most of their sit-stand desks, as much recent research has presented conflicting evidence.

“There has been a great deal of scientific research about sit-stand desks in the past few years, but we have only scratched the surface of this topic,” said Dr. April Chambers. “With my background in occupational injury prevention, I wanted to gather what we know so far and figure out the next steps for how we can use these desks to better benefit people in the workplace.”

Staying standing

Dr. Chambers and her team evaluated over 50 recent studies that examined the ins and outs of sit-stand desks to see how they affected consumers on several different levels: posture, work performance, behavior, discomfort, psychological, and physiological.

According to fellow researcher Dr. Nancy A. Baker, the studies proved that the “strongest changes” were seen in behavior and discomfort, while “the study found only minimal impacts” on any of the other potential factors.

Based on the studies, many sit-stand desk users were disappointed that the device didn’t help them shed excess weight.

According to the researchers, SSDs were initially touted as a tool to aid in fighting obesity, as it would get workers out of their chairs more. While they were effective to that end, and in giving consumers the freedom to move around and be more comfortable during their workdays, losing weight was not a factor here.

Though not effective in tackling obesity, the researchers did note that sit-stand desks were helpful to consumers’ health in that they aided in easing lower back pain and even incrementally lowered blood pressure.

“Though these are mild benefits, certain populations might benefit greatly from even a small change in their health,” said Dr. Chambers.

The researchers want to encourage workplaces to provide their employees with proper training and direction to not only properly use their sit-stand desks, but ensure that doing so will leave them with as many benefits as possible.

“Many workers receive sit-stand desks and start using them without direction,” Dr. Chambers said. “I think proper usage will differ from person to person, and as we gather more research, we will be better able to suggest dosage for a variety of workers.”

The researchers note that there are many factors at play, including how much time is spent standing, how tall consumers’ computers are, how tall their desks are, and if consumers were properly trained in how to operate their SSDs. Ticking off each of those factors would allow consumers to maximize the benefits.

Conflicting advice

While Dr. Chambers and her team are adamant that employees can benefit from their SSDs with the proper training, much of the previous research done on the topic has been conflicting.

While some researchers have found negative consequences associated with prolonged sitting, others have found risks associated with prolonged standing. However, one study suggests that working standing up could be the best thing for consumers’ production. That study focused entirely on work outcomes and found that completing assignments while standing led to much stronger cognitive abilities.

“Test results indicated that continued use of standing desks was associated with significant improvements in executive function and working memory capabilities,” said Ranjana Mehta, PhD. “Changes in corresponding brain activation patterns were also observed.”

The U.S. Department of Labor on Thursday unveiled a proposal that would make more workers eligible to receive overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The proposed rule rewrites the Obama administration’s “overtime rule,” which was adopted in 2016 but never took effect because it was blocked by a federal judge just a week before it was slated to take effect.

The new rule, if enacted, would mandate that workers who earn less than $35,308 a year ($455 to $679 per week) would be eligible for time-and-a-half pay for all hours worked beyond 40 in any given week. The current threshold is set at $23,660.

“The Department proposes to rescind formally the 2016 rule and propose a new rule that updates the minimum weekly standard salary level to reflect growth in wages and salaries, and allow the inclusion of certain nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments to count towards up to 10 percent of the standard salary level,” the DOL said in its proposal.

Instead of allowing the threshold to rise automatically with inflation, the new rule would require that the DOL update the threshold at its discretion every four years.

“This would provide clarity and help workers and employers by having a regular and orderly process for future changes,” the DOL wrote.

Expanding overtime eligibility

The proposal would bring overtime eligibility to 1.1 million additional workers. By comparison, the rule proposed by former President Barack Obama that was invalidated by a federal judge would have have brought overtime eligibility to 4.2 million workers.

"Our economy has more job openings than job seekers and more Americans are joining the labor force," Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said in a news release. "... Today's proposal would bring common sense, consistency, and higher wages to working Americans."

In a statement, Heidi Shierholz, the DOL's chief economist under former President Obama and current director of policy at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute, criticized the Labor Department’s weakened criteria for overtime eligibility.

"This administration is effectively turning its back on millions of workers. Trump and his cabinet are again siding with corporate interests over those of working people,” Shierholz wrote.

As the number of computer and smartphone applications continues to grow, demand for app developers is expected to increase significantly over the next five to seven years, Money Magazine reports.

These professionals make a median salary of $101,790, and they are going to be more in demand than any other position offering the opportunity to pull in a six-figure salary in the U.S. By 2023, the number of app software developers is expected to reach almost 1.1 million, according to a recent study by CareerBuilder.

“The U.S. will be adding 255,140 app developers to the job market between 2016 and 2026,” Money Magazine reported, citing statistics from occupational projections website Projections Central. “That’s about 26,000 new openings for app developers every year, in addition to the estimated 60,170 positions opening up each year to replace current app developers.”

Other in-demand jobs

While app developers will be more in-demand than any other six-figure-salary job, others are hiring at a slower pace.

“The runner-up, General and Operations Managers, will have 41,000 fewer jobs added to the workforce than app developers between now and 2026,” Money Magazine noted.

The following jobs are expected to add 43,000 new positions annually; however they are less lucrative in terms of median annual salary.

• Fast food workers. Median annual salary of below $25,000.

• Aides for the elderly. Median annual salary of below $25,000.

• Registered nurses Median annual salary of $70,000.

Required training for app developers

While many app developers have a degree in computer science, a computer degree isn’t required to be a candidate for the role. In fact, about 42 percent of developers were self-taught, according to a 2015 developer survey conducted by Stack Overflow.

Upon stepping into a role as an app developer, workers will need to keep learning in order to maintain their skill sets.

“App developers need to be well-versed on the latest coding languages to make sure they’re still a viable candidate for their current or prospective job. An app developer who stopped learning new languages in 2012, for example, wouldn’t know the ins and outs of HTML5 and would be underqualified for a job today, much less in 2026,” the publication noted.

Instacart has changed its tipping policy after workers argued that it ultimately lowered their take-home pay.

“We heard loud and clear the frustration when your compensation didn’t match the effort you put forth,” Apoorva Mehta, Instacart’s chief executive, wrote in an open letter to Instacart’s contract workers, known as shoppers.

Instacart, an app that lets customers order groceries and other household items and have them delivered, unveiled the update to its compensation policy back in November. Under the policy, Instacart would sometimes reduce its contribution to a worker’s pay if the person received a certain amount in tips.

In one case, an independent contractor was paid 80 cents by Instacart for a delivery job.

"While our intention was to increase the guaranteed payment for small orders, we understand that the inclusion of tips as a part of this guarantee was misguided. We apologize for taking this approach," CEO Apoorva Mehta said in a blog post on Wednesday.

Reversing the policy

After acknowledging the misstep, the platform announced that it will be doing away with the controversial tipping policy.

Instacart says it will now always separate tips from compensation from the company. Additionally, the startup raised the guaranteed pay for some jobs (at least $5 for orders that require only delivering an item, and $7 to $10 for orders that involve picking items off supermarket shelves).

The San Francisco-based startup also promised to also offer back pay to workers who were adversely affected by the previous tipping policy.

"Instacart shouldn't be paying a shopper $0.80 for [an order]," Mehta wrote. "It doesn't matter that this only happens 1 out of 100,000 times -- it happened to one shopper and that's one time too many."

Mehta said the revised tipping policy will increase Instacart’s overall contribution to worker earnings. “We believe that the change in tip structure will separate Instacart from an industry standard that’s no longer working for our shoppers and our customers,” he said.

After analyzing hundreds of thousands of job openings and salaries, LinkedIn found that some skills are more valuable than others to employers this year.

The platform based its annual ranking of the year’s most promising jobs on the following five factors: salary, career advancement, number of job openings in the US, year-over-year growth in job openings, and widespread regional availability.

This year, the most valuable soft skills are in the fields of creativity, time management, collaboration, adaptability, and persuasion, according to LinkedIn.

In terms of yearly salary, the lowest-paying job on LinkedIn’s 2019 list is a Customer Success Manager. The median base salary for this position is $88,500 per year. The 14 other positions on the list offer median salaries of $100,000 or more.

The platform said the positions on its list, “come with high salaries, a significant number of job openings and year-over-year growth, and are more likely to lead to a promotion.”

15 most promising jobs

Here are the most in-demand skills of 2019, according to LinkedIn:

1. Data Scientist. Top skills needed: Data Science, Data Mining, Data Analysis, Python, Machine Learning; Median base salary: $130,000.

2. Site Reliability Engineer. Top skills needed: Linux, Software Development, Python, Cloud Computing, SQL; Median base salary: $200,000.

3. Enterprise Account Executive. Top skills needed: Salesforce, Cloud Computing, Solution Selling, Software-as-a-Service, Sales Management; Median base salary: $182,000.

4. Product Designer. Top skills needed: Product Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface Design, Graphic Design, Adobe Photoshop; Median base salary: $121,500

5. Product Owner. Top skills needed: Business Analytics, Agile Methodologies, Business Process Improvement, Scrum; Median base salary: $101,000.

6. Customer Success Manager. Top skills needed: Customer Relationship Management, Salesforce, Software-as-a-Service, Customer Satisfaction, Cloud Computing; Median base salary: $88,500.

7. Engagement Manager. Top skills needed: Program Management, Business Analysis, Business Process Improvement, Analytics, Customer Relationship Management; Median base salary: $130,000.

8. Solutions Architect. Top skills needed: Solutions Architecture, Cloud Computing, Software Development, SQL, Software Development Lifecycle; Median base salary: $139,000.

9. Information Technology Lead. Top skills needed: Information Technology, Technical Support, Business Process Improvement, Business Analysis, Troubleshooting. Median base salary: $121,000.

10. Scrum Master. Top skills needed: Scrum, Agile Methodologies, Software Development, Business Analysis, Software Development Lifecycle; Median base salary: $103,000.

11. Cloud Architect. Top skills needed: Cloud Computing, Software Development, Amazon Web Services, Solution Architecture, Linux; Median base salary: $155,000.

12. Product Marketing Manager. Top skills needed: Product Marketing, Product Management, Digital Marketing, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Product Development; Median base salary: $134,000.

13. Solutions Consultant. Top skills needed: Cloud Computing, Enterprise Software, Customer Relationship Management, Software-as-a-Service, Business Analysis; Median base salary: $110,000.

14. Product Manager. Top skills needed: Product Management, Product Development, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Engineering, Product Marketing; Median base salary: $121,000.

15. Machine Learning Engineer. Top Skills: Machine Learning, Python, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science; Median Base Salary: $182,000.

For many consumers, the majority of the day is spent in the company of coworkers. Whether it’s at lunch or during meetings, time spent with colleagues can either be a nice respite from the busy work day, or it can be a cause for greater stress.

Now, researchers from Portland State University found that those who have frequent disagreements or arguments with their coworkers may have trouble sleeping at night. And the restlessness could extend to their partners if the couple works in the same field or company.

“Because work-linked couples have a better idea of what’s going on in each other’s work, they can be better supporters,” said lead author Charlotte Fritz. “They probably know more about the context of the incivil act and might be more pulled into the venting or problem-solving process.”

Sharing stress

Fritz and her team surveyed over 300 couples in a variety of different fields to examine the way they handle workplace arguments -- and how it affects their sleeping habits.

The participants were asked questions about how often they felt preoccupied with negative aspects of work once the work day ended, and also how many times during the night they woke up or couldn’t fall asleep because of work-related issues.

The researchers found that those who experienced incivility at work were more likely to bring those frustrations home with them, which also led to insomnia or trouble sleeping. The participants’ spouses were also found to have trouble sleeping when the couple worked either in the same company or field of work.

Fritz and her team suggest that the best way to combat these struggles and make life outside of work less stressful is for employees to do their best to fully engage in outside activities once the work day is over. Additionally, they called for workplaces to provide civility training for all employees in an effort to instill a more positive atmosphere in the workplace.

“Not talking about work or not supporting your spouse is not the solution,” said Fritz. “They can talk about work, vent about it, discuss it, but then they should make an explicit attempt to unwind together and create good conditions for sleep.”

Cultivating a positive work environment

There are several ways for consumers to go about making the work environment as positive and enjoyable as possible.

A recent study found that coworkers should only offer advice to each other when first sought out or specifically asked.

The researchers found that those who receive unsolicited advice may start to question their self-esteem or role in the workplace, and they may even feel hostile towards the coworker that provided the advice. However, when people wait to be asked and can then offer their assistance or expertise, the help is often appreciated by both parties.

“Right now, there’s a lot of stress on productivity in the workplace, and to be a real go-getter, and to help everyone around you,” said researcher Russell Johnson. “But, it’s not necessarily the best thing when you go out looking for problems and spending time trying to fix them.”

On Tuesday, New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) passed new minimum wage requirements for drivers working for ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. Going forward, drivers will be paid $17.22 per hour.

The new minimum wage is the equivalent of the city’s $15 per hour minimum wage requirement for other employees. The extra few dollars account for the fact that drivers have to pay payroll taxes and don’t receive paid time off.

The new pay rules, which will be implemented in 30 days, are expected to raise the average app-based driver's pay by $9,600 per year, according to the TLC’s analysis.

"Today we brought desperately needed relief to 80,000 working families. All workers deserve the protection of a fair, livable wage and we are proud to be setting the new bar for contractor workers' rights in America," Jim Conigliaro, Jr., founder of the Independent Drivers Guild, said in a statement. "We are thankful to the Mayor, Commissioner Joshi and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, City Council Member Brad Lander and all of the city officials who listened to and stood up for drivers."

Criticism of proposal

Lyft and Uber contend that the move to increase the base pay rate will make it harder and more expensive to get around.

"The TLC's implementation of the City Council's legislation to increase driver earnings will lead to higher than necessary fare increases for riders while missing an opportunity to deal with congestion in Manhattan's central business district,” Jason Post, Uber’s director of public affairs, said in a statement.

Lyft issued its own statement voicing its discontent with the proposal, arguing that the rules will incentive short rides over long rides.

"Unfortunately, the TLC's proposed pay rules will undermine competition by allowing certain companies to pay drivers lower wages, and disincentives drivers from giving rides to and from areas outside Manhattan. These rules would be a step backward for New Yorkers, and we urge the TLC to reconsider them," Lyft said in a statement.

The Independent Drivers Guild has been campaigning for a new base pay rate for several years. The organization estimates that drivers are currently earning just $11.90 per hour after expenses.

The job market in 2018 has been one of the best on record. Unemployment is ending the year at near record lows.

But what does 2019 have in store? ADP, which monitors payrolls on a monthly basis, is projecting even better times for people looking for a job.

First, let's review what happened this year. The jobless rate fell to a nearly 50-year low as the economy added more than two million jobs. After years of no pay raises, the average hourly wage rose $1 an hour. People who changed jobs this year saw an even larger pay bump.

"With 2018 employment levels at an all-time high and broad-based wage growth taking root, the U.S. job market is more dynamic than ever," said Don Weinstein, chief product and technology officer at ADP. "In 2019, employers and workers will increase their focus on issues ranging from the personalization of pay to an increasing mosaic of workers that span full time to gig, data privacy issues, and more."

2019 job market trends

ADP has identified a number of trends in the 2019 job market, including something it calls the personalization of pay.

Among the expected changes in the workplace, ADP believes digital accounts will become more common, allowing employees greater access to their paychecks. In fact, the time schedule for pay may evolve into schedules that meet the needs of individual employees.

ADP's research shows that 86 percent of employees are interested in using non-traditional financial tools to manage their compensation. These tools include ways to manage and budget take-home pay while automatically tracking spending and suggesting budgets.

More work for freelancers

ADP also predicts that organizations will increase their reliance on freelancers and part-time employees to fill the skills gap. You're also more likely to see wide ranges of age in the workforce as employers take advantage of boomers retiring from full-time work but who want to stay engaged in their profession.

Employers are also likely to become more dependent upon data. Human Resources departments will increasingly tap into artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to serve up insights in real time. ADP projections suggest that workers will also have more access to data through financial wellness and professional development tools that support their goals both inside and outside the workplace.

This year’s Christmas stocking isn’t getting much stuffing for a high number of American workers -- at least if last year’s trend continues to hold true.

The Washington Post reported on Friday that, for many U.S. workers, their 2018 take-home pay is exactly the same as it was in 2017. President Trump’s crowing about the lowest unemployment figures in nearly 40 years may have led to job security and new employment, but that improvement also put the brakes on raises.

"Roughly 14 percent of workers — or 1 in 7 — have seen their earnings stall over the past year, counting only those who have stayed in the same job," reported the Post. "That’s only a slight improvement over the 16 percent rate reached in the hangover years after the Great Recession."

The report noted that this situation comes with a bonus win-lose.

If you count for inflation and the cost-of-living uptick employees often get to offset that increase, workers whose salaries have been frozen are actually losing money. According to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics (BLS) inflation calculator, that’s approximately a $1,600 jab to someone who earns $40,000 a year.

Why this is happening

One would think that if economic growth and productivity are on the rise, workers would see a little more in their paychecks.

Right?

Well, yes and no.

The Post says the reason is because there’s no one forcing the employer’s hand. Cited is the decline of private sector unions that would typically champion workers’ wages. There’s also not as many competitors that workers can scout out for a job change and higher salary -- since larger companies are currently ruling the day.

"Another possibility is that business leaders may still be scarred by memories of the Great Recession. In those years, ‘sticky wages’ kept them from cutting salaries -- lest they hurt morale. But the result was higher labor costs at a time of collapsing profits and tight budgets," The Post reports.

Is all hope lost?

There are still companies and governments that are trying to keep their workers’ trip to the bank a happy one.

In the most recent election, both Arkansas and Missouri saw a "by the people, for the people" minimum wage victory at the polls.

In Missouri, voters approved a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage within the state from $7.85 per hour to $12 by 2023. Under the measure, the minimum wage will rise gradually over that five year period.

In neighboring Arkansas, the current $8.50 an hour minimum wage will rise to $11 an hour by 2021. The National Employment Law Project (NELP) estimates that will affect at least 300,000 workers.

Companies like Target and Amazon also seem willing to share their windfall with employees. The latter recently raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour and Target has gone on record saying that its minimum hourly wage will also be $15 an hour by 2020.

The holidays can be a particularly grim time to lose your job and get no severance pay. Just ask the employees of bankrupt toy retailer Toys 'R' Us.

But now, KKR and Bain Capital, two hedge funds that are liquidating the company, have had a change of mind and are establishing a $20 million fund to pay many of the employees who have lost their jobs.

Under bankruptcy law, the owners of Toys 'R' Us assets are not required to offer severance packages. Their decision, announced in a joint statement, follows growing public pressure from former employees and members of Congress.

TRU Financial Assistance Fund

The two companies are establishing the TRU Financial Assistance Fund they say will pay "certain" former Toys 'R' Us employees who lost their jobs as a result of the liquidation. KKR and Bain Capital are each putting up $10 million.

They have retained the services of  Kenneth Feinberg and Camille Biros, whose experience in administering these types of payments include the 9/11 Fund, BP Oil Spill Fund, GM Ignition Switch Compensation Fund, OneFund Boston, and the OneOrlando Fund.

“This is a valuable and important step designed to provide a degree of financial relief to eligible former employees of Toys 'R' Us," Feinberg said. "We are now disseminating a draft of the Protocol outlining the terms and conditions of eligibility so we can gauge employee reaction and comment.”

Worker input

Biros said the fund will be governed by a transparent, straightforward and simple process designed to offer financial relief. She said she expects affected Toys R Us employees to have input.

“KKR and Bain Capital's creation of this fund will bring real support to the thousands of dedicated Toys 'R' Us employees who lost their jobs," said Tracy Forbes, a former Toys 'R' Us manager at the company’s Chandler, Ariz., store. "We hope other firms will follow their lead and contribute.”

Money will be awarded to eligible employees based on hours worked, historic earnings, and tenure. To become eligible employees must have worked at Toys 'R' Us for at least a year and earned no more than $110,000 and no less than $5,000 per year.

In their joint statement, the two hedge funds said they had been Toys 'R' Us shareholders for 12 years and had advocated "for a very different outcome than what occurred." They said their voluntary move to establish the severance fund was a reaction to what they called "an extraordinary set of circumstances."

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can put the entire world at consumers’ fingertips with just a few taps. However, it’s easy to forget the significant impacts social media can have on other aspects of day-to-day life.

A new study tackled the way social media could lead to discriminatory hiring practices.

Researchers found that some employers use job applicants’ country or city of origin -- information that was only available on their Facebook profiles -- as an indicator of whether or not to call them back or offer them positions. Though the study was based in France, the results speak volumes for any job market.

Design choices matter

The researchers sent out over 800 job applications from two fake applicants -- one of whom had local origins, while the other had foreign roots. While both applicants sent in resumes and cover letters that didn’t include their hometowns, their Facebook pages revealed their countries of origin to employers.

At the start of the experiment, the researchers found a nearly 42 percent difference in the applicants who received callbacks. The foreign applicant proved to be at a significant disadvantage when it came to being contacted back, compared with the domestic applicant.

However, in the midst of the experiment, the researchers noted a massive change in the layout of Facebook. Once Facebook implemented profile tabs, users’ personal information, like country of origin and languages spoken, were no longer available on the homepage. Instead, the changes required users to click more in-depth into others’ profiles to find that information.

Following the change, when job recruiters could no longer tell with one click what country the applicant hailed from, the researchers noticed similar callback rates between their two fake applicants. This finding was perhaps the most important in the study, as it shows the layout of social media was a major factor behind the discriminatory actions.

The researchers are calling on social media companies to be aware of these findings and keep them in mind when designing future updates or page layouts, as they could have life-changing implications.

“This study illustrates that design choices made by online platforms can dramatically affect a decision like calling back, or not, an applicant for a job interview,” said co-author Dr. Matthieu Manant. “Internet companies should integrate this fact into their design thinking.”

For most consumers, the office is where they spend a significant portion of the day. Interacting with co-workers can not only build friendships, but many believe it can help increase productivity in the workplace.

However, based on a new study conducted by researchers from Michigan State University, offering expertise or advice to co-workers may only prove to be beneficial when you’re asked for it.

“Right now, there’s a lot of stress on productivity in the workplace, and to be a real go-getter, and to help everyone around you,” said researcher Russell Johnson. “But, it’s not necessarily the best thing when you go out looking for problems and spending time trying to fix them.”

Proactive vs reactive help

To test the effects of helping in the workplace, Johnson and his team evaluated 54 employees across various industries for 10 days. The goal was to see how helping was perceived in the work environment, what effect it had on work, and whether there was a social impact.

Helping was broken down into two categories: proactive or reactive. Those offering proactive help went out of their way -- unasked -- to offer assistance or guidance. Those offering reactive help did the opposite; they waited until asked by a co-worker to offer help.

After studying the employees’ responses, Johnson found that proactive help isn’t as helpful as many intend it to be -- for both the helper and the recipient of the help. According to Johnson, employees that receive help unprovoked may start to question their self-esteem and not feel gratitude towards the co-worker that helped them. Proactive helpers may not be fully aware of what their co-worker really needs and may not feel as satisfied in the long-term.

“Being proactive can have toxic effects, especially on the helper,” Johnson explains. “They walk away receiving less gratitude from the person that they’re helping, causing them to feel less motivated at work the next day...As for the person receiving the unrequested help, they begin to question their own competency and feel a threat to their workplace autonomy.”

Johnson suggests that help in the workplace can be beneficial for both parties, as long as the help is requested first.

“As someone who wants to help, just sit back and do your own work,” Johnson said. “That’s when you’ll get the most bang for your buck.”

Johnson also notes that the exchange elicits the most positive reaction from both parties when the helper feels gratitude for having helped someone in need. Johnson believes that it’s never too soon to express gratitude for receiving help, as this can only increase the positive experience for the helper.

To incentivize its drivers, Uber is offering a package of benefits, including free college tuition, to drivers who qualify for its new UberPro status.

The company says the new classification will reward drivers and help them excel on and off the road. To achieve UberPro status drivers must maintain a minimum 4.85-star rating and a low cancellation rate.

Drivers also earn points on every trip during fixed three-month periods and the points help them reach and maintain their elite status. That suggests the new program is a tool to persuade drivers to spend more time behind the wheel since racking up points will be key to earning and keeping benefits.

Once obtaining UberPro status a driver might get more rides since consumers using the Uber app will be able to see a driver's UberPro status when they request a ride.

Online degree from Arizona State

The big advantage of UberPro status is paid college tuition for online courses at Arizona State University, a benefit valued at more than $12,000 a year. A qualifying driver can enroll in more than 80 undergraduate degree programs, eight different English language courses tailored to their skill level, or get certified in entrepreneurship. The driver may also transfer the benefit to a spouse, child, or domestic partner.

Other benefits include up to 25 percent off standard car maintenance at 20,000 auto service shops around the country. UberPro drivers can also get up to 5 percent cash back at any gas station is they pay with the Uber Visa Debit Card. Additional benefits include faster airport pickups and free dent repair.

"Whether it’s higher earnings, discounts that help drivers get the most from their time on the road, or a fully-funded higher education that helps them and their families get ahead, we’re committed to helping our most committed partners make progress toward their goals一on and off the road," the company said in a press release.

Beta test

Uber says the new program will be limited to drivers in eight U.S. cities to start but will be rolled out to drivers in more cities in the months ahead.

The eight beta markets where the program will first be available are Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, Phoenix, Orlando, Tampa, Denver, and New Jersey.

Uber drivers can find out more about UberPro in the drivers' app.

Uber is testing an on-demand staffing service called Uber Works, which would let companies recruit temporary workers for events or corporate functions, the Financial Times reports.

The new program -- which is currently being tested in Chicago, following a pilot in Los Angeles earlier this year -- would be the company’s first effort to tap into an industry other than transportation.

Although Uber hasn’t made any official statements about Uber Works, advertisements for the program suggest that the company is seeking candidates with a “strong interest in the on-demand labor space” able to be “on call when the product is busiest (often nights, weekends, and holidays)”.

Diversifying its offerings

In addition to ride-hailing, Uber currently offers freight hauling, food delivery, and electric scooters. The company’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, has said Uber plans to go public next year. The effort to expand beyond transportation is likely part of a larger goal to attract investors as the company prepares for its initial public offering.

"Uber Works could help to persuade potential investors in next year's IPO that Uber is more than just a transportation service, instead pitching it as a broader platform for all kinds of flexible work and on-demand services,” the Financial Times said.

If launched in markets beyond Chicago, Uber Works could also help Uber’s current employees make money when demand for rides is lower than usual. However, sources say the new program is primarily aimed at people who aren't currently drivers with Uber.

Despite a strong labor market, a sizable share of Americans -- 5.1 percent (or 7.9 million people) -- held down multiple jobs in August, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The publication cited “disappointingly moderate” worker pay gains and employers being slow to increase hours and benefits as primary reasons why many U.S. workers are forced to hold multiple jobs. The trend has surfaced despite the unemployment rate having hit an almost five-decade low of 3.9 percent.

Ryan Sweet, head of monetary policy research at Moody’s Analytics, told Bloomberg that millennials may find the notion of having multiple jobs “more appealing,” since this cohort tends to prefer having control over their time. Other younger consumers may be taking on additional work as a way to keep up with the cost of living, as well as student-loan payments.

Gig economy

The gig economy could also be keeping the trend in place, as there are now a plethora of job options that can easily be paired with a day job, such as working for a ride-sharing company like Uber or Lyft.

“Economists point out that the data also reflect cross-currents including the gig economy, educated people opting for the challenge of doing more, or younger workers seeking variety and a work-life balance,” Bloomberg reported.

But while many are holding down multiple jobs that fit together to amount to roughly 40 hours per week, others are forced to take on additional work on top of their full-time work.

A recent ProLogistix survey of nearly 16,000 warehouse employees found that nearly half of warehouse workers have a second job in order to make ends meet; 40 percent of those who hold down another job work 31 hours or more at that second job in addition to their full-time work.

Martha Gimbel, director of economic research at jobs-website Indeed’s Hiring Lab, noted that the higher the education level, the greater the likelihood of having multiple jobs, including in professional and business services, finance, insurance or real-estate, which “goes against stereotypes.”

“The picture remains complex,” the authors of the report concluded. Sweet said the fact that the number of multiple job holders has remained around 5 percent since 2009 may suggest “something more structural” tied to a shift in the economy and demographics.

People may disagree over whether corporations count as people, but there’s little debate that whatever they are, they tilt decidedly male.

In California, for instance, only 16 percent of people on corporate boards are women. Businesses that are based in the state with the fifth largest economy in the world are now going to have to prepare for some modest changes.

On Sunday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a new law requiring publicly-traded companies whose primary offices are in California to have at least one woman on their board by the end of 2019.

That quota will go higher depending on how many board members a given company has. By 2021, companies with at least five directors will have to have two women and those with seven will have to have three women. Companies that don’t comply will be fined $100,000.

"Given all the special privileges that corporations have enjoyed for so long, it's high time corporate boards include the people who constitute more than half the 'persons' in America," Brown said when signing the law.

Providing more gender balance

State senators Hannah-Beth Jackson and Toni Atkins, who sponsored the bill, said they had tried to encourage corporations to bring on more women with voluntary measures back in 2013, but the gender imbalance has barely changed since then.

The legislation sparked a debate over whether requiring women leadership by law would be insulting and lead to ineffectual “token” positions.

“This is an incredibly emotional topic for both the corporations as well as for women,” venture capitalist Jillian Manus told the San Jose Mercury News. “On one hand, I think it’s an insult, and on the other it’s an advantage.”

The California Chamber of Commerce and associations that represent the restaurant industry, the construction industry, the police garage industry, grocery stores, and ambulance companies opposed the measure, claiming that mandates to bring more women on boards would hurt other diversity efforts.

“We are concerned that the mandate…. that focuses only on gender potentially elevates it as a priority over other aspects of diversity,” the groups said.  “Our companies are not focused on only one particular classification, but rather all classifications.”

But proponents noted that the #MeToo movement has exposed numerous companies and industries for allowing the abuse of female employees and other women. Jackson, the state senator, argued that it was “no coincidence” that disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein had no women on the board of his production company.

The new law will also affect Silicon Valley. Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and Susan Desmond-Hellmann are the only two women on the company’s nine-member board. Google and Apple have a respective 11 and eight people on their boards, but each only have two women.

A new study out of Michigan State University found that checking emails can have as many negative effects on bosses and managers as it does on employees.

The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, found that when managers feel overwhelmed they tend to stick to smaller tasks in an effort to feel more productive.

“Like most tools, email is useful but it can become disruptive and even damaging if used excessively or inappropriately,” said lead researcher Russell Johnson. “When managers are the ones trying to recover from email interruptions, they fail to meet their goals, they neglect manager responsibilities, and their subordinates don’t have the leadership behavior they need to thrive.”

Emails interrupt progress

Emails can interrupt a good portion of workers’ days; the researchers found that both employees and managers spend over an hour and a half per day recovering from email-related interruptions. As troublesome as this can be for everyone in the workplace, the findings suggest the effects could be worse for managers.

Johnson and his team came to their conclusions after evaluating surveys collected from a group two days a week for two weeks. The surveys had managers report on their frequency in engaging in leadership behaviors, frequency and demand of emails, initiation of leadership behaviors, and their perceived progress on core job duties.

Johnson noted that on days when the managers reported more email interruptions, they not only engaged in fewer leadership-related behaviors, but also had lower perceptions on their work-related progress. He suggests that the effects go beyond just the managers’ own work, but can filter out into their other employees.

“The moral of the story is that managers need to set aside specific times to check email,” Johnson said. “This puts the manager in control -- rather than reacting whenever a new message appears in the inbox, which wrestles control away from the manager.

“As we cite in the paper, findings from prior research suggest that it takes time for employees to transition between email and work tasks, so minimizing the number of times they have to make that transition is to their benefit.”

Increased anxiety

Previous studies have shown the effects that answering emails can have on employees -- both during the workday and during their commutes.

At the end of last month, a study out of the University of West England found that if employees were on the clock while checking/responding to emails during their commutes, it would likely “allow for more comfort and flexibility.”

Based on interviews with commuters, the researchers found that many workers appreciate their commuting time and use it to tie up loose ends, both before and after the work day. Additionally, many workers use their time commuting to transition roles -- for example, those with children will need to get them ready for school at home and may use their commute as time to prepare for their responsibilities at the office.

Additionally, a study from Virginia Tech found that just the thought of being expected to check emails during non-work hours caused workers to experience anxiety. There were 100 employees in the study who experienced negative effects from excessive email checking, and their spouses were also affected.

The research team hoped that the study would encourage employers to set clear boundaries where checking emails are concerned, as being upfront about expectations can help assuage anxiety in employees.

“If the nature of the job requires email availability, such expectations should be stated formally as part of job responsibilities,” said study co-author William Becker, a Virginia Tech associate professor of management in the Pamplin College of Business.

Last year, Target caught the eyes of many job seekers when it announced that it would be hiring 100,000 temporary workers for the holiday season. This year, the retailer is raising the ante even higher.

On Thursday, company officials announced that they would be hiring on 120,000 seasonal workers this year, with a large amount of those positions going towards fulfilling online orders. The move will help Target manage what it expects to be a busy holiday season for foot traffic in stores and pick-up and drive-up services.

Target announced that it will be holding hiring events at its stores around the U.S. from October 12 through October 14.

Moving in on the toy market

Target’s decision to increase its workforce during the holidays follows a strong second quarter in which its online sales rose by over 40 percent. CEO Brian Cornell called the bump to online traffic “unprecedented.”

With the closing of Toys “R” Us, the spike comes at a good time. Company officials say that they’ll be looking to step in and snag as much of the toy market as it can when parents go to shop for their little ones this holiday season -- a plan shared by both Walmart and Amazon.

“We are investing in categories like toy and baby where we know we have this big opportunity ahead of us,” Cornell told CNBC in August. “We are going to make sure we are taking more than our fair share of that market share.”

The company plans to fill 7,500 positions at fulfillment and distribution centers, where seasonal workers will help unload and pack up orders. Positions in stores will primarily focus on restocking shelves and helping customers find items.

A new study shows that employers reap what they sow when it comes to treating their employees well.

Researchers from Binghamton University (BU) found that employers who are kind to their employees see better job performance. The team points out that being a benevolent boss can change how workers see you and encourage them to put in more effort when it comes to improving their quality of work.

“The findings imply that showing personal and familial support for employees is a critical part of the leader-follower relationship,” said Shelley Dionne, one of the study’s contributors. “While the importance of establishing structure and setting expectations is important for leaders...help and guidance from the leader in developing social ties and support networks for a follower can be a powerful factor in their job performance.”

Leadership styles and job performance

To come to their findings, Dionne and her colleagues surveyed 200 U.S. working adults and 1,000 military members to get a sense of the different leadership styles that were implemented most often. They found three dominant styles:

• Authoritarianism-dominant leadership -- the leader asserts absolute control and focuses on completing tasks, taking no regard for the well-being of followers.

• Benevolence-dominant leadership -- leaders are primarily concerned with the personal or familial well-being of followers and want them to feel supported with strong social ties.

• Classical paternalistic leadership -- leaders are both authoritarian and benevolent by focusing on task completion while worrying about the well-being of followers. This mirrors a sort of parent/offspring model.

The researchers found that the authoritarian leadership style was most strongly associated with negative results for job performance. Meanwhile, the benevolent leadership style was almost always associated with positive impacts on job performance. Interestingly, the paternalistic style matched the benevolent style when it came to positive outcomes.

More than just tools

The researchers say the main takeaway of the study is that it is important for employers, bosses, and leaders to focus on the well-being of workers and followers to get the best results for performance. Not doing so, they say, can only lead to negative consequences.

“Subordinates and employees are not tools or machines that you can just use. They are human beings and deserve to be treated with respect,” said Chou-Yu Tsai, an assistant professor of management at BU. “Make sure you are focusing on their well-being and helping them find the support they need, while also being clear about what your expectations and priorities are.”

The full study has been published in The Leadership Quarterly journal.

The days of getting a degree in English, History, and Chemistry are long over. According to a new BankRate study of 162 college degrees, Actuarial Science, Zoology, and Nuclear Engineering have taken over as the most valuable college majors.

Across the board, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs rule the day -- and with good reason: salaries are higher and unemployment is lower.

At the top of that rung is Actuarial Science, a profession where degree holders earn more ($108,658) than their peers and have the security of lower unemployment (2.3 percent). And while having an advanced degree (masters or doctoral) is almost a necessity in other programs, only 22 percent of Actuarial Science majors hold an advanced degree, which puts that group at an advantage of getting out into the workplace sooner and carrying less student loan debt.

Increasing flexibility

The paths students follow these days are a far cry from the standard issue mom-was-a-teacher-and-you’ll-be-one-too type thinking.

“The biggest myth we see is by choosing a major you’re basically choosing the career you have for the rest of your life,” said Harry Twyman, director of The Major Experience at UConn.

“Business is a good example. A lot of students think if they want to go into the business field, they have to get a Business degree when in fact we’re seeing History graduates, English graduates and Psychology graduates go into that field.”

In contrast, today’s degrees build in flexibility and reflect more of an integral part of the way the world works.

“If these majors aren't futuristic enough for you, take a look at the growing number of "Interdisciplinary Studies" majors (a rising trend over the last 30 years) where students work with advisors to essentially create their own curriculum and major of study,” wrote Cornerstone’s Charles Coy.

“In our new world of flexible work schedules, job hopping and a growing gig economy, a uniquely personal major like Interdisciplinary Studies may be the most intuitive of all.”

Winners and losers

Business, Science, and Math degrees ruled the roost in the BankRate study, with Zoology and Nuclear Energy joining Actuarial Science as the top three most valuable college majors.

Rounding out the top five were Health & Medical Prepared programs and Applied Mathematics -- both offering six-figure incomes and a 2 percent unemployment rate.

On the other side of the ledger were Visual & Performing Arts, Cosmetology & Culinary Arts, Clinical Psychology, Composition & Speech, and Miscellaneous Fine Arts. The salaries and job security of those majors mirror their importance in the new economy, too. All offer incomes of $51,000 or less and carry an unemployment factor of 4 percent or higher.

Those who scored a job with a Fine Arts degree often end up as art teachers, music contractors, craft artists, and illustrators, according to the career matching platform Sokanu. Still, students with a creative bent shouldn’t toss that talent aside just to score a huge salary as a techie.

“Obtaining a creative arts degree, or miscellaneous arts degree or being in any sort of creative space is a terrific investment, and I would strongly advocate for it,” wrote Philip Olson, co-producer of “Two Cents,” a PBS web show.

“I would caveat that to say that if you get a degree in that space, expect to use it in a nontraditional way if you want to be successful. Don’t go get a degree in music with the expectation that you can only be a professional musician. There are so many other ways to use those skills.”

A new study by the HR advisory firm Future Workplace entitled “The Employee Experience” asked office workers’ opinions on the most desired office perks.

Though many might have expected lavish or leisure-oriented answers, the majority of respondents chose perks that are more suited to their day-to-day needs. In a poll of 1,614 North American workers, the number one perk employees are looking for is natural light and views of the outdoors. This answer won out over other perks like on-site childcare, on-site cafeterias, or fitness centers.

Based on the study’s findings, there are several adverse effects when employees do not have access to natural light or views of the outdoors. Forty-three percent of participants reported feeling gloomy because of the lack of light, while 47 percent have reported feeling tired or very tired from the absence of natural light -- or even a window. Additionally, one-third of employees feel there isn’t enough natural light in their workplace.

Overall wellbeing

Future Workplace’s findings echo those of the most recent Gallup report on The State of the American Workplace. Gallup’s study found that over 50 percent of employees consider overall wellbeing to be “very important” to them. Moreover, the study found that the two biggest factors for employees choosing a new workplace are work-life balance and overall wellbeing. Gallup concluded that employees’ performance and engagement increases when they feel fulfilled in all areas of life.

When it comes to natural light, Cornell researcher Dr. Alan Hedge found that health and wellness among workers goes up when natural light is optimized in the workplace. Workers in well-lit spaces reported a 56 percent reduction in drowsiness, a 51 percent drop in eyestrain, and a 63 percent drop in headaches.

Many workplaces are reconsidering their layouts based on the findings from research like Dr. Hedge’s. Amazon’s Spheres, for example, is a workplace in downtown Seattle that has been designed with over 40,000 plants. The Spheres prescribes to the idea that natural light, healthy activities like walking, and working in the presence of plant life all have the ability to stimulate employees and reduce stress in the workplace.

Similarly, Airbnb has designed its call center in Portland, Oregon to be an open space that features natural light and views of the area, while long couches, standing desks, and wireless technology replaced the more traditional desk and phone setup.

In Salt Lake City, Overstock’s 230,000-square-foot office provides workers with a panoramic view of the Salt Lake Valley. CEO Patrick Byrne wanted his employees to remain connected and inspired by the view and had the windows outfitted with smart blinds that automatically adjust the brightness depending on the time of day; the feature allows employees to avoid glare on their computers.

Employers are realizing that their office spaces greatly contribute to their employees’ overall wellbeing and job performance, and it’s clear that many are working to create a balanced and productive work environment.

Points Light -- a non-profit volunteering group -- has chosen 36 Starbucks Service Fellows in 13 cities to test out a new pilot program that will allow employees to spend half their workweek at a non-profit organization. The workers will spend six months working 20 hours a week at Starbucks and 20 hours a week at local non-profits.

The organizations involved are those that share Starbucks’ values. Employees will be working with organizations that help to support refugees, veterans and military families, and youth through protecting the environment, offering disaster relief, and eliminating hunger.

Virginia Tenpenny, vice president of Global Social Impact at Starbucks and the executive director of the Starbucks Foundation, believes the program will boost morale among employees. Because the program will be spread across stores, Tenpenny is hopeful that those who volunteer will spread the good word among their coworkers.

“Starbucks partners consistently share with us their passion for service both in and out of their stores,” Tenpenny said. “The Service Fellows program powers that passion through philanthropy and partnerships to have the greatest impact. Our Service Fellows program is an innovative approach that combines work, service, and partnerships, a model that will inform how we catalyze our partners and grantees to create enduring change in our communities.”

The program so far  

Points of Light launched the program last week and had 200 initial applicants. The Starbucks Foundation not only provides money for the nonprofits’ programs but also for Points of Light to pay the Starbucks’ employees for their time.

Tenpenny is hoping the program will be so successful that the company will be able to expand it to beyond just 36 people; there will reportedly be a new cohort selected for the fall of 2019. The fellows selected for this year are hourly Starbucks employees that are eligible for health benefits.

The Starbucks Foundation will also be taking recommendations from employees on where to allocate the funds. The Foundation will be donating $1.3 million in grants to several programs through its Opportunity for All initiative.

“I’ve always been very involved in community work and my store manager told me I could not miss this opportunity,” said Katharine Ospina, a Starbucks shift supervisor from Florida who will be working on hurricane preparedness and relief with HandsOn Broward. “I can already see the impact we’re going to make as we become more aware of the issues our communities are facing.”

In an apples-to-apples comparison of paid time off, the United States trails the rest of the world by a vast margin. Truth is, the U.S. is the only major nation that doesn’t guarantee workers any paid vacation time.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a group focused on promoting policies to improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world, found that employees in most countries are entitled to a minimum of 20 days off a year outside of public holidays, which ratchets that number up to 30-35 when they’re included.

The United Kingdom (UK) rules the roost in this department, with 37 total days of paid time off between the 28 days for annual leave and the 9 days for public holidays. France and Spain came in close behind by allowing 36 total days off, with Germany, Chili, and South Korea all doling out 30+ days a year to their workers. Another six notches down, at #12, is where you’ll find the U.S. earning the title of the “no vacation nation.”

“Relying on businesses to voluntarily provide paid leave just hasn’t worked. It’s a national embarrassment that 28 million Americans -- 1 in 4 private sector workers -- don’t get any paid vacation or paid holidays,” said John Schmitt, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and co-author of the Center’s on-going analysis of the subject.

The Center’s study also notes that a good number of foreign countries offer added time off for younger and older workers, shift workers, and those performing community service.

Vacation shame

According to research from Alamo Rent A Car, the bulk of working Millennials feel shamed for taking time off work. “Vacation shame” is an all too familiar feeling for nearly half of U.S. workers, but the Millennial demographic is the group most likely to harbor that feeling.

“We all want job security and don’t want to be seen as easily replaceable,” is the Millennials take, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

“We think we have to suffer through our burnout and ‘do our time.’ We tell ourselves that going to the tropics and sipping margaritas is not the responsible thing to do. That’s why colleagues planning vacations are met with the onslaught of snarky ‘must be nice’ comments.”

Productivity is a double-edged sword. Getting one’s job done is praiseworthy, but taking time off has shown to have positive benefits for both workers and their employers.

“Although it seems counter-intuitive, workers who use their vacation time are more productive and return from vacations more creative and with better ideas,” wrote Jenna Kressler in a post for Canada’s Occupational Safety Group.

662 million unused vacation days

According to a report by Project Time Off, American workers leave a considerable number of vacation days unused -- 662 million in fact.

The folks in Idaho top that list of most unused vacation, with 78 percent of workers passing up the chance to take their time off. Hoisting the banner of good work ethic, more than 30 percent of the Idahoan workers surveyed said they were concerned about showing “complete dedication to their job,” which dampened their desire to taking time away.

On the flip side, only 38 percent of Maine workers left vacation days on the table, with more than half of those surveyed revealing that their company encourages time off.

Since the rise of social media in the last decade, job applicants have been advised to be circumspect in their posts, lest a prospective employer form an unfavorable opinion of them.

But do employers really look at a job applicant's musings on social media, and if so, how many? Yes they do, and a lot more than you think.

A new survey by employment site CareerBuilder finds that 70 percent of employers use social networking sites as part of the applicant screening process. Another 7 percent say they plan to make that part of the process.

That means almost anywhere you apply for a job, they're looking at what you've put on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Does it matter? You bet it does. More than half of the employers who were surveyed -- 57 percent -- said they found things online that caused them to reject an otherwise plausible job application. And 22 percent said they specifically scan an applicant's social media sites looking for a reason not to hire them.

What not to post

What sorts of things can get you in trouble? Basically, anything that might show you aren't a mature adult with good judgment.

The employers who found online content which caused them not to hire someone say the troublesome postings included inappropriate photos and videos, postings about getting drunk or using drugs, making racial slurs, and even admitting to criminal acts.

At the same time, the survey found that most social media posts may actually help your case with an employer. Hiring managers told CareerBuilder they are impressed when a social media poster shows creativity and professionalism and has good communication skills.

Oh, and a word to the wise. Just because you land the job doesn't mean you can go crazy on Instagram. Forty-eight percent of employers say they monitor social media accounts of current employees, with 10 percent doing it daily.

One-third of these employers say they have found material online that caused them to reprimand, and even fire, an employee.

On Tuesday, roughly 67 percent of Missouri residents voted against keeping a right-to-work law, which prohibits unions from requiring fees as a condition of employment.

The state’s right-to-work legislation was first passed and signed into law in 2017 by the state's Republican-controlled Legislature. Tuesday’s vote decided “whether the state should ban compulsory union fees in all private-sector workplaces,” according to the New York Times.

A petition to prevent the law from going into effect and force a public referendum garnered over 300,000 signatures. Opponents contend that these fees are necessary to protect workers’ rights.

“Unions powered an opposition effort that had spent more than $15 million as of late July, well over three times as much as various groups that support right-to-work,” according to the Associated Press. “Advertisements generally have focused on economics, with supporters claiming right-to-work would lead to more jobs and opponents claiming it would drive down wages."

‘Truly historic moment’

The result of the vote marked a major victory for the organized labor movement. It was described as a “truly historic moment” by Mike Louis, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO, the largest federation of unions in the US.

"Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow we're getting back to work. We're going to take this energy and momentum and build more power for working people across Missouri,” Louis said.

"The defeat of this poisonous anti-worker legislation is a victory for all workers across the country," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement. "The message sent by every single person who worked to defeat Prop. A is clear: When we see an opportunity to use our political voice to give workers a more level playing field, we will seize it with overwhelming passion and determination."

With Missouri’s primary elections today, perhaps one of the biggest issues on the ballot is Proposition A, in which voters will have the chance to amend the state constitution and make Missouri a “right-to-work” state. The vote will decide “whether the state should ban compulsory union fees in all private-sector workplaces” according to the New York Times.

“The timing of this is essential,” said national AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Liz Shuler. “I think everyone wants to write the labor movement’s obituary, [but] it’s going to energize and activate us and show that we fight back.”

While a bill was passed and signed into law in 2017 that made Missouri a right-to-work state, thus prohibiting unions from requiring fees as a condition of employment, opponents received over 300,000 signatures on a petition preventing the law from going into effect. The law’s adversaries were adamant that a referendum decide the issue.

Missouri would become the 28th state to adopt right-to-work, should Proposition A pass in today’s election. While advocates of the law believe it will attract more business, labor unions argue that it will weaken the collective power of workers.

“Right now Missouri is missing out on opportunities for new jobs and new investments from companies that will only locate in right-to-work states,” said Ray McCarty, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Missouri.

Impact of the vote

Back in June, the Supreme Court dealt a heavy blow to organized labor unions when it struck down an Illinois law that required non-union workers to pay “fair share fees” that go towards collective bargaining.

“It is hard to estimate how many billions dollars have been taken from non-members and transferred to public-sector unions in violation of the First Amendment,” Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority. “Those unconstitutional executions cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.”

In dissent of the decision, Justice Elena Kagan wrote, “The First Amendment was meant for better things. It was not meant to undermine but to protect democratic governance -- including over the role of public-sector unions.”

Following that decision, labor backers and opponents have turned their attentions towards Missouri. According to Politico, the AP reports that “even though union members comprise just 8.7 percent of Missouri’s workforce last year,” $20 million has been spent on the ballot initiative.

Last month, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) projected that roughly 60,000 fewer Missouri residents would be covered by a union contract should voters approve right-to-work. Based on EPI’s research, the average worker in a right-to-work state makes 3.1 percent less on an hourly basis than in states without such a law.

According to a report released today from CareerBuilder, the midyear forecast is looking increasingly positive for workers. The report showed that 58 percent of employers are planning to give out raises by the end of 2018, with the pay raise increasing by five percent or more at 24 companies.

For new job seekers, 63 percent of employers plan to hire full-time workers in the second half of the year -- up from 60 percent at this time last year. Moreover, 45 percent of companies will be starting new hires off with higher salaries. Those hiring in the remaining months of 2018 will likely offer employees benefits like signing bonuses, free lunches, extra paid time off, and the ability to work remotely.

“Low unemployment and increasing skills gaps continue to plague employers who are struggling to fill roles at all levels within their organizations,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. “Fifty percent of U.S. employers reported that it is taking them longer to fill jobs today compared to any other period of time -- a trend that is ultimately giving job seekers more leverage.”

“Employees are really owning the market and in a position to negotiate,” said Irina Novoselsky, CareerBuilder’s COO.

A look into the survey

The Harris Poll conducted the national surveys on behalf of CareerBuilder from June 21 through July 15, 2018. Responses were taken from 1,023 hiring managers and human resource managers and 1,014 full-time U.S. workers across industries in the private sector.

The survey also looked into the top fields that will be hiring in the second half of the year, which are as follows:

• Customer service: 41 percent

• Sales: 28 percent

• Information Technology: 22 percent

• Product Development: 16 percent

• Business Development: 16 percent

According to a government report released today, the unemployment rate for July was at 3.9 percent. While this figure is positive for the economy, it means the pool of potential workers is shrinking. In order to attract and maintain employees, many companies will be offering several perks for new hires, including:

• Casual dress code: 36 percent

• Employee discounts: 31 percent

• Ability to work remotely: 25 percent

• Extra paid time off: 22 percent

• Signing bonus: 21 percent

• Free lunches: 14 percent

• Gym memberships: 12 percent

• Work from home Fridays: 10 percent

• Daycare: 8 percent

“It’s really now about the whole package and not just about the salary,” Novoselsky said.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that the way in which nearly every retail store operates violates wage and hour laws.

In most businesses, employees who arrive on the job early to open the store, and those who stay a few minutes after they clock out to close the business are not compensated for those extra minutes on the job.

The California court, in a unanimous decision, has ruled that employees must be paid for that time. The case was brought by a shift supervisor at a Starbucks, who said he should be paid for the time spent after work closing the business and walking other employees to their cars.

Plaintiff Douglas Troester filed the original complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court on behalf of himself and all non-managerial California Starbucks employees who performed store closing tasks from mid-2009 to October 2010.

Starbucks had the case moved to federal court and asked for a summary judgment, arguing Troester’s uncompensated time was so minimal that the company was not required to compensate him. A federal district court ruled in Starbucks' favor but Troester appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which asked the California Supreme Court to clarify state law before it proceeded with Troester's class action suit.

Can't be required to perform tasks without pay

"California law does, in short, make some allowances based on considerations of practicality and reasonableness," the court ruled. "It does not, however, permit an employer to require an employee to regularly work for nontrivial periods of time without providing compensation."

The court established that over the 17-month period of his employment, Troester’s unpaid time totaled approximately 12 hours and 50 minutes. At the then-applicable minimum wage of $8 per hour, this unpaid time added up to $102.67.

The effect of the ruling outside California isn't clear. However, it may cause some national retailers to reexamine their policies for employees who routinely open and close facilities and who are not compensated for that time.

National chains like Starbucks might be affected most. A Starbucks spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times the company is disappointed with the ruling and "will await further disposition of the case before the 9th Circuit as the appeal process continues.”

On Thursday, the White House launched its “Pledge to America’s Workers" job training initiative, which seeks to train and prepare workers for computer and data-based jobs.

Nearly two dozen companies and associations committed to the initiative, which was launched with the aim of spurring hiring by U.S. employers in a variety of trades and professions currently experiencing a labor shortage.

Companies that committed to expanding apprenticeships for potential workers included IBM, FedEx, Walmart, and Lockheed Martin.

"They will sign the pledge, committing to train and re-train more than 3.8 million American students and workers for new jobs and rewarding careers," Trump during the executive order signing event.

Filling vacancies

Trump noted that the nation’s unemployment rate fell to an all-time low of 4 percent last month, but said “people with training” were needed to fill vacancies in a range of industries and professions.

"We want every American to have the chance to earn a great living doing a great job that they love," Trump said at the White House. "When they wake up in the morning, they can't get to work fast enough."

White House adviser Ivanka Trump was also present at the signing ceremony. She said the initiative will equip workers with the training they need to fit new technology-based roles by expanding apprenticeships and increasing on-the-job training to help Americans at all stages of their careers.

"This will spur much-needed action to provide current and future American workers with the training and job opportunities they will need to succeed in our thriving economy and ensure they are able to achieve success not only today, but throughout their careers,” she said.

The White House said the pledge could lead to the creation of more than 500,000 new job opportunities.

"Today, we're lifting Americans off the sidelines, out of the margins, and back into the workforce," Trump said. "By signing the Pledge to America's Workers, these great companies... are affirming their commitment to train American workers for American jobs, because America's strength, America's heart, and America's soul is found in our people."

Seven major fast food chains have agreed to cease using employee contracts that include “no poach” clauses. The restaurants include: Arby’s, Carl’s Jr., McDonald’s, Jimmy Johns, Auntie Anne’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Cinnabon.

These deals often kept low-wage workers confined to specific franchise stores, without the freedom of mobility to accept higher-paying jobs at different stores. However, the provisions didn’t stop workers from switching franchises entirely. For example, workers at McDonald’s would be prohibited from switching between McDonald’s locations but could freely move from McDonald’s to Jimmy Johns.

Now, under a new agreement with Washington State, these clauses will be removed from contracts with these franchises. In addition to Washington, the seven chains involved will be enforcing the end of the no poach deals nationwide, as the clauses will not be added to new or renewed contracts.

“My goal is to eliminate these provisions in all fast-food contracts in my state,” said Bob Ferguson, Washington state’s attorney general.

The effects of the clause  

Because most fast food chains are independently owned and operated, no-poach provisions are typically buried within the contracts between the chains and the franchisees. Workers tend to not even know the limitations of these clauses until they look to switch jobs.

From the perspective of the franchise owner, the clause helps protect the time and money spent training new employees. However, under the clause, employees are often unable to explore new -- and potentially more lucrative -- opportunities.

Based on research from Princeton economists Alan Krueger and Orley Ashenfelter, no-poach clauses affect nearly 70,000 individual restaurants in the United States, which is more than a quarter of fast food stores.

“I’m pleased that the research that Professor Ashenfelter and I did has shined attention on this issue,” Professor Krueger said. “I hope that either through judicial action or legislation or voluntary decision by the franchise chains, that these noncompetitive practices are dropped.”

The professors research showed that the no-poach clauses mainly limit turnover and competition in fast food chains, while also keeping wages low.

Recent investigation

Though Washington has now banned the no-poach clause, attorneys general from 11 states are currently investigating the practice as it pertains to all fast food chains.

“Non-poach agreements unfairly limit the freedom of fast-food and other low-wage workers to seek promotions and earn a better living,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

The attorneys general will be investigating Arby’s, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Little Caesars, Panera Bread, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and Wendy’s. The states are demanding to see the franchises’ non-poaching provisions and other paperwork by August 6th.

Uber has laid off its self-driving car operators in Pittsburgh, as the company continues to work on fine-tuning its autonomous vehicle program.

The company informed close to 100 autonomous vehicle operators that they’d be losing their jobs, though it is encouraging those employees to apply for other positions within the company.

Vehicle operators typically monitor Uber’s self-driving cars, and though the position will no longer exist, the company will be replacing these jobs with 55 “mission specialists.” According to Quartz, the specialists will provide more technical feedback to self-driving car developers and train in both on-road and advanced test-track operations.

“Our team remains committed to building safe self-driving technology, and we look forward to returning to public roads in the coming months,” Uber said in a statement.

Recent troubles with self-driving vehicles

The decision to terminate these positions comes after a fatal accident in Tempe, Arizona where one of Uber’s autonomous vehicles struck and killed a woman. The car had a human driver but was in autonomous mode at the time of the accident.

Following the accident, Uber shut down its self-driving vehicle operations in Arizona. At the time of that decision, the company laid off 300 employees across the state and began to focus its attention on self-driving car operations in other cities -- San Francisco, Toronto, and Pittsburgh.

The move to shut things down in Pittsburgh is especially significant because it is not only where Uber’s Advanced Technology Group is headquartered, but it’s also where testing began in September 2016.

Uber’s Arizona facility was the company’s largest testing ground, and similar to Pittsburgh, vehicle operators were the most affected by the shutdown.

Attorney generals from 11 states are investigating the fast food industry’s practice of barring employees from switching jobs within a franchise.

So-called “non-poach” clauses have been used by the fast food industry for years, preventing a worker at one McDonald’s in Florida, for instance, from even being considered for a better-paying job at a different McDonald’s.

While employers have claimed that non-poach or no-hire policies are necessary to retain the investment that they made in training and hiring new people, workers’ groups and attorneys say that workers typically aren’t even told of such policies until they try to apply for a better job within the same company.

Workers say that they instead find themselves trapped in the original store where they were hired, unable to move-up within the company or change locations.

‘‘Non-poach agreements unfairly limit the freedom of fast-food and other low-wage workers to seek promotions and earn a better living,’ Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who is leading the probe, said in a statement.

Barring promotions and upward mobility

The attorney generals announced on Monday that they would be investigating eight fast-food chains -- Arby’s, Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Little Caesars, Panera Bread, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, and Wendy’s. The states are demanding to see the companies’ non-poaching provisions and other paperwork by August 6.

The use of non-poach agreements is extremely common, with more than half of major franchises now requiring them of workers. Looking strictly at the fast food industry, that figure reaches 80 percent, according to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

While such agreements may prevent upward mobility within a single company, some industries have tried to take the practice a step further.

Several years ago, Jimmy John’s was forced to eliminate a contract provision that banned former workers from taking jobs from any business considered to be a competitor of the chain. But the company ditched the non-compete agreement for departing workers after New York’s then-Attorney General publicly warned that he considered the practice to be illegal.

It’s not just fast food or retail workers that may find themselves limited by anti-competitive agreements. One survey conducted by economic researchers in 2014 found that one in five employees in the entire country was bound by non-compete clauses. And employment lawyers say that lawsuits related to workers who didn’t honor their non-compete clauses have tripled since 2000.

“Companies of all sorts use them for people at all levels,” an employment attorney told the New York Times last year.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court struck down an Illinois law that required non-union workers to pay fees that go towards collective bargaining. The decision has massive implications on the financial structure of public sector unions and could be devastating to their future outlook.

Conservative Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority in the 5-4 decision.

“It is hard to estimate how many billions of dollars have been taken from non-members and transferred to public-sector unions in violation of the First Amendment,” Alito wrote. “Those unconstitutional executions cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely.”

“The First Amendment was meant for better things,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote, in dissent of the decision. “It was not meant to undermine but to protect democratic governance -- including over the role of public-sector unions.”

Ramifications for unions

Those in favor of the decision believe that non-union members shouldn’t be responsible for paying a share of union dues that cover the cost of negotiating contracts. However, union members have previously reported that this exact outcome would cut off an income source, as well as diminish their political influence in the 23 states where they advocate for both members and non-members.

Nearly half of all union members in the United States are government employees, and a recent non-partisan study found that a Supreme Court defeat would eventually cause public employee unions to lose 726,000 members -- which would be a significant blow.

While Alito noted that unions could “experience unpleasant transition costs in the short term,” he believes labor’s problems aren’t as serious as “the considerable windfall that unions have received...for the past 41 years.”

Despite being in the minority, Justice Kagan continued to reinforce the implications this decision will have moving forward.

“There’s no sugarcoating today’s decision,” Kagan wrote. “The majority overthrows a decision entrenched in this Nation’s law -- and its economic life -- for over 40 years. As a result, it prevents the American people, acting through their state and local officials, from making important choices about workplace governance. And it does so by weaponizing the First Amendment, in a way that unleashes judges, now and in the future, to intervene in economic and regulatory policy.”

History in the case

The debate surrounding the case stems from the decision in the 1977 Supreme Court case Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. That ruling decided that non-members of public sector unions cannot be required to pay fees for a union’s political activities, but they can be required to pay “fair share” fees that go towards employee grievances, physical safety, and training.

The current case began with a lawsuit against an Illinois public sector union filed by Republican Governor Bruce Rauner.

Two years ago, the court was locked in a 4-4 standstill on this same issue when it was presented by a group of California teachers who were opposed to paying the fees. Since then, Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch joined the court and provided the fifth vote to end the fees.

“By requiring unions to represent everyone in a collective bargaining unit without ensuring fair contributions for that representation, unions will be forced to do more with much less -- to the detriment of those they represent,” said Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-California). “The decision today is the latest blow in a decades-long, nationwide effort by conservatives to bust unions that advocate for workers and protect them from employer abuses.”

With the unemployment rate hovering just above record lows, employers are complaining that they can't find the talent they need to fill existing jobs.

But if you spent four years and tens of thousands of dollars getting a college degree, you might not be the workers employers are looking for.

The latest talent shortage survey from the ManpowerGroup found the most difficult slots for employers to fill are skilled workers, with the shortage at the worst it's been in 12 years.

In particular, employers said skilled workers -- such as electricians, welders, and mechanics -- are hard to find. They also said many positions as salesmen and drivers are going unfilled.

College degree not necessary

Many of the jobs that 46 percent of employers say they can't fill require training, but not a four-year college degree.

"We continue to see increasing demand for skilled workers across all sectors of the U.S. economy from transport and trade to manufacturing and sales," said Becky Frankiewicz, President of ManpowerGroup North America. "Employers cannot find the people they need with the right blend of technical skills and human strengths and the problem won't fix itself.”

To fill the gap, the survey found employers are luring retired workers back to their old jobs and recruiting returning parents and part-timers.

More than half of the companies in the survey said they are investing in learning platforms and development tools to build their talent pipeline. To make their open positions more attractive, 19 percent of employers are offering flexible work arrangements and other modifications to the jobs.

Increasing salary

Pay is also improving for many of these positions. According to U.S. News and World Report, the median salary for an electrician in the U.S. was $52,720 in 2016. Electricians are licensed by the states in which they operate after completing a training course. Most require a high school diploma but not an expensive college education.

“It's time for a new approach to attract, recruit and retain talent,” Frankiewicz said. “Employers need to buy skills where necessary, borrow from external sources and help people with adjacent skills bridge from one role to another.”

In other words, employers may have to build their own talent pool because the education system isn't providing it.

As we reported earlier this month, many college graduates struggle to find jobs, even in this tight labor market. Research conducted for the National Association of Colleges and Employers shows the average college graduate who does not leave school with a job will spend 7.4 months looking for one.

While jobseekers can focus on jobs where a talent shortage exists, the ManpowerGroup urges employers to develop more training programs to cultivate talent, both inside and outside the organization.

On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released it’s first in-depth look at non-traditional work in the United States since 2005. It found that traditional jobs still reign supreme.

For years, Americans have taken advantage of the rise of freelance work and the perks that come along with it -- such as a flexible schedule. This caused policymakers to worry that the traditional workplace, and the associated benefits, would disappear. Proponents and critics have continued to argue over the merits of this “gig economy,” despite an apparent lack of data.

Based on the survey’s results, only around 10 percent of Americans in 2017 were employed by what the government calls “alternative working arrangements.” This revised number is actually a decline from 2005, when 11 percent of workers worked in an occupation that’s part of the gig economy.

“I think everybody’s narrative got blown up,” said Michael R. Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

A look inside the survey

Despite what appears to be a drop off in alternative working arrangements, Strain noted various factors the survey didn’t take into consideration.

For starters, the government’s numbers don’t include people who do gig or freelance work to supplement traditional work. The survey also doesn’t consider those who participate in income-generating endeavors, such as renting their homes on Airbnb, which wouldn’t necessarily be considered work.

A survey done by the Federal Reserve in late May found that nearly one-third of Americans are performing some kind of gig work, either exclusively or in addition to traditional work.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ survey also didn’t factor in companies that subcontract work to employees. In those cases, those employees aren’t considered to be alternative workers, but they do earn less and receive smaller benefits.

“The questions on our standard surveys don’t probe into the nature of these arrangements,” said Katherine G. Abraham, a University of Maryland economist who served as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics under Bill Clinton. “We’re not asking the right questions, and they’re hard to answer anyway.”

Abraham noted many employees tend to struggle to classify the work they do. She said that some Uber drivers might consider themselves employees of the company itself, though they are legally identified as independent contractors. However, she also mentioned that if alternative work was really on the rise, it would’ve shown up in this latest survey.

“The fact that our last data point on this was in 2005 makes it so hard to figure out what’s going on,” said Martha Gimbel, director of economic research for Indeed. “Measurement is important, and this is why it’s important to fund data analysis.”

The gig economy in recent news

Despite this latest survey finding a slight decline in alternative workers, a 2016 report from the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) found that employers spent $729 billion on contract workers in 2015, with 29 percent of all U.S. workers performing some kind of gig work that year.

Betterment -- a financial services company -- released a survey in May that showed how the gig economy could potentially change the look of retirement for many people.

Sixteen percent of survey participants said they would continue in the gig economy after a traditional retirement age. Additionally, many of these individuals find that working in the gig economy is a good way to supplement their income to save for retirement.

“One in five full-time giggers say they’ll continue to pick up incremental work as their main source of income following retirement,” the authors of the survey wrote. “Twelve percent of side-hustlers will keep a side job as their main source of income after retiring from their traditional nine-to-five.”

Also this May, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Mark Pocan proposed legislation that they say would strengthen the middle class by severely limiting the gig economy. The lawmakers’ goal is to “restore workers’ rights to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions.”

As of right now, the bill is simply an idea for the future; it has garnered much support from various labor unions, but it is opposed by many Republicans.

For many consumers, a typical work day can involve several meetings that keep them moving all day long. But is the time in between those appointments being wasted?

Researchers from Ohio State University say that may be the case. In a recent analysis of several studies, they found that most people do not make full use of free time leading up to a bigger task. As a result, they say that many people feel that this transition period feels shorter and not as revitalizing.

“We seem to take a mental tax out of our time right before an appointment,” said study co-author Selin Malkoc. “We figure something might come up, we might need some extra time, even when there’s no need to do that. As a result, we do less with the available time.”

Factoring in preparation time

The researchers’ conclusions are drawn from several different studies that gauged how much time people thought they needed to prepare for a given task.

In one case, participants were asked to take part in either a 30-minute or 45-minute study before an appointment that was an hour away. Those who selected 30-minute period were paid a compensatory fee of $2.50, while those who chose the 45-minute period were paid $5.00.

Despite the 15-30 minute buffer period, the researchers say that the participants were far more likely to choose the 30-minute study period to give themselves extra wiggle room before their other appointment.

“It was clear they would have plenty of time to finish and have extra time before their next appointment, but they still were more likely to choose the 30-minute study – even when they had clear financial incentive to choose the longer study,” said Malkoc.

Increased productivity

In another study involving college students, the researchers found that participants also tended to accomplish more when they didn’t have another task to worry about.

During the experiment, a researcher told two different groups of students one of the following: (1) that they had a task coming up soon and had about five minutes before they could get started; or (2) that they simply had five minutes of free time to do what they wanted.

The results showed that the second group tended to complete more tasks during their five-minute period (such as sending a text message, responding to an email, or visiting a social media site) than members in the first group.

“You don’t feel like you can get as much done when you have a task coming up soon. The time seems shorter,” said Malkoc.

Smarter way of scheduling work days

The researchers say their findings could provide insights for companies on how to schedule work days to get the most out of their employees. Malkoc suggests that managers and senior staff stack meetings together to give workers longer, uninterrupted times when they may feel more motivated to tackle bigger projects.

Additionally, she says that it’s important for companies to recognize how much time during the work day employees have to accomplish tasks and adjust accordingly.

“We feel that if we have a meeting in two hours, we shouldn’t work on any big projects. So we may spend time just answering emails or doing things that aren’t as productive,” she said. “We seem to overestimate the things that might happen to take up our time, so we don’t get things done.”

The full study has been published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

On Tuesday, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sent subpoenas to Uber and Lyft demanding that the companies provide records of how drivers are classified, as well as records on driver pay and benefits.

Herrera wants to make sure the ride-hailing companies are honoring a California Supreme Court ruling which requires that companies prove that their drivers are lawfully classified as independent contractors or, if they don’t meet that criteria, are being provided with appropriate benefits, such as minimum wage, sick leave, health care, and paid parental leave.

"San Francisco's laws help ensure that employers provide a fair day's wage for a fair day's work," Herrera said in a statement. "We are not going to turn a blind eye if companies in San Francisco deny workers their pay and benefits."

Documentation requested

The subpoenas seek a complete list of drivers who began or ended at least one ride in San Francisco from 2015 onward, as well as documentation on their hours, wages, health care payments, and other benefits they received. The city is also seeking documentation showing how the companies classify the employment status of those drivers.

Because Uber and Lyft drivers are classified as independent contractors, the majority don’t get paid time off and have to pay for expenses such as gas and car maintenance. Treating drivers as contractors allows the companies to avoid paying for costs such as benefits, overtime, and insurance.

However, a decision made last month by the California Supreme Court makes it harder for employers to classify their workers as independent contractors. In order to do so, businesses must now prove that the worker is not under their direct control, does not perform a core function of their business, and engages in “an independently established trade, occupation, or business.”

A new definition of “employee”

Herrera says that California is reshaping how the term “employee” is defined, and that regulators will ensure that companies like Uber and Lyft provide eligible workers with necessary benefits.

“We don’t know whether these ride-hailing companies are breaking the law until they provide the information we seek in these subpoenas. We are going to ensure that these companies comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling and with San Francisco’s laws,” Herrera said.

“We are going to ensure that these companies pay their drivers what they’ve earned."

Congressional Democrats have proposed legislation to update labor laws, making it more difficult for companies to classify workers as independent contractors.

It follows last week's California Supreme Court ruling that tightened standards at the state level when it comes to deciding whether a worker is an employee, who is entitled to benefits and protections under the law.

Independent contractors proliferated in the aftermath of the Great Recession, when companies laid off millions of workers but then found they still needed some of their services. It led to creation of the so-called “gig economy,” where workers were hired as independent contractors for periodic work.

As the economy recovered, many of these “gig” workers found themselves working full time but without employee benefits, which saved the employer money.

Stiff test

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) are proposing legislation they say would strengthen the middle class by severely limiting the gig economy, requiring employers to meet a stiff test in their classification of workers.

The two lawmakers say their goal is “restoring workers' rights to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions.” The bill has the support of most labor unions.

“We must no longer tolerate CEOs and managers who intimidate, threaten or fire pro-union workers, who threaten to move plants to China if their workers vote in favor of a union, and who refuse to negotiate a first contract with workers who have voted to join unions,” Sanders said. “If we are serious about reducing income and wealth inequality and rebuilding the middle class, we have got to substantially increase the number of union jobs in this country.”

Follows California's lead

The measure would impose many of the same tests for worker classification as set forth last week by the California court. The justices ruled that an employer can only classify a worker as an independent contractor if they are doing work “outside the usual course” of work done by the company.

The Sanders-Pocan measure would go farther, making it easier to form unions and banning state right-to-work laws that prevent unions from collecting fees from all employees, whether they belong to the union or not.

At the moment, the measure is simply an idea for the future. Republicans are unenthusiastic, so it would require Democrats gaining control of both houses of Congress this fall, and capturing the White House in 2020, for the bill to become law.

The California Supreme Court has raised the bar for companies classifying workers as independent contractors instead of employees.

The decision, in a case against Dynamex Operations West, could have far-reaching consequences for companies like Uber and Lyft, but also for millions of workers.

The decision broke little new ground, but it served notice to businesses that they would have to strictly meet the standards that separate an employee from an independent contractor. To be an independent contractor, a worker must be free from the company's control and direction in the way they perform a task.

As an example, the court said a company hiring a plumber to repair a leak is hiring an independent contractor. But hiring a seamstress who works at home is hiring an employee.

"Significant risk"

"Although in some circumstances classification as an independent contractor may be advantageous to workers as well as to businesses, the risk that workers who should be treated as employees may be improperly misclassified as independent contractors is significant in light of the potentially substantial economic incentives that a business may have in mischaracterizing some workers as independent contractors," the justices wrote.

For example, employees pay half of their Social Security/Medicare tax while the employer pays the other half. If the worker is classified as an independent contract, the contractor pays the full amount. There are other costs associated with employees that a business doesn't face when the work is performed by an independent contractor.

The court held that the businesses that misclassify employees as contractors gain an unfair competitive advantage over competitors that strictly follow the rules.

Threatens the gig economy

The ruling threatens to send shock waves through the so-called "gig economy," which grew in the years following the Great Recession. Businesses that were forced to lay off thousands of employees were slow to rehire, finding they could fill needs with temporary workers and independent contractors, who performed jobs for more than one company.

Ridesharing apps Uber and Lyft adopted that model, with drivers using their own vehicles and setting their own hours. It remains to be seen exactly how the court ruling affects these companies and their drivers. Legal experts agree, however, that businesses must be able to prove that an independent contractor is actually running his or her own business.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has noted that telling an employee from an independent contractor is not always easy, saying it often depends on the facts in each case. In the case the California court decided, Dynamex Operations West had previously classified its drivers as employees, but it changed them to independent contractors in 2004 without changing their duties.

"The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if the payer has the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not what will be done and how it will be done," the agency says on its website.

The IRS says the critical factor is whether the employer "has the legal right to control of how the services are performed."