Three techniques help Aytekin Tank tap in into the mental and physical energy necessary to operate his 16-year-old business, Jotform. It's important to set boundaries in managing your time, avoid the unhelpful kind of overthinking that leads to doubt and work at the time of day when you are most productive.
You should BLUF whenever you're giving a presentation to your superiors, meaning that you should state the "bottom line up front" before presenting supporting evidence, writes Gary Genard. "Avoid the mistake many speakers make, in introducing an idea at the same time as detailed data to back up the idea," Genard writes.
Video games are often associated with wasted time, but some experts say they can help professional teams build morale. Certain games can also help workers build translatable skills, such as leadership, budgeting, problem-solving and strategic thinking. As the metaverse gains more and more momentum in personal and professional settings, there will undoubtedly be great interest in how companies navigate gamification.
Leaders should ensure they are rating employees based on their capabilities rather than who they are on a personal level to build a fairer, more objective process, writes Alex Larralde. Larralde offers a five-step plan that involves identifying key competencies for each role along with documenting the feedback given to employees as they grow and improve their skills.
Juliet Schor, a professor and research lead for 4 Day Week Global, talks about why she thinks four-day workweeks will become the norm, albeit mostly for white collar workers. Companies with four-day workweeks such as Healthwise are seeing benefits in both productivity and staff wellbeing, but some leaders see downsides, such as employees feeling pressured to get more done in less time or a mandated day off not providing the spontaneous flexibility needed by some workers.
Laws that took effect in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia on Friday include D.C.'s increase in the hourly minimum wage for non-tipped employees, which has risen to $16.10 from $15.50. Meanwhile, Maryland has codified that "qualified providers" are allowed to carry out abortions in the state, while a Virginia law requires the development of model policies for schools to inform parents if a class involves sexually explicit material.
Massachusetts' original copy of the Declaration of Independence will soon have a new companion -- a recovered letter from Alexander Hamilton to Marquis de Lafayette to warn him about a British threat to French forces in Rhode Island. The letter, originally written in 1780 but believed to be stolen during World War II, is an important piece of history that now has renewed cultural relevance in light of the success of the musical "Hamilton." And yes, just like the musical, the letter includes the "your most obedient" signoff.
