William Perry, former offender and co-founder of the nonprofit This Must be the Place, writes about his experience of seeking work and how, despite interviewing well and getting welcomed by hiring teams, he is repeatedly turned away by HR because of his criminal record. "Should I tear up my degrees, my letters of recommendations, honors I've received along the way?," Perry asks, adding, "What is a second chance, anyway?"

More than 40% of C-suite executives say they plan to keep hybrid work options for their employees, with 30% saying remote work will become a permanent alternative, a PwC survey reveals. "As employers look to attract and retain critical talent, they're shifting their investment into their employees," PwC's Julia Lamm says.

Symbia founder Jodie Rogers outlines seven steps leaders can take to build "mental fitness" among their workforce and improve employee engagement, well-being and create a sense of community. The first steps include actively listening during one-on-one sessions, identifying problems and solutions from responses and transparently tackling any elephants in the room.

Many employers expanded their health benefits and other offerings to alleviate pandemic-related stresses and lessen the tide of the Great Resignation in 2021, writes Travis Rush, CEO of Reperio Health. This year, four health care trends are likely to be at the forefront, including the need for convenience in health care decision-making, health information that is more interactive and actionable, advances in telehealth and virtual care, and a greater focus on cost savings, writes Rush.

Discomfort can be a great learning tool, writes David Burkus, who urges leaders to reflect on failures, get curious, experiment and not be afraid to stir the pot now and then. "And it's the leader's job to model the way on how to have the respectful conflict to learn from diverse ideas," Burkus writes.

Spending time with Tyrone Gladney, the subject of last week’s story King of the Road, opened my eyes to several challenges -- such as heavy fines or not having a place to live -- that many former offenders have to face when they are released. I realize that breaking the law has consequences. It should (and he didn’t argue that). But also true is that as people are trying to put their lives back together, some of these challenges make that process nearly impossible.

We see that in today’s top story about former offender William Perry and his quest for honest work. Over and over, Perry hits a wall with HR, after striking gold with hiring teams. He’s paid his debt to society, but gainful employment remains out of his reach.

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