America's low investment in workforce development and its piecemeal approach to reskilling programs will make it even more difficult to lift people out of pandemic-related unemployment, Caroline Preston writes. Preston examines how businesses, government and education groups are reassessing workforce training in light of the pandemic and technological change.

The US Labor Department has announced that Google has agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle a 4-year-old case brought against the tech giant for "systemic compensation and hiring discrimination" at its California and Washington offices. The department said the discrimination affected Asian and female job applicants, as well as female engineers.

Leaders should deliver feedback in a way that doesn't damage "face" -- an employee's sense of self-esteem or personal dignity, writes Global Leadership Associates President Maya Hu-Chan. Thoughtful feedback should avoid both blunt and safe talk in favor of being direct and focusing mainly on the future, Hu-Chan explains.

Employers on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index had an average disclosure score of 94%, but while transparency in gender equality reporting is increasing, the average data excellence score was 55%. The index also shows that, on average, women hold 39% of the revenue-producing roles in these organizations and that women represent 29% of GEI board membership.

Some leaders are good at managing up, which obscures the awful ways they're treating their reports, writes Marlene Chism. Chism offers three areas for executives to monitor, both for the well-being of their organizations and to avoid legal liability.

A girl from Maui covering the workforce and K-20 education.

When I was trying to figure out what my college major should be, my father told me, “Kid, don’t do it for the money. Never do it for the money. Do what you love and the money will follow.” Dad wasn’t ignoring the obvious practical value of money. But he understood that if I was going to spend several hours a day studying or doing something, I should enjoy it, so I put my best energy and effort into it. Right after that conversation, I declared as an English major. 

TV and screen legend Cicely Tyson, who died last week at age 96, also lived this idea. In the last TV interview she gave before she passed away, Tyson said, “I never really worked for money. I’ve worked because there were certain issues that I wish were addressed about myself and my race as a Black woman.”

People gravitate to projects that have meaning to them -- and generally put their best work into those projects. How are you fostering this practice in your workplace? Let me know. Drop me a line at kanoe.namahoe@futurenet.com.