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Welcome to a special edition of the Careers & Leadership newsletter, featuring stories from our C-Suite Strategies report. In this edition, we look at what bosses can do to make remote workers want to return to the office, as well as remote relationships and how to get workers to actually use their mental-health benefits. Today's edition of the Careers & Leadership newsletter was compiled by Journal Reports editor Elizabeth Seay. Reach her at elizabeth.seay@dowjones.com. |
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| 🏢 Come Back to the Office, Please |
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| Bosses can help employees remember what the office has to offer—from a better desk setup to brainstorming opportunities—and provide new inducements like flexible schedules or on-site daycare. ILLUSTRATION: RAMI NIEMI |
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The office is now a distant memory for many workers—and a lot of them don’t miss it. Sure, managers could force them back to their desks. But it is far better to lure them back. There are things employees used to appreciate about the office, such as colleagues they like and a work environment that's perfect for getting things done. It is up to bosses can help workers remember what the office has to offer. Here are some of the steps managers can take to remind workers of the old, good things and to make the office a more attractive place to be. |
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| 💭 What Really Causes Groupthink |
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President Johnson's Vietnam escalation was considered a case of groupthink. PHOTO: CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES |
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Everyone knows the concept of groupthink. But much of what we know about groupthink is wrong. The people most prone to be part of an insular echo chamber are often the exact opposite of what we assume. For instance, close-knit groups are more, not less, open to divergent views, research shows. |
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| 💘 Till Remote Work Do Us Part |
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| Rainer Agles spent three weeks with his wife, Jen-Ai Notman, and their daughter, Emry, in Portugal in October. The couple are mostly an ocean apart now due to different work arrangements. PHOTO: MATILDE VIEGAS FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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One spouse can work from anywhere. The other can't. For many couples, the new era of remote work, where one partner has the flexibility to work from anywhere but the other doesn’t, means a tough choice. Some couples are trying long-distance relationships—at least temporarily. Here is a look at how that's going for them. |
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| 💻 The Hidden Costs of Remote Work |
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ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN TOGNOLA |
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Remote-work technologies such as Zoom, Slack, Google Hangouts and others have many benefits. But a researcher says they may be changing work relationships for the worse. Here are some of the risks. |
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| 💸 It Helps to Pay Workers More |
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PHOTO: WILFREDO LEE/ASSOCIATED PRESS |
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Higher pay isn’t just a cost. Paying workers more is also an investment that can bring myriad benefits to a company. Recent research shows that employers that pay the best outperform their peers. |
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| ⚡ Affinity Groups' New Clout |
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Aubree Broadwater leads a chapter of Salesforce’s ERG for Black staffers. LYNSEY WEATHERSPOON FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. |
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Employee resource groups are on the rise at U.S. companies. Also known as affinity groups, these self-help organizations are expanding and gaining power, as more companies view them as strategic allies and seek their help with key initiatives. |
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| 🧠 Employees Are Wary of Mental-Health Benefits |
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Jenny Haykin, an HR manager at Puget Sound Energy. JOVELLE TAMAYO FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL |
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Why won't employees use their companies' mental-health benefits? As businesses expand their counseling programs and other benefits, they are looking for new ways to convince workers that it is OK to get help from the company for depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. |
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| 💡 Mentorship Programs' Flaw |
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ILLUSTRATION: GIACOMO BAGNARA |
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Mentorship programs are most effective for workers who would otherwise opt out of these programs, research shows. That suggests broad-based programs are likely more effective than targeted ones. |
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| Women are far less comfortable asking for more time on deadlines, contributing to greater feelings of time stress and burnout. Here's why that happens. |
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