Values -- personal and organizational -- make up the baseline that gives meaning and purpose to work, former President Barack Obama said at the Association for Talent Development International Conference and Exposition. Achievement, satisfaction and productivity happen when passion, not job titles or perks, guides action, he said.

A college education has been a matter of course for students seeking work and for businesses hiring them. But that's beginning to change as the job market tightens and as businesses realize a degree isn't necessary for many jobs.

States and organizations are finding ways to help independent workers sign up for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act and keep premiums from increasing. Kathy Hempstead of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation says the ACA is a "total game-changer" for independent workers.

Construction Careers Pathways aims to inform future workers and their mentors about construction careers as an alternative to college and student-loan debt. The initiative, formed by the Construction Careers Foundation, Minnesota and others, wants to steer young people to careers such as electricians, plumbers and welders.

Employers can manage disabilities in the workplace by using a proactive approach that allows workers to stay on the job or return to work sooner, writes Jung Ryu of The Standard. Companies also should look for other factors that affect an employee's return to work, such as financial or family issues.