FTC moves to prohibit noncompetes for many workers | Create a respectful culture to keep talent on board | Should your job be the source of your passion?
Federal Trade Commission building (Bloomberg/Getty Images)
In a 3-2 vote, the Federal Trade Commission approved a rule prohibiting the use of noncompete provisions for many workers, although the rule could face legal challenges before it takes effect in four months. Under the FTC's new rule, existing noncompetes could remain in effect for senior executives.
Word spreads fast about empathetic workplaces. Make sure yours is one of them. SHRM seminars provide the resources needed to act and put empathy into practice. Join virtually or in-person in cities across the U.S. Explore SHRM seminars today!
Data shows that retaining and engaging employees is paramount for executives, which is good since other research reveals few employees are engaged, and many may be eyeing the exit, says S. Chris Edmonds. Employees want to be respected and validated, Edmonds notes, which means leaders must model the behavior, celebrate team success and coach workers on cultural behavior norms.
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Final regulations recently issued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission focus on implementation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The regulations, expected to take effect in June, cover a range of conditions and treatments related to pregnancy, including fertility and infertility treatments, miscarriage and abortion, Jackson Lewis attorneys note.
Virginia Wesleyan University plans to use a $625,000 federal grant to open a Center for Career Development and Neurodiversity this fall. The program will work with 100 students, providing dual enrollment, workforce development and online learning.
Leaders may be missing the mark if they routinely establish unrealistic expectations, frequently contact employees after hours or fail to make themselves visible and available to workers, writes Aytekin Tank, founder and CEO of Jotform.
I stopped asking this question when talking to young people about college and the workforce. Overuse of the term “passion” has made it more a buzzword than something meaningful. Instead, when I talk to folks about college and career, I tell them not to overthink it and repeat what my dad always said to me: “Do what you love and the money will follow.”
University of Michigan Associate Professor Erin Cech might take issue with Dad’s words, though, as we see in our Leadership & Development story today. Cech researches social inequalities and wrote a book called The Trouble with Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality. In it, she talks about “the passion principle,” which is “a cultural schema that elevates self-expression and fulfillment as the central factor in good career decision-making.” She says this principle, while noble in its ambition, actually perpetuates bias and segregation in education and the workforce.
Dad was not thinking about bias and social inequalities when he gave his three kids advice about career pathways. He also wasn’t thinking about passion.
He was thinking about choices and job enjoyment. For him, if you were going to spend 8 to 10 hours doing something, choose something you like. If you liked it, he reasoned, you would spend time getting good at it. And if you were good at it, your income levels would increase over the course of your career.
This may seem simplistic, but it works. And when we are in the driver’s seat of making decisions, the powers of inequality and bias are lessened. It may be a long, hard road to get to the place where you’re doing what you enjoy, but no one promised otherwise. And don’t get sidetracked if your road is bumpier, longer, or has more potholes than other people’s roads. Keep your eyes on your own road and ride around the obstacles.
You’ll be better for it.
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