The Labor Department has indicated it may withdraw the Trump administration's final rule defining independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act before it takes effect May 7. The department "questions whether the rule is fully aligned with the FLSA's text and purpose or case law describing and applying the economic realities test," a proposed rule in the Federal Register says.

Interacting with others in person after a year of largely virtual contact can lead to social anxiety for some people, so experts suggest having self-compassion, easing back slowly into meeting up and identifying one's triggers to counter the feeling. "When it comes to anxiety, getting as familiar as you can, can help to generate as much control as possible," says licensed clinical social worker Julia Jarrold.

Deloitte's European Workforce Survey suggests older employees were less affected by the pandemic but were also better at adapting than younger counterparts, raising questions about the traditional approach to managing a multigenerational workforce, write Gildas Poirel and Michela Coppola. "Trust, help and time are invaluable to the ability to adapt to a changing work environment" regardless of age or other characteristics, they write.

Bank of America will use Strivr's virtual reality training as part of its internal training platform for over 220 job types and around 50,000 employees. The VR training enables a variety of training situations supposed by coaches.

CDC guidelines for those fully vaccinated against COVID-19 signal hope for workplace normality, but challenges remain for employers, experts say. "The best approach is to be transparent with employees," says HR professional Niki Jorgensen, and among the considerations are layout changes to reduce transmission risk, requiring vs. encouraging vaccination, and effects on company culture and morale.

Writer’s block is real. One tactic that helps me bust through that wall is to schedule my writing time in 45-minute chunks. At the end of the 45 minutes, I’ll take a quick five-minute break and then reset for another 45 minutes. When that ends, I’ll take at least a 30-minute or an hour break. My brain and eyes need it by then.

Habits like this and the ones LaRae Quy outlines in today’s Leadership & Development story help rev the mental engines and keep them running smooth. What habits work for you? Let me know.

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