Sixty-three percent of Americans said they were existing paycheck to paycheck in September, up from 57% this time last year, according to the LendingClub. In addition, the same was true of 49% of workers with paychecks over six figures, up from 38% last year.

Employees want to be recognized for the work that is less evident, such as solving a challenging customer problem or working extra hours to meet a deadline, writes Christopher Littlefield, founder of Beyond Thank You. Try practicing "reflective recognition," which urges employees to tell you about the work they're proud of and responding with a "thank you" or positive feedback, Littlefield suggests.

Stephen Paskoff, founder, president and CEO of ELI, explains two things companies are getting wrong with diversity, equity and inclusion and how to fix them. Fostering an inclusive workplace takes more than training, requiring a will to change behaviors and to focus on what unites people, instead of dividing them, Paskoff writes.

Inflation bonuses are being used by some employers to offset their workers' rising costs of living. The bonuses are taking the form of a periodic bump in pay to gift cards that may help them stretch their grocery dollars.

Leaders can help employees build social capital -- strong and weak connections to their colleagues -- by modeling its importance, creating sponsorship opportunities between senior and junior employees and making it part of performance management, says McKinsey partner Brooke Weddle. "Incenting leaders to think that way and to build connections accordingly is a helpful lever in terms of increasing motivation," Weddle says.