Being passed over for a promotion can discourage an employee, but leaders who express empathy and help them map out a plan for future advancement can give them a new sense of motivation, writes Luis Velasquez, the founder and managing partner of Velas Coaching LLC. That roadmap should include an assessment of their current skills and exactly what areas they'll need to master to advance in the organization, Velasquez recommends.

More than one-third of US workers turned to freelancing this year, according to a report from Upwork, and almost half offered knowledge-based services, such as marketing, consulting or computer programming. Freelancing was most common among the youngest generation of workers, with more than half of them holding contract-based, temporary or supplemental jobs, compared with 44% of millennials.

Large employers, including Disney and Wells Fargo, are giving longer notice periods, sometimes for several months, to staff who are being laid off to give them ample time to find new opportunities. Although longer notice periods come with risks, the benefits to company reputation and employee relationships shouldn't be underestimated, experts say.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that nearly 40% of the 199,000 US jobs created last month were in the health care field. November saw a gain of 77,000 positions in the sector, a significant rise over the previous 12 months' average, and the agency reported that the greater-than-expected gains helped to reduce the nation's unemployment rate to 3.7%.

The US job market showed further signs of cooling in November, according to the Conference Board's Employment Trends Index, which fell to 113.05 from a revised 113.09 in October. The Employment Trends Index has steadily declined since reaching a peak in the spring last year. Most new jobs in the last six months have been added in government and service sectors like health care, leisure and hospitality, while other industries have experienced flat growth or job losses.

While most companies have let go of all-office-all-the-time models, many are also moving beyond the era of fully remote work, an EY report found. Just 1% of business leaders surveyed by the firm said their organizations were fully remote, compared with 34% a year earlier, and EY's Mark Grinis said a sense that fully remote workforces lose out on culture and growth may explain the shift.

Physicians increasingly are pursuing dual MD-MBA degrees, with more than 60% of medical schools offering programs. The shift may be driven by a desire to combine clinical expertise with management skills and the opportunity for greater financial rewards.

United Airlines partnered with Make-A-Wish Colorado, Girls Inc., Children's Hospital Colorado and Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association to fly children to a "North Pole" holiday party Dec. 9 at Denver International Airport. "I just can't give it up. It's such a beautiful thing to be a part of," said Capt. Paul Purkey, who has volunteered for "fantasy flights" for 15 years. "To see the joy and the happiness in their faces is just overwhelming."