The Department of Justice has asked the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a court order issued earlier this month that blocks the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine requirement for businesses with at least 100 workers. The administration said the delay would result in more deaths, and it asked the court to allow requirements that unvaccinated employees use masks and be tested for COVID-19 while the litigation unfolds.

Offices after the pandemic will evolve to include smaller workspaces with larger common areas that encourage collaboration while allowing for social distancing, say designer Katie Skoloff and architect K.J. Jacobs, whose company is designing United Community Bank's headquarters in Greenville, S.C. "It's not necessarily everyone in the same space at the same time, but an overall design where they can get up from their desk and move to a different atmosphere," Skoloff says.

In a study of workers and HR personnel in the finance sector, commissioned by Morgan Stanley, 90% of staffers say they want their employers to place an emphasis on upgrading their financial benefits in 2022 and 95% of HR executives say they plan to do so. Morgan Stanley's Brian McDonald says "those companies that offer a robust benefits package that includes retirement planning, equity compensation, student loan refinancing plans and overall financial wellness benefits will differentiate themselves in the face of unprecedented competition for great talent."

Tesla is sponsoring a training program with Austin Community College in Texas to teach students skills needed for jobs with the automaker. The program is "about education, it's about creating the right kinds of jobs, it's creating those jobs where people can ladder up for themselves and their family and their neighborhoods and their community," says Austin Mayor Steve Adler.

Standard employer retention efforts such as pay and well-being programs are insufficient approaches to high turnover when we know that many employees quit because they don't feel valued, S. Chris Edmonds says in this blog post and video. "First, embrace this mantra: Employees of all generations desire and deserve workplaces where they are respected and validated for their ideas, efforts and contributions, every day," Edmonds asserts.

In observance of Thanksgiving in the US, SmartBrief will not publish Thursday and Friday. Publication will resume Monday.

I was meeting with one of my editors the other day to discuss reassigning some of our publications. It’s a complicated process and we had to walk through several scenarios. One scenario involved me moving this brief, SmartBrief on Workforce, to another editor. Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, we both said no.

If he had asked me that question a year ago, I may have considered it. But not now. I started this daily column this past spring and since then, I’ve heard from scores of you about the topics discussed here. You’ve told me what you liked, didn’t like and shared your own stories. I have all of those emails. They’re tagged in my archives.

So today on the eve of Thanksgiving 2021, I want to say thank you to all of you. You help me enjoy my work. I feel like I know many of you. And you encourage me all the time.

Enjoy your day tomorrow. Eat, watch football and take time to hug your loved ones and thank them for being in your world. Life is richer when we are people of gratitude.

Hau’oli la ho’omaika’i!