Pandemic exacts a toll on employees' mental health | Reporter battles suicide, revives career | Fed officials disagree on need for more pandemic relief
Employee mental health has seen a downturn during the pandemic, with workers reporting a 48% increase in depression risk in November and December, according to the recent Mental Health Index produced by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. "Managers should learn to recognize warning signs of employees who may be struggling: personality changes, irritability, fatigue, reckless behavior and weight loss are common symptoms of mental health disorders," writes Alyssa Place.
51% of execs lean toward requiring the vaccine In West Monroe's Quarterly Executive Poll, leaders are grappling with back-to-work decisions: They are split on requiring employees to take a COVID-19 vaccine. And remote work is looking less appealing: 47% say they'll be on-site most or all of the time when it's safe to return. Get the data.
Lisa Guerrero talks about her experiences with bullying as a sideline reporter on "Monday Night Football," her battle with suicide after she was fired and how she rebuilt her career as an investigative reporter for "Inside Edition." "I get to make a difference in people's lives and I get to make change happen. I get to be a victim's advocate," Guerrero says.
5 Ways to Hire Like It’s 2021 We dug deep to learn what job seekers want from an employer for 2021. While there are more candidates seeking work, there's also more competition among businesses for the most qualified people. Get the leading edge with this free guide.
Thrive Global's Arianna Huffington and Even CEO Jon Schlossberg spoke at a recent event about the importance of leaders modeling behaviors to support employee anxieties around mental health and financial wellness during the pandemic. Schlossberg mentioned PayPal as an example of success, with initiatives aimed at understanding why people struggle financially and then crafting programs to nurture employees' "financial resilience."
The skills gap will take a $1.2 trillion toll on the US economy's GDP over the next 10 years, but employers can ready digitally savvy workers by teaming with universities and colleges to run "last-mile training," writes Achieve Partners' Vera Song. This type of training gives potential recruits business knowledge and digital skills that typically come only from work experience, Song writes, citing Amazon and Salesforce as examples.
Amazon and outgoing CEO Jeff Bezos offer a wealth of leadership lessons for any leader, as well as some warnings about how culture plays out inside organizations, writes James daSilva. "Look for patterns, through lines and frameworks rather than 'Jeff did this!' " daSilva writes.
A girl from Maui covering the workforce and K-20 education.
When I was trying to figure out what my college major should be, my father told me, “Kid, don’t do it for the money. Never do it for the money. Do what you love and the money will follow.” Dad wasn’t ignoring the obvious practical value of money. But he understood that if I was going to spend several hours a day studying or doing something, I should enjoy it, so I put my best energy and effort into it. Right after that conversation, I declared as an English major.
TV and screen legend Cicely Tyson, who died last week at age 96, also lived this idea. In the last TV interview she gave before she passed away, Tyson said, “I never really worked for money. I’ve worked because there were certain issues that I wish were addressed about myself and my race as a Black woman.”
People gravitate to projects that have meaning to them -- and generally put their best work into those projects. How are you fostering this practice in your workplace? Let me know. Drop me a line at kanoe.namahoe@futurenet.com.
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
