People receiving unemployment benefits who are offered an appropriate job must accept the job or lose the benefits, President Joe Biden said Monday after an employment report Friday showed that employers added only 266,000 jobs last month -- about a quarter of what economists had predicted. Biden, who rejected Republican demands to end the federal government's $300-per-week extended unemployment benefit, also said the government will make it easier for employers to hire more people by providing aid for child care providers, adding reemployment services, and handing out $350 billion to state and local governments.

April's expected job surge fell massively short, sparking discussions among lawmakers and business leaders about the causes and what it will take to draw employees back to the workplace. Wall Street attributes the shortfall to a "blip," but survey data and anecdotal evidence show that many people are reassessing their lives and what they want to do for work.

Cultivate a corporate culture that embraces diversity and inclusion by sharing cultural intelligence, embedding cultural ambassadors within decision-making and policymaking and training employees to be mindful, writes Worldwide Culture-Link's Ivonne Hanks. She shares five ways companies can achieve this mindfulness, including how to implement culturally intelligent training and policies.

Federal Reserve researchers conducted a review of women's participation in the workforce and produced charts that show it rose steadily until 2000 before falling, and its more recent rise from 2015 was abruptly halted by the coronavirus crisis. "As more people are vaccinated and the economy continues to recover, and, importantly, as in-person schools and daycare fully reopen, participation should continue to rise, possibly quite rapidly," the researchers conclude.

Create connections with your team by being curious, consistent and respectful while spelling out your expectations and vision, writes John Stoker. "Taking a moment to consider your behavior will help improve your relationships, grow respect and increase your awareness so you can make any needed changes and improve the quality of your results," Stoker writes.

I was telling my friend, Eric, recently that he got me into the habit of listening to classical music. I went from not liking it at all to now playing it often in my car or when I’m writing. He was flattered to hear that (“Wow, K, that’s cool!”) and said he appreciated me telling him. I quipped, “Think of me as your vitamin K -- a little encouragement to kick off your week.”

I thought of that exchange when I read John R. Stoker's article today about conversational engagement. He makes a good point about expressing appreciation. It’s a small gesture that can pay big dividends in relationships.

How can you encourage someone on your team today? Tell me! And send this link to someone you think could benefit from this brief.