Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will be the first former union leader to serve as Labor secretary in more than 40 years after winning Senate confirmation. Walsh's stated priorities include raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and defending the rights of unions.

A study by Microsoft highlights how Generation Z employees are particularly hampered by remote working and are struggling during the pandemic. Gen Z workers are feeling isolated and missing out on opportunities as "they're not experiencing the in-person onboarding, networking, and training that they would have expected in a normal year," LinkedIn's George Anders says.

RainmakerThinking CEO Bruce Tulgan explains how to spot the additional responsibilities or projects that can enhance your career and those that can turn into the "wild goose chase." Be discerning about tasks that might turn you into the "office gofer" but take on tasks that earn relationship brownie points, Tulgan advises.

Improve pay equity for people of color by reviewing salaries across the company, putting a stop to asking for job candidates' pay history and limiting managers' freedom to decide salary increases, HR leaders say. "Ultimately, fairness in pay is foundational to an employer's relationship with its employees," says Susan Alban, Renegade Partners' chief people officer.

The fatigue of the ongoing pandemic has employees searching for meaning in their work, writes Alaina Love, who suggests providing growth opportunities and showing teams the significance of their jobs. "Purpose should become a thread that runs through all of your communications with employees and an anchor for your team meetings," Love writes.

“Working with purpose” took on new meaning last year when the pandemic shuttered schools and businesses and sent the economy into a tailspin. I discovered that the only way to create content that would grab and keep readers was by zeroing in on their most important, urgent priorities. This meant getting close to the human -- seeking out educators (at all levels), asking questions and listening hard to their answers. And then taking that information and turning it into stories and events that addressed their specific needs.

Working with purpose makes us better at what we do, as Alaina Love says in today’s HR Leader story. It uncovers nuance. It puts us close to the heartbeat of people and practice. It makes our actions more effective and on point.

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