Changing your focus and going back to the things that inspire and motivate you can help you build a stronger -- and more enjoyable -- working life, writes Daniel Finley, president and co-founder of Advisor Solutions. From creating an effective structure for your workday to being grateful, Finley outlines several approaches that put the fun back into your career and at the same time boost productivity.

Software solutions can help HR predict the need for new skills and help employees keep up with training and earn certifications, writes Kristin Sharp, a partner at Entangled Ventures. "We're still working toward creative options, but given the importance of talent transparency, it's likely that digital credentials will play an important role and, perhaps more crucially, act as the first step toward a new paradigm for managing skills gaps and skill development," Sharp writes.

To improve strategic thinking in the workplace, learn to say no to projects that don't have much positive impact on the company's vision, says business consultant Jeanne Hardy. "The ability to prioritize is a key trait that separates creative thinking from strategic thinking," writes Hardy.

Using an artificial intelligence-enabled app during the job interview process is discomforting, say nearly 90% of survey respondents, whose concerns include mistakes made by the AI software. A majority of respondents uncomfortable with AI said they'd prefer an in-person interview.

California's AB 5 employment law, which is set to start Jan. 1, will limit freelance work to 35 submissions per client per year before the company is required to put the freelancer on payroll. Several other states, such as New York and New Jersey, are considering similar measures.

Flexible working arrangements are a growing trend, but the UK's The Audit Lab is taking it a step further with offering work-from-home "hangover days." "The idea behind it is that parents have a lot of perks at our business but there are not necessarily any for people who don't have children," says one employee of the millennial-focused perk.

Sixteen-year-old Greta Thunberg catapulted into fame by pioneering a school strike to protest climate change and giving a sharp speech at the UN climate change conference. She is now arguably the biggest voice on the world's biggest issue, with others commending her for showing bravery unseen by leaders three and four times her age.