United Airlines is close to a labor agreement with 9,000 aircraft mechanics, marking the first time these workers would be under one contract since the 2010 merger with Continental Airlines. The carrier says it is "glad our technicians will have the opportunity to vote for a new contract."

People who are able to pick out and avoid the worst possible course of action in a given business situation tend to exhibit higher job performance, research suggests. This type of "practical intelligence" can be valuable in real-life situations in which employees must account for context, company culture and other factors.

Major brands such as Verizon Communications and General Mills are pressuring advertising agencies to diversify, expressing concern that they are losing touch with customers. Verizon Chief Marketing Officer Diego Scotti says diversity is "an explicit business objective," while General Mills wants its creative agencies to have a workforce of 50% women and 20% minorities.

Matching employees with work that interests them keeps workers happy and reduces turnover, writes ezCater CEO Stefania Mallett. Letting workers complete tasks in different ways and try different roles are among ways employers can nurture employee happiness.

A lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges that female full-time law professors at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law are paid on average about $20,000 less per year than their male counterparts. The law school has cited a merit-based pay structure in explaining the pay difference.

Policies, branding and a desire to keep customers happy at all costs often lead organizations to waste the intellectual talents of their workers, writes Andre Spicer. In his research, Spicer writes, he's found that most companies prefer employees who don't rock the boat and who fill their presentations with management buzzwords, rather than people who actually suggest novel ideas or paths forward.

A summary in Friday's SmartBrief on Workforce should have made clear that only the House of Representatives has approved a six-month delay to overtime-rule implementation. The bill now goes to the Senate, where it faces opposition.