Walmart is letting employees earn as much as 48 hours of paid sick leave and is adding 25% to quarterly bonuses if workers have perfect attendance. The policy is part of an effort to improve worker benefits and conditions.

To improve retention of employees of color, leaders need to actively handle complaints and recognize barriers to inclusion, according to Katie Augsburger, a partner at Future Work Design. One major problem, she noted, is that leaders often rely on employees of color to solve diversity tensions themselves.

A leader should set a good example, encourage women to step forward and instill a sense of community when improving company culture, writes Hugh Shields, co-founder of leadership coaching firm Shields Meneley Partners. Creating a workplace culture that is positive and inclusive is important for the success of a business, Shields writes.

Laid-off Sears and Kmart workers have been battling for pensions and severance since Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy in October. They are joining forces with laid-off workers from Toys R Us to pressure the retailers to meet severance obligations.

Millennials and Generation Z are often perceived negatively for having different priorities and ideas about working than previous generations, writes Rashan Dixon of Microsoft. Embrace these young workers through professional development, a focus on diversity and social responsibility, and flexible work arrangements, he argues.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has based his leadership in large part on Carol Dweck's concept of growth mindset: that intelligence should be based on an individual's aptitude for learning. This idea is a departure from Microsoft's past hypercompetitive structure that discouraged cooperation and insisted that a certain percentage of employees receive poor ratings, regardless of actual performance.