A whistleblower from the Department of Health and Human Services has filed a complaint alleging federal workers who were sent to assist quarantined US evacuees from China were not given proper training or protective gear. The whistleblower is seeking federal protection, claiming retaliation by HHS officials after voicing concerns about safety.

The CDC has developed a task force aimed at ensuring the agency has sufficient personnel -- with the appropriate skills -- to replace workers when they retire. The initiative will help support a proper transfer of knowledge as employees leave the agency, says Dia Taylor, chief human capital officer and deputy ethics counselor for the CDC.

Brad Galiney of Voya Financial says to help employees with health costs, employers are offering voluntary benefits, such as critical illness insurance, disability coverage and supplemental health benefits, and pairing them with high-deductible health plans that have lower monthly premiums. Voluntary products can provide workers with money they can use how they choose, such as to help offset the cost of a deductible or for coinsurance.

Managing remote workers requires communication and trust, besides technology, business owners with far-flung staff say. Some owners also fly people in for interviews or occasional meetings.

Researchers approached herring gulls with a pair of wrapped flapjacks and pretended to eat one, and when the researcher walked away leaving both flapjacks, most birds picked the flapjack that the human had pretended to eat. Like kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers, the birds know the wisdom of relying on food others have already tasted to make sure it isn't dodgy!

You might have noticed we have updated our newsletter template. Please let us know what you think by taking this two-minute survey.