Salaries for top CEOs in the US were, on average, 264 times higher than those of their standard worker in 2019, according to a report from labor union AFL-CIO. This pay ratio was lower than the numbers for 2018 -- 287 to 1 -- though the group expects the ratio to rise in the wake of layoffs and furloughs brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has forever changed the workplace, making onboarding critical to the success of new hires and rehired furloughed workers, writes Renee Zung of Keystone Partners. Zung, citing Brad Deutser of the Deutser Clarity Institute, suggests employers borrow a page from the kindergarten teacher's book: "Start the communication early, onboard in the middle of the week, and carefully prepare employees for new norms. Think of onboarding as the first day of school."

Some organizations -- including Amgen, Pfizer and Subway -- are partnering with wellness companies to offer virtual fitness classes. "The only way to reliably and equitably reach employees where they are is through digital well-being solutions that treat the whole spectrum of well-being," says Grokker CEO Lorna Borenstein.

SAP's plan to spin off Qualtrics highlights how employee experience platforms are a growing market that is not yet commoditized, Josh Bersin argues. "As our Big Reset Initiative of more than 600 companies have told us, every business is now providing a new breed of collaboration, communication, feedback, and learning tools to its employees," he writes.

Remote work has affected employee development, made hiring more difficult and reduced connections among employees, some executives say. The pandemic has continued to influence work-from-home policies, with Google announcing another year of remote work availability for all employees who don't need to be in the office.