A bipartisan group of 59 California lawmakers have written to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan to learn why the bank is removing funds from or freezing the Employment Development Department accounts of an "unprecedented number of constituents." Bank of America has stated, "We are working with the state and law enforcement to identify and take action against fraudulent applicants, protect taxpayer money and ensure that legitimate applicants can access their benefits."

Demand for workplace anxiety management courses spiked 3,867% between 2019 and 2020, followed by resilience training at 1,296% and stress management at 1,015%, according to a Udemy for Business report. The findings reflect other research, including from McKinsey, that points to the importance of employers supporting the mental health of workers during the pandemic.

Leaders should review business-model scenarios during the pandemic to identify where strategies might need to pivot, author Gleb Tsipursky writes. Tsipursky offers four other tips for effective crisis leadership, including gathering information from teams and conducting a virtual retreat to brainstorm potential operational and strategic issues.

The CMS has released its Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for Affordable Care Act plans for the 2022 coverage year, and it includes proposals to lower the user fees for plans sold on the federal exchange to 2.25% of premiums and 1.75% for plans sold on state exchanges using the federal platform. The rule also proposes to require all exchanges to perform special enrollment period verification for at least 75% of new enrollments, among other measures.

Research suggests encouraging employees to focus on gratitude can reduce incivility in the workplace. This article describes how managers can foster the right kind of culture using tools such as gratitude journals.