As employees return to offices, some are seeking more privacy and their own desks in a repudiation of the recent trend of open office design. Many companies had implemented the design concept before COVID-19 to support collaboration but now "there's more spacing and more privacy, through offices or cubicles or phone rooms," says Boston Properties CEO Owen Thomas."
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The language in your job ad could be discouraging today's job applicants, many of whom are focused on balance and wary of overwork. A Paychex survey says some of the phrases in ads that concern job seekers include "must handle stress well," "we're one big happy family," and "willing to wear many hats."
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The rise of the virtual-first health plan The dramatic increase in telemedicine use seen early in the pandemic also fueled the rise of virtual-first health plans, an emerging model that is testing flexible, consumer-centric care for the digital health era. Register for this industry roundtable.
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A Census Bureau report found the number of uninsured Americans dropped from 28.3 million in 2020 to about 27.2 million last year, accounting for 8.3% of the US population. Among those with health coverage, 66% were covered by private health insurance, and more than half had employer-based coverage.
Rewarding your top-performing team members with experiences -- such as a trip to an interesting destination or event -- instead of monetary incentives could boost retention and employee engagement, write Kenny Straus and Patrick Sipp of Flying Pig Adventures. "An experience like a river rafting trip or a spa day can be shared among the entire team in a way that a gift card can't, allowing for more camaraderie and strengthened work relationships," they write.
Punch Bowl Social founder Robert Thompson has unveiled a new eatertainment concept called Camp Pickle that aims to take advantage of the popularity of pickleball. The first location, which will feature a restaurant as well as indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, is set to open next year in Huntsville, Ala., joining other new US concepts focused on the sport including Chicken N Pickle and Electric Pickle.
I visit our D.C. office 3 to 4 times a year. In our old building (we just moved), I had a favorite desk -- a cozy little corner, next to a window. A large pillar stood next to the desk, hiding me. I’d park myself in that spot and work away. Folks didn’t know I was in the office until they saw me grabbing coffee or studying the new selection of snacks in the vending machine.
No, I’m not antisocial or a snob. But when people know I’m in the office, they’ll schedule me for meetings or project work or want to sit and catch up. That’s all great and part of the reason I’m there. I still have to get other work done, though. Sitting in that little corner helped me get the space I needed to just hunker down on a task.
So I get why folks returning to their offices are looking for ways to carve out private spaces, as we see in today’s top story. They need to be able to focus. Their home offices may have been in open areas (like mine is), but they didn’t have the distractions and interruptions of the office. They could just think and work.
How are you accommodating your returning workers? Are you having conversations about this? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspiration to work together.
