Workers with disabilities are trapped by old laws | Reduce employee turnover with "stay interviews" | Looking for new leadership ideas? Talk to some kids
Workers with disabilities often are paid less than the minimum wage. (Pixabay)
Workers with disabilities face dual challenges due to outdated subminimum wage laws and the precarious "benefits cliff" tied to Social Security programs. Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act permits pay below the federal minimum wage, keeping roughly 40,000 workers in exploitative conditions. Additionally, increased earnings can result in lost benefits like health care, trapping many in poverty.
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Conducting stay interviews can significantly impact employee retention by providing a platform for candid discussions about job satisfaction and career goals, writes David Grossman, the founder and CEO of The Grossman Group. The one-on-one interviews should be part of regular communication practices to strengthen workplace culture, writes Grossman, who cautions against linking them to performance reviews to avoid stifling open conversation.
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A new strategy to enhance employee performance evaluations focuses on eliminating surprises through regular catch-ups, simplifying tasks to optimize strengths and fostering a future-focused mindset that encourages dreaming. These measures can transform performance reviews into opportunities for growth and motivation, creating a more positive workplace environment.
Despite significant investment in workplace wellness programs, such initiatives often fail because they focus on individual rather than systemic issues. Companies often opt for scalable digital solutions like apps and therapy, which lack engagement and can lead to phenomena like "carewashing," where root causes of stress are not addressed. Research suggests that interventions should shift to systemic changes and focus on issues like addressing workload and job design to improve employee mental health and return on investment.
Mary Lou Atkins, vice president of human resources at Chicken Salad Chick, emphasizes the importance of creating a workplace environment where employees feel they belong and can leverage their strengths. "When our team knows that we care and their strengths are valued, they are committed, proud, and excited to be part of the organization," writes Atkins, who discusses a free tool that may be of assistance.
What an odd subject Alan Walker tackles in "The Death of Franz Liszt," which debates the dying words of the Hungarian Rhapsody composer. The book and other sources note that he whispered, "Tristan," as he died, referring to who/what?
A friend made me a blouse and gave it to me last night. I tried it on with black linen slacks and gold heels. I liked it. Her almost 4-year-old daughter Mattea wandered into the room as I stood scrutinizing myself in the mirror.
“What do you think Mattea? You like?” She looked up at me, smiled and nodded vigorously.
“Do I look fat?” Her tiny eyebrows came together quickly in a frown and she shook her head.
“No!”
I smiled down at her and then looked back at the mirror. She started to walk out of the room but stopped to look over her shoulder at me.
“Well, you look a little bit fat, but it’s okay,” she said seriously, in her tiny voice, before turning and leaving the room. I stood there stunned for a second, then burst into laughter. I heard her mother in the living room.
“MatTEA! Oh my gosh! She’s not fat!”
“I said just a wittle bit!”
Ask an honest question, get an honest answer, as we see in today’s Leadership & Development story from Inc. I like how author Larry Robertson of Lighthouse Consulting puts it: “Questions, and the habit of asking them and listening carefully to the answers, are ultimately the difference makers in good leadership. Panetta knew it. He didn’t change that strategy because of the age of his guests. The rule stayed constant: Ask. You just might learn something important. And yet it is so easy to let the daily schedule and demands of leadership convince us otherwise.”
Ask and listen. A good practice we should apply to everyone in our lives. Just make sure you’re ready for whatever honesty you receive.
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