Welcome to “The Most Interesting HR Stories of the Week,” a weekly post that features talent insights and information from around the web to kick off your weekend. Here’s what’s of interest this week:
Top Articles to Read Now
The Obsession With Overwork
If you are reading this right now, then you can’t be that busy, right? Or maybe you are super busy and will just read this description without reading the article. Because after all, you’ve got work to do. Then more work. New research shows that many professionals aren’t looking to avoid work — but rather do more of it. Which raises a question: Is there an optimal level of busyness?
How to Care Less About Work
First, see the previous article. How appropriate that this piece from The Atlantic follows it. The story features a range of fascinating questions and attempts at answers. For example, the articles asks: “So what work is actually valuable? It’s incredibly unclear. Many knowledge workers, ourselves included, find themselves insecure in some capacity about the work they’re doing: how much they do, whom they do it for, its value, their value, how their work is rewarded and by whom.”
Members of Congress Back 4-Day Workweek
This feels like a third articles in a series at this point (see above two.) Over a dozen lawmakers back a bill to create a 32-hour workweek. What this really means is that people would be paid time and a half for working more than 32 hours. Does such a bill have any legs to run on? C’mon, you know the answer. Still, though, this article has some interesting stats, including where the U.S. ranks when it comes to hours put in my employees worldwide.
Ohio Has Stopped Kicking Workers Off Unemployment After a Hacker Targeted Its Website
“The state is reconsidering its policy after a hacker released a script that automatically submits junk data to its ‘COVID-19 fraud’ website, which allows employers to report workers who refuse to work during the pandemic.” So begins this article. Meanwhile, over on Twitter, economist Ben Zipperer writes, “Hackers empowering workers has truly been one of the silver linings of this pandemic.”
Employers and Employees Disagree on Hiring, Internal Mobility, and Skills
A new Randstad survey reveals major disconnects between companies and their people when it comes to views on a range of workplace issues. In one sense, what else is new? But in another, there are very specific disparities that appear to stem from today’s unique times.
5 Things the Better.com CEO Did Wrong When He Fired 900 People Over Zoom
Calling employees dumb dolphins is one of those things. Granted, the article points out that the CEO didn’t do this during the layoff. He did it a year ago. Still, not a good look.
The Baseball Cap Approach to Culture
A CEO of an established company expects all employees to wear company-branded baseball caps on Zoom calls to represent being a part of the company. The aim is to indicate that they are all on the same team. The HR Famous crew is weighs in on this development.
One-Third of Australian Employers Have Sacked Unvaccinated Workers
A look at what’s happening down under as organizations enforce vaccine rules. The piece contains some interesting stats, including that 1 in 5 five workplaces have created remote-only roles to accommodate unvaccinated staff and 8% have stood down those without vaccination or put them on leave. Meanwhile, 40% of employers said they were still deciding what to do with unvaccinated employees.
Read the most interesting HR stories of past weeks here.
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