US businesses hired 291,000 people last month, adding to a gain of 199,000 in December, according to the ADP Research Institute. January's hiring is the biggest one-month addition since May 2015.
Companies that invest in training their existing employees not only attract talent but help improve the skill level of their industry, write Seth Harris, former deputy secretary and acting secretary for the US Department of Labor, and Jake Schwartz, CEO of General Assembly. "Poach-and-release is no longer a sustainable model for talent acquisition," they write.
Data from the Business Group on Health's 2020 Large Employers' Leave Strategy and Transformation Survey showed 39% of large employers increased paid leave benefits last year, with 30% adding new types of leave, 24% increasing leave duration and 12% increasing eligibility for the benefit. The survey found 82% of respondents say employee health and well-being is the main reason leave benefits are important.
Laugh away workplace stress with one of seven funny business books recommended by entrepreneur Rhett Power. "My best working memories involve teams that spent their time laughing and learning, not longing for 5 o'clock," Power writes.
A video tweeted by Peninsula Open Space Trust that shows a night camera capturing the unlikely friendship between a coyote and badger, who are shown playing and then wandering into a tunnel together, has attracted thousands of views. Actor Chris Evans shared the video in another viral tweet that said, "I'm choosing to believe that the coyote sounds like Michael J. Fox and the badger sounds like Sam Elliot and they're best friends on an adventure."
