After hiring 100,000 new workers in less than a month to help it respond to surging demand, Amazon now plans to hire an additional 75,000 people to bolster staff at its warehouses, grocery stores and delivery network. "We know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis and we welcome anyone out of work to join us at Amazon until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back," the company said in a blog post. Full Story: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (tiered subscription model) (4/14),The Seattle Times (tiered subscription model) (4/13)
To get noticed during lockdown, own your work Employers will remember leaders who stepped up during the coronavirus pandemic, so if given an opportunity to own a project, take it, suggests Pathlight cofounder and CEO Alex Kvamme. "By taking something off of your manager's plate and nailing the assignment, you are also building trust," writes Kvamme. Full Story: Fast Company online (4/13)
Try time chunking while working from home Employees without any remote working experience might need time to learn new productivity tricks that work better at home than the office, writes Mark Murphy. One trick experienced remote workers use is called time chunking, in which they carve out time from their day to focus on deep work without any email, phone or instant messages to distract them. Full Story: Forbes (4/14)
Hire Smart
HR and planning for post-pandemic work life The current coronavirus pandemic will ebb, says human resources consultant Bryan Otte, and companies need to plan now for that future. HR needs to be on the front lines of such efforts, staying connected to workers, remaining current on shifting employment laws and understanding how the company can right-size post-pandemic. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (4/13)
The Landscape
Banks balance quick PPP disbursements and due diligence While the US government's Payroll Protection Program is aiming for quick loan disbursements to struggling businesses, some participating banks are finding a need to do their full diligence on loan applications out of concerns of regulatory consequences down the road. "A lot of banks are really worried about having a defensible process in case anyone comes back to them later," said Jeffrey Naimon, a partner at law firm Buckley LLP. Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (4/10)
Employers' emergency accounts help laid-off employees Some employers have set up emergency accounts funded by donations to help laid-off employees pay for food, rent and other necessities during the coronavirus pandemic. "We started with employees who aren't eligible for government assistance and who have urgent needs," says Kara MacKillop, Canada Goose's executive vice president for people and culture. Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (4/13)
Nature is restorative, and it is important to our psyche to go out for a walk, especially in this time of shelter-in-place, says Peter Kahn, a psychology professor at University of Washington. "This practice connects us to our ancestral paths, and an age-old pattern of leaving and homecoming that dates back to hunter-gatherer days," writes Corinne Whiting. Full Story: The Seattle Times (tiered subscription model) (4/13)
A train that is set to transport travelers from Southern California to Las Vegas is closer to pulling into station after developers received a tax break to help build it. If/when this train becomes a reality, it will be a crazy party train on Friday nights and a vessel full of broken down souls on Sunday nights. Full Story: Bloomberg (tiered subscription model) (4/10)
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