Index shows continued wage and benefit gains | Are employers gaining the advantage in the hiring game? | Companies are offering more PTO and workers are using it
The employment cost index, which monitors wages and benefits, rose 1.1% in the third quarter compared with the prior three months, according to the Labor Department. The index climbed 4.3% on a year-over-year basis, down from 4.5% during the previous period. Full Story: The New York Times (10/31),Reuters (10/31),The Wall Street Journal (10/31),MarketWatch (tiered subscription model) (10/31)
Supporting pet ownership = happier employees Attracting, retaining and engaging quality employees of all generations are three leading challenges that companies face in today's employment landscape. Luckily, supporting pet-owning employees improves their work experience—and positively affects these key metrics for employers. Find out more.
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Recruiting & Retention
Are employers gaining the advantage in the hiring game? Job hunters have had the upper hand in salary negotiations since the pandemic as employers struggled to fill jobs. Now the market may be moving more toward the employers' advantage as there are fewer job openings and big salary hikes are decreasing, jobs data shows. Full Story: USA Today (10/31)
More employers offering deductible-free health plans A Mercer survey found the number of large employers offering at least one deductible-free health plan to their workers climbed from 11% this year to 15% in 2024 as health care affordability concerns rise among employees. About 25% of employees said they can't afford their health care needs without financial hardship, according to the poll of 4,505 workers. Full Story: Axios (10/30),Becker's Payer Issues (10/30)
In Sheboygan South High School in Wisconsin, students now engage in a thorough post-high school planning process, starting in middle school and including a pivotal meeting with parents and counselors in junior year, to ensure they're well-prepared for various pathways. This proactive approach has drastically improved the accuracy of students' post-graduation choices, fostering better-informed decisions and a celebratory "Signing Day" for all career paths. Full Story: Education Week (10/30)
Leaders can jump-start their career success by slowing down, allowing time for self-reflection, pumping up their curiosity and letting go of habits that no longer serve them, writes Christian Greiser, an executive coach and management consultant. "If you find yourself in constant motion, tap the brakes to reduce your speed and start reflecting on what you could do differently," Greiser writes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (10/31)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Dia de los Muertos, typically celebrated Nov. 1 and/or Nov. 2, is also the name of an album of cover songs celebrating what band?
It was Thursday afternoon and I was at my desk, rubbing the middle of my forehead. I was leaving the next day for Hawaii and I was overwhelmed by the long list of things I still had to do -- leave instructions for my team; talk to my project manager; clean up my notes from my recent trip to Dallas; submit paperwork for a new hire; tidy up the house; gas up my bike; and do laundry and pack. My nerves were frayed and my whole body was tense with stress. Just then, I get a text from Mom in our family group chat. We were using it to coordinate Dad’s memorial service. “Kanoelani, did you order the chairs yet? Who did you go with?” she asked. I just stared at the phone. I wanted to cry and throw things. I didn’t have the energy to tell her I hadn’t confirmed them yet. I knew it would only lead to more questions and impatient instructions. If that happened, I’d likely lose my temper and I didn’t want to do that. But my brain had reached its capacity and was dangerously close to overload. I needed to stop and cool off. So I did. I made a decision right then that I would focus on one activity -- one task -- at a time, in preparing for my trip and in getting ready for the memorial. I started with work. I sat at my desk, put on my timer for an hour and blasted through my to-do list. Then I set the timer again and tackled the laundry and kitchen. I thought only of the task at hand. I pushed everything else out of my head. Slowly, my neck and shoulder muscles relaxed. I continued this practice over the next week. When I had to work on the memorial service, I gave it my full focus (“Yes, Rachel. I need 60 chairs delivered to Punalu’u Beach Park by 9:30 a.m.”). When I was hiking Kualoa Ranch and admiring the beauty of the Ka’a’awa Valley, I gave that my full focus. I forced all other thoughts and mental checklists aside. Christian Geiser talks about this idea of letting go when Life has you pinned to the ground, in today’s HR Leader story. I like the Zen quote he includes: “You can’t pour tea into a full cup.” That sums up perfectly how I felt on that Thursday afternoon. To cope, I drastically narrowed the flow of information so I could regain control. I turned a four-lane highway into a two lane country road with a speed limit of 35 mph. And it worked. How do you handle overload? What do you do when there’s too much coming in, or when you need to let go of unproductive habits and embrace change? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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