Forty-four percent of US workers aren't aware of their company's back-to-office plans, up from 37% in September, according to a survey by The Conference Board. Employers are hesitating to commit to return dates because of the vaccine rollout and COVID-19 variants, but Labor Day is emerging as a popular goal among many companies to coincide with the start of the next school year.

An employee who has been promised a promotion and is waiting for both the title and associated raise seeks advice on tactfully handling a manager who, in the meantime, is piling on extra responsibilities and work. "You're always entitled to be fairly compensated for your work, but if your employer is in 'we're all pitching in to keep things going' mode right now, then 'show me the money' risks making you look out of touch," Alison Green advises.

Dollar General, JBS USA, Aldi and the Houston Methodist hospital group are among many large employers offering cash incentives to employees who receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Such an incentive has raised concerns about discrimination liability, and the Society for Human Resource Management is among dozens of groups seeking clarity from the federal government.

Oracle and Zoom are helping organizations reopen with workplace safety offerings that include tools for IT, HR and employees. HR can use Oracle's updates to monitor testing and vaccination information, while Zoom's offerings include air-quality monitoring through a partnership with a developer.

Perspective can be lost when people forget the big picture, make problems bigger than they are, judge people and let their emotions control them, writes Frank Sonnenberg. "While a dirty windshield hampers your ability to see the road effectively, you won't even know how much these mental filters distort your view of the world unless you take time to notice," Sonnenberg writes.

A girl from Maui covering the workforce and K-20 education.

Auditioning staffers for higher positions by giving them tasks and projects outside their current role is a common practice in companies, as The Cut’s Alison Green says in today’s Recruitment and Retention story. But should it be?

I don’t know. I just know this is the reality of the professional workforce, and I said as much to my children when they began working. I told them that it’s a dance -- balancing what they’re paid to do with what they’re being asked to do that’s outside their current scope. Would it definitely pay off? There are no guarantees, I told them, but what they would get are new skills that would be important for the future. They’re learning to dance.

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