The number of initial claims for unemployment fell by 42,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 712,000, according to the Labor Department. The figure is the lowest since November.

The Super Bowl Career Fair, created by the NFL Player Care Foundation to match former players to new employers, has helped highlight the value athletes bring to the workforce, says former Dallas Cowboy defensive back Tony Dixon. "As many skills as we are taught through sports, they are very transferable to any organization. How to persevere. How to deal with pressure. How to have a short memory. How to be a good teammate," Dixon says.

Stretch assignments can help employees develop new skills and give them important experience, but employees need capacity and resources to succeed without burning out, writes Julie Winkle Giulioni. "Your support acts as an insurance policy that the rubber band won't snap or break because you are monitoring the process, offering guidance, addressing obstacles and suggesting adjustments," Giulioni writes.

Google's Workspace products, formerly known as G Suite, are focused on the pandemic's new ways of working, particularly in the team-by-team, company-by-company needs for communication tools, says Workplace executive Javier Soltero. "There are lots of rhythms, even within my own organization, teams that for one reason or another move faster or slower, make more heavy use of real-time communication versus asynchronous communication," Soltero says.

A video tweeted by @RoyAlbatrossCam that shows a royal albatross in New Zealand returning to its chick, only to land ungracefully on its face, has attracted over 250,000 views. The Twitter livestream account is a collaboration between the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

I have always hated the stereotype that athletes lack brains and all they can do is “play a game.”

The truth is that athletes bring unique skills to the workforce, as we see in today’s Recruitment & Retention story. Discipline. Mental acuity and toughness. High energy. And when their playing careers end, many go on to successful new ventures in the private sector.

Like former Houston Texans defensive end Kailee Wong who founded The Athletic Room. Or New Orleans Saints tight end Billy Miller, who is managing director of business development for talent solutions firm Tri-Search. And, veteran linebacker Chris Draft who, with his late wife Keasha, created Team Draft, a campaign aimed at raising awareness about lung cancer.

How can this brief better serve you? Let me know. (Yes, I do read these emails!) Know someone who needs to receive this newsletter? Send them this link to subscribe.