The fastest-growing age group in the workforce is people over 75, and it’s expected to grow as retirees try to live on limited savings as the cost of living rises. However, despite impressive resumes and a willingness to work, older job applicants report facing discrimination because of their age. Full Story: CNN (4/14)
Recruiting & Retention
To retain employees use empathy, trust Gene Woodard writes that active listening and empathy should be key tenets when it comes to servant leadership. Woodard emphasizes that embracing empathy in leadership fosters better connections, reduces workplace tension and encourages collaboration. Full Story: Facility Cleaning Decisions (4/12)
Menopause -- the unspoken challenge for female workers For women between the ages of 40 and 58, balancing the effects of menopause with the demands of their jobs is daunting, with financial losses put at $1.8 billion, and sometimes impossible, with about a quarter of women in one survey saying they were considering leaving their jobs. Bristol Myers Squibb, Adobe and Bank of America are among the few companies that offer menopause benefits, and grassroots campaigns like Menopause Mandate and Let's Talk Menopause raise awareness about the issue. Full Story: BBC (4/9)
Benefits & Compensation
Bill to expand workers' comp benefits in Kan. becomes law Maximum workers' compensation benefits in Kansas will rise from $155,000 to $400,000 for permanent total disability and from $130,000 to $225,000 for temporary total, permanent partial and temporary partial disability under a bill signed by Gov. Laura Kelly. The legislation also tightens the criteria for injured workers to continue receiving care after they reach maximum medical improvement. Full Story: The Topeka Capital-Journal (Kan.) (4/12),WorkCompCentral (4/12)
Leena Nair, the Global CEO of Chanel, had to overcome self-doubt to assume the leadership role at the iconic fashion house. After talking to her mentor, former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi, Nair made a list of leadership qualities she could bring to the role after decades at Unilever. Full Story: Inc. (tiered subscription model) (4/15)
I walked into Jen’s house Friday night, ready for pizza and girl chat. She was buried in the corner of her couch, draped in dogs, her face a picture of concentration. “Hey,” I said, dropping onto the couch. Her English bulldog puppy, Chopper, immediately bulldozed his way into my lap, demanding hugs. “Hey!” she said, trying to untangle herself from the other two dogs crowded into her side. “You have to listen to this podcast.” She slid her phone to me. I scooped it up before Chopper pounced on it. “The #1 Menopause Doctor: How to Lose Belly Fat, Sleep Better, & Stop Suffering Now, with Dr. Mary Claire Haver,” I read aloud. I looked over at Jen again, curious. She began rattling off everything she had learned from the show. “Estrogen depletion, weight gain, bad sleep, emotions all over the place, depression, brain fog!” Her voice rose on the last words. We had just been discussing our recent struggles with focus and memory. “You have to listen to that podcast! Everything we’ve been talking about, she talks about!” The pizza arrived and we plunked down in our usual spots in her kitchen. We spent the next two hours eating pizza and dissecting the podcast and our own experiences. My mind was still churning through it all when I left later that night. Our Health & Wellness story today talks about menopause and its impact on the female workforce. I admit that this article was a surprise for me. I didn’t realize the extent to which menopause symptoms were affecting some women’s careers. I felt bad for Madhu Kapoor, who quit her job with the British government because she struggled to cope and focus. "I lost all my confidence. I thought I wasn't good at anything," she says in the article. These words could have been mine. I have wrestled with focus, memory and organization more in the last year than I have ever in my career and it’s put a ding in my self-confidence. Some of that has always been a struggle for me – I have ADHD. But, I’ve always been able to rise above and sail. That’s a little tougher now. Fortunately, I was raised to fight, so I am. I’m educating myself, looking for resources, paying attention to my day and working with my doctor on solutions. All of this is helping me get a handle on the situation. Leaders and managers, has this issue come up on your radar? If so, how are you addressing it? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
Sharing SmartBrief on Workforce with your network keeps the quality of content high and these newsletters free.
