Companies including Uber and Lyft are undertaking efforts in New York and other states to prevent gig workers from being classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Although a New York proposal to address this issue has failed, such efforts continue, with negotiations including discussion of workers receiving some benefits and bargaining rights.

Workforces need to deliberately focus on being flexible, which includes giving key tasks to consultants, contractors and other independent, specialized workers, writes MBO Partners CEO Miles Everson. "[E]ngaged strategically, independent labor can also help organizations quickly develop new lines of business, open new markets or execute key organizational objectives," Everson writes.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., has introduced a pair of bills that would change rules for retirement plans. The Keeping Your Retirement Act would raise the age for required minimum distributions to 75 from 72, and the Increasing Retirement Amount Act would double the yearly amount someone can add to an IRA to $12,000, or $15,000 for anyone 50 or older without a workplace plan.

Leaders at companies including A+E Networks, Arlo and Here Technologies are using technology such as Workvivo and uStudio to engage with employees and build corporate culture virtually via internal podcasts. "It's very powerful for a leader to be able to get their voice heard by an entire workforce without having to get everyone dial into a conference call," says uStudio's Jen Grogono. "It's how people become connected to a cause or mission."

Tough choices can be harder to handle than bad news. Researchers say some people would prefer to receive bad news that leaves them no choice about what steps to take next than receive news that isn't as bad, but leaves them wrestling about what to do next.

Bad news is hard to take, but sometimes it can bring relief, as we see in today’s HR Leader story. Having a choice made for you -- even when it means facing a difficult situation -- can alleviate the anxiety of having to choose between two tough options.

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