A record 1,548 rulings were made in 2020 related to workplace lawsuits, up more than 5% from 2019, and 61 were class-action suits related directly to the pandemic, according to an annual report from Seyfarth Shaw. The 10 largest settlements -- spanning sexual misconduct along with race, gender and age discrimination -- cost employers $1.58 billion, and trends identified for 2021 include the pandemic's continued effect, increased class actions, and a rise in lawsuits related to wages and hours.

A survey by LiveCareer finds 29% of employees would leave their jobs if made to give up remote working for a return to the office, and 61% want to be allowed to work remotely indefinitely. Gartner's Brian Kropp warns that companies that don't offer the flexibility that talent wants "will have a harder time hiring and retaining employees."

The Principal Retirement Security Survey showed that three-quarters of working people and retirees worry about the pandemic's effect on their retirement savings, and more are seeking help from finance professionals, writes Alan Goforth. "Workers and retirees both plan to make changes to help improve their financial health, such as spending less (35%), saving more (29%) and paying down debt (25%)," Goforth writes.

Students enrolled in the Ohio Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education train for careers in advanced manufacturing, spending a portion of their time in the classroom and the remainder working at an area business. Under the program, the partnering business pays a portion of students' tuition and fees.

HR can improve communication with remote employees during the pandemic by showing compassion, making sure supervisors understand how to deal with people's grief and encouraging managers to regularly meet with employees and drill down to what they need, says Red Hat Chief People Officer DeLisa Alexander. "Since we're all living at work, it's a totally different dynamic as professionals," Alexander says.