The House has voted 219-212 to pass the Biden administration's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, with a goal of completing the legislation by March 14, when other provisions end. The package includes a direct payment of $1,400 to many Americans, but a proposed minimum wage of $15 an hour was vetoed after intervention by Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. Full Story: Politico (2/28),The Wall Street Journal (2/25),The Wall Street Journal (2/27)
Employee Recognition is Stuck in the 80s Traditional recognition programs are as out-of-style as slap bracelets and velcro, with outdated technology, limited catalogs, and huge markups. Bummer. But you can bring your program back to the future. Download the ebook to see how.
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Recruiting & Retention
Proposal calls for $2,400 stimulus checks for mothers A group of 50 male business leaders, actors and athletes, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and NBA star Stephen Curry, have signed an open letter calling for Congress to approve the "Marshall Plan for Moms" -- a proposal by Girls Who Code CEO Reshma Saujani to help mothers who left the workforce during the pandemic return to employment. The proposal seeks $2,400 per month in stimulus checks for mothers and reopening schools five days a week, among other stipulations. Full Story: CNN (2/26)
Pandemic shines spotlight on benefit flexibility Workplace changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted employers to take a more critical look at how they deliver benefits in areas such as caregiving and child care, Amanda Schiavo writes. "We are seeing things like flexible care benefits that work for employees, wherever and whenever they need them," Schiavo writes. Full Story: Employee Benefit News (free registration) (2/26)
Avoid virtual meeting fatigue by setting a clear goal for the meeting, assigning everyone a role for the session and reflecting on what worked and didn't, writes Barry Rosen, CEO of Interaction Associates. "In analyzing data from the 2020 State of Online Meetings Report, we discovered meetings that had a clear meeting agenda usually or always met their intended goals 93% of the time," Rosen writes. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (2/26)
Today is leg day. When my work day ends, I’ll head to the gym for an hour of cardio, deadlifts, goblet squats, hamstring curls and leg extensions, with Marc Antony’s Dimelo blaring through my headphones. Why? Because Zoom fatigue is real, as noted in today’s HR Leader story. After a day of sitting in back-to-back meetings, I need to stand, move, stretch and put my hands on metal. I need to feel the fire in my quads. The burn is healing. How do you combat chronic sitting and meeting burnout? Tell me! Know someone who needs to receive this newsletter? Send them this link to subscribe.
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