Initial jobless claims dropped from a revised level of 231,000 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000 last week, according to the Labor Department. The 2019 pre-pandemic weekly average was 218,000. Full Story: Reuters (6/23),The Wall Street Journal (6/23)
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Recruiting & Retention
Using tech to suss cultural fits in your hiring Rushing the recruitment process could be a risk in evaluating a potential hire's cultural fit. Leveraging online tests and tech that will automate searches on social presence and media archives can help HR in hiring, saving costs and eventual employee retention, writes Daniel Callaghan, co-founder and CEO of Veremark. Full Story: Spiceworks (6/20)
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Walmart will expand a health care benefit that covers pregnant employees who choose to use the services of a doula as part of the birthing team, which can cut the need for C-sections and other medical interventions in half, according to the National Black Doulas Association. The retailer, which will roll out the benefit in three more states after launching it in Georgia last year, said the move is designed to address racial inequalities in maternal health care. Full Story: The Associated Press (6/22)
The HR Leader
"Vibrant arguments" are key to great culture Companies create good cultures when they face problems together and are willing to have "vibrant arguments" about how to proceed, says Daniel Coyle, author of "The Culture Playbook: 60 Highly Effective Actions to Help Your Group Succeed." "Just like the functions of our body or the strength and health of our body, the strength and health of our culture depend on what we do every single day," Coyle says. Full Story: McKinsey (6/22)
Workplace Chatter
A journalist's tribute to her high-school English teacher Journalist Bonnie Jean Feldkamp writes about the profound impact her high-school English teacher, Chuck Keller, has had on her life and who is still a friend, colleague and mentor. Feldkamp explains how Keller has been part of her village -- "the people who believe in you, the people who hold space for you." Full Story: Noozhawk (Santa Barbara, Calif.) (6/18)
About the Editor
Kanoe Namahoe
I ran into my friend, Donna, and her daughter, Paulina, the other night as I was shopping. I hadn’t seen Paulina in years. The last time I saw her, she was a quiet, slightly sullen (in the way kids can be with adults they don’t know well) teenager who was trying to figure out what she wanted to do post-high school. I was interested to hear what she was doing now. “I’ve been traveling with YWAM,” she told me. YWAM is Youth with a Mission, a Christian organization that trains young people for the mission field. Paulina had not been real involved with her church youth group as a teenager, but after high school she decided to give YWAM a shot. “I love it! I’ve been to Nepal, Brazil and Portugal so far and now I’m working with the L.A. team on their anti-trafficking stuff,” she told me. I stood in the women’s clothing section of Target, listening, fascinated, as Paulina talked about the training she’s doing and the teams they’re organizing to fight human trafficking. When we finally said goodbye, I hugged her tight and we exchanged contact info to talk more another time. But that conversation stayed in my head all week. It surfaced again this morning when I read the top Leadership & Development story about the next normal workplace. Gwen Moran talks about checking in with yourself, thinking about priorities and goals and how that shapes your current situation and your future. That conversation with Paulina prompted me to do that. The career I have now is one I love. It’s been good to me and my family, and I believe 100% that the content my team and I produce helps professionals who are invested in their work. But Kanoe 2.0 may look different. It’s a ways away, but it very well might be involved in the anti-trafficking world. I may take my content skills and put them to use fighting for the rescue of women and children across the world who are trapped in the world of slavery. What about you? When you do a gut check of your priorities and goals, what do you discover? Let me know! And if you enjoy this brief, tell others so they can benefit also.
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