Business year in review

Among the notable contributions is one by Allegra Goodman, who writes of how Austen’s Pride and Prejudice has been a companion over the years. She first read it when she was nine, “a pert, excitable, giggly reader.” Later, studying English literature, she began to consider its strengths and weaknesses (“the liveliness of Lizzie and her sisters, against the inarticulate stiffness of Darcy”). Several readings later, she still returns to it “not because it is the best novel I have read, or the most important, but because of the memories and wishes I’ve folded in its pages — because on every reading I see old things in it.” … [Read more...] about How re-reading reveals more about the reader than the book

Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could take away social media companies’ current exemption from civil suits stemming from harmful content posted to the platforms by users. That exemption is part of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which was written back in 1996 by Congressmen Ron Wyden of Oregon and Chris Cox of California and has been called the “internet’s First Amendment.” … [Read more...] about Trump’s new executive order is a ‘mugging of the First Amendment,’ says Sen. Wyden

A survey from Syndio found that 14% of women were considering quitting their jobs because of their increased family demands. In addition, new obstacles such as the discovery that women are being talked over and are unable to get a word in during Zoom meeting, have only brought in-person workplace inequalities to the remote workforce. And that’s only if women can even make it to their Zoom meetings, as they’ve often had to make more sacrifices to handle caregiving and household responsibilities than their partners. The Motherhood Penalty often places moms at a lower earning level than dads, so when couples have to decide whose career to put first, they choose the individual who makes more money, which is usually the dad. Unless employers are actively working now to retain the women in their company, they may lose some of their top talent in the coming months. … [Read more...] about The pandemic could fix the workplace gender gap (or make it wider)

Schneiderman also suggests acknowledging that the employee is likely not alone at home. “Managers should be aware that the recipient of the news may be in a room where children or other adults can overhear the message and should be sensitive to that. She advises telling the employee that the conversation is private and making sure they can get to a place where others can’t listen in. It may be revealing, she says, but necessary to respect the privacy of the individual receiving the information in the immediate moments after the news is delivered. … [Read more...] about This is what a compassionate layoff looks like

Bottom line is, if you’re too stringent with process—and this often derives from a need for more visibility and control—you risk burying talent or deterring it from entering your virtual door. This is particularly true for the emerging workforce. A defining trait of Gen Z is their need for individual expression. Having the ability to deliver work in a way that feels more authentic is a huge draw for this generation, which already makes up 24% of the workforce and is expected to grow to 30% by 2030. Employers who are willing to capitalize on individual contributions in a platform-agnostic way will have a leg up on their competitors both now and in the future. … [Read more...] about The case for autonomous leadership in the remote workplace