This edition of HR News covers workplace mental health in the Zoom era, employee financial stress, drive-through hiring, and more. We also have updates on Coronavirus news you should know and items from the lighter side.
10 Tips for Improving Mental Health in the Zoom Workplace
The American Institute of Stress
In the unprecedented era of the Zoom workplace, employers and employees need to take a step back and reconsider mental health in the place of work. For managers, knowing the proper ways to tackle employees’ mental health issues is as important as making sure they are productive. Here are some ways for managers to properly handle the Zoom workplace-linked mental health issues.
- Related: Managing Stress and Employee Burnout
- Related: Five ways to design a better mental-health future for a stressed-out workforce
- Related: In the Pandemic Your EAP Can Help. Now, More Than Ever
Workers Seek Help as Pandemic Increases Financial Stress: Survey
Insurance News Net
While financial stress increased overall this past year, the pressure and uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis has caused workers to prioritize financial wellness and seek guidance for both short and long-term financial planning, a new survey finds.
John Hancock Retirement, a company of Manulife Investment Management, today announced the results of its seventh annual financial stress survey of retirement plan participants, revealing the weight of financial stress on workers and its impact on employers.
- Related: Workplace retirement benefits still make long-term savings hard
- Related: The Coronavirus Crisis: Tools for Tough Times
Employers Facing Wave of Lawsuits by Parents Fired During Pandemic
Insurance Journal, David Yaffe-Bellany
Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed. Since March, working parents have filed at least 40 lawsuits accusing employers of illegally denying parental leave or subjecting them to other forms of discrimination.
Related: COVID-19 Labor & Employment Litigation Tracker
Drive-Thru Job Fairs: A Sign of the Times
SHRM, Lin Grensing-Pophal
Drive-thru job fairs, being used by the Wisconsin Workforce Development Board and others, “are especially effective in the manufacturing, light industrial, utilities, warehouse and administrative sectors,” said Mary Cavanaugh, senior vice president at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston. They’re also used effectively when recruiting for temporary and transitional roles, she said.
This is the biggest mistake people make with microagressions at work
Fast Company, Dorianne St Fleur
Racist microagressions can take place even when people have good intentions or view themselves as allies. This is the biggest way people mess up and what to do instead.
How to Monitor Remote Workers — Ethically
MIT Sloan, Ben Laker, Will Godley, Charmi Patel, and David Cobb
Long-term remote work has necessitated questions about monitoring employee productivity. Is it possible to practice ethical surveillance?
HR News Coronavirus updates
- CDC’s Expanded “Close Contact” Rule Problematic for Employers
- U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance Alerting Employers to Frequently Cited Standards Related to COVID-19 Inspections
- SAMPLE Questionnaire and HR Checklist for Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
- In a Pandemic, Every Day Is Bring-Your-Child-to-Work Day
- What is the Coronavirus 15-Minute Rule?
- A room, a bar and a classroom: how the coronavirus is spread through the air
- Study Shows COVID-19 Patients at Greater Risk of Mental Health Problems
- Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker
- Too Much Family Time During the Pandemic? Here’s How to Cope
- Coronavirus holidays – how to celebrate safely
HR News Quick Takes
- Age Is Just a Number, But It Can Still Lead to Discrimination in the Hiring Process
- Guide to Videoconference Services
- 5 Essential WFH Tools for the New Remote Employee
- 9 ways to bolster your daily productivity and efficiency
- 5 things your lawyer likes to see in an HR person
- There Are 168 Hours in the Week. Are You Spending Them on What Matters?
- 4 items that should be part of every return-to-office plan
- How to stop workplace bullying and find the cause
- “Serious” Leaders Need Self-Care, Too
- More States Make Marijuana Use Legal
HR News from the Lighter side
- The world joined in mourning on the passing of Alex Trebeck, beloved host of Jeopardy, who was exemplary for his kindness, both on the job and off. In one of his last messages, he spoke about the Compassion Project, a national initiative to teach elementary school kids the meaning of compassion. Here’s a touching moment from a contestant that spoke to the host’s global influence.
- When you work on a farm the work hazards are a little different. See this cute tweet captioned: “Should always believe a 5-year-old when he tells you 4 times alllll the animals are in the house” Wait for the donkeys…”
- We enjoyed this 2020 work from home Halloween costume
- Another triumph for women on the equality front – you can now get little green plastic army women. Representation matters!
- Project Fifty is a beautiful photo series that The Atlantic is running through the end of 2020 – they’ve been adding beautiful photo collections from every state in the Union.
- Some jobs are unforgettable. This video clip is touching and beautiful – former ballet dancer Marta Cinta González Saldaña, who had Alzheimer’s, reacting to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake music.