Workforce

What Inspired Digital Nomads to Flee America’s Big Cities May Spur Legions of Remote Workers to Do the Same

COMMENTARY | The pandemic has spurred many workers to contemplate their futures – and whether they ever want to return to office life.

  • By Rachael A. Woldoff and Robert Litchfield, The Conversation

Public Sector Jobs Up in March, But Still Far Below Pre-Covid Levels

Education employment in particular saw strong growth.

  • By Bill Lucia

Moms do More Parenting When Working From Home

COMMENTARY | “It turns out that when the mother is working remotely and her partner isn’t, she ends up taking on a ton more responsibilities,” says one of the authors of a new study on the topic.

  • By Katherine Unger Baillie-Penn, Futurity

The Hidden Toll of Remote Work

Switching to Zoom forever might be convenient, but it’s a recipe for loneliness.

  • By Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic

U.S. Unemployment Claims Fall to Under 700,000, Lowest Since Pandemic

More than 18.9 million people still are collecting benefits, but economists are confident hiring will pick up.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Share of Remote Workers Comfortable Returning to Office Rises, Survey Finds

But the results also suggest most people want to see their coworkers vaccinated before going back.

  • By Brent Woodie

Biden Administration Preparing $3 Trillion Infrastructure and Jobs Plan, Reports Say

The president is expected to receive the plan this week, according to reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

A Quick and Low-Cost Way to Drive Results-Focused Government

COMMENTARY | Creating a “community of practice,” where agency staff interested in evidence, data and innovation gather regularly, can help to build a culture of learning and improvement.

  • By Andrew Feldman

Four Causes of 'Zoom Fatigue' and What You Can Do About It

Videoconferencing platforms like Zoom can really lead to real fatigue, researchers warn.

  • By Stanford University, Futurity

Public Employees’ Use of Personal Phones, Tablets Puts Local Governments at Risk

A cybersecurity report found that 25% of state and local government employees use personal digital devices to telework while only 9% of federal employees do so.

  • By Andrea Noble

Proposals Would Help States and Localities With Paid Leave Costs

Congressional lawmakers reintroduced bills that would extend payroll tax credits to state and local governments, to help offset the expense of coronavirus-related leave for their workers.

  • By Bill Lucia

Grocery Groups Sue Over Mandated Hazard Pay for Workers

Two industry trade groups sued the city of Seattle over a new law requiring a $4-per-hour hazard pay raise.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram
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Another Big Company Plans for Remote Work Beyond the Pandemic

Salesforce, one of San Francisco's top employers, says it expects the majority of its workers will be going into the office fewer than five days a week.

  • By Bill Lucia

Nearly 29,000 Residents Apply for Free Community College Tuition in State Program's First Week

The Michigan Reconnect Program provides residents 25 and older with free community college tuition and scholarships for skilled trades training, part of a larger initiative to increase the number of working-age residents with degrees.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

After Hundreds of Meatpacking Workers Died From Covid-19, Congress Wants Answers

A key House subcommittee cited reports by ProPublica and other news outlets in launching an investigation into how the country’s meatpacking companies handled the pandemic, which has killed hundreds of workers to date.

  • By Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung, ProPublica

Covid-19's Lasting Mark on Remote Work in State and Local Agencies

It's clear that some telework practices in many workplaces will outlast the pandemic. But which ones and to what extent?

  • By Bill Lucia

How Agencies in One State Struggled With the Transition to Telework

Less than one-fifth of state employees in Louisiana had ever worked remotely before the pandemic, and with no consistent work-from-home policy or guidelines in place, agencies had a hard time helping them do it, according to an audit.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Survey: Covid Driving State, Local Workers to Consider Switching Jobs

The newly released findings also show that the proportion of state and local government employees who thought their pay wasn't on par with on-the-job risks was up as well late last year.

  • By Bill Lucia

Paid Sick Leave and the Prolonged Pandemic

State HR officials are concerned that if they can’t find a way to extend paid sick leave benefits, employees will start showing up to work contagious.

  • By Katherine Barrett & Richard Greene

How Emerging Tech Could Help Ease Stress on 911 Call Center Staff

COMMENTARY | Technology could play a key role in reducing stress and trauma that can be a challenge for the workers who answer emergency phone lines.

  • By Chris Carver

Occupational Licensing Reforms Must Maintain Standards to Protect the Public

COMMENTARY | Proposals to recognize professional licenses across state lines are getting attention in legislatures. But worker mobility should not come at the expense of public health, safety and welfare.

  • By Torey Carter-Conneen and Tricia Hatley