Evolver Offsite - July 1, 2021
Don't Come Back To The Office, Cutting Benefits Might Improve Unemployment Stats, Most Workers Looking to Leave Their Jobs, and Aliens Unite Us!
Hey there! Welcome to Offsite, our quick round-up of work worthy stories from this week.
It’s July and, across the country, the masks are coming off—good feelings as we head into a holiday weekend. However, simultaneously, the Delta variant is causing some concern, putting the unvaccinated in more danger, and threatening to disrupt the global reopening.
A note: Here at Evolver, we’re continuing our summer dedicated to work-life balance, so while we’ll keep producing Offsite weekly, our Monday editions will be more sporadic until the fall.
If you have any topics you want us to address or feedback for us, our inbox is open at evolverteam@protonmail.com. Onward to this week’s stories:
📰 Read
Bank Bucks U.S. Peers, Saying No One Should Return 5 Days a Week (Bloomberg)
Time: 4 minutes
Going against the grain. In the past few weeks, we’ve heard companies—particularly banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley—aggressively push for a total return to the office for employees. Synchrony Financial has also begun their return, but with a different approach: no employees can be back in the office five days per week. They argue that this policy will ensure no one is left behind by those in-office and will create more cohesion between in-office, hybrid, and remote workers. We like the out-of-the-box thinking here, particularly with the power dynamics emerging between in-office and remote workers and the growth opportunities for both.
Americans Are Leaving Unemployment Rolls More Quickly in States Cutting Off Benefits (WSJ)
Time: 6 minutes
Do substantial unemployment benefits keep folks from looking for work? We don’t necessarily agree with this argument, but the data suggests that people are taking jobs and heading back to work as federal unemployment benefits are cut. It’s an appealing argument initially—employers were “competing” with unemployment benefits. And while the data suggests that folks are filling jobs when benefits are cut, taking jobs out of necessity says nothing about the quality of life or economic stability found in these roles. (Jon: Perhaps a greater issue here is America’s reliance on cheap labor…)
‘Great Resignation’ gains steam as return-to-work plans take effect (CNBC)
Time: 2 minutes
95% of workers are considering changing jobs. Can you imagine if 95% of your office left? It’s not as far-out a concept as it might sound. The pandemic gave workers time to reflect on what they value. That period of reflection combined with an increasing number of job openings means the hiring market is ripe for a shake-up. For companies, that means fiercer competition for talent and re-orienting policies to attract applicants.
☕️ Coffee Break
Opinion: Aliens might be the thing to finally unite us (Washington Post)
Time: 2 minutes
The Department of Defense hasn’t ruled out the possibility of extraterrestrials being the cause of UFOs in its latest report. And, we must say, it would feel very on-brand for 2021 to be the year we discover aliens exist. Jokes aside, in a country and world divided and in conflict, what if aliens are the thing that unites us? A conversation for your next Zoom meeting break.
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