An early November batch of links
Since the most recent batch of links went out, paying subscribers received my reflections on the High Holy Days, then an explanation for why I’ve returned to therapy (again). This coming weekend, they will enjoy a meditation on what at times stands in the way of problem-solving: diagnosing what the problem actually is.
Below, you’ll find a batch of links that represent the themes of this newsletter, which are career development, community building, and self care.
Workers Are Doing Less Work for the Same Pay.
Fewer hours on the job might also reflect changing attitudes toward work, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. And this appears to be continuing despite cooler job growth this year compared with the prior two years. Separate data from job-search site Indeed shows a steady increase in employers advertising benefits such as paid time off even though job openings have fallen from a recent peak.
In defence of the Gen Z challenge to the ‘work ethic’.
UK Tech Firms With Higher RTO Demands Hire Fewer Women. This makes sense. I work in a field and also a sub-field of that field that is mostly composed of women, and I hear from many of them as they plan their current workloads and future plans that remote work flexibility is near the top of the pile. I haven’t heard of many examples, though, of people flying in for a week every month or two.
What’s the true cost of hiring an exec?
How to control the unconscious attitudes influencing your money habits. I think this article does a nice job of separating regular anxiety around money, and what you can do about it to alleviate that anxiety, and what might be anxiety that goes beyond regular financial concerns and considerations.
The truth about workers' wage growth is hard to find.
Health insurance is scary. I love this so much. Not only do we make insurance so impossible in this country to understand, but also we instruct the intermediaries to be unhelpful to get people where they need to be. Outside resources like these are essential.
Super commuting is on the rise - and that spells big trouble for mid-sized cities.
Americans Can’t Stop Spending. Five Reasons Why. A really good profile about five people, across America, who discuss what their money goes toward these days. Putting real faces and voices to these stories is crucial.
Why working longer is a bad retirement plan.
Johnson’s research shows that in the aftermath of the Great Recession (from 2008 through 2012), workers 50 to 61 years old who lost a job were 20% less likely to be reemployed than workers in their 20s and early 30s. Those age 62 and older were 50% less likely to have a new job.
Is There a ‘Right Way’ to Respond to Israel-Hamas War?
KPMG mulls men’s well-being support network. I could go either way on this, provided that the groups are being created with good intentions. What I don’t have any patience for is snark in the workplace, especially at this scale. It’s never funny to undermine what other people require to keep pace.
Is ‘flextirement’ the new retirement? Conversations around and about retirement are likely to change, as a generation will either look to retire as early as possible or will accept that they will work as long as they can. I’d expect a shift away from the norms we consider to be healthiest today.