Editor’s Note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Work Transformed newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free, here.
Happy Election Day!
We finally made it.
It has been a long election cycle. People are fired up and emotions are running high. But it’s best to avoid the subject altogether while at work.
Here’s what one lawyer told me: “The safest bet is to keep your political views to yourself and keep it out of the workplace.”
If it does come up, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
The First Amendment doesn’t apply if you work in the private sector. Your employer can prohibit you from talking politics in the office — with a few exceptions.
Employers can’t stop you from talking about terms and conditions of employment, things like wages and working conditions — or a candidate’s position on them, that are protected under the National Labor Relations Act.
Read more about your rights here.
Millions of jobs have been lost since the pandemic struck earlier this year. At first, mainly low-income jobs took a hit.
But recently we’re seeing higher-paid office workers receiving pink slips, reports CNN Business’ Matt Egan.
ExxonMobil, Chevron, Charles Schwab and Raytheon (to a name a few) have all announced plans to cut white-collar jobs.
While not all the cuts are pandemic-related (some are due to mergers or they were previously announced), they still don’t bode well for the long-term economic recovery.
“This slow trickle of white-collar layoffs is very impactful because [office workers] spend the most,” Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO and chief strategist at Quill Intelligence, told Egan.
Not having to commute is touted as a major upside of working from home.
Or is it?
Americans spent 60 million fewer hours on their daily work commutes from mid-March to mid-September, reports The Wall Street Journal’s Jo Craven McGinty.
But it turns out, many of us are using that time to work more. Or do chores. Bummer.
The commute, as stressful as it can be, at least helped signal the start and end of the workday. But now it seems we’re never really disconnecting.
Read more about the trend here.
Given all the demands on our schedules right now, multitasking might seem like the only way to get everything done. But you need to establish some boundaries. Here’s what Dave Crenshaw, author of the forthcoming book The Myth of Multitasking, suggested:
You save time when you reduce random interruptions. So, when working from home, establish ground rules with your coworkers for your hours of availability. Also discuss expected response times for email, text messages, or any chat apps your team uses.
Rather than continually juggling work and family at the same time, start with an open conversation to discuss needs and boundaries. Then create a schedule for when you’ll focus on work, and when you’ll focus on your loved ones.
Some employers are looking to get their empty work spaces buzzing again, and they are offering some hefty perks to entice employees to come back in.
One Manhattan real estate company is offering working parents office space for their kids to do remote schooling supervised by company-provided tutors, reports J. David Goodman for The New York Times.
The New York Stock Exchange is offering returning workers discounted parking, and Goldman Sachs is serving up free lunches in the cafeteria, according to Goodman.
Click here to read more about the perks.
Looking for work? Here’s a list of companies hiring this holiday season:
Amazon: 100,000 seasonal jobs
Lowe’s: 20,000 associates
Shipt: 100,000 workers
Nordstrom: 22,000 employees
Dick’s Sporting Goods: up to 9,000 associates
It’s been eight months since many Americans started working from home. At this point, we’re in a pretty serious relationship with our home office/kitchen table/spot on the couch.
And if you’ve been winging it so far, it’s time to make some upgrades. The Wall Street Journal’s Kathryn Dill got tips from remote working pros:
Get a timer. Distractions abound when you are working from home (especially when you have kiddos as colleagues). One expert recommended setting a timer for 30, 60 or 90 minutes for focused work. That means no emails, text alerts, Slacks. Just work. After you complete a work sprint, take a break.
Tidy up. Time might be tight these days, but keep the clutter to a minimum in your work space to help keep stress levels down.
Get more tips here.
At some point or another, we’ve all felt that work can be a little thankless.
But you never know who has your back.
Last week, McDonald’s social media manager tweeted: “it’s always ‘when is the McRib coming back’ and never ‘how are you doing person who runs the McDonald’s account'”
And there were some pretty funny responses:
Adobe replied: “Starting a social media manager support group lmk if you want to join.”
HBO (which is owned by Warner Media, CNN’s parent company) also chimed in:
“I’ve never felt more seen. Like, I don’t know when House of the Dragon is premiering.
Unrelated: When is the McRib coming back?”
Check out more hilarious responses here.
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.