Did you feel guilty taking time off over the holidays? According to CalendarLabs, 75% of employees say they feel guilty about taking time off, and 66% will put in more work time before leaving to make up for their time away. Additionally, 69% will check in with work or respond to notifications during PTO.   Yet prioritizing time off is beneficial for employees: In the U.S., the happiest employees take 15 days off per year, with December being the most popular time for a break. Yet 38% of employees won't use all their PTO, and of that group, more than half will not be able to roll over their time. PTO is highly prioritized by employees, whether they use it or not. The survey found that 87% of employees would prefer more days off over a $10k raise. Meanwhile, 65% of employees thought they should be compensated for taking over additional work from their colleagues. 55% of managers have also said they've "dismantled the stigma" around taking PTO for mental health, by frequently checking in with employees and encouraging time off and incorporating mental health days into their yearly calendar.  So don’t feel guilty, enjoy the recharge for the coming year.  Source: EBN 12/26/23

Layoffs coming?  More employers giving longer notices: Layoffs with a long runway that can take weeks or months to finally come to pass. Wells Fargo and Disney are among large employers that have done some long goodbyes instead of more-traditional, abrupt ones, in which laid-off workers learn they are cut and leave on the same day, often escorted out by security.  The old way protected companies from security problems or lost clients as laid-off workers walked out the door, and workers had little recourse. Now employers are trying to appear transparent and compassionate when cutting, several executives and leadership consultants said. Layoffs that are seen as insensitively done can spark backlash on social media, with laid-off employees venting online and circulating internal details, said George Penn, a managing vice president at Gartner who advises companies on staff restructuring.  Yet considerations such as access to confidential information, trade secrets, and other protected information make the long notice time a discussion that management and legal counsel should have.   Source:  The Wall Street Journal 12/10/23

Raises didn’t meet employee expectations in 2023: Just over 40% of workers haven’t received a salary increase in the past 12 months, according to a survey of 1,500 full-time employees by BambooHR. For those who did get a raise, the average salary increase was 4.6%, compared to 6.2% in 2022. Notably, women seem to be significantly less satisfied with their salary; 27% expressed frustration with their compensation, compared to 15% of men.   While a little over half of workers described themselves as happy or content with their salary, most could still be tempted away. Nearly 3 in 4 would consider leaving for a higher paycheck, but it would take an average increase of 13.3% to get them out the door, BambooHR found.  But 44% of respondents to BambooHR’s survey said they’d stick with a job they disliked if the salary was high enough, and 55% of workers told United Culture that a good salary was a top factor that made them feel fulfilled at work. Source:  HR Dive December 12, 2023

Fully remote worksites are less and less: Only 1% of executives according to its third annual Future of Work Index say their employees are fully remote, a stark contrast to 2022, when 34% of respondents said they had a remote workplace model.  Hybrid work is the winner, and 80% of business leaders are confident in the strategy. “I think those days of, ‘Let’s see what people want’ are quickly running out,” said Mark Grinis, who leads EY Americas’ real estate, hospitality and construction sector. “Leadership is thinking, ‘I think we’re losing some of our culture. We’re losing some of our training, growth, and professional development,‘” Source:  CNBC 12/11/23

Gig economy provides flexibility that workers want:  An all-time high of 64 million people — more than one-third of America’s workers — turned to freelance work last year, according to a survey by Upwork Inc.  Nearly half of those workers provided knowledge services, including computer programming, marketing and consulting, and one-quarter were social media influencers, according to data released from the online recruitment company. Younger workers are more likely to freelance, with more than half of the Gen Z workforce and 44% of millennials working those jobs in 2023.   Upwork defines freelancing as temporary or supplemental, contract-based work, also known as gig work. It also includes those with multiple jobs.  “An increasing number of Americans are seeking greater flexibility, autonomy and earning power,” Margaret Lilani, vice president of talent solutions at Upwork, said in a press release. Americans turned to freelancing to earn extra money and have a more flexible schedule, according to Upwork’s online survey of 3,000 US workers.  Employers should review their policies with employees who may be working the gig economy to ensure they are not competing with or interfering with the employer operations.  Source:  Bloomberg 6/12/23

EEOC now allows attorneys to file charges for clients: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the launch of E-File for Attorneys, an application which allows attorneys to submit charges of discrimination electronically on behalf of their clients. Attorneys representing charging parties will now be able to immediately upload a charge already signed by their client or create a charge their client can sign and submit through the EEOC Public Portal. The EEOC estimates that about a third of the charges it receives come from attorneys filing on behalf of their clients. Attorneys submitted these charges by mail, fax, and hand-delivery, and the EEOC processed them manually, resulting in duplication of work for the agency, attorneys, and represented charging parties.  With this digital solution, the EEOC expects to free up resources significantly to better serve individuals who are unrepresented and want to file charges of discrimination. The E-file for Attorneys application will help strengthen the capacity of the agency in alignment with its recent strategic plan.  Watch out for a strong rise in charges.  Source:  EEOC 12/13/23