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- Introducing...pet leave?
Introducing...pet leave?
Today’s edition is brought to you by The Work Wellbeing Playbook. If you’re ready to feel more grounded, inspired, and supported at work, grab the Work Wellbeing Playbook today —completely free! 🌱
Read time: 2.5 minutes
Good Afternoon Party People! 🎉
PARTY PLAN 🎉
🐕 Pet leave
🌡️ The talent barometer
🤑 Overtime threshold is back
And, of course, MEMES!
MEME OF THE DAY
Feeling burned out, undervalued, or just ready for a change? You’re not alone. Three-quarters of C-suite leaders (75%) and nearly two-thirds of managers (64%) are considering leaving their jobs for ones that truly support their well-being. If you’re already exploring new opportunities, why not take back control of your wellbeing now?
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Spot the signs of burnout before they take over
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Empower yourself with tools for real work-life harmony—download the Work Wellbeing Playbook today and start prioritizing you!
WORKPLACE
Introducing “Pet Leave”
A new workplace policy has been condemned by some as “barking mad.” Taking sick days for pet-related duties like potty training and trips to the vet is becoming more popular in the workplace, especially in New York City, where lawmakers recently proposed a bill in favor of granting sick leave for pet care.
Seems like a cool policy on the surface, but workers without pets are arguing that it gives employees too long of a leash. Ok that’s it, no more dog puns.
“Needing an hour or two to run to the vet is one thing, but it is not fair to the other employees on the team for someone to be out because of a personal decision that their co-worker made.”
A survey conducted by Wagmo (yes “wag-mo”) recently found that 75% of employed pet owners missed at least one day of work within the last year to car for their pet. 26% missed six or more days.
Sick or injured pets also contribute to distractions at work, causing performance to decline, according to pet owners.
The proposed bill, which calls for an expansion of the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act, sparked a heated debate on LinkedIn.
Here is some of the back and forth:
“Employees should be able to use sick leave in any manner that includes sickness. Pets or children or family members.”
“Does that mean we would need to ask the vet for a doctor’s note to excuse an employee for being out for a certain period of time to take care of their sick pet?”
“As a pet owner I wholly support this. As an employer advocate, however, it leaves me baffled.”
Would you support a policy that allows employees to take paid leave to care for pets? |
TALENT
The Global Talent Barometer
Last week, ManpowerGroup released their Innagural Global Talent Barometer with insights from the workforce around the world.
The full report is 29 pages long, so we made a list of all the key points:
Across 16 countries, the overall barometer sits at 67%, which is determined by employee scores for well-being (64%), job satisfaction (63%) and confidence (74%).
8 in 10 workers said they find meaning in their current jobs.
1 in 3 workers are thinking about leaving their current jobs. The math ain’t really mathing for those last two…
41% of remote workers also said they’re thinking about a new job, despite reporting higher well-being and work-life balance scores.
Job security sentiment comes in at 71%, but trust in management for career development lags behind that at 63%.
87% of workers expressed confidence in their skills, but 34% said they see a ceiling at their current workplace and don’t have opportunities to reach their career goals.
“The employee-employer relationship is at a crossroads. People expect work to offer them more. More balance. More options. More humanity. More than just a paycheck. While 80% of workers find meaning in their roles, our data shows that purpose alone isn’t enough to retain talent. Employees are voting with their feet, seeking workplaces that deliver on multiple fronts — from mental health support and work-life balance to career development and skills training.”
PAY
Overtime Salary Threshold is Back
The Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay employees overtime for working more than 40 hours in a week but it exempts some executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) workers.
To be exempt, workers must be salaried, their work must fit EAP duties and they need to earn a minimum salary.
Earlier this year, the Department of Labor raised the exemption threshold from $35k (meaning workers must make at least that much to be considered exempt from overtime pay) up to $44k.
The number was set to be raised again to $59k at the beginning of 2025.
Seems like a great thing for salaried employees right? Workers making under $59k in salary would be eligible for overtime pay for working more than 40 hours a week. Well, a federal judge just said not so fast.
Last week, a Texas federal judge on Friday struck down the U.S. Department of Labor’s recently expanded overtime rule nationwide, stripping overtime eligibility from an estimated 1 million workers. Judge Sean Jordan said, “The 2024 Rule exceeds the Department’s authority and is unlawful.”
The judge added that by setting the salary threshold as high as it did, the DOL created a “de facto ‘salary only’ test for the EAP exemption,” which exceeded the department’s authority. Looks like no more OT pay for salaried employees.
For now anyways.
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