Kyrsten Sinema wants to snuff out stock buybacks by adding an excise tax. Here’s why that would hurt regular shareholders

The compromise that the Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) forged with fellow Democrats to clear passage for the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a pivotal provision that could upend the way companies are run, and how they reward the 53% of America’s families that own stock. To pledge her vote, Sinema demanded that the bill include a 1% excise tax on share repurchases that now reign as far and away the top vehicle for returning cash to equity investors. READ MORE

Why returning to the office is in your best interest

The "Blink" and "Outliers" author told the host, Steven Bartlett that people should return to the office to regain a "sense of belonging." 

"It’s very hard to feel necessary when you’re physically disconnected," Gladwell said. "As we face the battle that all organizations are facing now in getting people back into the office, it’s really hard to explain this core psychological truth, which is we want you to have a feeling of belonging and to feel necessary."  READ MORE

How to Get Your Team on Board with a Major Change

George, head of the Asia Pacific region for a global industry leader, was running the annual meeting of his group’s 300 executives and managers. After reviewing the year to date and addressing the changing context for the coming year, he was heading for the usual wrap up. This time, however, he had a key decision to share with his people, a decision he told us he felt both resolute in and nervous to share. Their operating model — the model that everybody knew and understood and that guided every interaction — needed to change. READ MORE

Inside EY’s $22 million strategy to get workers back into the office

When EY was trying to get its employees to return to the office earlier this year after years of remote working, it, like many other employers, didn’t quite know where to turn. While a survey of its workers found that many wanted to be in the office part-time—say, a couple of times a week—the company wasn’t seeing that desire reflected in the number of workers actually showing up in the office. READ MORE

Most employers still require college degrees, but for how much longer?

College degrees still matter to employers. And while that might be a great sign for higher education, it might not be the best measure to solve the jobs crisis in America.

The new Employability Report released by Cengage Group shows that 62% of all employers surveyed still believe a degree is a must-have for their candidates, despite the fact that less than 40% of all adults in the U.S. have a bachelor’s degree and many have the skills to do the required work via other credentials. READ MORE

Employers are giving workers the WFH days they want

More than two years after the start of the covid-19 pandemic, US workers are closer than ever to getting the remote-work arrangements they want.

In late 2020, the gap between how many work-from-home days workers wanted and how many remote days hybrid employers were planning was 1.38 days, according to a monthly online survey from WFH Research, a project that has been tracking workplace attitudes and worker arrangements each month since May 2020. By June 2022, that gap had narrowed to 0.44 days. READ MORE

How Fair Is Your Workplace?

Under pressure from activist investors, the public, and their own employees, many companies are expanding their commitments to corporate social responsibility with an emphasis on equity and justice for disadvantaged communities. Nearly nine in 10 of Fortune 100 companies list equity as one of their corporate values, according to our analysis of value statements of Fortune 100 companies. Mentions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on S&P 500 earnings calls have increased 658% just since 2018, according to our analysis of earnings calls transcripts for S&P Global 500 for 1Q18 and 1Q21. READ MORE

Why Are Tech Companies Being Hit So Hard By The Downturn?

The last couple months have been rough for both public and private tech companies.

More than 28,000 employees of U.S.-based tech companies have been laid off so far this year, with layoffs accelerating in June, the end of the second quarter. And while late-stage startups have been hit the hardest by layoffs, according to a Crunchbase News analysis, it seems like public tech companies are starting to ramp up layoffs as well. READ MORE