The C Sheet December 10: Mishandled Layoffs, The Benefits of Curiosity, and Omicron

1. There’s a Better Way 

The CEO of Better.com is under fire for firing 900 employees via Zoom, and then later accusing 250 of them for only working two hours a day. He has since issued an apology, but the consequences are already under way. Better.com CEO Vishal Garg apologizes to current employees for ‘blundering’ of mass layoffs; SPAC delayed (TechCrunch)

2. The Ideal Worker: A Curious George 

Curiosity may kill the cat, but apparently it’s good for job seekers. Regardless of job level, the desire to seek out information is highly valuable to organizations, with a 90% increase in mention in job postings. Curiosity Is The Hot New Skill: 5 Ways To Set Yourself Apart In Your Job Search (Forbes)  

3. See you in January 

In spite of the COVID variant Omicron, a new poll showed that 77% of workers say their employers are still planning on returning to the office in January—and—more than half of the employees are happy about it. 77% of workers say they’re returning to the office in January— and more than half are looking forward to it (Fortune)

4. Time for a Pay Raise 

If one of your New Year resolutions is to make more money, it looks like you could accomplish it this year. Businesses are expecting to increase wages by 3.9%— the highest bump since 2018. In 2022, companies plan to give biggest raises in more than a decade (Washington Post) 

5. Denied: Kellogg Workers Reject New Contract

On Tuesday, 1,400 Kellogg workers rejected a five-year contract proposal after being on strike since early October due to the compensation structure within the company. In response, Kellogg says they will move forward with replacing workers. Kellogg Workers Prolong Strike by Rejecting Contract Proposal (The New York Times) 

6. High-Performing Social Butterflies  

In remote or hybrid work environments, teams need more than just the right talent. New research shows that individuals who leverage social interactions prove to be the most productive. Here’s how: 5 Things High-Performing Teams Do Differently (Harvard Business Review)