Workflow
‘Helping single workers deal with isolation is good for everyone’
With no end to the pandemic in sight, many companies are looking for creative ways to keep employees connected, for both the sake of productivity and collaboration as well as mental health. Computer software company SAP has also taken note of the needs of single employees, who, with offices closed and cities on lockdown, have largely lost their network, by providing innovative alternatives to in-person socializing: lunch dates, virtual barbecues, streaming parties, and more. Bloomberg
‘The pandemic hurts countries that don’t value workers’
Many factors have contributed to the U.S.’s poor management of the coronavirus pandemic, but here Jacob Leibenluft focuses specifically on labor protections and methods used to ensure employees are safe. His thesis? “The path of the coronavirus to date suggests that a country whose workers lack economic and political power cannot respond to the crisis nearly as quickly or completely as its counterparts.” It’s a heavy read, but a worthwhile one. Foreign Affairs
‘The power of low-stakes productivity’
Feeling less productive lately? You’re actually doing quite a lot. Teresa Amabile, a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, tells The New York Times, “we have to realize that everyone now has an additional part-time job that might be called Citizen of the Covid-19 Pandemic,” which includes monitoring your health and finances, and offering emotional support and social contact. Maybe it’s time we mark small victories as checked boxes in the productivity camp. NY Times
Women to know
‘‘The 19th amendment means everything’: 5 first-time voters on 100 years of women’s suffrage and the 2020 election’
Last week marked the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in the United States. The amendment ensured women's suffrage, or suffrage for white women, to be more accurate. Poll taxes, literacy tests, and outright racism and violence kept people of color from exercising the right to vote. These interviews with five first-time women voters bring the anniversary into the 21st century—all the excitement is there, but with much-needed acknowledgement of the past. CNBC
The same old sexism and dance
‘Damned if you do (cry), damned if you don’t’
After the announcement that Sen. Kamala Harris will be Joe Biden’s running mate in the 2020 election, The New York Times published an editorial arguing Harris doesn’t show enough emotion. We like this response from Ellevest founder Sallie Krawcheck on why criticizing the emotional response of women in leadership is sexism 101: “It’s the journalistic equivalent of ‘Give us a smile.’ Except that it’s in the pages of a global newspaper, not a construction site on the corner.” Ellevest
Plus: Women’s Equality Day
Women’s Equality Day is August 26, and it commemorates the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment. (Maybe we should have celebrated the centennial all year long?) Last year, the InHerSight team celebrated by going out for ice cream together, so since we’re all apart, have a scoop yourself. We will, too.
