Crimes against car drivers

Uber and Lyft — which were already struggling with a shortage of drivers caused by Covid-19 concerns — are grappling with a rise in violent crimes and implementing new safety measures and policies to try to better protect drivers. Drivers aren’t returning as quickly as consumers, despite big bonuses from companies and the expiration of temporary unemployment benefits extended to gig workers. While the companies declined to share data on attacks on their drivers, available data in some cities suggest drivers are getting caught up in a surge of carjackings, murders and other violent crimes. The ride-sharing apps have long had safety measures — for example, Uber has an emergency button that connects drivers to 911 and shares their GPS coordinates with dispatchers. Lyft has a similar feature. Both companies are adding more. Drivers are doing what they can to protect themselves. Some will only work during the daytime or pick up passengers from the airport. Others have taken to wearing bulletproof vests.

(Adapted from “Uber, Lyft Drivers Want More Protection as Rising Crime Keeps Many Off the Roads,” by Preetika Rana, published on December 11, 2021, by The Wall Street Journal)

Retaining and recruiting employees

There are three points that every executive should be considering as they think about recruiting and retaining employees:1) Employees want a healthy, future-oriented way of working — when people want more autonomy to live a multistage life, the organisational variable they most treasure is flexibility. 2) Bad jobs (long hours, low pay, no training, poor prospects) are on their way out — as the labour market tightens, people pay more attention to their ideas about what could be and seek alternative ways of working. 3) Other companies will change the playing field. Right now, there is a huge swell of experimentation going on. Companies are designing talent practices that, for example, enable people to work from anywhere three months a year, or to seldom come into the office, or to bundle their working hours into just three days or string them out over seven. In every sector right now, some outliers are pushing at the margins of what they’re willing to do to find and keep talented employees.

(Adapted from “Why It’s So Hard to Keep and Recruit Employees Right Now” by Lynda Gratton published on December 14, 2021, by MIT Sloan Management Review)

Climate change is turning beef into a luxury

The boss of Europe’s top meat processor said beef will become a luxury like champagne because of the climate impact of producing it. “Beef is not going to be super climate-friendly,” Danish Crown Chief Executive Officer Jais Valeur said in an interview with Danish newspaper Berlingske. “It will be a luxury product that we eat when we want to treat ourselves.” Mr Valeur said pork would be a more climate-friendly protein. Danish Crown is one of Europe’s largest pork producers, although it is also a player in the beef market. Meat companies are coming under pressure to curb greenhouse gases, with 57pc of all food industry emissions coming from making animal products, according to one study. Tackling methane emissions from livestock is one of the most critical climate challenges for producers.

(Adapted from “Steaks Could Soon Become Champagne-Like Luxury,” by Aine Quinn, published on October 12, 2021, by Bloomberg Businessweek)

How to convince yourself to do hard things

When you’re tired or stressed, your brain wants to help you make decisions quickly. Plus, you’re wired to move toward things that make you feel good and away from things that make you feel uncomfortable. So how do you do hard things when your brain is constantly telling you to avoid effort? Tackle them when you’re in a good mood. When they are feeling upbeat, however, they’re more likely to take on the hard-but-essential tasks that ultimately make life better. Give your brain the right amount of autonomy. When you have a choice, your brain may want to default to something easy. But you can mitigate that response by challenging yourself to be innovative and provide incentives. Practice the habits of a growth mindset and notice when you revert to old ways of thinking and behaving. And acknowledge the progress made by attempting a new habit.

(Adapted from “How to Convince Yourself to Do Hard Things,” by David Rock, published on December 14, 2021, by the Harvard Business Review)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, December 20th, 2021