Need for social justice

As the US begins to transition away from fossil fuels, innovators in the energy space are looking at social, economic, and health issues through the lens of racial and social justice. And they’re acknowledging that communities of colour often bear the brunt of those issues, like higher utility bills and increased vulnerability to natural disasters. This connection is giving rise to the growing field of energy justice, according to Shalanda Baker, director of the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the US Department of Energy. Energy justice specifically focuses on the ways communities should have a say in shaping their energy futures through policy involvement and ensuring that policies that are being developed during this period of energy transition don’t have unequal impacts on the most marginalised communities. Climate issues are pressing and need to be solved soon, she said, but in the rush to solve problems, we can’t overlook social justice.

(Adapted from “Why Energy Justice Is A Rising Priority For Policymakers,” by Kara Baskin, published on January 27, 2021, By MIT Sloan School of Management)

Toll of micro-stresses

Micro-stresses are small moments of stress that seem manageable on their own — think a vague, worrying text from your teen flashing on your phone while you’re in a meeting, the appearance of a colleague who always wants to vent to you, or having to tell your team that the project you’ve all been grinding out extra hours on is no longer a priority. But these micro-stresses aren’t as harmless as they seem. Because they’re so small and brief, they don’t trigger the normal stress response in our brains to help us cope; instead, micro-stress embeds itself in our minds and accrues over time. The long-term impact of this buildup is debilitating: It saps our energy, damages our physical and emotional health, and contributes to a decline in our overall well-being. But once you understand the science behind micro-stress and where it comes from, you can fight back. Finding ways to eliminate even just a few micro-stresses in your life can make a significant difference.

(Adapted from “The Hidden Toll of Microstress,” by Rob Cross and Karen Dillon, published on February 7, 2023, by the Harvard Business Review)

Returning to former employer

Whether it’s due to a change in personal circumstances, a misalignment with your new role, or a realisation that your last job was a better fit, it’s not uncommon to want to return to a former employer. But the decision — and the negotiation — to get back to an old job requires a balance of head and heart. Here are some tips to help you navigate the situation. 1) Think about why you want to return. Ask yourself: Why did I leave in the first place and why do I want to go back? 2) Do some research. Look into the financial state of your previous organisation and the industry to better understand if they may be open to hiring. 3) Ask for a meeting. Reach out to your previous manager or someone in HR to express your interest in rejoining the company. 4) Try and win their trust. If they agree to meet, try to show sincerity, transparency, care, and integrity.

(Adapted from “How To Negotiate A Job with Your Former Employer,” by Ruchi Sinha, published by HBR Ascend)

The $100 bill

The $100 bill dwarfs even the $1 bill as the most common US paper currency. The number of bills bearing Benjamin Franklin’s mug more than doubled between 2012 and 2022, faster growth than any other denomination, according to the most recent Federal Reserve data. One reason they have become so prevalent is that they enter circulation far quicker than they leave. They can last over a decade longer than $1s and $5s, partly because people are more likely to hold than spend them. While more than half of $100s are held abroad, there were enough in the US for every living American to have 55 in 2022, according to calculations by Kenneth Rogoff, an economics professor at Harvard University. For all its prevalence, the $100 bill is more effective for storing money than spending it. Even when cashiers do accept the bills, they hold up checkout lines to verify they aren’t counterfeits.

(Adapted from “The $100 Bill Is America’s Most Common Currency, And Its Most Annoying,” by Oyin Adedoyin, published on February 24, 2024, by the Wall Street Journal)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, April 8th, 2024