06Jun

Now that the coronavirus has rendered the handshake greeting dead, what will take its place?

Not the bumping of body parts. The NFL might get away with the chest bump because they’re already wearing more protective gear than a surgeon, but for the rest of us, bumping fists, elbows or chests is out. We’re still making contact.

Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate and now CNN commentator, has another idea: the Vulcan salute meaning “Live long and prosper.”

Don’t be quick to dismiss this as too Trekkie. Former President Obama flashed the salute when he greeted Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti did the same during her tours on the International Space Station.

Still not comfortable with that one?

In Iran and China, the foot touch is replacing traditional greetings that involved touching skin. Alas, there are two problems with this one. You need good balance and have legs long enough to maintain a 6 foot distance.

CNN’s travel section explored some alternative greetings used in various places around the world. One that caught on in Hawaii before being adopted by West Coast surfers is the shaka. You curl your three middle fingers, extending your thumb and pinky as a greeting. Shake it, knuckles facing out, for added emphasis, CNN suggests.

Just remember not to say “Dude.”

Anyone who does yoga knows the Namaste way of greeting. Bring your hands together next to your chest, fingers pointing up as you give a slight bow or head nod.

Another possibility is to adopt the American Sign Language way of saying hello. You bring your hand to the top of your forehead in a sort of salute, flicking your wrist away.

There’s also the acknowledgment greeting we all already use when our hands are full or we’re too far away to offer a verbal response. We do a quick chin up tilt. Samoans, CNN tells us, raise their eyebrows and smile.

On wilderness trails, hikers and backpackers will raise a hand and give a simple “Hi” or “Hello” as they pass. Simple, friendly and effective. And it works just fine at 6 feet.

Maybe, in the end, all we need is to say “Hello.”

Photo by Ioana Cristiana on Unsplash

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Jun 6, 2023

Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a ‘Day On’

Today we honor the memory of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Schools, financial markets, banks, government and many businesses will be closed. But, unlike in years past, because of COVID the nation will celebrate quietly. Parades and gatherings have been canceled with observances moved online.

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What hasn’t changed is the spirit of the day. MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service. It should be a “Day on, not a day off,” says AmeriCorps, which has led the day’s volunteer efforts since Congress first adopted the holiday.

Though in-person volunteer efforts are limited, AmeriCorps has dozens of COVID-safe suggestions for individuals, groups, businesses, and organizations. There’s also a search to find volunteer opportunities near where you are.

The work doesn’t have to be done today. But it can start today.

Photo by History in HD

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Jun 6, 2023

Optimism Growing for an Improving Job Market

Optimism is growing that the worst of the pandemic business retrenchment is over and that job growth may be just around the corner.

The Conference Board last week said its Employment Trends Index increased in January for the ninth consecutive month.

At the same time, Chief Executive released its latest poll of chief executive officers showing their confidence in future business conditions continues to grow. It is now where it was in February last year, just before the global business shutdown. Out of a possible 10 points, the 300+ CEOs scored their optimism about business conditions in the coming months at 7.1, a 2-year high.

In addition, Chief Executive reported that “A growing number of business leaders now forecast growth in revenues and capital expenditures as well. Meanwhile, they rated their confidence in current business conditions ‘good,’ at 6.2 out of 10.”

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The Conference Board’s Employment Index and its Leading Economic Index, released late last month, are both on an upswing, if a slow and uneven one. The LEI increased by 0.3% in December after improving by a more robust 0.9% in October and 0.7% in November.

“The US LEI’s slowing pace of increase in December suggests that US economic growth continues to moderate in the first quarter of 2021,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, senior director of economic research at The Conference Board.”Improvements in the US LEI were very broad-based among the leading indicators, except for rising initial claims for unemployment insurance and a mixed consumer outlook on business and economic conditions.”

The improvement in the Employment Trends Index has been far steadier and quicker. The index came in at 99.27 in January, a small .72 point improvement over December but a significant improvement from last spring when the index was just over 70. Still, the index is 10% lower than it was a year ago.

The Employment Trends Index is a leading composite index for employment, meaning it is an early indicator pointing to future job growth. “Turning points in the index indicate that a turning point in employment is about to occur in the coming months,” says The Conference Board. “The Employment Trends Index aggregates eight leading indicators of employment, each of which has proven accurate in its own area.”

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One of these, the number of workers employed by the staffing industry, has been a primary driver of improvement in the index, says Gad Levanon, head of The Conference Board Labor Markets Institute. “The Employment Trends Index has been increasing in recent months, with the largest contributing component being the number of jobs in the temporary help industry.”

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.95 million workers employed by the staffing industry at the beginning of 2020. Following the government ordered COVID shutdown, the number dropped to 1.95 million in April. Now, the latest BLS report says the staffing industry employed 2.7 million in January.

Though Levanon cautions we should expect some uncertainty around job growth due to the risk of the emerging COVID variants, by spring he says, “We expect strong job growth to resume and continue throughout the remainder of the year.”

Photo by Corey Agopian on Unsplash

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