The Conversation US

Having friends at work can be a good thing — it’s good for mental and physical health, prevents loneliness and helps employees and organizations perform better. But, like all relationships, it’s important to remember and respect boundaries. Some tips to remind yourself and your team: #workplaceculture

Automotive executives across the American South have developed a “union avoidance playbook,” writes (American University) scholar Stephen J. Silvia. For 40 years, Southern political and business leaders have sought to attract investment to their states – especially from foreign-owned manufacturers – by offering massive subsidies, low taxes, lower labor costs and a largely compliant workforce. This model has worked and led to today’s roughly 30% of U.S. autoworkers working at plants in the South. UAW’s recent loss in Alabama illustrates how hard #labor organizing is there, but it’s too soon to write off the organization’s changes in the region – especially with its growing and strengthening connections and strategies. https://buff.ly/3wMQ5XZ #unions #UAW

Put. Down. The. Jargon. And instead, consider these 3 tips to better communicate what your foundation or organization does: 1. Tell stories about the work you do and the projects you fund 2. Explain goals and the impact of the work clearly 3. If you have to use a jargon term, define it Two scholars of public interest communication, Aaron J. Zeiler (he/him) and Ann Searight Christiano of the University of Florida surveyed nearly 3,600 Americans and also talked to nonprofit communications professionals to find solutions. They have some least favorite bits of “philanthro-speak”: DAF, “theory of change”, “capacity building”, center as a verb, “awardee”. What would you add to the list? https://buff.ly/3UV2Vg3 #philanthropy #foundations #nonprofitmarketing

Campus protests expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and objecting to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza include many calls for universities and colleges to divest — a word that basically means sell — any of their assets that are tied to Israel or connected to companies supplying weapons and technology to Israel’s government. The Conversation US. asked Todd L. Ely, a University of Colorado Denver public administration scholar, to explain the challenges of meeting this demand. https://bit.ly/3KbuThq

Commencements aren't just events where diplomas get handed out – these ceremonies are human rituals of meaning and belonging. An anthropologist from the University of Connecticut analyzes what’s going on that is important at the ritual level, and how it builds the sense of community and identity of graduates. (And why they shouldn't be taken away from students). https://lnkd.in/gMxqxiYf #campusprotests #commencement #highereducation #graduation 

Dear new grads, seeking work with a purpose is a noble and understandable goal! Other things to remember as you enter the workforce: Overall people are satisfied at work, but they aren’t really engaged. In a real-life game of “Would You Rather…?” workers should consider how they would prefer to spend the largest portion of their waking hours: being satisfied or engaged? A philosopher and a psychologist give more tips from their careers in management #consulting for those newly #graduated: https://lnkd.in/g2RKmjyS

Although companies have created detectors to help spot deepfakes, studies have found that biases in the data used to train these tools can lead to certain demographic groups being unfairly targeted. A team of researchers from University at Buffalo discovered new methods that improve both the fairness and the accuracy of these detection algorithms. https://buff.ly/3yfqdo5 #technology #engineering #bias

Efforts to ‘cancel’ individuals or silence speech on college campuses have become a more common occurrence after Hamas’s terror attacks and Israel’s invasion of Gaza. But even before then, it was a growing phenomenon in #highereducation. But #cancelculture doesn’t just impact the lives of individuals, but also “leads to educational detriments that can harm democracy,” writes Mordechai Gordon (https://buff.ly/4azSG5H). Gordon says canceling is a “misguided and undemocratic practice” – one that leads to numerous negative educational consequences, such as: > promoting dogmatism > discouraging dissent > undermining vigorous debates

Conspiracy theories are everywhere these days, and they can involve just about anything. What should you believe − and how can you tell? Here are 7 ways to vet a claim you’ve seen or heard (you might know someone who would benefit from you sharing these simple tips):

How much #stress is too much, and what can you do about it? We’ll be discussing toxic stress with an expert in the field, Dr. Lawson Wulsin, at a free online webinar on Thursday, hosted by our health editor. Dr. Wulsin has written about his work for us, too, in addition to his recent book: https://lnkd.in/enTP48PD Register for the #webinar here: https://lnkd.in/e8V7gEV3 #Psychology #Health #MentalHealth