Five for Friday 11.8.2018

1.   Voters Raise The Floor

“There is some sign that the public is impatient with the state of affairs,” Brookings’ Mark Muro says. “If companies and the marketplace are not going to take care of us or their own, the public is stepping in.”  Voters in two red states, Arkansas and Missouri, have raised their minimum wage to $11 and $12 respectively. It was perhaps less surprising when more liberal states like New York, California and Massachusetts raised their minimums, but the trend is going mainstream. Axios explores the issue.

2.  Hope You Enjoy Working

“Soon, the workforce will include people from as many as five generations ranging in age from teenagers to 80-somethings.” The workforce is getting older. Is that a coming crisis, or an opportunity?  HBR kicks off a seven part series on The Aging Workforce with  When No One Retires.  Looks like McDonald’s is getting out ahead of the curve.

3.   Uber Drives Education

Uber is piloting a program that offers it top drivers free college tuition for on-line courses at Arizona State University. The drivers can take the courses themselves, or designate a family member. Based on my conversations with Uber and Lyft drivers (purely anecdotal evidence) this could be a huge recruiting and retention tool.

4.   Peer Interviews Sell

Selling your job to a top candidate is always important, but especially so in a tight labor market. Peer interviews can be an under-appreciated tool and are having an increasingly important impact. Dr. John Sullivan gives us 10 reasons why.

5. Open Enrollment Is Open

Health insurance can be the difference between financial security and disaster. Open enrollment for ACA plans has started. If you are a Vermont resident, you can get more information here.