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Monday, November 08, 2021

The Harder We Fall …

  A day is over. A page of the calendar is torn off. Next, please. A day is over. A page of the calendar is torn off. Next, please. . .


‘Stop scams. Speak up’ – Scams Awareness Week 2021 8 November 2021More than 350 partners across government, private and community organisations have joined the fight against scams in this year’s national Scams Awareness Week (8-12 November) under the theme “let’s talk scams”.The more we talk about scams, the more awareness we have, and the harder it is for scammers to steal our money or personal information,” ACCC Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said.“There is no need to feel ashamed or embarrassed about being scammed, because it can happen to anyone, but sharing your experiences with others can help disrupt and prevent scams.” This Scam Awareness Week aims to encourage open and honest conversations about scams to help people detect, prevent, and avoid scams.
Labor wants new anti-scam centre and code of practice for fighting against scams

GAO How the Pandemic is Changing the IRS - GAO Watchdog Blog: “At the onset of the pandemic, IRS had to temporarily shut down its onsite operations, including its mail processing facilities. The impact could be felt by taxpayers, who waited longer for returns to be processed or to receive COVID-related economic relief checks. But the pandemic also disrupted IRS’s tax enforcement programs used to check that information provided by taxpayers is verified, and that the correct amount of tax is paid to the federal government.  Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new work on how IRS was impacted by COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, as well as the long-term changes the pandemic may have on its operations…”



Red neckish sleaze is unacceptable but has become the modus operandi of many organisations

Employee burnout climbed 100% during the pandemic - TechRepublic: “The percentage of reviews on Glassdoor mentioning burnout jumped 100% during the COVID-19 pandemic, while the proportion of employees who mentioned mental health increased 143%, the job site said in a newly-released report on work-life balance in the U.S. The rise in the discussion of mental health is stark, the job site said. “Soon after the start of COVID-19 in the U.S., a spike in mental health discussion appeared in Glassdoor reviews, followed by a steady increase throughout 2021.” The transition to working from home for the last 18 or so months was meant to be temporary, but now “some companies are taking meaningful steps by introducing permanent flexible or work from home policies, allowing employees to have more autonomy over their own schedule,” the report said. Companies are also encouraging employees to use more paid time off during the pandemic, the report said…”



Twenty one years of trust and goodwill gone in a single message.

That manager is about to find out that employees are not in fact interchangeable


Boss said: And I’m telling you to kick rocks with your bare feet


It’s time Senior Execs and management comprehend that employees stay where they are valued, rewarded and protected. Act accordingly or prepare to work those front lines yourselves.


Think you deserve better than your current job? You’re not alone. A record number of American workers -- 4.3 million in August -- are leaving their jobs in what has been dubbed "The Great Resignation".

Australian employers are nervous that the trend could spread across the Pacific, as it has to other developed nations. There is growing evidence that an increasing number of workers are fed up and looking for new opportunities. MicrosoftPwC and HR experts estimate two in five Aussies feel this way, while other researchers suggest it could up to three in five.

But maybe don’t flip your boss the bird and storm out just yet. While Aussies might feel similarly dissatisfied, there is a reason to believe they might not rip their aprons off at the same rates as their overseas counterparts: our government isn’t on their side.

Millions of people are quitting their jobs. But will Australia miss out on ‘The Great Resignation’?


The Great Resignation: a sense of possibility allows workers to quit their jobs


Escape magazine summed up the feelings of thousands for whom the pandemic has prompted a reckoning about what they want from life after Covid.

'People everywhere are saying enough of office work, enough of 9 to 5, enough of blowdrying strangers’ hair in the city you grew up in,' it wrote.

Thousands of Australians plan to quit their jobs within months to get a better one or take off travelling - but here's why the 'Great Resignation' is GOOD news if you've been wanting a pay rise


One hundred, or 250ish, days of lockdown and most of us adjusted to working from home eventually. And amidst the inevitable challenges, there were silver linings too including, for many people, flexible work, autonomy and more time with the ones we love.

So much so that only one in 10 want to return to work in the office five days a week. Many workers have said they will quit if forced back into the office full-time.

How to buffer yourself from burnout as you return to the office


The great resignation is here! Seven things bosses should do to make brilliant staff stay


recent survey of workers across 25 countries, including 1,000 in Australia, found Australian office workers are the most burnt out in the world, ahead of Italy, China, Canada, the US and the UK. 

More than half of the Australian respondents said they suffered from burnout in the last 12 months, with 52% admitting they’ve taken time off due to mental health concerns during pandemic lockdowns. 

Similar research from LinkedIn found 52% of office workers have taken time off during the pandemic to support their mental wellbeing.

One third of Australian workers say pandemic burnout caused them to resign, according to new research


Where Did 7 Million Workers Go? The Atlantic. Here’s where some went:

We’ve had to set expectations with you multiple times.”


Taxing Times at Senate Estimates 27 October 2021


The new mayor of a blue-ribbon council in Sydney’s north has been barred from speaking to council staff in person and over the phone after just over a month in the job.

Ku-ring-gai Council general manager John McKee said he had also relocated municipal employees, including mayor Cedric Spencer’s


personal assistant, in acting on serious concerns he had “as a result of information coming to my attention”.

Sydney mayor banned from talking to staff and PA moved to ‘secret location’


Will Workers Return To The Office? This Expert Says No

My prediction? Absolutely not. If companies make employees who can do their jobs at home go into the office, it will be harder for them to hire, and other companies will benefit. - Washington Post

Larry Katz on the Great Resignation.


Paul Krugman reviews Dune and Foundation


Organised crime is overpowering authorities in drug war, says veteran investigator

Recently I completed an ‘authentic leadership’ workshop with the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG) that took participants through an exercise of identifying the significant events that shaped us as leaders. In preparation for the workshop, we were asked to map the peaks and valleys that make up our life stories, which inform who we are today. This was referred to as our life graph. My life graph included many firsts – first born, first to graduate and first in many roles. My graph also highlighted critical events that shaped my resilience, courage and entrepreneurship.

Assistant Commissioner, Jennifer Moltisanti talks about assessing one's leadership and how it aligns with an organisational purpose.