Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed an executive order Jan. 2 aimed at removing college degree requirements for certain city jobs as part of a broader effort to diversify the city workforce, reports The Philadelpha Inquirer.
“We will continue to remove college degree requirements for many city of Philadelphia jobs where it is unnecessary and spread the word about current job opportunities in city government — opening the door for more Philadelphians to access good-paying jobs,” Parker said.
Just less than 34% of Philly’s adult population has a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to U.S. Census Bureau data from 2018-2022.
According to the Inquirer, the rule was part of a sweeping reform movement to end the political patronage system that had dominated city hiring in the first half of the 20th century. Black city workers, who had limited employment opportunities with the city and were routinely denied promotions, played a critical role in building political support for the movement, which resulted in the adoption of the current city Home Rule Charter.
Tech Startup Frontdesk Lays Off Entire Staff Over Google Call
Frontdesk, a startup that managed more than 1,000 furnished apartments across the United States, laid off its entire 200-person workforce Tuesday after attempts to raise more capital failed, according to a TechCrunch report.
The layoffs, which included full-time, part-time workers and contractors, occurred during “a two-minute Google Meet call,” according to one employee who was among those attending the virtual meeting.
During that call, Frontdesk CEO Jesse DePinto told employees that Frontdesk would be filing for a state receivership, an alternative to bankruptcy, according to the sources.
Frontdesk, which was founded in 2017, had raised about $26 million from investors such as JetBlue Ventures, Veritas Investments and Sand Hill Angels, according to Crunchbase.
Hong Kong Company to Offer ‘First Responders’ Mental Health Support
New World Development Co., a Hong Kong family-run conglomerate, is boosting its mental health support for employees, including creating “first responders” in the workplace.
Bloomberg reported the pilot program will initially include courses focusing on topics such as how to identify colleagues in need and handling mental health for managers and senior executives. It will then form a longer-term strategy based on survey data collected during the pilot phase, said head of sustainability Michael Long.
“Personal and work lives have become so intertwined over the last few years with the pandemic,” Long told Bloomberg. “People leaders in most companies over the last three years have learned that people’s private lives and their personal mental health and wellbeing do have material impacts on how the person operates, engages and performs at work.”
New World is also planning to start designating mental health first responders on a voluntary basis early this year, said Long, who should ideally be from different departments and levels.
While global companies have been offering mental health support such as free therapy sessions and well-being days off for years, it's a relatively new concept among Hong Kong's local companies, said Henry Chan, training manager for mental health charity Mind HK.
Google, Amazon Announce Cuts in 2024
As reported by the Washington Post, Google confirmed Wednesday it had cut hundreds of engineering and hardware workers as it sought to reduce costs and refocus on artificial intelligence. The same day, Amazon said it would cut some positions at its Prime Video and MGM Studios entertainment divisions. Twitch, a video game streaming company owned by Amazon, also said it was laying off 500 staff members.
At Google, the cuts were a continuation of layoffs that hit teams including its Waze navigation app, new employee recruiting and Google News. Wednesday’s cuts hit the company’s hardware division and included a reorganization of the teams that work on Fitbit, its Nest home devices division and its Pixel smartphones.
“Throughout the second half of 2023, a number of our teams made changes to become more efficient and work better, and to align their resources to their biggest product priorities. Some teams are continuing to make these kinds of organizational changes,” said Chris Pappas, a Google spokesperson. “We’re responsibly investing in our company’s biggest priorities and the significant opportunities ahead.”
Editor’s Note: Additional Content
For more information and resources related to this article see the pages below, which offer quick access to all WorldatWork content on these topics:
