I spent five days this week with 12,000 other people at the Craft Brewers Conference. You read that number correctly, 12,000. It's something I never could have imagined doing this time last year, or even a few short months ago.
This week not-so-coincidentally also marked the official end of the Covid-19 national and public health emergencies. This end doesn't mean Covid isn't a thing anymore. It still exists and it still can still make you sick. It just means that it's now endemic instead of a pandemic.
What's now going to change as a result? Frankly, not much. It's been months since most of us have moved on from Covid. We've stopped masking. We've stopped social distancing. Heck, as much as many of lauded "work from home" and "remote meetings" as the future of work, many of us have returned to our workplaces and to in-person meetings.
As cautious as I was personally during the pandemic, I'm happy to be back to "normal." Humans are social creatures, and our brains need social interaction. The end of pandemic, however, doesn't mean I'll throw caution to the wind in every situation. For example, I don't think I'll ever not mask up on an airplane. With four shots and one bout of Covid in my system, and less Covid circulating in the community, I'm just willing to take and accept more risk with the virus than I was a few months ago, and certain more than a year ago.
Three cheers to the end of the Covid-19 national and public health emergencies. It's been a long three years and two months. But we made it across the finish line. Let's just hope that we apply public health lessons we learned and do a better job managing the next public health crisis that confronts us.
Labor unions ask UN body to probe Starbucks' use of legal loopholes — via CNBC
Medieval Times Charged with Illegal Union-Busting at California Castle — via HuffPost
The 2023 writers' strike, explained — via The Today Show
TV's War with the Robots Is Already Here — via The New York Times
Ready or not, generative AI is coming for HR — via HR Dive
Twitter Disables Autocomplete After It Recommends Animal Torture and Mass Shooting Videos — via Vice
World Beer Cup 2023 Results — via Ohio Craft Brewers Association
Are Workers Starting to Turn the Corner on a Return to the Office? — via HR Hero Line
Working Parents, It's Time to Let Go of These Pandemic-Era Habits — via Harvard Business Review
Can a Jew discriminate against other Jews at work because they are Jewish? — via Eric Meyer's The Employer Handbook Blog
Second-guessing the advice columns: Is this pregnancy discrimination? — via Employment & Labor Insider