Facebook placed employee communication on “legal hold”.
ILO report reveals that loss in global hours worked equates to 125 million full-time jobs. Facebook tells employees to keep communications as investigations into its operations continue. Meanwhile, an EY survey shows that hybrid working is definitely a preferred working model for employees. New York firefighters’ union says its members are “insulted” by the mayor’s mandatory Covid-19 vaccination decision.
New York union tells non-vaxxers to report for duty
The head of the New York City firefighters union has told unvaccinated members to report for duty regardless of an order by Mayor Bill de Blasio to place them on unpaid leave if they fail to get the Covid-19 shot.
New York City firefighters who have risked their own health to save lives during the coronavirus pandemic felt “insulted” by de Blasio’s order to get the shot or face suspension, said Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, according to Reuters.
The union represents firefighters, fire marshals and other fire department members.
Facebook employees communication on ‘legal hold’
Facebook has told employees to “preserve internal documents and communications since 2016” that pertain to its businesses because governments and legislative bodies have started inquiries into its operations, according to a company email, reports The New York Times.
The move, known as a “legal hold”, follows intense media, legal and regulatory scrutiny over the social network’s harms.
Lawmakers and the public are up in arms after Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee turned whistle-blower, providing thousands of internal documents to lawmakers and the media showing how much the company knew about some of its ill effects, such as spreading misinformation and exacerbating body image issues in some teenagers.
Labour market sees stalled recovery
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on jobs has been harder than previously expected, and a worrying two-speed recovery is emerging between richer and poorer nations, the UN’s International Labour Organisation has warned.
"The current trajectory of labour markets is of a stalled recovery, with major downside risks appearing, and a great divergence between developed and developing economies," said ILO chief Guy Ryder. "Dramatically unequal vaccine distribution and fiscal capacities are driving these trends, and both need to be addressed urgently."
The ILO projected that global hours worked in 2021 will be 4.3 percent lower than levels in the fourth quarter of 2019, prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. That was equivalent to 125 million full-time jobs. In June, the ILO projected a decline of 3.5 percent, or 100 million full-time jobs.
Employees want hybrid work
According to the EY Reimagined Employer Survey 2021, 73 percent of employer respondents believe that workplace culture has improved since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The findings show that 61 percent of employers are planning to make changes to allow more hybrid working, reflecting the views of 90 percent of employees. However, only 46 percent have communicated these plans, creating a potential disconnect with employees on crucial issues such as flexibility, culture, and productivity.
