Workers Want to Make It Illegal for Bosses to Email After Hours
There’s a bill on the table at the New York City legislature that would give employees the “right to disconnect” from their employers. The bill proposes a fine of $250 to any employer who punishes their employee for not responding to calls, emails, texts or instant messages after regular working hours.
Council members believe the bill would have a positive effect both on the employee and workplace culture as a whole. According to a 2016 study, the habit of pushing employees to respond after-hours causes “anticipatory stress,” fostering a boundless, “always-on” culture.
This kind of environment might seem like a boon to employers, but the negative effects are more insidious — high burnout rates, low productivity and employee resentment.
NYC representatives feel this bill will help create some accountability amongst managers to regulate after-work communication, and nurture a healthier, more respectful work-life balance.
Link: https://nypost.com/2018/05/04/workers-want-to-make-it-illegal
Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing May Be A Thing Of The Past
More companies are nixing pre-employment marijuana testing. The tightening U.S. job market and the legalization of marijuana in some states is prompting many companies to relax their drug testing policies.
As a result, some companies are dropping marijuana from pre-screening drug tests for potential employees. For decades, pre-employment drug testing has been a requirement at large American companies. But experts say marijuana testing excludes too many potential workers at a time when companies are struggling to fill jobs.
Although still in its early stages, the shift away from drug testing appears likely to accelerate. That's because more states are legalizing marijuana for recreational and medicinal use. Currently, there's no definitive data on the issue. But executives indicate that stopping drug testing is among the steps more companies are taking to expand their pool of applicants.
Source: Inc.
NATIONAL MELANOMA MONDAY – NATIONAL BARRIER AWARENESS DAY – NATIONAL PASTE UP DAY – NATIONAL PACKAGING DESIGN DAY – NATIONAL ROAST LEG OF LAMB DAY
The High Cost Of Babysitting
A babysitter is a godsend to moms and dads who want a little time to themselves, so it’s only fitting that they get paid well for their services, and according to a new report, they do in fact get paid very well.
According to Urbansitter’s 2018 report, the average babysitting rate for one child is $16.43 an hour, which is up 8% from last year, when it was $15.20 an hour. And if you have two kids that number goes up to $18.86 an hour, and $20.56 an hour for three kids.
With such rates, getting a night out from your kid certainly costs a pretty penny. Since most babysitting sessions run about four hours, that’s about $65 for someone with one kid, not including a tip, which 55% of parents also include. In total, 60% of parents say they spend about $1,000 a year just on babysitters. And then there’s the cost of perks, with some parents saying that while they don’t tip their babysitter, they do offer them things like free food or delivery, paid transportation, and use of their entertainment center, including on-demand movies.
Of course, in certain cities those expenses cost even more. According to Urbansitter, folks in San Francisco shell out the most for babysitting one kid, $17.34 an hour, while those in Phoenix pay the least, only $11.83 an hour.
Source: Moneyish
How Many People Are Really Doing It In Porta Potties At Music Fests?
Some people get their kicks by getting it on in unique locations, like having sex on the beach or sex on the kitchen table. But sex in a porta potty? Yep, it turns out, some folks even like to do it in there, according to a new survey. And you thought those things were nasty before?!
Online ticket marketplace TickPick asked 1,000 music festival attendees about their sexcapades at these events and out of the third of them that fessed up to getting freaky at a festival, 9.4% admit they’ve done it in a porta potty. Just let that sink in for a minute. You’ve probably had to use one before when you really had to go, so you know how repulsive they can be, so how could anyone get busy in there? Desperate times, we assume.
But the portable toilets aren’t the only place fest goers are having sex. The survey also shows they’re doing it in more private places like a tent (58.1%), car (48.4%) or an RV/camper (20.3%). And then there are those who are happy to de-pants in public: 28.4% admit to doing it in a field, 15.3% to doing it in a crowd, and 3.8% have been so moved by the music, they’ve done it in a dance tent.
So we’re thinking these folks need to remember to pack plenty of condoms along with their water bottles for the next music festival. And don’t forget the sanitary wipes – they’re going to need lots of those after that porta potty experience.
Source: Women's Health
Women Are Getting Married Less And Less — And The Reason Why Might Shock You
THERE JUST AREN’T AS MANY WORTHWHILE GUYS ANYMORE.As Kate Bolick writes in her piece, “All the Single Ladies,” simply, the caliber of men has declined greatly. Between increased joblessness and lack of prospects out there for men, there are far more deadbeats than guys worth giving a shot. In other words, “marriageable” men are few and far between.
WOMEN ARE THE COMPLETE PACKAGE ON THEIR OWN. Research from 2010 found that, for the first time in US history, more women than men are in the workforce, holding the majority of the jobs in the country. While there’s still that disgusting gender wage gap, we WILL get that taken care of sooner than later. Not only are there more women than men working, but women are surpassing men in education, too. For every two men who walks away from school with a bachelor’s degree, three women will do the same. We’re basically everything but the kitchen sink — and on extra good days, maybe the kitchen sink too.
MARRIAGE IS OUTDATED AND WOMEN KNOW THAT.For thousands of years, marriage existed solely for economical and political reasons and was an institution that was often set up by families. It wasn’t about love; it was about marrying the woman who came from richest family or the man who had the fattest turkeys in town. It was, for the sake of argument, a necessity. However, that’s no longer the case — so much so that 44 percent of Millennials and 43 percent of Gen-Xers believe marriage is becoming obsolete, according to the Pew Research Center.
MANY MEN CONTINUE TO BE THREATENED BY STRONG AND SUCCESSFUL WOMEN. Masculinity is fragile. Most men don’t like it when they feel their masculinity is threatened in any way. Because of this, as we’ve evolved and shot up into the dark night like the fireworks we are, we’ve alienated men — not because of anything we’ve done in particular, but because they can’t handle being with a woman who makes him feel inferior. It’s hard to get married when so many men cower at even the idea of a self-sufficient woman, let alone the reality of one.
THE HOOKUP CULTURE IS ALIVE AND WELL. While the 1990s saw what was referred to as the “hookup culture,” we’re now living in the “Dating Apocalypse,” according to writer Nancy Jo Sales. Dating apps like Tinder have created a culture where hooking up and casual relationships have replaced serious commitment, and because this tends to work for a lot of people, marriage is taking a back seat.
THE IDEA OF “MARRYING UP” IS GONE. When women were denied the right to be educated and to have careers, the concept of “marrying up” in order to “improve their lot,” as Bolick writes, was just what women did. It was keeping in line with what was socially acceptable without rocking the boat. But if you’re more educated, more successful, and the pool of men to choose from is on par with a wasteland of deteriorated good-for-nothings, why bother?
WOMEN HAVE RISEN AND CONTINUE TO RISE. Another amazing point that Bolick makes is that while women were fighting — and we still are, make no mistake — for equality and the right to have a career and live their life on their own terms, men were falling behind. Men, especially white men, had nothing to fight for and because of this, they fell behind and were surpassed by women in many ways. This trend is likely to continue, making marriage even less likely in the decades that follow.
MARRIAGE ISN’T NECESSARY FOR WOMEN TO BE MOTHERS. First of all, 40 percent of babies are born to single moms, and there’s a very good chance that percentage will rise as the stigma of being a single mother becomes less and less. There’s also the fact that, thanks to technology, you don’t even need a man if you want to have a baby. All you need is a trip to the sperm bank. That’s a great option for women who don’t want the relationship part of motherhood.
MEN HAVE LOST WHAT LITTLE VALUE THEY HAD. As Bolick writes, when there’s an imbalance in the gender ratio, the gender with the smaller amount automatically has a higher value, which makes that gender want to work even harder to make themselves a hot commodity. But here in the U.S. where that current ratio is 50.8 percent females and 49.2 percent males, that healthy balance in the population only exacerbates a man’s disinterest in making himself better. Therefore, women, not impressed with what’s out there, continue to excel on their own, turning even further from the idea of marriage.
WOMEN HAVE ESSENTIALLY BECOME THE MEN THEY WANTED TO MARRY. As Gloria Steinem so accurately put it, “We are becoming the men we wanted to marry,” and she’s right. We are no longer the “fairer” gender, but a badass gender that’s a perfect self-sustaining entity that can take care of itself on every level. There’s no need to marry when everything you need you can give yourself — and on a silver platter, to boot.
Link: https://www.bolde.com/women-getting-married-less-less-reason-might-shock/
“Today” Show Announces Summer Concert Series
The “Today” show will once again be hosting some great concerts on Rockefeller Plaza in New York this summer. The morning show’s annual Citi Concert Series will kick off May 15th with Meghan Trainor, with Kelly Clarkson, Shawn Mendes, Christina Aguilera and more set for shows.
Check out the lineup below:
- May 15th – Meghan Trainor
- May 25th – Darius Rucker
- May 28th – Troye Sivan
- June 1st – Shawn Mendes
- June 8th - Kelly Clarkson
- June 12th – Dierks Bentley
- June 15th – Christina Aguilera
- June 22nd – 5 Seconds of Summer
- June 25th – Dan + Shay
- June 29th: Panic! At The Disco
- July 6th: Lady Antebellum
- July 13th: Maroon 5
- July 20th: Charlie Puth
- July 27th: Julia Michaels
- August 2nd: Keith Urban
- August 10th: Jason Mraz
- August 17th: Cole Swindell
- Date TBA – Alessia Cara
- Date TBA – Why Don’t We
Source: Today
Health Expert Wants You To Ditch Your Couch
By now most of us have heard that sitting as much as we do is bad for our health. Dr. James Levine even went as far as saying “sitting is the new smoking,” because the human body wasn’t built to sit all day. And to biomechanist, movement advocate, and author of “ Move Your DNA,” Katy Bowman, says the solution is simple - we just need to quit using our couches.
Bowman isn’t actually suggesting that we never sit down again, just that we could work more movement into our day if we re-evaluate how we use our furniture. She advocates using different seated positions on the floor that naturally include movements like squats, lunges, and hip stretches to use muscles more than just sitting on the sofa would.
“Chairs restrict your movement, and we’ve been conditioned to think that they’re the only way to rest our bodies,” Bowman says. “But rather, you can take a seat while still moving the parts of you that hardly ever get moved.”
At her own home, her family uses low tables with floor cushions, small bolster blocks as seats, and standing tables instead of traditional desks with chairs, sofas, and dining tables. But even if you’re not ready to drag the couch to the curb just yet, you can test her idea first. Try watching TV on the floor or sitting on the floor for a picnic-style meal instead of around a table with chairs. And maybe you’ll be ready to go sofa-free too.
Source: MamaMia
Bizarre Questions People Ask Dentists
There’s a lot of people don’t know much about their teeth, and it’s perfectly normal to ask your dentist questions to make sure you’re doing all that you can to keep them clean and healthy. But there are some people that are so clueless their questions can be truly bizarre and now dentists are spilling the beans on some of their strangest inquiries.
A new survey of UK dentists, which could easily translate here, asked dentists to reveal the most common and uncommon questions they get from patients. Common questions include whether they should be brushing their teeth all and the differences between manual and electric toothbrushes, but it’s the out there ones that have us truly shaking our heads.
Bizarre questions asked of dentists include:
- Why do I have to brush my teeth when my dog doesn’t have to?
- Is using a chips packet between my teeth better than floss?
- What is floss, can I eat it?
- Is my filling going to melt if I drink hot soup?
- Will the ulcer in my mouth turn into a flesh-eating disease?
- Will my gum disease eat my face?
- Is it OK to only brush my teeth once a week?
- Can you take one of my teeth from the back and put it in the gap at the front?
- (In reference to a broken tooth) – Can’t you just paint something on top of it?
Source: The Daily Mail