Top Story

U.S. unemployment is expected to hold steady
Economists say they expect the U.S. unemployment report for February will show only a slight increase in hiring from the previous month, leaving the jobless rate at 7.9%. Higher taxes that took effect at the start of the year and the budget sequester were cited as reasons behind the expectation for subdued hiring. Reuters (3/5)

Recruiting & Retention

What millennials want from employers
Millennials respond well to recognition, want the opportunity to try different roles and value their autonomy, experts say. "It's a generation anxious to undertake leadership roles and it's a generation that feels it has a lot to contribute so its important to figure out a way make them feel a part of the workplace," says Lauren Stiller Rikleen of Boston College's Center for Work & Family. GlassDoor.com (2/27)

5 ways to pare a list of qualified candidates
Floral company H. Bloom narrows down its list of job candidates by analyzing applicants' e-mails to get a sense of how interested they are in the job, founder Bryan Burkhart writes. The company asks finalists to present case studies and spend a day on the job. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)/You're the Boss blog (3/5)

Benefits & Compensation

Employers test workers to find nicotine users
Some companies are requiring workers to take nicotine tests that help confirm which employees should be required to pay tobacco surcharges on their health insurance premiums. MarketWatch (3/5)

Some employees may forgo paying for health coverage
The Affordable Care Act will require large employers to offer health insurance, but millions of lower-income workers may decide not to purchase that coverage, Sarah Kliff writes. Less than 40% of workers who make between $15,000 and $20,000 per year and who have access to employer-sponsored health coverage elect to purchase that coverage, according to a study by ADP Research Institute. The Washington Post/Wonkblog (3/4)

Regulatory & Legal Update

GOP to propose consolidating federal job-training programs
Republican leaders in the House say they will propose legislation to consolidate federal job-training programs. The bill isn't expected to gain Democratic support. The Hill (3/6)

The HR Leader

Has your company culture caught a cold?
Every company's culture can falter, and it's up to leaders to become healers, writes Mike Figliuolo. Timely first aid can help put your culture back on track and prevent lazy or disgruntled workers from infecting others. "As a leader, it's on you to ensure only the purest essence of what you want your culture to be is passed along to future generations of leaders on your team," Figliuolo writes. ThoughtLeaders blog (3/4)

Workplace Chatter

Could a sinkhole swallow you up?
The ground swallowed up a Florida man last week when a sinkhole opened beneath his bedroom. Sinkholes occur when mineral erosion or groundwater depletion create subterranean caverns that suddenly collapse, and they're relatively common in Florida. But there's no need to cancel a trip to the Sunshine State; expert Anthony Randazzo says there have been only three sinkhole-related deaths in the past 40 years. The Daily Beast (3/2), USA Today (3/1)

Editor's Note

Help SmartBrief cover SXSW Interactive!
SmartBrief will cover the South by Southwest Interactive Festival through Tuesday in Austin, Texas, and we need your help! SXSW has too many must-see events for our staff to cover, so we're turning to readers to help document the best panels as blog contributors. If you're headed to Austin and want to contribute to SmartBrief's blogs on social media, leadership, finance, food and beverage or education, check out our guest-post guidelines and send a note to Jesse Stanchak.

SmartQuote

Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." -- Anna Lappé, American writer, speaker and activist Share: