New Zealand care workers pioneered a deal to end pay segregation

Americans don’t save enough - in 2005, Americans’ personal savings rate was negative for the first time since the Great Depression ─ instead of piling up savings, we are piling up debt. Two behavioral economics columns on how switching signup for a 401K plan from opt-in (say yes to be enrolled) to opt-out (say no to be un-enrolled) dramatically raises enrollment rates.

Flexibility allows employees to “work smarter and better.” The productivity payoffs of offering part-time hours and remote work outweigh the administrative costs of such policies, according to a study in Australia.

A Colorado bike builder creates adapted cycles for athletes who otherwise rely on wheelchairs for mobility. The cycles allow adventurous people with disabilities to ride trails and access difficult terrain.

Dementia units and long-term care homes for the elderly are often desolate and lonely places, with harried workers attempting to meet the needs of their patients while also meeting government-set metrics of success. For families and individuals, it can be difficult to imagine a better way. However, a pilot program in Canada called the Butterfly room is showing that dedicated efforts to making long-term care homes a vibrant and loving place for someone's last days has positive impacts for everyone - and is worth a government investment do right across the country.

Europe's generous social policies, such as allowing employees to retain their salaries while taking sick time to care for themselves or family members, may help to mitigate the coronavirus outbreak while also safeguarding the economy. Although the long-term impacts are yet unknown, in the short term, government-provided incentives are helping people and businesses stay afloat.

Germany has weathered the pandemic with lower illness rates than its neighbors and a relatively strong economy thanks to leadership and responses that have evolved and helped the country thrive in the three decades since reunification. The author of the book "Why the Germans Do It Better: Notes from a Grown-Up Country" reports on the blend of governing, business, and social approaches to challenges – rooted in a concept of "social trust" in the state and society, and a steady, deliberate, caring mindset – that help the country confront a contagion, a recession, or a refugee crisis.

A mobile "strike team" comprised of workers from Contra Costa County, local home health agencies, advocates, and nonprofit groups is helping seniors living in assisted-living facilities to get access to the Covid-19 vaccine. Although the team is small, they have been able to help more than 800 seniors across 50 facilities get their first shot.

An association of cooperatives has provided fair labor practices and equity for almost 70 years. Members of the coops vote on critical decisions that impact working conditions. When business is booming, everyone does well and when times are hard, everyone has a reliable security net.

The Fort Stockton Independent School District in Texas is attracting qualified teachers with high pay and cheap rent at school-owned housing.

Priya Living is an elder-living community focused on Indian culture. Priya Living has four locations throughout the state and is planning to expand in Michigan and Texas. Rent in the condo-style units ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 a month and currently serves over 530 people. This culture-focused community helps the aging population fight loneliness and find a sense of community with people they can relate to through activities and programming like yoga, movie screenings and down time to chat.