Why aren't Americans moving?; Being nice at work pays off

What’s happening in the world of work: The special weekend edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter.

Moving for a job — or anything else — is a fading trend. In the 1990s, 3% of Americans moved out of state each year. Now the rate is half that, with US mobility at its lowest level since World War II. “The lack of mobility in the American workforce is a huge blocker of our economic growth,” says the Ladders' Ryan Sager. Analyst Thanh Pham argues that the jobs are out there; being open to moving helps companies grow and boosts mobile workers' pay. Some of the theories for the freeze: lack of job stability and the prohibitive expense of actually moving. But staying put doesn’t have to be a bad sign. Jessica Headrick argues that "with the increase in remote job opportunities, moving shouldn't be as necessary.” • Share your thoughts: #AmericanMobility

Playing nice at work pays off. In the age of constant feedback — with real-time performance reviews and apps like anonymous feedback network Sarahah on the rise — we shouldn’t forget the power of praise. Research finds that positive feedback makes employees more productive and effective, and makes them feel better about the work they do. • Share your thoughts: #PlayNiceAtWork

Businesses need more employees with digital skills. According to a PwC report, executives are losing faith in their organizations’ digital prowess: 52% rated it as strong in 2017, down from 67% in 2016 and 66% the year before. "It’s not that employees are getting less tech-savvy," explains The Harvard Business Review, "it’s that the market demands more of each and every one of them." As the need for digital skills spreads beyond a few niche departments (like IT or social media) and becomes ingrained in company culture, companies need to both hire and retrain employees to meet new competitive standards. • Share your thoughts: #DigitalIQSurvey

Why (and how) you should give yourself a performance review: Former freelancer Thea Joselow developed a self-review system to gauge her work and set career direction, and she found it just as valuable when she became a full-time employee. What’s her process? She carves out time to give the review her full attention, identifies successes, failures, and growth opportunities, and writes a concrete to-do list for career development. • Share your thoughts: #DoItYourselfReview

Great at your job — in a fading industry? There’s a silver lining: Many analog skills "are applicable to growing jobs," reports The New York Times, which provides an interactive graphic to show just how many transfer to other fields. Someone in the service industry could use their people skills in a sales or office role, for example; an oil rig worker could find a position in a factory. And new roles (and fields themselves) are being created all the time, says author George Anders — not always in the areas you’d expect. Only 5% of the 10.1 million jobs created between 2012 and 2016 were in the computing sector, but new industries sprung up around developing technologies. • Share your thoughts: #SwitchingCareers

Amazon held job fairs across the country this week, aiming to hire 50,000 workers on the spot. And who showed up? Everybody. LinkedIn managing editor Chip Cutter stopped by one of the company’s fulfillment centers in Whitestown, Indiana to talk to some of the hundreds vying for jobs on offer: “You saw people from all age ranges, all experiences, some with masters degrees, applying to work there,” he said. • Share your thoughts: #AmazonHiring

One last idea: GE vice chair Beth Comstock relayed lessons about leadership from her conversation with newly departed CEO Jeff Immelt:

“Any leader, especially in this era, isn’t going to make it through their tenure without paradigm-shifting change knocking at their door at least once.”

What's your take? Join the conversation on this weekend's stories: #AmericanMobility | #PlayNiceAtWork | #DigitalIQSurvey #DoItYourselfReview | #SwitchingCareers | #AmazonHiring

Come back on Monday, and every weekday, to start your day with a roundup of the professional news you need to know.

Katie Carroll / Share this using #DailyRundown