Tattoos & Marriages, Bear Foes, Dumb Jobs 🐻

Talent retention is now a top priority for companies — higher even than revenue and lowering operational costs — according to a 2023 survey by consulting firm Gallagher. And in a bid to retain their good employees, companies are adding some unconventional perks to their benefits packages. 

Par Exemple…

• Hospitality company SevenRooms gives all new hires - regardless of seniority - a two-week paid vacation before they walk through the door.
• Reward Gateway offers $1,500 to employees in marriage bonus.
• Companies including Fannie Mae, Booking.com, and SentinelOne are expanding their family leave programs to include caring for grandparents.
• Employees at robotic litter-box company Whisker get one day-off to welcome their new pet baby home. Meanwhile, Reward Gateway offers $250 to employees who adopt a pet from a shelter. Whisker also offers pet bereavement leave. 
• As part of its mental wellness benefits, soap maker Dr. Bronner’s gives its employees access to ketamine-assisted therapy. 
• At Texas-based pizza chain ZaLat Pizza, workers can get inked for free.

Based on current office-space leasing demands and the RTO push, here are two predictions for the future of work. 

Startup funding in the crypto industry has fallen back to Q4 2020 levels amid the ongoing bear market. 

According to last month’s statistics, only about $2.1 billion was raised by crypto startups in Q3 this year, down nearly 70% from the same period in 2022.

The trends in deal counts reveal a notable transition from later-stage projects to early-stage ones, with just under 1.4% of deals occurring at the Series B round or beyond. 

It’s worth noting, however, that despite regulatory uncertainty, 54% of all active venture capital investors were from the United States, more than the rest of the world combined.

🏥 Healthcare in Africa - Close to 60% of African healthcare workers have seen patients die waiting for medical care. That’s compared to 33% globally, according to a new study.

🦞 Lobster Ads - Here's how the first company ever to use Google Ads built its business. 

💼 An HBR Guide - Jobs have evolved. Here’s how to write job descriptions that reflect that.

🌌 Corners of the Universe - About 100k+ people now visit Antarctica annually, while multiple people have been to both space and the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

👵 100 Year Life - Longevity is more about genes than habits. A person’s ability to live to 100 is at least 50% determined by genetics.