Volodymyr Zelensky’s Captivating Leadership | Sign-On Bonuses Grow | Mask Mandates Fall

Plus: Meet The Black Woman Considered—And Passed Over—For Four Supreme Court Nominations

Happy Fat Tuesday, everyone. Mardi Gras parades returned to New Orleans—just as many office workers are going back in-person, too. But this week hardly feels like one to celebrate. This week in Forbes Careers:

–Leadership inspiration from Volodymyr Zelensky

–Getting paid for your time off between jobs

–Tuesday and Wednesday are the new Monday

Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership of Ukraine is something to behold. In recent days, the world has been captivated by the Ukraine president who’s gone from being known as a TV star who plays a president to one who's a real-life war-time leader. We’ve been glued to our screens as he’s urged his country to resist, promised to fight rather than flee a leader some say is playing the mad man and famously—according to the Ukraine embassy—responded to the United States’ offer of an evacuation that he needs “ammunition, not a ride.”

But the way in which he’s captured the attention of the world says as much about us as it does about him. 

Yes, it’s disconcerting to be on this side of a screen, watching the horrors of war unfold as we follow our Twitter feeds and Western nations issue sanctions or send weapons to Ukraine. But we are drawn to him for the resilience, courage and convictions we see so rarely in our own leaders. As Tom McTague writes in the Atlantic, “Perhaps this is why Zelensky is so inspiring. Western countries don’t have this type of leadership anymore: unembarrassed, defiant belief in a cause.” We don’t see them often in our other leaders, either, whether in our jobs, our churches or our communities.

Still, there are places to look for a little bit of inspiration. Many major corporations are stepping up their own sanctions against Russia, suspending services, dropping stakes or giving aid, and Forbes is tracking them. The crisis could trigger new levels of corporate activism, sparking new risks if they don’t, writes Forbes leadership strategy senior contributor Edward Segal. And if you need a little help managing a team that’s stressed amid the news, or your own anxiety amid the drumbeat of scary headlines, we’ve got you covered there, too. 

Work Smarter

You may think you know them all. But here are 10 rules to remember about email etiquette.

Having trouble with your job search? How your resume may be sabotaging your career.

Everyone is changing jobs. Why your company should start having “stay” interviews along with exit interviews.

Struggling to find direction in your job search? Try the “three buckets” approach. 

Feeling burned out? Here are three ways to reignite your interest in your job and your career.

On Our Agenda

Tuesday and Wednesday are the new Monday: A new report from Envoy, the workplace platform that helps with hot desk scheduling and other return-to-office needs, finds that Tuesday and Wednesday were the most popular days to work on-site, according to the office entries its technology tracks. The IT industry saw the highest percentage increase in foot traffic at the office.

“We are much more career coaches than recruiters”: That’s a quote from Livia Freudl, the head of human resources at Varian, in an interesting new report out from World 50, a peer-to-peer membership organization for senior executives. Called “The Scarcity Economy,” it examines all the ways companies are navigating shortages, from microchips to talent. Freudl’s comment gets at how more companies are investing in training, upskilling and “badging”—a concept at EY which gives people transferable credentials—attracting people by helping them develop their whole careers, not just their time at one company.

New CDC guidance impacts masks on the job: Late Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it would no longer recommend masks indoors except in areas rated "high" according to a new approach for calculating community levels of Covid risk. Some companies, including Amazon, are making masks optional for employees in the aftermath.

When it comes to hiring, gut instinct still matters: A new report from HireVue finds that while other approaches, such as “structured interviews,” have been shown to be better tools for hiring, 71% of respondents in a survey said they still rely on resume qualifications, and 37% on gut instinct, even if it can inject bias. 

Friday is unofficial “National Employee Appreciation Day.” One software startup, Gong, is planning to put up billboards in Times Square, Israel and Ireland to recognize its workers. A day off, some kind thank yous and some extra cash probably work just as well—here’s how people really want to be thanked. 

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