The Daily Valet. - 1/11/22, Tuesday

✔️ Want to Work Less?

Tuesday, January 11th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

If this was a four-day workweek, we’d be one day closer to the weekend.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

A Four-Day Workweek Gains Traction

Let’s get more done with less time at work

Panasonic has announced plans to offer a four-day workweek to employees in Japan in an effort to improve productivity and attract better workers, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia. The move comes after the Japanese government made official recommendations to private employers in 2021 that included a shorter workweek for the notoriously diligent country.

Panasonic joins a handful of Japanese companies introducing four-day workweek arrangements, including the pharmaceutical firm Shionogi and the systems developer Encourage Technologies. Both plan to offer the option starting in April.

The four-day workweek has been floated around the world in various forms from Finland to New Zealand. Sometimes, the shorter weeks just mean that employers make the four days of work longer, while maintaining something close to 40 hours. Other times the companies will actually be offering a shorter week with fewer total hours, so that people can pursue more leisure time or more education.

In the U.S., the four-day workweek has been floated for decades but remains out of reach for many workers, as Insider’s Chris Weller discovered in November. He called it “corporate America’s favorite fantasy.”

But this could be changing as the coronavirus pandemic upends traditional working relationships and accelerates competition for talent. Just last week, the e-commerce startup Bolt permanently switched to a four-day workweek after a trial last year saw improved productivity and work-life balance.

Last month, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the biggest bloc of liberal lawmakers in Congress, endorsed a bill which would seek to implement a four-day workweek. It’s a measure that has no real prospect of becoming law in the near term, but it could serve as a potential point of focus for a future election. After all, if the science is there, then it might just be a matter of time. I know I’m ready.

↦ FYI: Both Spain and Scotland are planning four-day workweek trials by subsidizing employers who give workers an extra day off.

COVID Tests for Everyone!

Your insurance will pay for 8 monthly tests, according to the White House

The Biden administration announced Monday new details on how Americans can get free COVID-19 tests—or get reimbursements from their private insurance company.

Under the new policy, individuals covered by a health insurance plan who purchase an at-home test that has been authorized, cleared or approved by the Food and Drug Administration, will be able to have those test costs covered by their insurance beginning this Saturday.

Insurers may set up a network of preferred stores, pharmacies and online retailers, where consumers can receive tests at no cost up front. People could still buy tests outside that network, but insurers would only have to reimburse up to $12 for each one.

Health insurers will no doubt implement the guidance as quickly as possible, but we should all expect a few hiccups in the next couple of weeks. And, in case you were wondering, the new policy will not apply retroactively to at-home tests that you have already purchased.

↦ Dig Deeper: The Atlantic explores why more Americans are saying they’re “vaxxed and done.”

Extreme Weather Is Expensive

The apocalyptic weather over the past year cost America more than $145 billion

Last year was messy for a myriad of reasons, but let's just focus on this one for minute: From pipe-bursting freezes in Texas to road warping heat in the Pacific Northwest to an endless parade of wildfires, the U.S. staggered through a steady onslaught of deadly weather and climate disasters.

And a new report from the National Centers for Environmental Information provides some more detail on the economic and human costs associated with the tragic mess that is the changing climate. The agency chronicled 20 weather events in the report, released Monday, that collectively cost the U.S. economy at least $145 billion dollars.

According to Gizmodo, those figures are made even worse when put in context with previous years. The 20 weather events costing more than $1 billion in 2021 far eclipsed the average of roughly seven similar weather events annually between 1980 and 2021.

And that wasn't the only bad report we received on Monday. A different study from the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm, found that America's emissions of heat-trapping gas rebounded from the first year of the pandemic at a faster rate than the economy as a whole—making it harder to reach the country's pledge to the world to cut emissions in half compared to 2005 by 2030.

↦ FYI: The past seven years have been the hottest on record “by a clear margin,” scientists say.

Surgeons Transplant Pig Heart Into Man

The procedure offers hope to thousands in need of organs

In a medical first, doctors transplanted a pig heart into a patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life and a Maryland hospital said Monday that he's doing well—three days after the highly experimental surgery.

Last year, some 41,354 Americans received a transplanted organ, more than half of them receiving kidneys, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing. But there is an acute shortage of organs, and about a dozen people on the lists die each and every day.

Scientists have been working to develop pigs whose organs would not be rejected by the human body and research accelerated in the past decade by new gene editing and cloning technologies. This transplant showed that a heart from a genetically modified animal can function in the human body without immediate rejection.

Several biotech companies are developing pig organs for human transplant. According to the Associated Press, the FDA, which oversees such experiments, allowed the surgery under what's called a “compassionate use” emergency authorization, available when a patient with a life-threatening condition has no other options.

↦ Meanwhile: The Red Cross announced a national blood crisis for the first time in history and is asking for immediate donations.

In Other News

↦ BMW Files Odd Steering Wheel Patent for a Yoke-Like ‘Steering Handle’

↦ It’s Almost Been a Year, and Spotify Still Doesn’t Have a Date for Spotify HiFi

↦ Have Your Mind Blown by This 3D Size Comparison of the Tallest Statues in the World

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

The Maya Angelou quarter

Counterfeit bourbon?!

Legendary sweaters

Tell Your Boss You’re Burned Out

It feels risky, but the pay off could be huge

We know burnout is real. While there isn't a clear cut definition, the American Psychological Association's David Ballard, PsyD tells us job burnout is “an extended period of time where someone experiences exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance.”

“A lot of burnout really has to do with experiencing chronic stress,” says Dr. Ballard. “In those situations, the demands being placed on you exceed the resources you have available to deal with the stressors.” If you're feeling burned out lately, you're not alone.

You might think that your superiors at work know how burned out you feel. After all, more than 50% of workers recently surveyed by the Conference Board said their mental health has degraded since the start of the pandemic. But if you assume your boss will make the first move, that's probably an inaccurate assumption. Speaking up is critical.

We consulted some experts for their advice on how and what to say in order to be heard and get a little breathing room ... without jeopardizing your career.

↦ Read: How to talk to your boss about burnout

Winter’s Real Layering MVP

Replica thermal, $268 by John Elliot

Now that winter is in full effect, it's time to make sure you have a base layer for additional warmth. Spring and summer are all about pocket tees but, during the winter months you need something in a heavier weight like a thermal. The waffled long-sleeve styles are the perfect layering piece and just the right amount of throwback '90s swagger.

I wear thermals year-round actually; great for lounging around the house, layering under your favorite flannel, and a great in-between to all your heavier (and itchy!) wool-blend knits. Our favorite ones to wear come in a waffle fabric because it's soft on the skin and durable enough to wear on its own. This winter must-have should be bought in bulk just because you'll find yourself wearing them beyond the wintertime (they look great with a nice denim jacket or under a lightweight anorak). After all, here at Valet., we're all about investing in the right pieces so you can have them for more than just one season.