The Daily Valet. - 4/5/22, Tuesday

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April 05, 2022

Tuesday, April 5th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

I’m not mad at permanent summer Fridays. You?

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

The 4-Day Workweek Is Here

A pilot program is now underway in the U.S. and Canada

The dream of permanent three-day weekends just moved closer to reality. Last week, a select group of North American workers began testing the long-awaited, fervently coveted 4-day workweek. The pilot program, being led by 4 Day Week Global, is expected to last six months.

According to InsideHook, 38 companies in the U.S. and Canada (including Kickstarter) are participating in the program this year. Companies will go through workshops and receive help from businesses who have already trialed the shortened workweek, while researchers study changes in productivity and examine employee welfare throughout the trial.

The idea is fairly simple: Employees work 80% of the time for 100% of the pay and maintain 100% productivity. It comes down to working more efficiently, including cutting back on unnecessary meetings. And the hope is that, if all goes swimmingly, a 4-day workweek could become tangible for the rest of us.

“More and more companies are recognizing that the new frontier for competition is quality of life, and that reduced-hour, productivity-focused working is the vehicle to give them that competitive edge,” Joe O’Connor, CEO of 4 Day Week Global told CNBC.

And no surprise, employees are also overwhelmingly enthusiastic about the idea. A survey from cloud-software vendor Qualtrics found that a whopping 92% of U.S. workers are in favor of the shortened workweek.

The data has so far been extremely promising, too. Buffer, a small company, tried the 4-day work week during the early pandemic and found it so successful, they made it permanent. Other workers who have transitioned to a 4-day workweek reported their “Sunday scaries” have dissipated. So basically, a 4-day workweek would do wonders for employee well-being, while reducing overhead and other costs for employers.

↦ FYI: An Icelandic trial of shortened workweeks found workers had more time for hobbies, rest, and spent more time with loved ones, while output remained unchanged or even increased.

Another Booster? A Different Shot?

Here’s what could be next for COVID vaccines

Pandemic hospitalization rates are at new lows, global cases are declining again after two weeks of rising, and as of last weekend, all 50 U.S. states have lifted mask requirements.

This is great news and signs of real progress. However, most vaccinated people will probably require yet another COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in the fall, a top FDA official said Monday.

The director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told NPR that there could be a new vaccine that specifically targets omicron or one of the other variants, such as beta. Another option would be a new vaccine that combines at least two strains into one vaccine, which could provide even broader protection against any new variants that might emerge.

Thankfully, lawmakers in Congress reached a deal on Monday for an additional $10 billion in COVID funding for “urgent COVID needs and therapeutics.” Unfortunately, the $10 billion will not include funding for global pandemic aid due to a disagreement among lawmakers on how to pay for it.

↦ FYI: There is no “magic moment” to lift all COVID-19 restrictions, researchers told CNN.

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Airport Security Just Got Slower

The TSA’s new CT scanning machines offer up better security measures, at a cost

The TSA recently approved a multi-million dollar contract that's bringing hundreds of three-dimensional scanners to airport checkpoints across the country. They offer up several advantages for passengers, but speeding through airport security isn't one of them.

According to The Points Guy, the new scanners give TSA officers a better, three-dimensional look at potential threats, and allow those without TSA PreCheck to keep liquids and laptops in their bags.

As TSA notes, the CT devices apply sophisticated algorithms for the detection of explosives by creating a 3-D image that can be viewed and rotated 360 degrees on three axes. But they're also frustratingly slow. Adding a layer of complication (and time), the new machines require passengers to line up all of their belongings—even suitcases—and place them in bins that then get pulled into the screening queue.

What's more, these slower (albeit safer) security lines arrive at a time when travel is quickly approaching pre-pandemic levels. If you've got a trip coming up, definitely allow for extra time at the security checkpoint. And as someone who waited too long to pony up for TSA PreCheck, trust me when I tell you that you'll never regret it.

↦ Meanwhile: The government says American airport security procedures will become more gender-neutral.

How Healthy Is Your City?

Here is how American cities stack up against each other on the health scale

Location, location, location ... it's the common refrain in real estate, but it turns out that location matters when it comes to your health too.

Some places promote wellness by expanding access to nutritious food. Others strive to keep healthcare costs affordable for everyone or work to maintain parks. And how well a city handles COVID can have a huge impact on the wellness of its residents—both physically and mentally. The health of a city is important at a time when the cost of care in the U.S. is risin g and life expectancy has taken a huge hit.

WalletHub analyzed 180 cities across key metrics like health (number of doctors, cost of care, hospital beds per capita and more), food, fitness and green spaces to determine which cities in America were the best and worst when it came to overall health.

San Francisco came out on top, as the healthiest city in the country—ranking first among healthy food options and green spaces, followed by Seattle, San Diego, Portland and Salt Lake City. A monthly fitness-club membership costs the lowest in Glendale, Arizona and costs the most in New York. And Grand Prairie, Texas has the fewest health restaurants per capita in the country, whereas Portland, Oregon has the most, followed by New York and Los Angeles.

↦ Dig Deeper: The Conversation says our cities are making us fat and unhealthy, but a ‘healthy location index’ can help us plan better cities.

In Other News

↦ Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson Expected to Be Confirmed This Week After Bipartisan Procedural Vote Monday

↦ Europe Has Designs on Making the Fast Fashion Industry More Sustainable

↦ Your Spotify Workout Playlist Could Sound Even Better

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

That Kansas comeback

Pimento cheese sandwiches

The new DeLorean

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The Sunglasses Spectrum

Danford, $58 by Madewell

Sunglasses are worn year-round, but we're entering into their prime season: Baseball games, cookouts and other outdoor adventures both near and far. Personally, I only buy mid-ranged priced shades because I haven't found the right pair yet or maybe I'm afraid of losing them. But, I'm told there's another type. One that's responsible enough to invest in a pair and actually keep them—sometimes for years. So we decided to look at it from a lens (pun intended) of investment-worthy versus budget-friendly to help you decide what's best for you.