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Endings are tricky: You want closure and to go out with a bangwhich is a hard balance. Its natural to want the end of the year to be meaningful. Even the moon appears to agree with this sentiment, and it’s about to prove it. The final full moon of 2025, which is also called the cold moon, will be a bright supermoon occurring on December 4. Before we get into how best to moon-gaze, lets break down what that all means, and do a year-end moon review. Why is Decembers full moon called the ‘cold moon’? Human beings assign names even to celestial happenings. The Old Farmers Almanac compiled the most commonly used monikers, based on Old English and Native American sources. Decembers moon is called the cold moon because of the chilly winter temperatures. According to EarthSky, it is also known as Moon Before Yule or the Long Night Moon. What is a supermoon? The moon orbits Earth in an elliptical pattern, which means the orb has differing proximity to the planet. When the full moon lines up with the closer approach to Earth, known as perigee, a supermoon occurs. The moon appears brighter and fuller because it is physically closer to Earth. What makes this supermoon special? Decembers supermoon offering is the finale of three consecutive supermoons, which also occurred in October and November this year. Because the orb will mirror the sun, Decembers supermoon will also be the highest-hanging full moon of 2025. What is the moons 2025 recap? There were 12 full moons in 2025. (Sometimes, because of the lunar year length, there are 13, such as in 2023.) 2025s dozen included three supermoons, two total lunar eclipsesand a partridge in a pear tree. (Well, the scientific nature of the latter is questionable . . . but tis the season.) How best to view the December supermoon The most dramatic time to view the supermoon is just after moonrise, because of the moon illusion. This phenomenon, which is when the moon appears larger when near the horizon, cant be fully explained by science. This optical illusion of sorts, combined with the fact that the supermoon appears brighter and bigger, makes for one spectacular nighttime view. Since viewing times vary by location, use this moonrise tool to best plan your moon-gazing experience.If you miss tonight, never fear. The moon will reach its peak on December 4 at 6:14 p.m. ET, but it will appear full for a couple of days, so you have wiggle room that allows for more moon-gazing opportunities.
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E-Commerce
Its a tale as old as the modern workplace: In the 1960s, women entered the workforce en masse, ready to compete with their male counterparts for promotions, pay, and opportunityonly to find the system wasnt built for them. Today, women comprise almost half of the U.S. labor force. The playing field looks different now, but the fight for equal access hasnt gone away. It just moved into subtler territory. Companies make quiet calculations about whos worth investing in, says Corinne Low, gender economist and associate business professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business. Women often face career penalties in anticipation of motherhood as employers presume theyre more likely to take leave or step back. Once in their 40s, past childbearing, this bias fades. But not before its done damage. The cost of inaction is huge: 4 out of 10 mothers in the first five years after childbirth resign. In 2025, around 400,000 mothers with young children resigned from the U.S. workforcethe sharpest decline in more than 40 years. Mothers face a training penalty that hinders their career advancement On average, data shows women working full-time only earn 83% of a mans median annual salary. Mothers face even worse oddstheir pay is often reduced by 3% for every child they have. A new study from the University of Connecticut finds that, one to three years after childbirth, women are 17% to 22% less likely to receive on-the-job training opportunities, such as seminars, workshops, and development programs, compared with a 3% to 8% decline for men who became fathers. The result is a hidden skills and promotion gap that may explain nearly a third of the motherhood wage penalty. When women have children, theyre viewed as less committed or competent, research showsa bias that leads employers to assume mothers are too busy, distracted, or disinterested to participate in training opportunities. This is called benevolent prescriptive stereotyping, and it doesnt do mothers any favors, says Joan C. Williams, distinguished professor of law emerita and founding director of the Equality Action Center at UC Law San Francisco. As Williams points out: If you don’t get work, you eventually either get laid off because you’re not progressing, or you leave because you’re disgusted that you don’t get good work. Or you just stall out. If a mother turns down an opportunity for training or advancement, its important to circle backnot to assume its a permanent no, says Williams. She also recommends employers keep track of who receives opportunities in their workplaceand who doesnt. Supporting mothers isnt a charity case Another opportunity mothers are often left out of is informal networking, like happy hours, dinners, or travel, says Kate Westlund Tovsen, founder of Society of Working Moms, a supportive community for and by working mothers. Even if a mother cant attend, Its nice to be invited, Tovsen adds, who suggests teams try daytime coffee hours as a caregiver-friendly option. Mothers are forced to be proactive, as many companies lack frameworks to support leave or reintegration, Williams cautions. She advises scheduling meetings with superiors before and after taking family leave to make a plan. And though being a new mother is a relatively short blip on a womans career, companies often make permanent decisions in terms of who they’re investing in based on this kind of temporary period when women are most squeezed, says Low. Supporting mothers is not a charity case, she argues, but a competitive edge that lets them retain talent long term. Caregiver strategies and investments, including benefits and return-to-work programs, deliver measurable business returns, states Jess Ringgenberg, professional certified coach and CEO of Elxir, an advisory firm focusing on caregivers in the workplace. Companies see three to six times ROI through higher retention, productivity, and lower absenteeism with such programs, Ringgenberg says. Replacing a mid-level caregiver comes with backfill, training, and ramp-up expenses that can reach $200,000, says Ringgenberg, or totaling twice the employees annual salary. But some companies are already working hard to help mothers succeedand its paying off. Small and large companies finding solutions Frontier Co-op, an Iowa-based wholesaler of natural and organic products with around 580 employees, created the Breaking Down Barriers to Employment initiative, which includes an on-site childcare center, subsidized to $120 per week per child. Their childcare program enables parents to participate in training programs and developmental opportunities that might otherwise be missed, explains Megan Schulte, vice president of human resources. She says 100% of new parents returned to work after their parental leave. While Frontier Co-op eases the logistical strains of childcare, Brigade Events, a woman-owned and operated event strategy and management company in Dallas with 10 full-time employees, tackles rebuilding confidence and access for women who stepped out. The company views its mentorship and project-based work model as a form of retraining, recognizing womens existing expertise, rather than resetting them to zero. Senior employees work on a hybrid schedulethree days from home, two in-officeto preserve collaboration while creating space for caregiving. Brigade doesnt bat an eye at blocked calendars for a childs doctor appointment or school event. Our whole culture is giving grace to each other, says April Zorsky, partner and chief creative officer. One of their policies is that mothers returning from their 16-week maternityleave take a transition month working at 50% capacity. This can mean working from home, setting their own schedules, and easing back in without penalty. As moms, we feel its crucial to have flexibility, says Zorksy. Larger companies can learn to be more flexible and collaborative, too, says Marissa Andrade, a veteran HR executive and former chief people officer at Chipotle. She recalls when one of her field managers chose to take a six-month maternity leave during a period of company-wide turnaround. Before she left, she requested an interim hire from the Mom Project, a digital platform that helps companies to hire skilled mothers, to support her leave. It went so smoothly that the field manager was able to reenter without missing a beat. Andrada recommends establishing employeebusiness resource groups. At Chipotle, one employee-created group, The Hustle (Humans United to Support the Ladies Experience), formed a maternity program to keep employees in the loop while on leave, and reoriented them on compliance and training updates on their return. Dont overlook the power of your employees as your consumer, says Andrada. When companies invite access for mothersto training, to support, to opportunities that just dont reacclimate them to their roles, but get them to thrive in themeveryone wins. Mothers arent just reentering the workforce with confidence. Employers are retaining their talent, too.
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E-Commerce
In todays job market, many employees are feeling the pressure. Layoffs continue to make headlines, hiring pipelines have slowed, budgets have tightened, and job seekers are facing fierce competition. For those already employed, this environment raises a tricky question: Whats reasonable to ask for at work right nowand what isnt? Theres always the standard wish list: promotions, raises, more flexibility, and better benefits. But in a strained economy, some of these asks may be harder to landand for many employees, even harder to ask for. Zety, a career platform designed to make job searching easier with expert-backed tools and advice, found in its latest Pay on Pause Report three in five workers are willing to forgo or accept smaller raises this year due to fears of layoffs and job instability, and 66% avoided asking for a raise altogether, citing economic pressures and uncertainty. In a job market this unpredictable, where many employees are job hugging out of fearone question remains: should employees hold off on asking, or should conversations still be happening? Theres fear in asking According to career expert Jasmine Escalera, many employees are hesitant to ask for anything right now. The thought process is: I should just be grateful to have a job, or, I dont want to ask for more and rock the boat, especially if AI is coming in, she explains. Maybe even, I don’t want to disrupt what I already have, because I don’t want to then be out in that job market and not even know when’s the next time I’m potentially going to get a position, Escalera says. In todays job market, employees are often hesitant to speak up, hoping staying quiet will help them maintain their positionsespecially since certain requests, like pay raises, are harder to secure. Pay increases and promotions may be harder to secure It is true. Certain requests are more difficult in todays job market, Escalera explains, and pay raises are one of them. If layoffs and budget cuts are happening, one of the first things that are going to go is pay increases, she says. This also includes bonuses, or any other type of financial component. Anything that goes into the budget could potentially go wrong, which is not good for individuals who are in positions where they need to be upskilling. Or they need to be learning more to complement AI, or even potentially just for specific career growth opportunities, she says. Promotions also face limitations. As Escalera explains, Promotions typically come with raises and professional development [or] upskilling opportunitiesthose are going to be things that potentially go away. Still, it doesn’t mean employees should shy away from asking, or from putting their requests on their managers radar. Open the conversation A company may not be able to provide pay raises or promotions during a downturn, but that doesnt mean the conversation cant happen. Even if your company comes out and says, we don’t have the financial capacity to give pay raises right now, or we don’t have the financial capacity to give bonuses right nowthat does not mean you do not have the conversation, Escalera says. The key is approaching the discussion thoughtfully, focusing on your contributions and the value you bring. You might say, I understand that the organization is in financial hardship, or may not be giving bonuses or pay raises at this moment, but I really want to open up the conversation around my work Escalera suggests. Carolyn Troyan, CEO of Leadership360, an HR consulting and leadership coaching firm, agrees its important to be thoughtful with your approach. It’s doing it in an emotionally intelligent way, she says. After half your team has been laid off, demanding a raise is probably not such a good idea. But after the dust has settled and the company is back on steady footing, its reasonable to bring it upor even during your next performance review, if the timing feels right. When having that conversation, acknowledge the environment and what the team has been throughbut dont let that stop you from discussing your growth with your manager. Just because a company is struggling doesn’t mean you don’t have a career plan, Troyan says. To your manager, you might say, Here’s what I want to do over the next two to three years, I’d love to kind of talk about that with you. What opportunities do you see available, even in this environment, for me to learn some of these new skills? Commonly, youre going to hear one of two responses, Troyan explains: We really love you, but we can’t do it right now, which comes up a lot. Or, you may receive feedback highlighting what you need to work on to reach a promotion or raise in the future. Either way, youre still having the conversation. Support and flexibility Even if a company cant provide a promotion or raise due to financial hardship, there are other things to ask for. One of the biggest asks right now is supportsupport that isnt monetary, Escalera says, pointing to the same report: Mental health support tops the list. What that really shows is that individuals are incredibly burnt out and stressed out, she said. As a result, were seeing more requests for mental health days and other forms of support. If a company isnt meeting requests for pay, flexibility, or other forms of support, it may be a signal for employees to reassess their options. Even in uncertain times, understanding your value, approaching conversations thoughtfully, and asking for the support you need are all things you dont have to shy away from.
Category:
E-Commerce
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