President Joe Biden has signed legislation that enforces a labor agreement between rail operators and unions, a move designed to avert a strike that could have caused significant economic disruption. The deal includes a pay increase for workers but excludes a provision passed by the House that would have provided seven days of paid sick leave.

Grainger is pursuing sustainability by using more renewable energy, conserving water, setting targets for emissions reductions and diverting waste to be recycled, says Tom Richey, senior manager of community impact. Richey also details the distributor's efforts and progress toward greater diversity in its workforce and suppliers, along with its donations to Chicago-area nonprofits and its support for employees' generosity and community service.

The personal consumption expenditures price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred gauge of inflation, rose 6% year over year in October, down from a 6.3% rise in September. Meanwhile, Governor Michelle Bowman said the central bank should slow the course of its rate hikes but noted that monetary policy would have to remain restrictive enough to fully tame inflation.

Robots and automated technologies are taking on more repetitive duties in warehouses and fulfillment centers, but human workers are still needed to handle "higher-order tasks," such as decision-making and problem-solving, says Stephen Dryer of Fortna. Employees are also overseeing "human in the loop" or "brains in the background" robotics systems and intervening when problems arise.

The typical ways to shore up a supply chain often involve added costs, but buyer-supplier information sharing could help avoid siloed knowledge while saving money, according to Paul Delbar of supply chain planning solutions company OMP. Integrated planning works best -- and reduces costs -- when procurement and suppliers are honest about their needs, capacity and shipping schedules, Delbar says.

Companies can expand their customer base by focusing on three groups of noncustomers: those who need their products, those who have rejected them and those who haven't yet considered the company's industry, write W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne and Mi Ji of INSEAD. They explore the lessons learned from Salesforce, which used this technique to its advantage, and Tata Motors, which they argue fumbled in its strategy with a car rollout.

LinkedIn rolled out numerous platform enhancements, including a Group Identity targeting option that relies on first-party data and a competitor analytics dashboard that looks at competitors' platform growth and content. Other updates include Lead-Gen forms that automatically populate with members' business email addresses, and the ability to send newsletter notifications to subscribers.

Instead of stepping in to be the "hero" who saves the day when things go sideways, leaders should do the work necessary to equip their reports to respond to emergencies and allow them to take control, says Col. Fred Maddox, an assistant professor at the U.S. Army War College and Chief of Staff of the Army senior fellow at the Kellogg School of Management. "As soon as you take over any part of execution, you've stepped out of your strategic role," Maddox says.

There are four types of toxic personalities you are likely to encounter at work, including gaslighters and people who sabotage others. Here are strategies for spotting these individuals and defusing their behavior.