Can your job make you get vaccinated?

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News of promising Covid vaccines could get you back into the office sooner than you thought.

But can your employer actually require you to get vaccinated?

Well, the lawyers we spoke with said they can (with some exceptions). But whether they should is a different matter.

Some industries already make certain vaccines mandatory. For instance, some hospital workers are required to get flu shots.

But mandating workers get the vaccine for Covid could open employers up to potential workers' compensation claims if an employee has any adverse side effects.

Read more about the issue here.

Don't get stuck in a career rut

It's been a long nine months since the pandemic took hold. And we've likely got several more rough months ahead of us.

Yes, there are some benefits to working from home (she writes, while sitting in sweatpants), but it can also be draining (she writes, as it approaches midnight). Distractions abound. Uncertainty weighs heavy. And motivation is harder to come by.

But don't let working from home deter you from pursuing your career goals. Here's what experts suggest:

Ask for more feedback. Take the initiative and ask your manager how you could have improved that last presentation or project -- the more you ask and receive feedback, the better and more constructive the process will become and the more you grow.

Keep adding to your contacts. When reaching out to new people, explain why you are interested in getting to know them and suggest some virtual meeting times (with end times).

Click here to read more tips to advance your career.

WFH tip: Hitting your goals

Goal setting can help you be more productive when working from home. Here are tips from Kathryn McKinnon, author of Triple Your Time Today:

• At the beginning of your day, set a positive intention for reaching your goals. Throughout the workday, focus on your goals, your accomplishments, your successes and positive aspects of your work and life with appreciation and gratitude. Think about what you have accomplished and still can accomplish with your time, even if you only have one hour to get something done.
• Let go of worry and negative thinking. When a disempowering thought crosses your mind and distracts you from reaching your goals, say to yourself: "Thank you for sharing" and let go of the thought.
• Don't worry about the things you can't control—that's a waste of your time. Instead, take action on things you can control.

Should remote workers pay more taxes?

And speaking of working from home... If you decide to make it a permanent thing, should you pay higher taxes?

A research team over at Deutsche Bank proposed a work-from-home tax -- once the pandemic is under control -- to help with the economic recovery and subsidize pay for low-income workers who can't work remotely, reports CNN Business' Julia Horowitz.

Here's the issue: Working from home might be convenient, but it takes a toll on the economy. When you don't go into the office, it likely means less coffee shop stops and lunch runs, fewer gas fill-ups and not as much money spent on clothes.

Under this proposal, employers would pay the tax if they don't provide an employee with a permanent desk in an office. But the employee would cover the tax for any days they choose to work remotely.

Read more about how the tax would work.

UPS lifts bans on beards

UPS is lifting several of its longstanding rules on personal appearance for workers.

The company is no longer banning beards and will allow natural Black hairstyles like Afros and braids, reports CNN Business' Chris Isidore.

The company also ended gender-specific regulations, including things like the length of the uniform's shorts.

"These changes reflect our values and desire to have all UPS employees feel comfortable, genuine and authentic while providing service to our customers and interacting with the general public," UPS said in a statement.

But, as Isidore points out, this also comes at a time when the company is looking to beef up its roster to handle the deluge of packages stemming from the surge in online shopping during the pandemic. We're also about to hit peak holiday shopping season

Wall Street bonuses

The end of the year typically brings some hefty bonuses on Wall Street.

But some workers might be getting smaller checks this year, according to Wall Street compensation consulting firm Johnson Associates:

• Retail and commercial banking workers could see an estimated 25% to 30% drop in payouts
• Investment bankers could see bonuses shrink by 15% to 20%
• Financial services management and staff might see 10% to 15% declines
• Bonuses for those in private equity and hedge funds could be down between 5% and 10%

Coffee break

If you've become a perpetual snooze button hitter since working remotely (after all, there's no rush to jump out of bed these days to beat traffic) that could be making your mornings slower and more unproductive.

Mornings are a prime time to get good work done, writes Stephanie Burns, founder of chic-CEO.com for Forbes. Here's what she recommended to get going in the mornings:

Do more the night before. Tick off some of the more mundane (but necessary) morning tasks the night before: schedule the coffee, decide on breakfast, pick out an outfit.

Don't immediately check email. Try getting a few of your to-do list items done before looking at your inbox.

Up and at 'em!

Get more tips here.