| | | | | | | | | | | Axios What's Next | | By Jennifer A. Kingson, Joann Muller and Erica Pandey ·Jan 31, 2022 | | Good Monday morning! - Kathleen Mulcahy of Sag Harbor, New York, sent us a cool photo — see it below — that got Jennifer curious about the topic at hand (citrus fruit) and led her to a "who knew?" answer, also below.
- Be like Kathleen! Send us a photo of something that seems like good fodder for our newsletter. Email: whatsnext@axios.com.
Today's Smart Brevity count: 1,051 words ... 4 minutes. | | | | | | 1 big thing: Rising workplace benefit: Fertility services |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | Employers are beefing up benefits packages to lure workers in a tight labor market, and many are adding pricey fertility benefits such as in-vitro fertilization and egg freezing to their offerings, Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: Benefits around fertility and family-building have long been overlooked by employer health care plans, but that's rapidly changing. - "You see couples today that are living child-free, and a lot of times that's their decision, but a lot of times it's not," says Gina Bartasi, founder and CEO of the fertility clinic Kindbody.
- In the past, many companies have avoided offering fertility benefits due to concerns about the cost, Erin Dowling of Mercer writes.
- But the rise in the number of fertility clinics — and growing demand for their services — is driving down the price, Bartasi says.
97% of employers who provide this coverage say it has not resulted in a significant increase in medical plan costs, per a Mercer survey. By the numbers: 11% of U.S. employers with 500 employees or more covered egg freezing in 2020, compared with just 5% in 2015, according to the Mercer study. - When looking just at firms with 20,000 employees or more, the 2020 share is 19%.
- Also as of 2020, 58% of employers with 500 or more workers covered evaluations by reproductive doctors and 27% covered IVF.
Some companies, like Nike, Johnson & Johnson and IBM, even help with the costs of adoption, according to the Society for Human Resource Management. What to watch: Look for fertility services to become a new standard benefit at work. Read the full story. |     | | | | | | 2. Urban problems and predictions for 2022 |  | | | Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios | | | | Rising crime, worker shortages, infrastructure problems and housing affordability will be the top issues on cities' agendas in 2022, urban affairs experts predict, Jennifer A. Kingson writes. Why it matters: With cities flush from federal COVID relief programs, everyone had hoped they would be able to focus more on quality-of-life issues rather than life-and-death issues — but no. Driving the news: The bridge collapse in Pittsburgh on the day of President Biden's visit to talk about infrastructure and the rise in urban homicides in 2021 underscore the seriousness of the problems that cities are grappling with. - Others include the devastating effects of rapid climate change and the ravages of economic and social inequity.
What they're saying: "New York City has been tested to its core in the first month of 2022," begins "The Blueprint to End Gun Violence" issued by NYC's new mayor, Eric Adams. The good news: Lots of resources and smart minds are being thrown at cities' problems. - "With federal relief funds and the $1 trillion infrastructure legislation that passed last year, cities will have new resources to tackle challenges such as making public transportation more equitable and accommodating growing numbers of electric vehicles hitting the streets," per Smart Cities Dive.
Among the predictions Smart Cities Dive is making for 2022: - "Crime and policing will continue to be top of mind for local leaders."
- "Electrification in transportation and buildings will grow even more mainstream."
- "Micromobility will work to become integral to urban transportation systems."
- "Cities will aim to address housing affordability issues the pandemic has exacerbated."
Read the full story. | | | | | | | | 3. Hybrid work now dominates the knowledge economy |  | | | llustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios | | | | For the first time since the start of the pandemic, most knowledge workers are in hybrid work arrangements, partly remote and partly in-office, Emily Peck writes, based on a new survey. By the numbers: 58% said they now work this way, in a survey of around 10,000 knowledge workers from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Japan, conducted in November by Future Forum, a research group backed by Slack. - Back in May, 46% of workers were hybrid.
Why it matters: These arrangements could deepen work inequities for parents, especially mothers and workers of color — groups that are more likely to work remotely. - And yet, caregivers need and want the flexibility; and workers of color do too. The survey finds that underrepresented groups overwhelmingly prefer flexible, remote arrangements.
State of play: 75% of working parents are remote or hybrid, compared with 64% of non-parents, according to the survey. - Meanwhile, executives are more likely to come into the office.
The big picture: There's a risk of proximity bias: Executives favor the workers they see in the office. Share this story. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Hybrid 2.0: Best-in-Class Employee Communications Strategies | | |  | | | | Join us on Feb. 3 as four modern organizations share the most pressing leadership challenges they've faced in recent times — and the best-in-class communications strategies that helped them navigate. Register | | | | | | 4. Face ID could work with masks in a new iPhone |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | Apple is testing the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask as part of a new developer beta software update, Margaret Harding McGill reports in Axios Login. Why it matters: Two years into the pandemic, people are ready to stop pulling a mask down to open an iPhone. Driving the news: The new feature from the iPhone maker will rely on facial recognition focusing on the eye area to authenticate the user, according to a report from 9to5Mac, based off a tweet from Apple expert Brandon Butch. - Apple said it released the first developer beta of iOS 15.4 on Thursday, and it includes the ability to use Face ID while wearing a mask.
- A previous software update allows iPhone users to unlock their phones while masked with an Apple Watch.
- Other features in the developer beta include new emojis: heart hands, biting lip, pregnant person and pregnant man, hamsa and several others.
Share this story. | | | | | | | | 5. Reader photo of the day |  | | | A bag of oranges at a Stop & Shop in Southampton, N.Y. Photo: Kathleen Mulcahy | | | | What's Next: Rebranding blood oranges Kathleen Mulcahy of Sag Harbor, N.Y., spotted this bag and wrote: "Are we too sensitive to buy blood oranges anymore?" The answer we found: Yes! Though blood oranges taste delicious — Jennifer prefers them and pays extra for them — some consumers are squeamish about the name, it turns out. - Kings River Packing, a citrus giant in California, "established the exclusive rights to the Raspberry Orange brand, with the aim of improving consumer acceptance of blood oranges," per an article on Fresh Plaza, a trade publication for the fresh produce industry.
- "'Many retailers are having a hard time marketing the blood orange,'" Jesse Silva of Kings River Packing told Fresh Plaza. "Consumers are not really taking to the variety despite its reputation for its flavor and healthy benefits."
- "The Raspberry Orange brand focuses on the distinct flavor of the blood orange, which has a notable aftertaste of raspberries."
- Silva says that sales have improved as a result of the name change.
| | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Hybrid 2.0: Best-in-Class Employee Communications Strategies | | | | | | | | Join us on Feb. 3 as four modern organizations share the most pressing leadership challenges they've faced in recent times — and the best-in-class communications strategies that helped them navigate. Register | | | | Was this email forwarded to you? Get your daily dose of What's Next magic by signing up for our free newsletter here. |  | Bring the strength of Smart Brevity® to your team — more effective communications, powered by Axios HQ. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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