Arlington Ranked No. 7 for Worker Burnout - ARLnow
Arlington Ranked No. 7 for Worker Burnout - ARLnow |
| Arlington Ranked No. 7 for Worker Burnout - ARLnow Posted: 02 Sep 2020 12:00 AM PDT
(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) The pandemic has made work more stressful for many. There are those in jobs that require in-person interaction, presenting a health risk. There are workers staying at home but juggling new-found childcare duties. And there are those who — whether to make ends meet or to keep up with the shifting demands of a COVID-19 world — find themselves working longer hours than ever. Unfortunately for Arlington residents, the county was already a place where workers were predisposed for burnout, according to a new study. The website SmartAsset has ranked Arlington No. 7 on its 2020 list of places "where worker burnout is more likely." While not quite as burnout-prone as San Francisco or D.C., according to the list, Arlington still ranks ahead of Dallas and fellow Amazon office locations Austin and Seattle. Among the major data points used by SmartAsset to crunch the numbers among 100 of the largest U.S. locales are average hours worked per week, and average weeks worked per year. At 41.7 hours and 41.3 weeks, Arlington was at the top of the list for both. The county ranked lower overall due to lower housing costs as a percent of income, and a lower portion of workers with a "severe commute." The trend of working longer goes well beyond Arlington. "The days of a strict 40-hour workweek, with evenings and weekends spent relaxing, are a distant memory for many people," SmartAsset said. "More than 10 million Americans work at least 60 hours per week and recent data shows that people are working three hours more per day during coronavirus lockdowns than they were prior to the pandemic." Separately, a local consulting firm released the results of a survey about COVID-19 Burnout Survey. "As the U.S. prepares to celebrate Labor Day, national polling of the U.S. workforce indicates a majority of employees are burnt out (58 percent), up from 45 percent in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Crystal City-based Eagle Hill Consulting. "Among employees who report burnout, 35 percent say it is attributable to COVID-19 circumstances, up from 25 percent in April." The surveys were conducted from April 8-10 and August 13-17. "Labor Day can serve as an inflection point for employers to re-calibrate with their workforce," said Melissa Jezior, president and CEO of Eagle Hill Consulting. "This level of burnout is problematic and could increase as millions of employees continue to work from home, and many schools remain unable to fully open. We're in this pandemic for the long haul, and employers have got to find a way to make workloads sustainable for employees and better equip managers to lead. Otherwise, companies risk harming their bottom line and brand." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Posted: 07 Oct 2019 12:00 AM PDT Serves 4 One of the pleasures of fall is a renewed appetite for richer foods and deeper flavors. Duck breasts fall into this category. They are nice enough to serve to dinner guests, but are surprisingly simple to cook. Burnish the skin to a deep, golden brown in a skillet and finish cooking them in the oven. To accompany the duck, roast red or purple grapes and fresh figs doused with salt, pepper, and olive oil. For this recipe, we chose mild Pekin duck breasts (often labeled Long Island duck). Muscovy breasts have a stronger flavor and tend to be larger, as are Moulard ducks. All need to be special ordered at the meat counter or a butcher shop, and are sometimes available in the frozen section. Any of these varieties will work in the recipe, but the larger breasts may require a little more cooking time. Begin prep the day before, so the breasts can be refrigerated overnight with a coating of fresh herbs. Much of the fat on the skin side of the duck renders in the skillet, so be prepared to spoon it off (you can strain it and refrigerate it for roasting extra-flavorful potatoes another night). One of the major keys to success in cooking duck -- and most meat for that matter -- is to check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. Medium-rare duck, the way it is served in many restaurants, registers 135 degrees, medium-well 140 degrees. This is a knockout dish for a party. No one will guess how easy it is.
1. Pat the breasts dry with a paper towel. With a sharp knife, and without cutting into the meat, score the skin of each breast in a diagonal crosshatch pattern of cuts about 3/4-inch apart. Sprinkle both sides generously with salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Press the herbs into the duck. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. 2. Set the oven at 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the figs, cut sides up, on the paper with the clusters of grapes. Sprinkle with the oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the grape skins are slightly soft, but not falling apart. Remove and set aside. (This can be done up to 3 hours ahead.) 3. Set the oven at 350 degrees. (Or turn down the oven if it is on from roasting the fruit.) 4. Set a large, heavy skillet on medium-low heat, and heat for about 2 minutes, or until it is hot. Place the breasts, skin side down, in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, turning occasionally for even browning, or until the skin is golden. During browning, when an abundance of rendered fat accumulates in the pan, transfer the duck temporarily to a plate and spoon off the excess fat, then return the breasts to the pan to finish browning. With tongs, turn the breasts over in the pan and sear the other side for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until browned. (Later, you can strain the fat, refrigerate it, and save for other cooking.) 5. Turn breasts skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for 2 to 4 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of a breast registers 135 degrees for medium-rare or 140 degrees for medium-well. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 8 minutes. 6. Spoon off all but a thin layer of fat from the pan. Return the pan to medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the stock and wine. Bring to boil, and simmer for 4 minutes, or until the liquid reduces by about half. Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. 7. Reheat the grapes and figs for 2 to 3 minutes in the oven. Divide them among 4 plates. Add the pan sauce. 8. Slice the breasts on the diagonal and fan some slices on each plate. Garnish with the rosemary and thyme. Sally Pasley Vargas |
| You are subscribed to email updates from "whatcan i make with figs" - Google News.
| Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |
Comments
Post a Comment