Executives at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center see it as a foundational business in the greater community. Events held there support nearly 25,000 jobs annually, and have created $90 billion in economic activity in the area and $5.7 billion in state and local tax revenue since 1985.

With great stature comes great responsibility. (Relax, Marvel stans…the reference has legs, just maybe not eight of them.) In order to live up to that responsibility, its leaders have moved to embrace AI and stay on the cutting edge. To understand how the Big Easy convention center thinks about AI technology, it’s incumbent to know how the organization views its employees.

“We looked at HR as kind of a natural place to start….rather than have a traditional human resources department, we…started with a core value of treating our employees like internal customers, and that just kind of evolved to where it became people services instead of [HR].”

This is where Tim Tumminello enters the chat. He serves as the senior director of people services and innovation, and leads a team that focuses on the typical HR remit, as well as initiatives to help employees embrace innovation and do their jobs better.

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Here’s your ticket to where work happens. A land where business blooms, conversation is a piece of cake, and getting work done feels like a walk in the park.

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• huddles for quick check-ins
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With the ability to automate routine tasks and integrate all the apps you rely on, Slack is your work buddy 4 lyfe.

Connie Britton’s Nicole in HBO’s first season of White Lotus could not disconnect from work. At a fancy resort in picturesque Hawaii, the corporate exec was constantly checking her emails, and even participated in a “Zoom with China,” asking her daughter to help her improve the “feng shui” in their hotel room ahead of the video call. (Been there.)

While Nicole was a girl boss, she also epitomized the strain that a constant connection to work can cause in our personal lives and amongst our family.

Golden State lawmaker Matt Haney has something to say about that. This month, the San Francisco assemblyman introduced a “right to disconnect” bill. The measure would protect employees from dealing with their bosses outside of “working hours.”

Mobile devices and the pandemic-fueled expansion of WFH may have blurred the lines between work and life, which can be especially true for knowledge workers.

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If you can’t take the heat…be careful in Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, last week signed a law that would prevent local governments from establishing rules protecting workers from excessive heat in the Sunshine State.

The measure was part of a larger preemptive law stopping local governments from establishing minimum wages above the state’s $12-an-hour rate, as well as barring any specific employee benefits or conditions beyond what state or federal laws allow as a requirement for doing business with any municipality in Florida.

Local governments cannot regulate “employee monitoring and protection, water consumption, cooling measures, acclimation, and recovery periods,” or “posting or distributing notices or materials that inform employees how to protect themselves from heat exposure,” among other prohibited activities, according to the legislative text.

So, what’s HR to do? HR Brew reported in August that employers looking to protect their outdoor workers from extreme heat can explore simple fixes like adjusting scheduling, embracing flexibility, relying on tech that can help flag dangerous conditions, and creating a response plan to be ready for the next heat wave.

Keep reading here.—AD

Can you manage? Workday found that only 31% of employees feel engaged at work (yikes!), which means it’s time to better prep managers to take the lead on employee experience. Workday’s latest report covers modern managerial strain, change management initiatives, and practical solutions for businesses looking to evolve and grow.