Why millennials are planning to quit, Google’s maternity leave victory, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

How Google and new moms benefit from generous leave: After the tech giant increased its paid maternity leave benefit from 12 weeks to 18 weeks in 2007, the rate at which new moms quit dropped by 50%, reports Quartz. Some 52% of women in STEM jobs end up leaving their fields, according to research from the Center for Talent Innovation. Google’s experience suggests that generous parental leave can reduce the hefty costs of employee turnover and alleviate some of the challenges women in tech encounter. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Money may lure millennials to your firm, but it won’t keep them. A study from Deloitte found that 43% of millennials surveyed plan to leave their jobs within two years. What’s driving them to the exits? A lack of commitment to diversity, inclusion and flexible work arrangements. The survey found that pay is a key recruiting tool, but it’s not enough to retain these workers. Overall, millennials’ faith in their employers is eroding, with less than half saying they believe their companies behave ethically, a drop from 62% in 2017. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Class of 2018: Congrats! Here’s some advice

It’s graduation season, which means it’s high time for caps, gowns, diplomas and life advice. Here are a few of the most insightful pearls of wisdom offered to this year’s grads. What advice do you have for the Class of 2018? Tell us in the comments. ? Here’s what people are saying.

• On the pursuit of happiness: “Approval from the people we admire is sweet, but it’s not enough to be the foundation of a happy life.” — Gretchen Rubin
• On embracing the daily grind: "There will be some days when you just might be bored. Other days you may not feel like going to work at all. Go anyway." — Oprah Winfrey
• On changing the world: “Whatever drives your passion, be the last to accept the notion that the world you inherit cannot be improved. Be the last to accept the excuse that says that’s just how things are done here.” — Apple CEO Tim Cook

You Asked: “If you have been at a company where you are extremely comfortable and happy but feel underpaid, is it worth it to move to a new company where you're unsure what the environment might be, just for higher pay?” —Kelsie Clemens, Legal Secretary at McCullough Hill PS ? Join the conversation.

• “Higher pay is certainly enticing, but it could be a knee-jerk reaction to quit a job where you’re happy. Instead, reflect on it this way: What can I do differently that will make me more valuable to my employer? When the boss sees you as a top performer, opportunities with higher pay will often open up. The grass is oftentimes not greener on the other side. In fact, it can be made greener right where you are when you reimagine what you can do.” — Morten Hansen, management professor at UC Berkeley (Read Morten Hansen’s full response.)
• “I think the key is doing real due diligence on the new company so you have the most accurate idea possible of what you’d be getting into. Talk to people who work there, find out what their experience is like. The economics of a job matter a lot, so you don’t want to be stuck or undervalued. But toxic work environments take a heavy toll on your physical and emotional well-being, which in turns affects your financial health.” — Sally Helgesen, leadership consultant and author (Read Sally Helgesen's full response.)
• “Sadly, it’s not very common to hear someone say, ‘I love my job.’ So before you walk away from a job that makes you happy, your best first step would be to try to right your pay inequity. When you approach your manager about a raise, you should have all the facts at your fingertips. If you have an offer in your hand from the other company, that’s concrete leverage, too. Create a list of your accomplishments. You don’t need to hand it over, but having these examples will serve as a confidence booster. No workplace is perfect, but feeling valued (financially, too) is a big factor in job satisfaction.” — Fran Hauser, startup investor and author (Read Fran Hauser’s full response.)

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

One last idea: It’s common to think of a company’s organization as a pyramid, with the CEO perched at the top, issuing commands from on high. But to empower employees and help them improve, Asana’s Justin Rosenstein suggests that we flip that script entirely. ? Here’s what people are saying.

“Think of an organization like a tree, with the CEO on the bottom. The individual contributors are the fruit — the people doing the work — and managers are their supportive branches. Coaching is a key tool for ensuring your teammates fully ripen.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster / Share this using #DailyRundown