Here’s news to help you in a constantly changing business environment, including who’s the latest targets of hackers, managing talent with a blended workforce, safety insights from Amazon and more.

1. Cyberattackers target individual executives — Senior employees are the latest targets of ransomware attacks instead of company-wide IT infrastructure. (Access to executive email accounts is reported to sell for $100 to $1,500 each on a Russian underground forum.) C-suite and other high-ranking individuals are those most likely in a position to authorize ransomware payments, making them valuable targets. Get the whole story.
2. A blended workforce as a lasting competitive advantage — The most successful companies are those that adopt an on-demand workforce with talent sourced from full-time workers, as well as gig workers, according to Harvard Business School. See how this model puts the right talent on the right project at the right time.

3. Small business safety lessons from Amazon — Mega seller Amazon implemented more than 150 process changes in COVID-related initiatives to keep employees safe and get products to customers. To help other businesses, they shared their insights at their Safety Road Show and Education Series. Discover which measures can be applied to your business.

4. The “it won’t happen here” error — Thinking a disaster won’t happen is a common error among executives. Without a disaster recovery (DR) plan organizations can lose millions of dollars an hour due to employees not having a way to communicate and respond. Find out what to consider when creating a DR plan.

5. Gap in perception between leadership and lower levels — An IBM Institute for Business Value study reveals a stark contrast in what C-suite executives, HR leaders and their employees really think about how their company navigated the pandemic. Read more about the findings and why leaders must take an empathetic and transparent approach going forward.

Thank you to our Friday Five sources: ProPrivacy, TechRadar, Harvard Business School, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Entrepreneur and Thrive Global.

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