While the events most often planned for are site- or natural disaster–related, businesses should also include workplace violence, terrorism, and cyberattacks in their business preparedness efforts. This is especially true given the nature of black swan events as those that (1) take place outside of regular expectations, (2) carry an extreme impact, and (3) seem obvious, explainable, and predictable in hindsight. 

Relatively strong post-recession employment growth is not a statistical anomaly, though only a small portion of the gain is coming from internet and telecommunications jobs. GDP is underestimated, but it is consistently biased, and the gig and free economies are too small to explain the productivity gap. Rather than blaming statistics, analytical effort is better spent determining the root causes for slow productivity growth.

Evidence shows that good physical condition, good mental health, and an absence of chronic illness correlate to low injury rates. Programs aimed at prevention, early detection, and managing conditions also improve safety. However, a growing body of research has found that companies that integrate health, wellness, safety, and benefits in a holistic approach can improve health, decrease injuries, and improve productivity by building a culture of workforce resilience.

Virtual reality has many applications beyond video games, particularly for manufacturing. Companies are leveraging this technology for product development, prototypes, training, and factory floor layout. Ford and BAE Systems already have reputations for using virtual reality to shorten product design cycles and save costs.

Hurdle rates, which help guide investment decisions, have declined on average over the past five years. Decreases in the cost of debt and expected returns on equities largely explain this decline.

The European Central Bank is making another attempt at stability through dramatic measures. Europe's falling prices, currency, punitive rates on bank profits, and convoluted politics all complicate the effects of policymaking. Recent data on industrial production and GDP have been promising, however. 

In a decision that adopts the minority position of two courts of appeals out of a total of eight that have ruled on the issue, the Supreme Court held that ERISA health benefit plans may not seek reimbursement from third-party settlements plan participants receive when the participant has spent the funds on nontraceable items. While the case in question concerned a health benefit plan, the implications for other types of ERISA plans, including pension and disability plans, is unclear.

• In February, the European Commission and the United States announced an agreement on the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, a replacement for the struck-down Safe Harbor Agreement

Americans are surrounded by manufactured goods at home and work— so how can the manufacturing sector represent only 11% of GDP? The explanation is that it doesn’t. MAPI Foundation research examining the full value chain reveals that manufacturing accounts for 32% of GDP. We also find that the manufacturing multiplier is almost three times as high as official data suggest.

Governments and employers (including Google) are experimenting with nudging people into better decisions, including those shaping productivity, health, safety, and personal finances. In some cases, employers can see benefits from actions as simple as stocking smaller plates in company cafeterias and rephrasing reminders for employee flu shot clinics.