Boosting diversity in the workplace, why your happiness may hinge on your boss, 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.

Recruiters, we have a job description problem: Researchers from Monash University in Victoria and the University of Chicago and have found that language aimed at encouraging minority applicants is doing the opposite. Such statements — which assert that an employer will consider applicants without regard to characteristics like gender, race, age — can discourage minorities from applying, partly out of fear that they will be considered token hires, Quartz reports. Minority job seekers who live in cities with large white populations are most likely to be turned off by such language. • Here’s what people are saying.

Happiness at work may hinge on how you see your boss: Employees who think of their supervisors as partners report significantly higher levels of happiness than those who think of their managers as bosses, according to a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. For middle-aged workers, the happiness boost is equivalent to the increased satisfaction that comes from more than doubling your household income. Such collegiality seems to ease some of the key stressors for those in mid-life, such as balancing professional and family responsibilities. • Here’s what people are saying.

Putting second-hand stress in its place: Negativity and stress at work is contagious, and one person’s bad mood can easily infect an entire team. But author and happiness researcher Shawn Achor argues that a healthy dose of empathy can go a long way. Offering a struggling colleague a friendly ear and a few suggested solutions can help. But remember to protect yourself, and your mood. Taking “strategic retreats” from stubbornly negative coworkers can keep someone else’s stress from becoming your own. • Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “It seems that there are endless choices to make during a career. Making mistakes is inevitable and a good way to learn; however, mistakes seem to teach what not to do rather than what to do. Do you have advice for how to use mistakes to help pick the best choice rather than narrowing the field of choices?” — Christopher DeMars

•  “Say ‘career mistake’ and what usually comes to mind for people is some egregious flameout, like an accountant getting caught fiddling the numbers, or an ice skater getting implicated in an attack on her rival. But for every such sin of commission there are thousands of sins of omission—the stuff people should be doing to realise their career potential but neglect for one reason or another. These are the mistakes that, if you could learn from them, would expand your universe of possibilities much more than they shrank it. Unfortunately, they are hardest to learn from because there’s no acute pain to call your attention to them. It takes a periodic, deliberate effort to sit down and take stock of “what haven’t I done?” If there’s a valuable skill you’re not developing, or a helpful network you’re not cultivating, my guess is that this is the mistake that’s narrowing your choices more than your occasional workplace slip-ups—and focusing on it will do more to lead you to the right choices going forward.” — Hal Gregersen, executive director at the MIT Leadership Center and author of “Questions are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life"

•  “The 21st century business world is all about agility, so you should expect to make mistakes and know what to do differently next time. But how do you decide the right path to take? Let’s look at a strategy that increases your likelihood of choosing the best option. Step One: Go back to the beginning and define the problem you were originally trying to solve in concrete terms. Step Two: Generate as many possible solutions as you can. Step Three: Evaluate each solution and choose the best alternative based on the pros and cons. Step Four: Implement the chosen solution with help from others to mitigate risk. Once the problem is yesterday’s news, take a moment to assess how things worked out. If you didn’t succeed the second time, don’t look at the experience as a failure. As you say, you’re still learning. Your career is far from over, so dust yourself off and prepare for the next challenge.” — Alexandra Levit, career expert, author of “Humanity Works: Merging Technologies and People for the Workforce of the Future” (Read Alexandra Levit’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.

Make your afternoon slump work to your advantage: As the work day progresses, our brains tend to veer into power save mode, limiting our ability to concentrate on key tasks. Instead of fighting that process, UT Austin psychology professor Art Markman says we should ride our natural waves. For many, the start of the day is high time to focus on projects that call for internal motivation — writing, researching, reading. But post-lunch, we’re better off with activities that have external sources of motivation, like taking meetings or attending events. • Here’s what people are saying.

Another idea: It would be nice to think of professional growth as an easygoing, feel-good process. But, as author Jeff Haden reminds us, it’s often anything but comfortable, and for good reason.

“Growth happens when you're stretched. Growth happens when you're pushed. Growth happens when you're forced to overcome challenges, obstacles and self-doubt. If you aren't uncomfortable, you aren't growing.”

One last idea: Wednesday was World Mental Health Day. A recent workforce survey by British charity Mind showed almost half of those surveyed have experienced mental health issues. Yet one in four workers suffers in silence, costing UK business between £33bn-£42bn a year. LinkedIn’s Natalie MacDonald explores keeping a positive mindset in the workplace and asks how your employer supports mental wellbeing at work in this week’s #FoodForThought.

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

— Scott Olster