Job postings requiring employees to get vaccinated before applying are on the rise, and more and more firms say they'll terminate existing employees who refuse to get the jab, Erica writes.

Why it matters: Corporate America is playing a key role in upping the U.S. vaccination rate. It'll get harder for those who are hesitant to avoid the shot as vaccination status becomes increasingly linked to livelihood.

By the numbers: The share of job postings per million on Indeed that require vaccination spiked 242% in the last month, to over 4,000 from about 1,700. And — while it's clearly a very small amount of total postings — it keeps rising.

• For example, 2% of personal care and home health jobs mandate vaccination, and 1.5% of child care jobs do the same. These are among the sectors with the highest share of postings requiring vaccination.
• In Arizona, 1.3% of postings required vaccinations — more than any other state.
• "Some companies may also be requiring vaccination but not listing it in the job description," Indeed economist AnnElizabeth Konkel says.
• "Given that vaccination has become political, some employers may ponder whether or not to write it into the job description."

What's happening: The government is stepping in too. Expect more companies to mention vaccines in job posts as the forthcoming government rules on vaccines at work become more clear.

• The Biden administration has directed the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to develop a temporary rule that'll require companies with 100 or more employees to either require vaccination or implement weekly testing. Such a rule would affect 80 million U.S. workers.
• For some jobs, testing won't be enough. The government is set to put vaccination requirements in place for all health care workers. On top of that, most federal employees and millions of government contractors already have been told they must get the vaccine.

State of play: Many companies are raising questions, like who will pay for testing and how OSHA will determine which businesses must comply. And several Republican lawmakers are encouraging businesses to push back or openly rebel.

But many other firms already have — and are continuing to — move forward with vaccine mandates.

• The list includes Google, Facebook, Netflix, Walt Disney Co., Morgan Stanley, Lyft and The Washington Post.

What's next: New vaccination rules may add to the "great resignation." Some 69% of firms fear increased turnover with vaccine mandates, per Gartner.

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Many Americans in jobs that can be done from home have gone back to in-person work, but they're finding that, as the pandemic keeps raging, the office isn't that different from the house, Erica writes.

The big picture: We're a long way from returning to the lively offices we left behind in March 2020.

What's happening: In the summer, lots of offices had regained a sense of normalcy, with masking requirements relaxed for vaccinated employees and in-person meetings.

• Now, the Delta variant is pushing companies to rethink office policies. Firms are bringing back masks and virtual meetings.
• People are getting all dressed up and commuting to the office just to spend the whole day on Zoom, email and Slack, the Washington Post's Danielle Abril writes.
• Not only does that defeat the collaborative purpose of the office, it can also cause technical difficulties, Abril notes. If multiple people try to join a Zoom meeting from the same room and keep their microphones on, the ambient noise creates an unbearable echo.

What to watch: Look for many of those who've started going into the office to escape their homes to start teleworking again as they realize an office without social interaction and live meetings isn't worth the commute.

Carbon-cutting pledges of many of the world's largest companies would together take a big bite out of global greenhouse gas output, a new tally shows, Ben Geman writes in Axios Generate.

Driving the news: BloombergNEF analyzed the pledges of 111 companies with net-zero targets on the "focus" list of companies held by Climate Action 100+, an investor network that pushes corporations on climate.

Why it matters: Through August, 111 of the 167 companies on the list had targets that would cut 9.8 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2050, or roughly one-fourth of global emissions today.

Yes, but: While ambitious long-term pledges have become the coin of the realm in big companies' boardrooms, the degree of tangible steps that follow these targets is uncertain.

"As more net-zero targets are set by corporations, the conversation will change from one focused on quantity to one around quality," said Kyle Harrison, BloombergNEF's head of sustainability research.

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Exercise studio-type places where you can go for an assisted stretch — a professional who gently pushes and pulls your sore shoulders or stiff hips — are popping back up after the pandemic forced them to close, Jennifer A. Kingson observes from New York City.

Why it matters: It seemed like the stretch studios that cropped up in affluent cities and suburbs five years ago might be a passing fad. But maybe they have staying power as baby boomers, weekend warriors and others seek relief from days spent on laptops, Zoom calls and Pelotons.

What it is: For a hefty price, a coach, trainer or "stretch therapist" will guide your limbs through a range of hurts-so-good muscle movements — it's a relatively new specialty within the "wellness" category.

• At Lymbr, a new chain with studios in places like Darien, Connecticut, and Newton, Massachusetts, a 60-minute new client session is $69, down from the regular price of $99.
• Places like Stretch*d, which has three locations in the NYC area, also sell courses in assisted stretching.

Jennifer's thought bubble: The new studios I've spotted on the Upper East Side of Manhattan certainly don't represent Everytown, U.S.A., but interest in stretching as a standalone activity certainly seemed to be growing back in 2017 when I assigned this article about it for the New York Times.

What's Next: Sip 'n' Charge

Joshua Reyher writes: "Saw this next thing while out in New Orleans! You rent a battery, take it with you to charge your phone.

"I rented it from Big Easy Daiquiris and I returned it at the other end of Bourbon Street at Lafitte's Blacksmith Bar. I scanned the code, got the app and rented the battery. My phone went from nearly dead to fully charged as we cruised Bourbon.

"Thought it was a one-off, but they were all over the place!"