DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ How working moms can make sure they don't get lost in the RTO conversation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Tim Paradis | Josée Rose | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Leaders need to articulate team needs; workers need to be honest about work-life prioritization. The flexibility of signing on from their living room leaves more time for school pickups, doctor's appointments, and meal planning, but it's more of a Band-Aid than a real fix for the pile of challenges working moms often face. For these women, who want to be great moms and have fulfilling careers, and some RTO mandates may make achieving both (or either!) AdvertisementAdvertisementTaking an individual approach to employees can help them do their best work — and meet the employer's needs — especially because many RTO mandates often fail to take into account what many working moms need, Scheib said. And I think the kids will suffer at the end of the day and moms and their mental health will suffer."

Persons: —, it's, it'll, Kelly Resendez, Danna Greenberg, Wells, Cork Gaines, Greenberg, Resendez, aren't, Mandy McAllister, Kelly Scheib, Scheib, prescriptively Organizations: Service, Babson College, Bank of America

☆ Dotdash Meredith union members marched on a top exec at the publisher of People, Entertainment Weekly, and more, as their 2-year contract battle heats up
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

On Wednesday, organizers of the Dotdash Meredith Union took a step to show they're ready to escalate their efforts. Dotdash Meredith sources requested anonymity to speak freely about the status of negotiations and the union's thinking, citing sensitivity over the ongoing talks. Dotdash Meredith spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment. "We've spoken to management across the table and we've appealed to their common sense," a second union source said, adding, "People should see this as us saying, 'We've tried to bargain. The union sources said workers are seeking a provision to prevent the use of AI in generating journalistic content, but the publisher had so far refused to agree to such a clause.

Persons: Dotdash Meredith —, Meredith Union, We're, that's, Dotdash Meredith, —, Meredith, Leah Wyar Romito, Martha Stewart, we've, We've, That's, Wyar, Leah Wyar, we're, Leah, Romito, Neil Vogel, Dotdash, Vogel Organizations: Entertainment, company's Entertainment, Zoom, People, TV, National Labor Relations Board, Dotdash Meredith Union, NLRB, New York Times Locations: Manhattan, Wyar, New York

☆ Ending the 40-hour workweek is possible, but it'll require sacrifices from all of us
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at the internet calling for changes to the "soul-crushing" and "depressing" 9-to-5 workday. The 40-hour workweek is facing a reckoning after a recent grad's viral TikTok emotionally questioning how people have time for a personal life while working a full-time job. AdvertisementAdvertisementSo yes, upending the 9-to-5 is possible — and worth considering — but only with a bit of sacrifice from all of us. Earnings today: Uber, eBay, H&R Block, Nintendo, and other companies.

Persons: —, Dolly Parton, Jeff Kravitz, FilmMagic, Dolly, Gen, Insider's, Gen Z, Tim Paradis, I've, we'd, Rebecca Zisser, Ray Dalio, That's, Rob Copeland's, Dalio, Warren Buffett's, Sam Altman Justin Sullivan, OpenAI's, Sam Altman, Slack, Lidiane Jones, Bumble, Tesla, Samantha Lee, WeWork, they're, Billie Jean King, Bryan Johnson, Dustin Giallanza, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, Bridgewater Associates, Bank of America, EV, Microsoft, Billie Jean King Cup, eBay, Nintendo Locations: Taylor, Berkshire, Kentucky, Mississippi, Sevilla, Spain, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ The fight over return-to-office is getting dirty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Evidence is as evidence doesAs the return-to-office battle has heated up in the past six months, there has been a marked increase in declarations that remote work is less productive. The researchers determined that remote workers were 18% less productive than their in-person counterparts. Just the vibesDespite the limited evidence against it, corporations are increasingly trying to kill remote work. That's what makes the move to kill off remote work so frustrating. It's not clear that the return-to-office move is about making workers more productive or building a better culture.

Persons: it's, Mike Hopkins, they're, India —, Nicholas Bloom, who's, David Baszucki's, Geico, Amazon's Andy Jassy, Geico's Todd Combs, there's, Safra, Larry Ellison, wrongheaded, galvanizing sycophants, Ed Zitron Organizations: Amazon, Amazon Studios, National Bureau of Economic Research, Journalists, Stanford, Meta, —, Writers Guild of America, SAG, United Auto Workers Locations: India

☆ The No. 1 work perk that would get people to return to the office more often
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

If bosses want workers in the office more often, they'll need to start paying up to cover commuting costs, employees say. Workers who currently split their time between home and the office say the No. 1 work perk that would get them to return in-person more often is their company covering commuting costs (38%). Meanwhile, roughly 1 in 4 workers also say an office dress code is hampering their return. It's undoubtedly "wildly more expensive" to work from the office today than it was pre-pandemic overall, says Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs.

Persons: they'd, Frank Weishaupt, it's Organizations: Workers, Owl Labs, Bureau of Labor Statistics

☆ Amazon wanted me to move across the country to return to office. I left $200,000 in unvested stock options on the table when I quit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I was an Amazon software development manager for more than three years. I quit, leaving over $200,000 in unvested stock options on the table rather than return to office. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Instead, I started my new job, taking a $203,000 pay cut by forfeiting unvested stocks that I'd earned while working at Amazon. But, while they're remote-first, if they ever decided to implement an in-office work policy, I'd find a new gig.

Persons: —, I'd, Brad Glasser, Glasser, We've, we'd, we've Organizations: Service, Amazon Locations: Amazon, Seattle, East Coast, New York

☆ Insider Today: Judging an AI career coach
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In case it doesn't work out, I tried using an AI assistant career coach — released as part of Meta's new series of AI assistants — to see what advice it'd give. The big storyAn AI career coachsorbetto/Getty ImagesInstead of AI taking away your job, what if it could help you find a new one? I messaged him on Instagram about different career advice and broke down what I liked and didn't like about "him." Instead of coming across as an expert, Leo felt like a conversational search engine with lukewarm search results. Instead of coming across as an expert, Leo felt like a conversational search engine with lukewarm search results.

Persons: —, Dixie D'Amelio, sorbetto, He's, Naomi Osaka, Snoop, Leo isn't, Leo, Google's Bard, chatbots, I've, Bing, Leo's, Al Capone, Chris Williams, they've, sriracha, Erin McDowell, Joseph Hendrickson Organizations: Service, Meta, Nissan, Nissan Nissan, Historic Landmark, Microsoft Locations: Alcatraz, Arizona

☆ Thanks for letting me work from home. Sure, you can monitor my DMs.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Having employers examine social media wasn't a winning idea for most people. Only about four in 10 workers were comfortable with letting employers mine social media posts — signed or anonymous — for insights. That could come from sites like Glassdoor or apps like Blind or even social media posts that don't identify individuals. Not surprisingly, younger workers were somewhat more comfortable than their older colleagues with companies monitoring social media posts. Among Gen Z and millennial workers, 45% were OK with employers reviewing non-anonymous social media posts.

Persons: —, Benjamin Granger, Granger Organizations: Service, Boomers

☆ Amazon and Meta are penalizing workers who don't return to the office. Experts say they should make a stronger case for working IRL first.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Amazon and Meta have said you could be fired or dinged in your review for not going to the office. Focusing on days in the office misses a chance to tell workers how it could benefit their careers. Yet the flex misses a chance to have a savvier conversation over how being together can benefit workers' careers, experts say. I think the opportunity is for us to get off the silly construct of days in office," Garbarino said. Garbarino said leaders should look past days in the office and focus on what they can do to help their workers develop.

Persons: —, Chase Garbarino, Garbarino, Paul Knopp, Knopp, Benjamin Granger, Granger Organizations: Meta, Service, Amazon, Kastle Systems, KPMG US Locations: That's

☆ Dropbox plans to pay $79 million to shrink its huge SF office, after CEO says the RTO push will fail
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Tom Carter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dropbox will pay $79 million to give up 165,000 square feet of office space at its San Francisco HQ. The company switched to remote working during the pandemic and workers now follow a '90/10' routine. CEO Drew Houston has backed remote working, and said the return-to-office push is doomed to fail. AdvertisementAdvertisementDropbox is spending $79 million to give up a quarter of its San Francisco headquarters, as it continues to bet that remote working is here to stay. Dropbox's move to cut back on its physical office space is a fresh blow to San Francisco, which is going through a commercial real estate crisis .

Persons: Dropbox, Drew Houston, —, Fortune, Houston, Jones Lang LaSalle Organizations: San Francisco HQ, Service, San, SEC, CNBC, Jones Locations: San Francisco, Mission Bay

☆ Morning Bid: Bonds haunted by uncertainties old and new
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsA look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Tom WestbrookIt's looking like the worst week of another bad year for bonds. Curiously, the dollar hasn't moved higher with the latest leap in yields, perhaps because currency traders see recession in the offing. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said little that markets didn't already know on Thursday, but in keeping his options open he kept the pressure on bonds. "A range of uncertainties, both old and new, complicate our task of balancing the risk of tightening monetary policy too much against the risk of tightening too little," he said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Tom Westbrook It's, Brent Donnelly, Jerome Powell, Joe Biden, Israel, Fed's Mester, Harker, Tom Westbrook, Edmund Klamann Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Spectra Markets, MSCI's, Bank of Japan, North America ., Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, New York, MSCI's Asia, Japan, Gaza, China, London, North America

"Anecdotally from technicians we are seeing a significant increase in interest (in the UK)," a spokesperson for Rentokil said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Rentokil Pest Control in the UK tracked a 65% increase year-on-year in recorded bedbug activity in the second quarter of 2023, versus last year. "This is when a pest technician had confirmed the activity," the spokesperson said. An activity is when a technician has been on a customer site and confirmed the presence of bedbugs. Reporting by Anchal Rana and Yadarisa Shabong in Bengaluru; editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stephanie Lecocq, London Sadiq Khan, PoliticsJOE, Rentokil, Anchal Rana, Yadarisa, David Evans Organizations: Hygiene, REUTERS, Paris Olympics, bedbugs, Transport, Reuters, Thomson Locations: bedbugs, L'Hay, Paris, France, French, London, Rentokil Pest, Bengaluru

☆ Rentokil may be next to nibble at US listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Mike Blake Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Rentokil (RTO.L) is an obvious contender to ditch its London listing in favour of the U.S. CEO Andy Ransom said that it is getting harder to win new business due to “the macroeconomic backdrop”. Rollins is valued on nearly 38 times its forward earnings, versus Rentokil which was trading on just 23 times before Thursday’s fall, according to LSEG data. With Rentokil shareholders a little ratty, Ransom may come under more pressure to consider ways of pepping up the stock, like ditching London in favour of the more highly valued U.S. market. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Mike Blake, Andy Ransom, Ransom, Rollins, Aimee Donnellan, Jean, Pierre Mustier, Atos, Larry Fink, Uncle Sam, Neil Unmack, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, U.S, X, News Corp, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S

☆ The CEO of Dropbox has a 90/10 rule for remote work
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Kai Xiang Teo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Dropbox CEO Drew Houston told Fortune his company uses a 90/10 rule for remote work. This means 90% of the year is spent on remote work, and the remaining 10% is dedicated to employee off-site events. AdvertisementAdvertisementDrew Houston, the CEO of file storage company Dropbox, is continuing to tout a predominantly remote work culture, even as business leaders increasingly call for their workers to return to the office. Dropbox uses a 90/10 rule, with 90% of the year spent on remote work and the remaining 10% spent on a handful of employee off-sites, the company's CEO told Fortune in an interview published Sunday. The company first announced it was becoming a "virtual first" company in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, making remote work the default for workers.

Persons: Drew Houston, Fortune, —, Houston, Mark Zuckerberg, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon, Jamie Dimon, hasn't Organizations: Houston, Service, Dropbox, Forbes, JPMorgan Locations: San Francisco, Houston

☆ Twitter illegally fired a worker who pushed back at Elon Musk's RTO demands, says NLRB
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's X has been accused of breaking federal law for firing an employee who complained about return-to-office mandates. Five days later she was fired for breaking an unspecified company policy. AdvertisementAdvertisementTwitter illegally fired an employee who complained about Elon Musk's return-to-office mandates, the National Labor Relations Board said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe complaint says that Yao Yue, a principal software engineer, criticized Musk's policy, tweeting "don't resign, let him fire you," and posting "don't be fired. Yue was then fired five days later in November, with the only explanation given was that she'd violated an unspecified company policy.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Yao Yue, —, didn't, Musk, Slack, Yue, I’m, witter Organizations: Service, Twitter, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, X, CNBC, ue 岳峣, EO Locations: usk

☆ Many of us want to work alongside others — just not all the time. The coworking startup Radious thinks it has the answer.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Moreau is CEO and cofounder of Radious, a startup that lets you rent out your house as a coworking space . She thinks many people want to work alongside others — just not all of the time. Companies can rent Radious homes, too, to bring their workers together somewhere other than an office but that's still private. They're all doing some combination of remote work with occasional in-person togetherness," Moreau said. When they occur, people can sign up to work for a day from one of the homes Radious lists.

Persons: Radious, —, Amina Moreau, Moreau, Amina Moreau She, Radious's, We've, It's Organizations: Area, Service, Homeowners Locations: RTO, PJs, Portland , Oregon, Milwaukee, People, WFH, Bay, Marin County, Santa Cruz, Northern California

☆ Office vacancies have soared to a 20-year high, showing just how tough it is to get workers to return
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Office vacancies in London and the US have hit a 20-year high, data shows. Many want workers in the office more regularly after the disruption caused by the pandemic. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Data shows that office vacancies soared to a 20-year high in the US and London in the third quarter of the year. It suggests a clear drop in interest in office space at a tricky time for the commercial property sector.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, David Solomon Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Meta Locations: London, New York, San Francisco

☆ Returning to the office is 'wildly more expensive' today than in 2019—here's how much people are spending
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Jennifer Liu | In Jljenniferliu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The majority of workers say they're back in the office five days a week, and they're paying up for it. The report, which surveyed 2,000 full-time U.S. workers in June, found that 26% of workers are hybrid this year, and just 7% are fully remote. Full-time office workers are spending roughly $1,020 every month to report to the workplace, while hybrid workers spend an average of $408 per month on attendance. "There's no question" working from the office is 'wildly more expensive" today than it was pre-pandemic, says Frank Weishaupt, CEO of Owl Labs. So it's not surprising to him that, when asked what work perks would get hybrid employees to return in-person more often, the No.

Persons: Frank Weishaupt, it's, Yannique Ivey, Ivey, Weishaupt Organizations: Owl Labs, Workers, CNBC Locations: Atlanta

☆ Meet the typical hybrid worker: millennial men making 6 figures who would never come into the office on a Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hybrid workers are more likely to be highly educated and make at least six figures. Many of their employers have landed on a happy medium: hybrid work. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn the return-to-office push, the Goldilocks proposition of hybrid schedules has won out at many major companies, including Microsoft and Google. That support is much higher among members of Gen Z and millennials, while 54% of boomers said they'd rather work hybrid than in-person. Gallup's Hybrid Work Indicator found that 52% of US employees in remote-capable jobs are in hybrid roles.

Persons: —, Felicia, Gen, they'd Organizations: Service, Microsoft, Google, Gallup, Bankrate, McKinsey, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: America

☆ Hybrid workers are 'coffee badging' to spend less time in the office and dodge RTO mandates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Hybrid workers are dodging return-to-office mandates by "coffee badging." AdvertisementAdvertisementHybrid workers have a new way to dodge return-to-office mandates: "coffee badging." The workplace trend involves showing up at the office, grabbing a coffee, and then leaving to complete the work day somewhere else. "Coffee badging" has become more popular as more companies have started to enforce return-to-office mandates. AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile remote work is popular with employees, new studies have suggested that productivity may be taking a hit when a workforce is fully remote.

Persons: —, Liz Villani, selfAtWork, Forbes Organizations: Service, Employees, Owl Labs, Big Tech, Google

☆ Your boss might give you a raise just for showing up to the office
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

US CEOs say they'd give raises, promotions, or better assignments to those who work at the office. The findings came in a survey from KPMG that showed how frustrated bosses are with remote work. AdvertisementAdvertisementCEOs are really starting to hate remote work — and are willing to go beyond free pizza to get you to come in. Outside of some of the big banks and high-wattage tech firms , many companies have settled into a mix of in-office and remote work. The survey found only one-third of CEOs envision traditional office jobs as remaining hybrid, down from 45% in 2022.

Persons: —, Meta's, Paul Knopp, it's, It's, Knopp, that's, We're Organizations: KPMG, Service, Big Tech, Amazon, KPMG US

☆ I'm 'loud quitting' after my job's RTO mandate. I openly call out management and I'm only staying for the paycheck.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Kaila Yu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The worker said they will continue to push back and loud-quit until they find a better job. I used to love my job, but the company culture has changed vastly since I started there five years ago. Our company culture has changed gradually, but significantly over the last three years. Unless the company drastically shifts back towards the previous company culture, there isn't anything it can do to keep me. AdvertisementAdvertisementI'm fortunate that I don't have that problem, so I'll continue loud-quitting until I leave for a better workplace with a better company culture.

Persons: —, They've, I've, they've, I'm Organizations: Service Locations: New York

Since the pandemic began, many employees have relied on remote work to perform their jobs. But employers have applied steady and increasing pressure to do more work in the office, fueled by a belief that employees work more effectively when they’re physically present. As a result, companies continue to bludgeon their workers with return-to-office (RTO) mandates. Despite sustained efforts to get people in more often, office attendance has been flat. Yet companies continue to demand more in-office work.

Persons: they’re

☆ How companies spy on their employees as they push return-to-office — from monitoring badge swipes to tracking breaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here's how firms use "bossware" to keep tabs on employees, from tracking keystrokes to breaks. AdvertisementAdvertisementJPMorgan's dashboard "provides the percentage of days employees were in the office out of the possible eligible days," a description on the company intranet says. AdvertisementAdvertisement"We help companies get peace of mind with productivity analytics," he previously told Insider. Sensors tracking employees' whereabouts in the officeSome employers may even keep tabs on where employees spend the most time in the office. CEO Alex Birch previously told Insider the devices don't identify individuals but render them as dots on a screen.

Persons: —, Insider's Eugene Kim, Rob Munoz, Goldman Sachs, it's, Carlo Borja, Insider's Reed Alexander, Alex Birch, Big, It's, Sean Grundy Organizations: Service, JPMorgan, Bevi

☆ I toured an office building that's being turned into apartments. It showed me just how much remote work is reshaping how we live and socialize.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

I toured 160 Water Street, a major office-to-residential conversion in New York City. That's the whole point at 160 Water Street. In a past life, 160 Water Street was an office building in New York City's financial district. Standing next to 180 Water Street — an office building that was converted into units back in 2017 — 160 Water Street is preparing to welcome tenants by the end of the year. I got the opportunity to tour the building and saw just how much the rise of remote work is shaping how we use our spaces.

Persons: —, that's, That's, Dan Garodnick, It's Organizations: Service, Colliers, New York City's Department of City Planning, Vanbarton Group Locations: New York City, New York

Search resuls for: "RTO"

25 mentions found