DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Overblown perceptions of 'wokeness' in the military are making it harder to recruit new people, top Pentagon leader says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He went on to address drag shows on military bases and critical race theory, two issues that Republicans in recent years have sought to highlight as "woke" issues plaguing the military. "I don't agree with drag queen shows being on military bases. The military recently banned drag shows on military bases after Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida raised the issue during a House hearing in March. "Same thing with critical race theory," he added. "Agree or disagree with critical race theory, it is not a theory that the Department of Defense or the military is embracing and shoving down people's throats."

Persons: Mark Milley —, Staff —, couldn't, Milley, Matt Gaetz, Chip Roy Organizations: Service, Washington Post, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Republican, Department of Defense, Republicans, Democrats, Republican Rep Locations: Wall, Silicon, Florida, Texas

☆ Judge Pauline Newman, 96, allegedly had a clerk do errands like grocery shopping. It may be unethical, but it's not uncommon.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Judge Pauline Newman is 96 and says colleagues are trying to force her out over petty complaints. But she had an unnamed law clerk run errands and retaliated against an aide, an investigation found. In April, that clerk asked to be transferred to a judge after learning that "other law clerks were assisting Judge Newman in her defense of these proceedings," he said in an affidavit. "To sit at the feet, metaphorically, of Judge Newman, is an opportunity that any aspiring patent lawyer would welcome." The code of conduct for federal judges bars them from using chambers staff for certain extra-judicial activities (running errands isn't specifically listed).

Persons: Pauline Newman, Newman, Newman's, Arthur Hellman, Hugo, Black, Felix, Frankfurter, Aliza Shatzman, she'd, isn't, it's Newman, Kimberly Moore, Judge Newman, Greg Dolin, Dolin, It's, Hellman, Alvin Rubin, Rubin's, Shatzman, Moore Organizations: Service, Federal Circuit, University of Pittsburgh, New Civil Liberties Alliance Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ Several Buy Buy Baby, Harmon stores to reopen after buyers scored deals on the bankrupt brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Gabrielle Fonrouge | In Gabrielle-Fonrouge | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

(The new Buy Buy Baby will operate independently from Dream on Me.) What will the new Buy Buy Baby offer? A display of diaper bags at a Buy Buy Baby location in Brooklyn, New York in January 2023. In order to survive this time around, Buy Buy Baby will need to focus on offering a unique value proposition, said Saunders from GlobalData. "It's not only Buy Buy Baby that failed.

Persons: Patrick T, Harmon, Avish Dahiya, Dahiya, Jonah Raskas, Raskas, Overstock, Curtis Nagle, Neil Saunders, they've, Glen Cary, Cary, Melissa Gonzalez, that's, Gonzalez, there's, Gabrielle Fonrouge, Saunders, It's, There's, What's, David Abrams, Abrams Organizations: Fallon, Bloomberg, Getty, CNBC, Harmon, Bank of America, Target, Walmart, Lionesque, Bed Bath Locations: Los Angeles, U.S, New York , New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Bath, Brooklyn , New York, GlobalData, New York, New Jersey, Manhattan

☆ A WFH employee in Australia is hitting out at her ex-employer after it tracked how much she was typing — and then fired her
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An employee in Australia was fired for not typing enough when she worked from home. Her manager said she should be hitting over 500 keystrokes per hour. She was typing 80 keystrokes per hour between December 1-16. The insurance company presented precise details saying Cheikho logged 48.6 keystrokes per hour in October, 34.56 keystrokes per hour in November, and 80 keystrokes per hour in December. The case in Australia highlights the use of employee surveillance technology as more employees work remotely following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persons: Suzie Cheikho, Cheikho, IAG, ResumeBuilder.com Organizations: Service, Insurance Australia Group, Australia's Sunrise Locations: Australia, Wall, Silicon

☆ A business owner ditching the office explains how he came to trust his employees to work remotely so he could save money on rent
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The remote work debate is still raging, as firms try to get their workers back into the office. But one business owner says trusting workers to create their own best work arrangement is the best option. "There's the whole saying about working from home, 'shirking from home,' or working remotely, 'remotely working,'" Bloom said. That's why Eitzen is making remote work permanent. Are you a boss or worker trying to figure out how to keep remote work functional?

Persons: Sam Eitzen, Eitzen, I'm, you've, There's, they'd, Simon Fraser, Lucy Gilson, Nicholas Bloom, haven't, Bloom, that's, Chris Bailey, who's, Bailey, he's, It's Organizations: Service, Employers, Deloitte, Pepperdine University , University of New, Simon, Simon Fraser University, University of Calgary, Paul College of Business, University of New, Stanford University, Workers, jkaplan Locations: Wall, Silicon, Seattle, Pepperdine University , University of New Hampshire, University of New Hampshire, Spain, Italy

☆ Republicans are still content with Twitter, despite months of tumult under Elon Musk and a bizarre 'X' rebrand
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Republicans are still sticking with Twitter, despite the platform's challenges and the "X" rebrand. "He's got a vision that some share, and some don't," Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina said of Musk. But even Mace and Vance don't seem to know what to make of the "X" re-brand. "Seems fine, Twitter seemed fine, don't really care." "I didn't really like Twitter before, I don't really like Twitter now," said Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, who described himself as "exhausted" with the platform.

Persons: Sen, JD Vance, Nancy Mace, Elon, Instagram's, —, Musk's, Ohio, Vance, that's, Hunter, He's, Mace, I've, Vance don't, Chip Roy, Roy, Mitt Romney, doesn't, Romney, Pierre Delecto, coy, Dan Crenshaw, Crenshaw, Tom Tiffany, Tiffany, they've Organizations: Twitter, Service, Capitol, Musk's, Caucus, Democratic, Facebook Locations: Wall, Silicon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Wisconsin

☆ Uber stock slumps despite first quarterly operating profit ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Uber reported its first operating profit ever in the second quarter. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company achieved its first quarter of free cash flow over $1 billion. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyUber stock is tumbling on Tuesday despite the company reporting its first-ever quarterly operating profit. Uber has slashed hundreds of jobs this year— about 3% of staff — across its human resources, freight, and food-delivery divisions. "I'm incredibly proud of the progress we've made, and Uber is well positioned to drive tremendous value for shareholders in the coming years."

Persons: Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, —, Nelson Chai, Chai Organizations: Service Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ 10 ways artificial intelligence is changing the workplace, from writing performance reviews to making the 4-day workweek possible
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Here are 10 ways AI tools such as ChatGPT have entered the workplace — and what may come out of it. Nick Patrick, the owner of the music-production company Primal Sounds Productions, told Insider he used ChatGPT to fine-tune legal contracts for clients. "You really got to find time to, like, learn this skill," Nigam previously told Insider. Companies are using AI to write their performance reviewsManagers may find writing performance reviews for their employees a tough task. He told Insider: "Any technology that increases productivity, ChatGPT included, makes a shorter workweek more feasible."

Persons: OpenAI, Nick Patrick, Shannon Ahern, hadn't, Jensen Huang, Huang, Akash Nigam, Nigam, Neil Taylor, ChatGPT, Taylor, Insider's Beatrice Nolan, Nolan, would've, Jasmine Cheng, Cheng, WorkLife, Carl Benedikt Frey, Michael Chu, iHeartMedia, Goldman Sachs, Goldman, Suumit Shah, chatbot, Anu Madgavkar, Richard Baldwin, Fran Drescher, Jezebel — Organizations: Morning, IBM, Workers, Primal Sounds Productions, Google, Twitter, Companies, Employers, Nvidia, ChatGPT, Sky News, Hulu, Spotify, Mobile, Oracle, Columbia Business School, McKinsey Global Institute, Apple, JPMorgan, Northrop Grumman, AIs, Writers Guild of America, SAG, Journalists, GMG Union of, Media Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Oxford

☆ NHS at 75: Vintage photos document the birth of free healthcare in Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Oscar Holland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Published ahead of this week’s anniversary, new book “The NHS” brings together over 100 photos from the service’s early decades. A patient with a chest specialist at a Bristol health center inspect a chest X-ray in July 1948, the month the NHS launched. Popperfoto/Getty ImagesNurses cradle the first babies to be born under the new National Health Service on 5th July 1948. Had they been born a day earlier, they would have cost their families one shilling and sixpence, according to new book "The NHS." The postwar decades saw the NHS recruit heavily from Commonwealth and Caribbean countries to meet a shortfall in nursing staff.

Persons: ”, Lucy Davies, Sydney O'Meara, Frederick West, Britain's, Aneurin Bevan, Popperfoto, Chris Porsz, George W, Hales Organizations: CNN, National Health Service, Hoxton Mini Press, NHS, Getty, St Thomas ' Hospital, Heritage, Partnership, Nurses, Hulton, National Heart Hospital, Rolls Press, Brook General Hospital ,, British Drug Houses, Trinity, Walsgrave Hospital Locations: Britain, Bristol, London, Brook General Hospital , London, Commonwealth, Caribbean, Coventry

☆ How the Internet Made Flying, Flight Delays, Hidden Airline Fees Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Gad Allon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Comparing airline prices, fees, and schedules on your own has become standard procedure. And they've introduced a complex system of additional fees, often hidden, for services that used to be included in the ticket price. In order to give that flight the appearance of being on-time, the airline might list the flight duration as three hours. This practice allows airlines to improve their on-time performance and reduce the risk of delays while ultimately boosting cost efficiency. Since everyone became their own travel agent and airlines began fiercely competing over price and on-time performance, airlines have shifted their focus.

Persons: They've, Itai, Eugene Orlov, it's, Orlov, Vinayak Deshpande, Mazhar Arıkan, Jan, Van Mieghem, Yuval Salant, Dennis J, Zhang, Louis, Gad Allon, Jerome Fisher Organizations: Google, Airline Industry, Tel Aviv University, Spirit Airlines, Ryanair, University of North, University of Kansas, Northwestern University, Washington University, Jerome Fisher Program, Management, Technology, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Ater, US, Ireland, University of North Carolina, St

☆ Do you always need to tip 20%? Here's how much an etiquette expert says to leave at restaurants, hotels and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | In Kamaronmcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The barista hands you your coffee and spins their tablet around to show a screen that prompts you to tip 15%, 20%, 30% or 0% on your order. Sitting down for a meal: Always tip 15% to 20% These rules haven't changed much. Gottsman and other industry experts still recommend tipping 15% to 20% on your bill when you have a sit-down meal at a restaurant. How much to tip on vacationWhen you're traveling, Gottsman says you should always leave a tip for valets, bellhops, housekeepers and shuttle drivers. Even if there is a fee for valet service, you still tip the valet."

Persons: Diane Gottsman, Gottsman, —, Douglass Miller, Cornell University's Nolan, it's, Miller, they're, gratuity Organizations: Digital, Protocol, CNBC, Cornell University's, Cornell University's Nolan School of Hotel Administration Locations: Texas, U.S

Several Republican 2024 presidential hopefuls criticized Donald Trump Sunday as the former president faces 37 federal counts for allegedly hoarding documents after he left the White House. "He's a petulant child when someone disagrees with him," Christie told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. Presidential hopeful and former Vice President Mike Pence said it is "premature" to say whether or not he would pardon Trump were he to be convicted. "All we know is what the president has been accused of in the indictment," Pence told NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday. But Trump had a supporter on Sunday in Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy who has said the former president should be pardoned if convicted.

Persons: Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Trump, —, Bill Barr, John Kelly, Chris Christie, Christie, CNN's, Pence, NBC's, Joe Biden, Asa Hutchinson, Hutchinson, I'm, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Martin Luther King Jr Organizations: Republican, Donald Trump Sunday, White, Former New Jersey Gov, Union, Sunday, Press, Republican National, Arkansas Republican, Federal Bureau of, Fox, Civil Locations: Ankeny , Iowa, United States, Arkansas

☆ Wall Street Journal insiders are bracing for more changes under its new top editor, including layoffs that could hit as early as this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoff news as early as this week and other changes under its new EIC. Emma Tucker has shaken up the top editor ranks, and insiders expect changes to the editing process. Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoffs and broader changes under new top editor Emma Tucker. People expect Tucker to overhaul the cumbersome front-page editing process for top enterprise stories and deemphasize commodity news in favor of more investigative pieces, with specifics to come as early as June. "She's not afraid to ask questions that are challenging Wall Street Journal orthodoxy," a second insider said.

☆ Newsroom insiders are bracing for changes at The Wall Street Journal under its new top editor, including layoffs that could hit as early as this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoff news as early as this week and other changes under its new EIC. Emma Tucker has shaken up the top editor ranks, and insiders expect changes to the editing process. Wall Street Journal staffers are bracing for layoffs and broader changes under new top editor Emma Tucker. One audio staffer was laid off last week, in keeping with Journal practice to quietly shed people in small numbers. "She's not afraid to ask questions that are challenging Wall Street Journal orthodoxy," a second insider said.

☆ Do No Harm, a group of 'medical professionals' fighting 'woke healthcare,' is behind many anti-trans laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The AP analyzed 130 bills across 40 states, finding common language attributable to a group called Do No Harm. Do No Harm is one of several right-wing organizations advocating against trans inclusion in healthcare. Do No Harm is much newer, launching last year in an effort to shield "patients and physicians from woke healthcare." "We know that woke medical education and research are already impacting healthcare providers, and now federal and state policymakers are forcing woke policies into medicine," Kristina Rasmussen, executive director of Do No Harm, said in an April 2022 press release. Several other medical groups have joined calls to stop anti-trans policies from taking hold across the nation — like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, and the National Education Association, to name a few.

☆ Once valued at nearly $6 billion, Vice files for bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vice filed for bankruptcy, wiping out equity holders who poured in hundreds of millions, including TPG and James Murdoch. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday in New York's Southern District Court. The company's filing listed assets and liabilities in the range of $500 million to $1 billion. Vice had run multiple sales processes with a range of different banks but never received an offer palatable to its owners. The bankruptcy filing reveals just how many companies and investors pinned their hopes on Smith's hype about the potential growth trajectory of the TV and online venture.

☆ A US Army colonel explains how jumping in to solve your team’s problems kills motivation — and what you should do the next time a crisis hits
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Susan Margolin | Kellog Insight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

You may begin to question your team members and double-check their work as if it were your own. Let go of being a heroThe responsibility of senior leaders in any organization is to focus on the bigger picture and not be mired in tactical processes. "When you're in a position of authority, it's your responsibility to extend trust to the individuals on your team," Maddox says. This can mean relinquishing authority to provide team members autonomy to make decisions and learn. To do this, you need "multiple sensors" or viewpoints from your team members to get the full picture.

☆ 'iCarly' writers join the WGA strike as showrunner Ali Schouten calls out Hollywood studios' 'corporate greed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Insider spoke to Ali Schouten, the showrunner behind Paramount+ series "iCarly," about what's at stake. The "iCarly" writers will link up with the picket line outside the lot where the show is filmed, according to Ali Schouten, the series' showrunner and executive producer. Ahead of the "iCarly" writers' picketing on Thursday, I spoke with Schouten to understand what she and her colleagues are fighting for. Lisa Rose/Paramount+The last writers' strike resulted in $2 billion worth of losses for the California economy, and some experts predict the impact of this work stoppage could be even greater. How is the writers' strike impacting you, your business, or your family?

☆ Big Tech employees are getting culled. Their European colleagues get stronger labor laws and softer landings.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

European Big Tech employees have better labor protections"There are regulations in Europe that apply to collective situations, based on European law: the so-called Mass Dismissal Directive," said Dr. Jordan. But in January, Twitter employees were reported to have been paid just one month's severance, according to CNN. Twitter employees in other European hubs such as Germany, Spain, Ireland, and the UK are also pushing back, with the help of the countries' labor laws and unions. Twitter employees in Germany have also worked with the Verdi union to push Twitter into making a better severance offer, Fortune reported. The process could take months instead of weeks, Brittin added — another testament to Europe's stronger labor protections for its employees.

☆ Tech employees should expect more debloating even after 330,000 jobs got wiped
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Twitter have collectively chopped around 70,000 staff — but ongoing concerns about profitability and over-hiring means they could slim down more. Google and Amazon should cut more jobs: analystsAnalysts note that Google, for example, added around 71,000 employees in the past three years. They say Meta has seen "limited impact on its growth" after laying off around 25% of its workforce since November. The bank's analysts say that profitability per employee at Amazon excluding its warehouse workers — a measure of its efficiency — is "significantly below peers." With less cash available, cuts will likely persist and workers in tech should brace for more instability this year.

☆ Inside Nike: Sources share claims of sexism, cheating, abuse at the world's wokest brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Joshua Hunt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +51 min

The conservative blowback came as no surprise to Parker, who told Nike's board of directors to expect some short-term backlash. In late 2014, the BBC sent a film crew to Portland to interview several former Oregon Project employees. "He would be at the side of the track calling out runners' splits but wouldn't call Kara's out," Adam Goucher told me. When people asked why she left the Oregon Project, she said it was a "personal decision." "I don't think it has anything to do with who the CEO is," Goucher told me.

☆ 96% of remote companies say they're using some kind of software to monitor employees who work from home, survey finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

About 96% of remote companies use some kind of employee monitoring software, according to a survey. Three in four companies have fired employees over data from the monitoring software. The struggle seems real, with a "surprisingly high percentage" — that's 37% — requiring their remote employees to be on a live feed all day, per ResumeBuilder.com. Other surveillance methods include monitoring employees' web browsing and app use, as well as blocking content. Companies are definitely using the data they obtain from monitoring their staff — about three-quarters of survey respondents told ResumeBuilder.com their companies have fired employees over the data they collected.

☆ As Big Tech employees get culled, their European colleagues get stronger labor laws and softer landings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Big Tech layoffs at Meta, Twitter, Amazon and Snap have laid off thousands of workers globally. Until recently, tech employees haven't had to think too seriously about mass layoffs. European Big Tech employees have better labor protections"There are regulations in Europe that apply to collective situations, based on European law: the so-called Mass Dismissal Directive," said Dr. Jordan. But in January, Twitter employees were reported to have been paid just one month's severance, according to CNN. Twitter employees in Germany have also worked with the Verdi union to push Twitter into making a better severance offer, Fortune reported.

☆ Meta's latest round of layoffs could hit as soon as this week, as the company tries to finalize headcount before Zuckerberg goes on parental leave: Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

These cuts could happen as soon as this week before CEO Mark Zuckerberg goes on parental leave. Meta already laid off 11,000 workers or approximately 13% of the company's headcount in November. This fresh round of headcount cuts is happening because of Meta's financial targets, and is separate from Zuckerberg's push for "flattening" Meta's organizational structure, Bloomberg's sources — who were granted anonymity to talk about internal matters — said. A Meta spokesperson declined to comment on further layoffs, the expected number of job cuts, and which divisions might be impacted. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to Insider's follow-up query on when these reported job cuts might happen.

☆ Google says it won't promote as many employees to senior roles this year, citing a slowdown in growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google is reducing the number of senior promotions in gives in 2023. In an email to staff, Google cited a slowdown in growth. The company has slowed hiring, and it recently slashed 12,000 jobs. Google has told employees it will reduce the number of promotions to senior and leadership roles this year, citing a slowdown in growth. The company slowed hiring last year, and in January it started laying off around 12,000 staff — approximately 6% of its workforce.

Search resuls for: "Staff —"

25 mentions found