DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Musk and Ramaswamy float ending remote work for federal employees and ‘large-scale firings’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-20 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Is A Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Incoming Trump administration advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday floated ending remote work for federal workers, calling the practice a “privilege” left over from the pandemic. “Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome: If federal employees don’t want to show up, American taxpayers shouldn’t pay them for the Covid-era privilege of staying home,” the two men wrote. The future of remote work for office-based employees is hotly debated. Some unionized federal workers have criticized Musk and Ramaswamy, saying they don’t know what they’re doing. Erwin said the two tech figures “make absurd claims about government waste and bash dedicated federal employees.” His union says it represents 110,000 federal employees.

Persons: Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, ”, Biden, Ramaswamy, Donald Trump, Musk, Randy Erwin, Erwin Organizations: Trump, Street, Management, of Government, SpaceX, CNBC, Tesla, National Federation of Federal Employees Locations: Washington

So why shouldn’t federal employees who are paid with taxpayer dollars be required to be in office?” the source said. Ending remote work across government is being considered a potential “early candidate” for executive orders that members of DOGE will recommend to Trump, the source said. “I can’t abandon this career,” one Library of Congress worker who lives in the Midwest told CNN. Another federal employee who works remotely told CNN that they would have to commute two to three hours to the nearest office. Other targets beyond remote workRemote work isn’t the only cost-cutting measure that is likely to be addressed through executive orders.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Elon, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, “, ”, “ It’s, ” Everett Kelley, AFGE, Charlie Kirk –, –, DOGE, Kirk, doesn’t, aren’t, Musk Organizations: CNN, of Government, Republican, Trump, telework, Personnel Management, American Federation of Government Employees, Midwest, of Congress, Congress, General Services Administration Locations: Washington, DC, Washington ,

☆ Ramaswamy's 'jackhammer and chain saw' plan to force federal workers back into the office.
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Laura Strickler | Laura Strickler Is A Senior Investigative Producer | Reporter For Nbc News. She Is Based In Washington. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Vacant federal office space in downtown Washington is costly to maintain and a deep source of frustration to Mayor Muriel Bowser. She told reporters last week that she had requested a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump and that top on her agenda is pushing federal workers to return to downtown Washington. All told, the U.S. has roughly 2.2 million federal workers. With fewer people in the office, the cost of excess federal office space has become a concern. In 2004, a little over 750,000 federal workers were eligible to work from home.

Persons: WASHINGTON, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk's, Muriel Bowser, Donald Trump, ” Bowser, “, Ramaswamy, Tucker Carlson, ”, ” Ramaswamy, ” Jacqueline Simon, Musk’s, Kamil Krzaczynski, Simon, Joe Biden, George W, Bush Organizations: Management, American Federation of Government Employees, Bureau of Prisons, NBC, Patrol, Office, Republican, Republican National Convention, Getty, Education Department, OMB, Personnel Management Locations: Washington, ”, U.S, Milwaukee, AFP

Most hybrid workers (55%) say paying employees more for their in-office work would provide “a lot” of encouragement for them to work in-person more often. Additional pay topped the list across respondents whether they were working in-person, remotely (44%) or in hybrid (50%) roles. Regardless, many U.S. employees have returned to in-person work, or had never left. Most paid employees report that they work in person per NORC's survey, and three-quarters of those in-person employees say they are required by their employer to do so. The number of people working remotely has fallen significantly since the peak of COVID-19 — but is still far higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Persons: — Justin Ryan Horton, he's, Horton, “ I'm, ” Horton, NORC, ” Marjorie Connelly, Megan Homis, Homis, ” Homis, Bill Castellano, ” Castellano, Connelly, I’m, ”, “ Organizations: Workers, University of Chicago, NORC’s Public Affairs & Media Research, Associated Press, Rutgers School of Management, Labor Relations, “, Pew Research Center, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Colorado Springs, Southern California

☆ Workers in Seoul have ditched remote working. Now the capital has the strongest office market in the world.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

But the booming South Korean office market may bolster arguments that it is better for employees to head back to the office — at least for those watching the US's struggling commercial-real-estate sector. The increase in competition for office space has led to a roughly 15% rise in rental prices over the last year, Bloomberg reported. KEF found that now, fewer than 60% of big companies allow their employees to work remotely. Of the 40% of companies KEF surveyed that still allow remote work, almost two-thirds of those companies said they only allow it selectively. There has been a general shortage of office space since 2021 due to government restrictions on redevelopment and the pandemic's disruption of construction.

Persons: —, Claire Choi, Choi, KEF, it's, Goldman Sachs, Forbes, Biden Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Global, Estate Services, Korea Enterprises Federation, Pulse Locations: Seoul, Korea

The Employee Retention Credit was intended to be a financial lifeline to small businesses struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. Innovation Refunds — a consulting firm that focuses on the ERC — was one of the most visible advertisers during the tax credit's heyday. How Innovation Refunds worksOn its website, Innovation Refunds makes it clear it is not a tax professional. Innovation Refunds markets to clients, determines if they are viable candidates for the credit and then collects businesses' documentation. Some former employees said this could insulate Innovation Refunds from potential liability if ineligible businesses claimed the credit.

Persons: Danny Werfel, Andrew Kelly, Howard Makler, Ty Burrell, Burrell, Rob Domenico, Werfel, Tom Williams, Makler, Kate Rogers, Domenico, Slack, Jenn McCabe, Armanino Organizations: Companies, ERC, Internal Revenue Service, IRS, ERC —, CNBC, Reuters, CPA, Senate, Washington , D.C, CQ, Inc, Getty, LinkedIn, Justice Locations: New York, Washington ,, Des Moines

☆ 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

Some childcare operators told Insider the end of pandemic-era funding could make the problem worse. To keep the doors open at her Southampton Township, New Jersey, childcare center, she needs to find new clients or new funding. Jackson is just one of many providers across the US entering a period of uncertainty after a pandemic-era infusion of federal childcare funding ran out at the end of last month. That funding expired on Saturday, along with $13.5 billion in childcare funding from other pandemic-era legislation. She added: "What we're likely to see is childcare providers doing everything they can to continue to operate.

Persons: —, Jackson, Patti Smith, Joe Biden's, they'd, Allyx Schiavone, Lauren Bauer, Molly Kinder, Julie Kashen, Kashen, Schiavone, Cristi Carman, they're, Carman, Shannon Hampson, Hampson, we're, Rep, Katherine Clark, Julia Pollak, ZipRecruiter, there's, Grant Organizations: Service, Greenway, National Association for, Education of Young Children, Rescue, Friends Center for Children, American Progress, Brookings Institution, The Century Foundation, Care, American Locations: Southampton Township , New Jersey, Maryland, Lincoln , Nebraska

☆ Meet the typical remote worker, who makes good money, runs errands during the day, and will take a pay cut to avoid RTO
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Remote work exploded during the pandemic, and now it's a genie out of the bottle. Remote workers are more likely to be college-educated and in higher-income brackets. Several workers Insider spoke to said they've left jobs — and even took pay cuts — to stay at home. AdvertisementAdvertisementSo who are the remote workers of America? They're likely to be more educated, run errands during the day, and are willing to do whatever it takes to stay at home.

Persons: It's, Timothy Done, they've Organizations: Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, American, Survey Locations: Wall, Silicon, America

☆ A remote worker's employer said he had to live near the office. So he took a $35,000 pay cut in exchange for his work-from-home freedom.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-03 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jay is one of many workers contending with shifting rules around in-person and remote work. For some, those arrangements just don't work — and, like Jay, some workers would take a pay cut to be able to stay remote. The research on whether remote work is less productive is mixed, though, and for some, it may be a better fit than for others. Jay said his previous managers, for instance, "were completely in favor of remote work" but told him "this decision is out of their hands." Already, there's an "office apocalypse" raging in some cities, with McKinsey predicting remote work will slash the value of office buildings to the tune of $800 billion by 2030.

Persons: Jay, Kathleen Hall, It's, doesn't, that's, Bill de Blasio Organizations: Service, Jay, trumpeted, McKinsey Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York City

☆ Return to Office, Ending Work From Home May Make Climate Crisis Worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Whether mandatory return-to-office policies will make the climate crisis worse is an important question, especially as scientists predict that 2023 will be the hottest year on record. But determining whether working from an office is worse for the planet isn't that simple. Failing to find a balance between boosting productivity at the office and protecting the planet risks making the crisis worse. Even though the study only covered the early part of the pandemic, it illustrated how a shift away from office work can have some positive effects for the planet. "There was no clear answer to whether work from home was better or worse for the environment in general terms."

Persons: Rachel, it's, JPMorgan Chase, James Elfer, Elfer, It's, Ty Colman, Colman, Ralf Martin, Martin, teleworking, Megan Litke, We've, Litke, Efler, Operta's Colman, JPMorgan Chase —, Apple, Tony Johnson, Schneider, Johnson, That's, she's, Catherine Boudreau Organizations: Amazon, Google, JPMorgan, Fortune, Employees, Greenhouse, International Energy Agency, IEA, Imperial College Business School, American University, Energy, Target, Dell, Apple, Schneider Locations: , Maryland, Greater London, London, Washington , DC, Williams, Sonoma, North America

☆ White House pushes US agencies to 'aggressively' boost in-person work
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kevin Wurm/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The White House wants federal agencies to "aggressively" execute a shift to more in-person work starting next month, saying it is crucial to delivering government services. Zients said "your agencies will be implementing increases in the amount of in-person work for your team. The Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Department said last month they expect teleworking government employees to boost in-person work. Some Republican lawmakers have pressed federal agencies to require more government workers to return to offices. In February, the House passed legislation to mandate federal agencies reinstate 2019 pre-pandemic telework policies.

Persons: Donald Trump, Kevin Wurm, Jeff Zients, Zients, Axios, Pete Buttigieg, USDOT, David Shepardson, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S Capitol, U.S, REUTERS, White House, White, Reuters, Office of Management, Biden, Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Department, FAA, Transportation, Republican, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S

☆ Point of no return: Australians fight for the right to work from home permanently
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

You can actually finish work at five, rather than finishing at five spending 45 minutes trying to get home." When you have a jolt, you never return to the way the world was," said John Buchanan, head of the University of Sydney's Health and Work Research Network. That same week, the public sector union struck a deal the which lets Australia's 120,000 federal employees request work-from-home an unlimited number of days. By comparison, Canada's federal workers ended a two-week strike in May with a wages agreement that came without the WFH protections they wanted. Among employees with WFH experience, 19% wanted to return to the office full-time, the survey found.

Persons: David Gray, SYDNEY, Nicholas Coomber, Coomber, Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, John Buchanan, We're, Jones Lang Lasalle, Melissa Donnelly, WFH, Mathias Dolls, Jim Stanford, Stanford, Byron Kaye, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, JPMorgan Chase, Twitter, University of Sydney's Health, Work Research, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, NAB, European Union, Community, Public Sector Union, CBA, ifo, Macroeconomics, Stanford University, Workers, Centre, Australia Institute, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Southbank, Australia, New Zealand, Tokyo, New York, JLL.N, Hamburg

☆ Remote work has made downtown DC a ghost town as federal office buildings sit mostly empty
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But unlike many other US cities, much of DC's downtown office space is controlled by a single landlord: the federal government. There are three major issues when it comes to empty federal building space, Marroni said. Many congressional Republicans have also demanded that the Biden administration both restrict telework and get rid of unused office space. The White House Office of Management and Budget asked federal agencies in April to "substantially increase meaningful in-person work" by limiting telework. But there are concerns — including from employee unions — that restricting remote work could hurt the recruitment and retention of federal workers.

Persons: Muriel Bowser, hasn't, —, David Marroni, Marroni, She's, Biden, Scott Perry, they've Organizations: Office, DC, Service, Republicans, Transportation, Infrastructure, GAO, Pennsylvania Republican, White, Office of Management, Department of Education, Department of Veterans Affairs, Post, Trump International Locations: Wall, Silicon, Washington, DC's, Pennsylvania

☆ 6 quick calendar tweaks that will help you get more done and optimize your daily routine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Tugba Yanaz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In my coaching and consulting practice, I work with leaders to create healthy routines to optimize their performance and well-being. Not urgent & important; schedule — You will want to schedule tasks that are important but less urgent for a later date. Urgent & not important; delegate — Assign urgent but less important tasks to others on your team. All your priorities must be reflected in your calendar, personal and professional. It's all about establishing a healthy relationship between your work and personal life and valuing both aspects.

☆ Fed says banking sector looks set to weather recent turmoil
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. banking sector overall appears well-positioned to weather recent industry turmoil, but the experience could still weigh on credit conditions in the future, the Federal Reserve said on Monday. In aggregate, it said banks remain well-capitalized. DEBT LIMIT CONCERNSThe Fed released the report shortly after a separate central bank survey found banks were tightening credit standards amid weaker loan demand. Beyond banks, the Fed said pressures on various market sectors remained within historical norms. Banking sector stresses were identified as a risk by more than half of respondents, up from 12% in the November report.

☆ Canadian government says it gave striking union 'final offer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Picketers march on Parliament Hill as approximately 155,000 public sector union workers with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continue to strike, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 26, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File PhotoApril 29 (Reuters) - Canadian government negotiators have presented striking public workers with a "final offer," the Treasury Board of Canada said on Saturday, aiming to end a dispute that has disrupted services ranging from tax returns to passport renewals. The head of the union representing some 155,000 striking public workers earlier this week accused the government of stalling and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get involved in negotiations. On Saturday, the Treasury Board, which oversees public administration, said it gave the union its offer on Friday. "This is a fair, competitive and reasonable final offer," the Treasury Board said in a statement.

☆ A baby boomer who quit his 6-figure job rather than return to the office says managers are threatened by remote work and just want people back so they can see them working
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2018, higher-ups at his job handed a day of remote work out as a reward. But as 2020 rolled in and sent everyone home, he discovered he loved full-time remote work even more. He loved remote work for the same reasons he thinks other people do: more time to concentrate, and fewer meetings. But remote work also calls into question the purpose of a boss, he said. "I think a lot of people that have exposure to remote work will say, 'Hey, that worked,'" Dennis said.

☆ Biden Administration Nudges Federal Workers Back to the Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annie Linskey | Paul Kiernan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Three GOP House members have cited low in-person attendance at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration headquarters in Washington. WASHINGTON—The Biden administration urged federal workers to return to their offices in new guidance that gives agencies broad discretion for how to revamp their work environments and leaves room for some continued telework. The policy is aimed at “substantially increasing in-person work,” said Jason Miller , the Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget in an accompanying blog post. The 19-page memo Thursday set no concrete targets for how many federal workers must come back or by when, and it indicated officials would evaluate where remote work has been effective.

☆ White House asks agencies to step up workers' return to offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday asked federal agencies to revise workforce plans as it aims to "substantially increase" in-person work by government employees at headquarters offices and improve services, according to a memo seen by Reuters. The memo to executive branch agencies from White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director Shalanda Young directs agencies to refresh work environment plans and policies. Some Republican lawmakers have pressed federal agencies to require more government workers to return to offices. "It’s time for the federal workforce to get back to work in-person for the American people. Aiming to cut long wait times and delays in processing federal services, OMB's memo said: "Agencies should prioritize improving experiences and services that directly impact the public."

☆ Return to the office or see a pay cut: More and more companies are forcing remote workers to choose
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell might cut employees' bonuses if they don't return to the office. "We're very focused on having our team in at the same time," Neil Barr, chair and managing partner at Davis Polk, told the Wall Street Journal. The era of widespread remote work might be coming to a close economy-wide, as firms tighten their belts and try to get their workers back in. As mass layoffs sweep some sectors that embraced remote work — like tech — companies that are letting workers go are increasingly asking for their remaining workforce to come back in. That's because even companies that have chosen to embrace remote work may be doing so in part because it allows them to pay workers less.

☆ A worker quitting a 6-figure job so she won't have to return to the office full time says she's a victim of her bosses' productivity paranoia: 'I don't need to be in an office to do my work'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Felicia, 53, is leaving her job after being asked to work in person five days a week. After getting called back five days a week, she's leaving her job altogether. For a year and a half, her office had a hybrid model: three days at home, two days in the office. "I found that I got a lot more work done when I was working the hybrid days," she said, referring to her days spent at home. Now watercooler gossip has returned in full force, and she feels like she's seeing less of her team.

☆ Working from home: The latest on who is WFH and who isn't
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In other words, 72.5% of private-sector organizations — up from 60% in the July-to-September 2021 period — said they did not have employees working remotely. The BLS survey also interpreted respondents’ answers as referring to a company’s formal telework policies, not whether some employees informally work remotely on occasion, such as responding to work emails from home. The same survey respondents said their employers plan to allow employees to work remotely 2.2 days a week, for those who can. “I have talked to hundreds of organizations about WFH [working from home] over the past three weeks, and this is now clearly stabilizing to a post-pandemic norm,” he said in an email. In Pew’s February survey, 35% of people who could work remotely were doing so full time, down from 55% in October 2020, but still well above the 7% of people working remotely full-time before the pandemic.

☆ ‘We’re at a tipping point:’ What to expect from the jobs report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Minneapolis CNN —The US labor market has kept trucking right along even as other areas of the economy have slowed. ET Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics drops the heavily anticipated jobs report for March. On Wednesday, the latest private-sector jobs report from payroll processor ADP came in at 145,000 for March, landing below expectations. There still remains uncertainty about the extent to which those and other layoffs may ripple through the broader labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release its March jobs report at 8:30 a.m.

☆ ‘We’re at a tipping point:’ What to expect from the jobs report on Friday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Minneapolis CNN —The US labor market has kept trucking right along even as other areas of the economy have slowed. Just how much of a shift there is could become even clearer on Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics drops the heavily anticipated jobs report for March. On Wednesday, the latest private-sector jobs report from payroll processor ADP came in at 145,000 for March, landing below expectations. There still remains uncertainty about the extent to which those and other layoffs may ripple through the broader labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to release its March jobs report on Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Search resuls for: "telework"

25 mentions found