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☆ America's 'Zoomtowns' are running out of water
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Remote workers aren't just driving up housing prices but also adding more of a burden to already water-strapped regions. Running out of waterAmerica's water crisis, which has been bubbling for years, has become dire. The lack of fresh snow means that less water makes its way into the river and its massive reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — upon which the region depends for water. They found that statewide COVID-19 stay-at-home orders triggered "significant increases" in residential water consumption — a trend the researchers attributed, in large part, to remote workers. While population growth does increase water usage, it's (pardon the pun) a drop in the bucket of the bigger-picture crisis.

☆ This one chart shows why pandemic boomtowns like Phoenix and Denver are in trouble — they're running out of water
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Samantha Delouya | Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The rise in remote work caused many workers to move to lower-cost cities. One chart shows why cities that saw huge influxes of people might be in trouble. One study found that the water crisis might have been made worse by the remote workers using more water at home. People working from home have likely made the water shortage worse. Read the full story on the water shortage facing pandemic boomtowns and how some cities are trying to tackle the crisis.

☆ Remote workers are powering through and working while sick — and it's bad for them and their companies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

When some remote workers get sick, they decide to log on for work anyway. Research says workers think they'll feel guilty if they take off; they feel more guilty for working. Workers need to feel comfortable deciding to take time off, and feel comfortable articulating those boundaries. The problem is, Gerpott said, that "human beings are very bad at predicting how they will actually feel." Instead, workers feel more guilty — because they couldn't help their colleagues or themselves very well.

☆ Consultants peddling job advice have created a 'workplace industrial complex' that's making them rich — and your job more miserable
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Ed Zitron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

It can be head-spinning to keep up with the sudden trends taking hold in the workplace: Workers are "quiet quitting." Old problems, new namesThe perfect example of the workplace-industrial complex in action is the recent freakout over "quiet quitting." And that's how companies end up hiring consultants who charge $10,000 to $15,000 a day to "help with quiet quitting." But in reality, the workplace-industrial complex exists as a self-propelling public-relations engine for the worst impulses of the management set. Simple answers, difficult solutionsWhat's both confusing and annoying about the state of the workplace-industrial complex is that it's helpful to no one.

☆ An airline is trying to capitalize on remote working by offering a monthly subscription for flights, which will also include rented accommodation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Japanese domestic airline is offering remote workers a monthly subscription for flights, per Bloomberg. Star Flyer's service will also offer rented accommodation in and around the southern city of Fukuoka. Included in the offer is rented accommodation in and around Fukuoka, where living costs are much lower than in Tokyo. Single fares between the southern city and the capital booked with Star Flyer can cost between $52 and $286, depending on the season. Representatives for Star Flyer did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.

☆ 4 remote workers who've secretly worked from abroad without their employers knowing describe how they keep up the charade
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Hannah Towey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Insider spoke with four remote workers who traveled abroad without their employers' knowledge. This is so terrible," the marketing specialist replied. He's one of four remote workers interviewed by Insider who have secretly worked abroad without their employers' permission. The marketing specialist said these two best practices helped him maintain the ruse — during which, he says, he earned a pay bump and a promotion. "My general philosophy is it shouldn't matter where I'm working," he told Insider on a video call from Spain.

☆ Google's hologram video call booths want to make you 'feel like you're there'—and they might be coming to your office
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In fact, it might not be long before you're attending a virtual work meeting with lifelike, 3D representations of your colleagues. That's the future Google is working toward: The company says it's expanding testing of its Project Starline, 3D video call booths where you can chat with holographic versions of your friends, family or coworkers. Google has not yet revealed its ultimate plans for the technology, including whether it'll eventually look to sell the 3D video booths to companies, consumers or both. In offices, the booths could theoretically be useful for meetings with remote workers, job candidates or corporate clients in other countries. Bill Gates has predicted that within a few years, "most virtual meetings" could take place in the metaverse, using those types of digital avatars.

☆ How Equifax used employment records it collects from 2.5 million companies to fire dozens of its own employees for working second jobs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Kate Taylor | Jack Newsham | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

The crackdown was the result of an investigation that unfolded in recent months conducted by Equifax employees, including HR and cybersecurity, according to a document seen by Insider. The product has employment records, including weekly pay, of 105 million US workers, according to the company's last annual report. At one point, 25 employees were interviewed on the investigation's findings, and 24 were terminated, resulting in savings of $3.2 million, according to a document. In one author's case, this included all salaried positions since graduating college in 2013, as well as a job working in the college library as a student. "With predictions of more than 36 million employees working remotely by the year 2025, the need to monitor an employee's employment status will continue to grow," the company says in marketing material.

COVID-19 sparked a boom in short-term rentals, and AirDNA found listings hit a record high in 2022. 18 cities across North America are looking to rein in Airbnbs and short-term rentals. From the beaches of California to the mountains of Vermont, communities are grappling with what the future of short-term rentals looks like. Some cities have simply called timeout: Chattanooga, Tennessee, paused new applications for non-owner-occupied units as it considered short-term rentals' future there. Here are 18 cities in the US and Canada where residents and local politicians are fighting back against short-term rentals.

☆ I'm a 28-year-old crypto-startup founder who got paid $10,000 to move to Arkansas. More than 66,000 people applied to relocate here, and only 100 got accepted — here's why it's worth it.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Dmitri Love, 28, moved from Dallas to Cave Springs, Arkansas, in 2021. Love, 28, moved from Dallas to Cave Springs, Arkansas, in 2021. Love took advantage of a program that paid remote workers $10,000 to move to the area. From November 2020 to September 2022, more than 66,000 people from all 50 US states and 115 countries applied for the program. Entrepreneurs should find new places to live and provide valuePersonally, there were no drawbacks for me moving back to Arkansas.

☆ HR insiders share 4 ways remote workers can set themselves up for a strong performance review
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-05 | by ( Ebony Flake | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Performance reviews are around the corner, but is it harder to evaluate fully remote workers? Managers are tasked with measuring the productivity of in-person, hybrid, and remote workers. There are differing views on whether remote workers should be concerned with how their performance is measured. Focus on performance metricsYolanda Seals-Coffield, the chief people officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says remote workers have nothing to fear. Maintain professional decorumWorking from home can create a certain informality among teams, but Pyrzenski says remote workers shouldn't get too comfortable.

Persons: Chelsea Pyrzenski, Yolanda Seals, Pyrzenski, Celia Balson, Robert Kelley, Kelley, Slack Organizations: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Google, Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business

☆ Gen Z's 6-figure side hustles should scare companies more than quiet quitting, says Gary Vaynerchuk: 'There's so many goddamn options for these kids to make money on the internet'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Gary Vaynerchuk said on TikTok that companies need to court Gen Z with better pay and career growth potential. He said Gen Z has more avenues than ever to make money on side hustles. That dynamic is more dangerous for companies than the "quiet quitting" trend, Vaynerchuk said. He said as much in a recent TikTok video, when asked about the "quiet quitting" trend. "We shit on Gen Z for being entitled and lazy, and what they're being is thoughtfully understanding of their options."

☆ Pittsburgh tech workers say building community and financial stability has made the move to work remotely from a lesser-known tech hub worth it
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Katie Malone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amid a market downturn, tech workers in Pittsburgh say they're happy to live in a low-cost area. Three tech workers told Insider their stories and why they chose to work from Pittsburgh. When the world shut down early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it suddenly became less important for tech workers to live in hot spots like New York; Austin, Texas; or San Francisco. Now, she says, intangible perks like Pittsburgh's supportive tech community have made her very satisfied with her decision. And at some jobs, even ones without a Pittsburgh HQ, there's a pride in the locality that keeps workers here.

Hi, I'm Matt Turner, the editor in chief of business at Insider. (If that term is new to you, it's "a state, society, or group governed by old people.") A new four-month investigation from our politics team looks at the disastrous effect it's having on American democracy. But our government has never been older than it is today. Rebecca Zisser/InsiderWith warm temperatures and low living costs, Florida has been a haven for retirees for decades.

☆ Inside the ultra-exclusive home-swapping app Kindred — which has a 'Raya-type' invite-only membership and a rapidly growing waitlist
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Emily Carmichael | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some have compared the new home-swapping app Kindred to Raya, the exclusive members-only dating app. With homes that are largely luxurious, the average length of a Kindred stay is six days. Kindred gives home-swapping the (fancy) app treatment. And Kindred has a waitlist that it pulls from to build its housing inventory in locations popular with its members. Kindred vets, and personally photographs each of the homes on the app to ensure residences look like pictures.

☆ Check out the 17-slide pitch deck oVice used to raise $32 million to create virtual worlds for remote employees
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Japan-based oVice provides companies with customizable virtual offices. As businesses faced the new pandemic reality of virtual work in 2020, many organizations struggled with managing employees across hybrid workplaces. oVice, a virtual-office startup based in Japan, has raised $32 million in Series B funding from SBI, a Japanese financial-services company, and an unnamed investor, bringing its total funding raised to $45 million. Sae emphasized that oVice customers use their virtual spaces for more than just office work. Some have questioned the durability of virtual-office startups as employees begin returning to in-person work and other virtual-office and -event startups like Hopin face scrutiny and layoffs.

☆ Work remotely from the ballpark: The Seattle Mariners are trying to bring fans back with perks like food and wifi
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Seattle Mariners hosted a Work From The Ballpark Day on September 7th. Sign up for our newsletter to receive our top stories based on your reading preferences — delivered daily to your inbox. Faced with the freedom to work from wherever, these workers are evaluating the best offers on the table. In 2005, for instance, despite only finishing with a record of 69-43, Seattle averaged over 33,000 fans per contest. The Mariners have no official plans for another Work From The Ballpark day, but they reportedly "want to do it again."

☆ Remote work is killing Florida as a retirement paradise
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-11 | by ( Gadel Valle | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Housing prices, combined with the rise of remote work, threaten to end the middle-class dream of spending your final days in Florida. "It does put the retirement industry at risk because it's going to become more and more difficult" to retire in Florida, he told me. The political influence of Florida retirees is so significant that national publications send reporters to The Villages before elections to check its political pulse. The dream of a Florida retirement is dying as housing prices make it too expensive for most. And for people who are retiring now, the Florida retirement dream is starting to look a lot less sunny.

☆ My family and I got $10,000 to move from Portland, Oregon, to a small town in Alabama, and it was worth it: 'The grant gave us this vessel to help make our dreams come true'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-05 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Shannon Milliman, 42, and her family moved from Portland, Oregon, to Florence, Alabama, in 2021. The Remote Shoals program paid Milliman and other remote workers $10,000 to help them relocate. Moving from Portland, Oregon, to Florence, Alabama, during the pandemic pushed me in ways that I didn't expect. Portland, Oregon. Because I said yes to the improvisation of moving with the Remote Shoals program, it's caused other parts of my life to open up as well.

☆ A Colombian buyer just spent over $10 million on 6 Miami condos before they were even built as some South Americans rush to protect their wealth
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-04 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Colombians are searching for Miami properties this year more than any other country's residents. COVID-19 caused a shift in preference from commercial to residential real estate as an investment. They see Miami real estate as a safe investmentWhy the turn to US real estate now? They see opportunity in residential real estate, as opposed to commercial real estate, like offices and retail spaces. "People were waiting to see who the next president was going to be, but now they're very afraid," Gomez said of Cipriani's Colombian buyers.

☆ The 6 most popular European destinations for Americans to buy homes as the strong dollar boosts US wealth overseas
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-04 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Six places are especially popular among American buyers, per real estate company Knight Frank. As the US dollar rises, more wealthy Americans are investing their money overseas — especially in European real estate. According to global real estate company Knight Frank, Paris, St. Tropez, Tuscany, Venice, Barcelona, Mallorca, and Sardinia, have become the most popular European real estate markets for American home buyers. The researchers also noted that real estate in Venice is more receptive to negotiation than in other parts of the country. Real estate in Spain is also proving popular among Americans, with Barcelona and Mallorca being the standouts, according to Knight Frank.

COVID-19 sparked a boom in short-term rentals, and AirDNA found listings hit a record high in 2022. Some locals and officials in hot cities say they deplete housing stock or cause noise disturbances. 18 cities across North America are looking to rein in Airbnbs and short-term rentals. From the beaches of California to the mountains of Vermont, communities are grappling with what the future of short-term rentals looks like. Here are 18 cities in the US and Canada where residents and local politicians are fighting back against short-term rentals.

☆ Scamming the boss: Some employees are outsourcing their jobs to other people. Here's how companies are spotting the fraudsters.
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-03 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

As remote work provides opportunities for fraud, some employees are outsourcing their jobs. Experts say this fraud can pose severe risks for companies, especially when the work involves confidential company and customer data. The problem for companies is when employees outsource their jobs without their organization's awareness, and pay out of their own pockets. Employers are generally powerless to do anything about these second jobs as long as they don't affect their employees' work and don't involve work for a competitor. "Every employer I talk to considers 'remote' as a location — not a work arrangement," he said, meaning remote workers must abide by the company's rules.

☆ Everyone talks about all the people moving to Florida. But high prices, hot weather, and shattered expectations are pushing residents out, too.
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-13 | by ( Jordan Pandy | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Florida was the top 2021 destination for movers, with 221,000 more US residents moving in than out. The leavers say the high cost of living, including skyrocketing insurance prices, is a big factor. Take car insurance: Lovelace, a private investigator who uses her car regularly for work, paid $430 a month. The state's chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, said in May 2021 that 900 people a day were moving to Florida. A study by Joblist that compared wages to cost of living ranked Florida last out of all 50 states in affordability.

☆ Has the Phoenix Valley real estate market hit its pandemic ceiling? 7 industry experts debate if Phoenix's lofty home valuations are justified — or if there's a housing correction on the horizon for t
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-07 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Besides an overwhelming investor appetite, the surge in the Sunbelt's real estate prices can also be attributed to an influx of enthusiastic remote workers with deep pockets. "The Phoenix market was largely a COVID-19 pandemic market until about last summer," independent real estate market analyst John Wake told Insider, explaining that it was mainly owner-occupants driving the market. "In 2007, before the great recession, over 50% of our workforce was in real estate, construction, retail, and hospitality. Besides its investments into the biosciences and healthcare industry, Phoenix also has a stake in another global sector — semiconductor chip manufacturing. Eventually, Rounds forecasts a price correction of at least 25% for the Phoenix housing market.

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