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☆ The AI trust gap that is worrying both workers and executives
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Kevin Williams | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

While both rank-and-file workers and the C-suite see AI as a great opportunity for business transformation, both sides are skeptical over its deployment. McRae said many employers have anxiety over AI and pass that on to their employees. Employers, McRae said, need to better educate themselves about the opportunities and benefits of AI. McRae said that employers are often uncertain about where or how to deploy AI, leading to some trepidation. Once they see how AI can increase productivity and create new opportunities, they'll spread their enthusiasm for AI to employees.

Persons: aren't, Emily Rose McRae, McRae Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, Economic, Gartner, Employers, Employees Locations: Davos, Switzerland

☆ ‘Corporate Erin’ and the social media talent making us laugh about our work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Erin Throlopolis is the Manager for the Managerial Logistics of Management for McManagement. Erin loves corporate speak so much, she has a book coming out to help the rest of us get in on the fun. “‘Corporate Natalie’ grew out of sheer 2020 peak-Covid boredom,” Marshall told CNN. Courtesy Cruz Corral“On Instagram the conversations are wild,” Cruz told CNN. Her “Nonprofit Boss” character is as triggering as Beasley’s “Corporate Erin.” (The pair even teamed up for a joint video.)

Persons: Erin Throlopolis, “, Erin ”, Lisa Beasley, Erin, It’s, ”, Natalie Marshall, “ ‘, Natalie ’, ” Marshall, Covid, Marshall, Cruz Coral, Cruz Corral, Cruz, ” Cruz, Nicole Daniels, Daniels Organizations: CNN, Managerial Logistics, Management, McManagement Locations: Chicago, America, Los Angeles, Brooklyn

☆ Inside the ‘Envy Office,’ Reporters Find a Trend, and a Story
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Megan Ditrolio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Instead of the tech-bro campuses of the mid-2000s, workplaces were starting to look more trendy, sophisticated and hospitality-adjacent. The questions Anna and I first discussed were: What’s the next phase of office design? The Envy Office looks less masculine. Do these workplaces feed into a better office culture or boost productivity? Everything from the way a hallway is designed to the inclusion of plants can shape people’s behaviors and emotions in any space.

Persons: GOLDBERG, “, Nikil Saval, Anna, Roarke

☆ Paranoid Bridgewater employees ventured into the woods to take some calls — until a rumor spread that the company was looking into installing listening devices in the trees, a new book says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Grace Dean | Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some staff at Bridgewater Associates took personal calls in the woods so their employer couldn't listen in, a new book says. This stopped when a rumor claimed the firm might install devices in the trees, per "The Fund." AdvertisementAdvertisementSome employees at Ray Dalio's investment-management firm Bridgewater Associates took non-work calls in the woods near their offices because they were worried about their employer listening in, according to a new book. This practice stopped, though, when a rumor claimed that the firm was looking into installing devices in the trees that could intercept calls, per the book. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt added that the company "did not investigate installing 'devices in the trees.'"

Persons: Rob Copeland's, —, Ray, Rob Copeland, Ray Dalio, James Comey, printout, printouts, Bridgewater, Dalio Organizations: Bridgewater Associates, Service, New York Times, FBI, Staff, Bridgewater, St Martin's Press Locations: Bridgewater, New, keystroke

☆ Big Tech said return to the office. She had another solution
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —Big Tech has given workers an ultimatum: Come back to the office, or find a new job. However, the program risked letting all employees work from home or any other remote location. Intentional office gatheringsAhead of instituting Flex Forward, Autodesk was “rethinking our office footprint,” Blum said. For instance, Autodesk closed its San Rafael, California, office; consolidated it with the San Francisco headquarters; and started subleasing some of its office space. But, increasingly, the talent acquisition team is seeing more candidates apply for openings because they view Autodesk as “that remote company,” Pearce added.

Persons: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rebecca Pearce, Pearce, “ I’m, ” Pearce, ”, Steve Blum, Autodesk’s, it’s, ” Musk, Jamie Dimon, Michael Nagle, —, “, doesn’t, Andy Jassy, Jassy, don’t, ’ ”, ” Blum, Blum Organizations: New, New York CNN, Big Tech, Autodesk, Flex, CNN, Autodesk Inc, ”, Meta, JPMorgan, Bloomberg, Getty, ” Autodesk, La Nacion, “, San, Employees Locations: New York, Cornwall, England, North America, Autodesk’s Portland , Oregon, Portland , Oregon, La, Rafael , California, San Francisco, cubicles, Autodesk's Portland , Oregon

☆ America’s Downtowns Are Empty. Fixing Them Will Be Expensive.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Konrad Putzier | Photographs Yasmin Yassin For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

MINNEAPOLIS—Downtown streets were so crowded in the 1960s that developers conjured up a maze of elevated walkways between buildings, providing winter-proof avenues for office workers who filled the central city Monday through Friday. Stores, fast-food spots, bakeries and barber shops lined the covered, temperature-controlled walkways, which linked new glass skyscrapers sprouting one after the next. Workers racing to cubicles in the morning kept to the right to avoid crashing into each other, recalled convenience store clerk Monica Bray .

Persons: Monica Bray Organizations: Workers Locations: MINNEAPOLIS

☆ This startup wants to help you continue to work from home — just not your own
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The home-exchange startup Swapdesk is targeting remote workers who can temporarily trade places. It was the push he needed to start a business that helps remote workers find comfortable, quiet places to set up shop. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe benefit of Swapdesk, Boening said, is that trading a home is far less expensive than staying in a hotel or a short-term rental in a major city. Swapdesk, which is based in Toronto, is among the companies focusing on remote workers , particularly in areas like tech. Swapdesk's focus on serving remote workers comes as more CEOs have called employees back to the office , at least part of the time .

Persons: —, Allen Boening, Swapdesk, it's, Boening, Herman Miller, Ken, Rory Fairweather, Atlassian, they're, who's, Fairweather, Swapesk Organizations: Service, Amazon, Google, Microsoft Locations: London , New York, Paris, Toronto, New York City, Copenhagen, London

☆ 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

☆ A Gen Xer quit his remote job of 20 years when his company called him back to the office. Now he worries he's screwed as remote jobs dwindle nationwide.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Gen Xer quit his remote job of 20 years after his company ordered him back to the office. He said it's been difficult finding a new remote job even with decades of experience. Remote jobs on ZipRecruiter's platform, which are also narrowing, get nearly three times the number of applicants as in-person roles. He suspected that even though remote work was effective for him, his company wouldn't be making many exceptions. "But I'm just having more trouble than I thought finding a remote job, but I keep trying."

Persons: Xer, it's, —, Mark Yampanis, Yampanis, doesn't, hasn't, wouldn't, didn't, He's, I've Organizations: Service Locations: Berkeley , California, California

☆ China Risks Property Debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Source: China Real Estate Information Corp. (CRIC)The physical size of Country Garden’s real estate portfolio is enormous. The Weight of Debt The ballooning debt crisis could delay the prospect of a recovery of both the property market and the broader Chinese economy, in which real estate is a core pillar. China property sector slump China’s property sales, investment and funds raised by property developers slid in January - August 2023 after a sharp fall in 2022. China's property sector accounts for more than half of global new home sales and home building, according to Nomura. Any contraction in the property sector will affect China’s growth, thus sending ripple effects around the globe as the world’s factory slows.

Persons: Evergrande, homebuyers, Nomura, David Stanway, Jason Lee, –, Moody's, Yawen Chen, Amr Alfiky Organizations: Country, Garden, Estate Information Corp, CIFI Holdings, Sunac, National Bureau of Statistics, China, Investment, REUTERS, International Monetary Fund, Nomura, JPMorgan, Dubai, National Bureau of Economic Research Locations: China, Burj, Burj Khalifa, Sunac China, Kunming, Yunnan province, Beijing, Xuchang, Henan province, United Arab Emirates

☆ Return to Office Mandates Are Making Remote Jobs Impossible to Find
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Aki Ito | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

That's more than twice as frenzied as the rush for remote jobs at the beginning of last year. And third, there's been a dramatic slowdown in tech, the industry that supercharged the boom in remote work. The few remaining employers that continue to offer remote jobs have been overwhelmed by the surge of interest. AdvertisementAdvertisementWith so few openings, candidates for remote jobs are being forced to hustle like never before. The dream of remote work, it appears, will soon be more remote than ever.

Persons: That's, Ashlee Anderson, there's, Angel Medina hasn't, it's, he's, He's, It's, Medina, Atlassian, —, Barbara Matthews, Lisa Nielsen, Slack, they're, Matthews, Anderson, we're, Aki Ito Organizations: Cribl, Harvard, Verizon, Google, subreddits, Meta, Comcast Locations: Ohio, Cribl

☆ From Gym to Work to Date Night? The Stylish Woman’s Guide to Packing a Weekday Survival Bag
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sophia Herring | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

THE BIG BAG THEORY IN PRACTICE From an elegantly oversize tote to packing cubes, cosmetics and a miniature hairbrush, must-have items will get you through busy workdays. Photo: iStock/Getty Images (marble)AS A LOT of women bid WFH farewell and re-embrace the office, the barely functional mini purses that suited our condensed Covid lives don’t suffice. Working out no longer means posing on a yoga mat in the living room, and “going to drinks” demands more strategy than sipping post-Zoom cocktails on a couch. Now we run to spin class, spend hours in cubicles, socialize face-to-face and schlep a tote stuffed with essentials for all of the above.

Organizations: tote Locations: cubicles, schlep

☆ From body sensors to water coolers, here's how companies are watching how full their offices are
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some employers are turning to sensors that can tell when a person is sitting at a desk or using a conference room. So if you have sensors, you're able to release the no-shows and put those back into the pool," he said. What the office water cooler actually revealsThere are other ways that measuring office occupancy can help understand employee habits. In 2019, 21% of flavored-water hounds in East Coast offices were using Bevi machines early or late in the day. This year as more companies have been instituting RTO mandates, getting workers back to the office — and knowing they're there — has been a heated fight .

Persons: Alex Birch, Kathleen Hall, Birch, Big, It's, Sean Grundy, Bevi, they're, Grundy, —, Goldman Sachs, I'd Organizations: Service, Google, Citadel, Deloitte Locations: Wall, Silicon, Australian, East Coast, Boston

☆ Two under-the-radar ways bosses are tracking how full their offices are
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Employers have unique ways of telling how full their offices are. There's more interest now that more bosses are calling their workers back to the office. What the office water cooler actually revealsThere are other ways that measuring office occupancy can help understand employee habits. In 2019, 21% of flavored-water hounds in East Coast offices were using Bevi machines early or late in the day. The difference between RTO mandates and knowing how office space is being usedThese metrics aren't the same as tracking badge swipes .

☆ Where in the World Are People Back in the Office?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In London, a politician wrote not-so-subtle notes to remote workers last year, hoping to persuade them to spend more time in the office: “Sorry you were out when I visited,” Jacob Rees-Mogg, then a government minister, recalled writing in messages left on the desks of Cabinet Office staff members who were working from home. When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in 2020, many industries across the world shifted to remote or hybrid work. It was an immense experiment that yielded different results for different cities — with long-term standoffs between executives and workers in some cases, and a sweeping return to the office in others. Whether a person is more likely to do work at a cubicle in a big office tower or on the living room couch now depends on where in the world those cubicles and couches are. Many Asian countries have lower levels of remote work than countries in Europe and North America.

Persons: ” Jacob Rees, Mogg, Jem Kim, videoconference, Autónomo, México Organizations: Sequoia, Stanford, Instituto, Ifo Institute Locations: London, Seoul, San Mateo, Calif, Europe, North America, Britain, Canada, United States

☆ At least 2 days in office is the 'sweet spot' for hybrid workers, according to new research
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Morgan Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Employees overwhelmingly prefer hybrid work, but the optimal number of days in the office is still up for debate. For other workers on a 5-day workweek schedule, that may mean 2 or 3 days in office each week. "Our research shows it's the 'hybrid sweet spot,'" George says. "You need to be intentional and anchor those office days around activities that are most effective in-person, whether it's career workshops, feedback sessions or team brainstorms." The most successful return-to-office strategies have clear operating norms that go beyond how many days employees should be working together in person.

Persons: Katy George, McKinsey's, George, I've, we're Organizations: McKinsey, CNBC Locations: I'm

☆ Remote jobs are becoming more 'gig-like' as workers feel detached from their company's mission, Gallup finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Noah Sheidlower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Remote workers say their connection to their company and its mission feels increasingly "gig-like," Gallup finds. According to a new Gallup survey, a record low 28% of remote workers felt their company's mission made them feel their job is important, down from 32% last year and 37% in 2020. Remote workers are also on the whole feeling less loyal, which could impact employee retention and productivity. For some companies, remote work fits since employers trust their workers to get the job done. Hybrid and fully remote workers did not have improvements in engagement, though 38% of both groups still report feeling engaged.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, what's, — Organizations: Gallup, Service, Meta, Federal Reserve Bank of New, Manufacturing Survey, Business Locations: Wall, Silicon, India

☆ Grown-Up Theater Kids Run the World
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Madison Malone Kircher | More About Madison Malone Kircher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Muttering “thank you, five” under their breath when you swing by their cubicles to remind them about a team meeting happening in five minutes. Performing slightly too well at office karaoke after protesting slightly too much about getting onstage. Former theater kids. What happens to theater kids when we grow up? There’s, of course, the dream scenario: The theater kids who are driven and talented and lucky enough become working theater adults.

Persons: it’ll, Ben Platt, Tony, Evan Hansen, ” Locations: “

☆ People would rather work anywhere but the office — including their gyms
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It shows how remote workers, or hybrid workers, crave a third space that isn't work or home. As the Wall Street Journal reports, gyms are the latest venture to break into offering coworking space. Its website touts that the gym's members lounge "offers communal work tables and social lounge spaces available from open until close for all club members," where members can "catch up on some work" or "just relax after your workout." As research on remote workers' time use shows, more are using their breaks to work out or participate in other leisure activities. That could explain why a gym-based coworking space is so appealing: You get the ability to socialize, work out, and still get your work done.

Persons: crave, Chelsea, Chelsea Piers, Nick Bloom, Bloom Organizations: Service, Wall Street Journal, Chelsea, Stanford Locations: Wall, Silicon, Brooklyn

☆ How Do You Personalize Your Cubicle? We Want to See It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Gregory Schmidt | More About Gregory Schmidt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Now the lowly cubicle is making a comeback, as workers head back to the office and find they have lost the privacy and quiet they have working at home. Seeking quiet areas for focused work, workers are turning once again to cubicles and the isolation they offer. The New York Times team that covers business is planning an upcoming story on the return of the cubicle as part of our Square Feet series on live/play/work spaces. We want to feature photos of office cubicles. Send us your photos; we’ll pick the best and send a photographer to your workplace.

Persons: Cubicles, John Malkovich, ” Organizations: New York Times

☆ The Afterlife of Forlorn Office Furniture
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Stefanos Chen | More About Stefanos Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Herman Miller is one of the most revered makers of office furniture in the world, its designs so esteemed that its Aeron chair, which became a fixture of New York City cubicles, was put in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. This month, some Herman Miller chairs, which can retail for over $1,000, met a less dignified fate: an appointment with the crushing metal jaws of an excavator. More than three years after the coronavirus pandemic began, about half of the office space in the New York City metro area in June was occupied, according to Kastle Systems, a security-card company tracking activity in office buildings. The hollowing out of the city’s cubicles has raised existential economic and cultural questions, but also a big logistical one: What do you do with all that office furniture?

Persons: Herman Miller Organizations: Museum, Modern, New, Kastle Systems Locations: New York City

The Secret Service is investigating the matter, the White House said. White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters: "Where this was discovered is a heavily traveled area where many ... West Wing visitors come through." The West Wing is attached to the executive mansion where President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden live. Jean-Pierre said West Wing tours took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The discovery led to a brief closure of the White House complex on Sunday.

Persons: Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Biden, it's, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Heather Timmons, David Gregorio, Howard Goller Organizations: West Wing, U.S, Washington , D.C, Office, West, White, Administration, Wing, East Wing, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Camp David , Maryland

☆ After getting fired from one job and nearly canned from another, I finally learned the key difference between work and school
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Henry Blodget | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

In my 20s, I struggled with the transition from school to work. The difference is that the money is going the other way when you're at work. So, in the hopes of saving those who ask for advice from their own self-inflicted career sabotage, I sometimes ask them this:"What's the key difference between school and work?" In school, you're the customer. But as you transition from school to work, remember which way the money is going.

Persons: —, I'd, I've, haven't Organizations: Service

HONG KONG, June 27 (Reuters) - A series of brutal attacks in Hong Kong is shining a light on mental health in a city that has suffered from particularly acute strains while lacking sufficient resources to provide proper care for all who need it, mental health groups say. A city government spokesman, asked about the state of mental health, referred Reuters to a meeting the administration organised this month aimed at exploring more ways to address mental health problems and support people who suffer from severe mental disorders. Mental health experts point to the COVID-19 pandemic as a major factor in the increase in mental health issues, as it has been in many places. 'EXHAUSTION'Judy Blaine, a researcher and consultant on mental wellbeing, says it is the compounding of stresses that takes a toll on Hong Kong's people. Carol Liang, deputy CEO of the group Mind Hong Kong, said waiting times for cases deemed non-urgent can be as long as 90 weeks in the Hospital Authority system.

Persons: Abby Choi, Judy Blaine, Hong, Blaine, Carol Liang, Hong Kong, Farah Master, Anne Marie Roantree, Robert Birsel Organizations: Hong Kong Foundation, Organization, Reuters, Hospital Authority, Organisation for Economic Cooperation, Development, Thomson Locations: HONG KONG, Hong Kong, Beijing, Hong

☆ Empty offices, abandoned malls, concerns over crime: Why San Francisco, the Golden City, is losing its luster
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Al Yoon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Days later, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and coowner Brookfield gave the San Francisco City Centre back to their lenders after the exit of retailers left the mall just over half occupied. Whatever is going on in San Francisco, we are not interested in being part of that any longer." Fear of crime taints the cityCrime, or the fear of it, often creeps into conversations about San Francisco, too. "I ask, what's the driver" of the San Francisco office vacancies, Scavone told Insider. He continued: "Is it because downtown San Francisco is somewhat of a difficult commute from suburbs in Marin County or the East Bay?"

Persons: Manus Clancy, Trepp, —, Brookfield, Clancy, Salesforce, Jeff Burg, he's, Burg, we're, Thomas Baltimore, hasn't, Elon Musk, Bob Lee, Frank Scavone, Scavone Organizations: Service, San Francisco, California, Hilton San Francisco, Square, Parc, San Francisco City Centre, San, Krea, Union, Census, LinkedIn, Park Hotels, Resorts, Westfield, ABC, San Francisco Travel Association, Elon, Foods, The New York Times, McKinsey & Co, downtown Locations: San Francisco, San, San Francisco Chronicle, Westfield, Real, Francisco, New York, cubicles, Boston , Chicago, Houston, Miami, San Francisco's Hayes Valley, Manhattan, Tenderloin, —, downtown San Francisco, Marin County

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