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☆ Why this investor thinks most founders should try ayahuasca
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That's the assessment from one venture capitalist, who recently tried ayahuasca for the first time. Investor Eddy Vaisberg, 33, told Business Insider ayahuasca could help founders gain better insights into themselves and others — and boost their creativity. It wasn't ayahuasca on its own that shifted Vaisberg's compass, he said. Evans, 46, got into the work after he first tried ayahuasca about a decade ago at a yoga studio in Brooklyn. AdvertisementThat was around the time he first tried ayahuasca.

Persons: —, Aaron Rodgers, Harry, Eddy Vaisberg, he's, Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, Ayahuasca, He's, Vaisberg, it's, Brandon Evans, Evans, He'd, ayahuasca, New York —, they're, hadn't, didn't Organizations: Service, New York, who's Locations: Costa Rica, ayahuasca, Brooklyn, New York City, New, 1heart

☆ I went to a meeting in a virtual 3D office and left convinced it's way better than sitting on Zoom all day
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Video feeds of workers make the virtual office feel more like a real one by letting you see others. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Then I realized the office door was closed. Just us in the virtual office with video feeds of our faces. Braund steps out of his virtual office every day to take his kids to school, he said.

Persons: Erik Braund, —, I'd, Braund, we're, he's, We've, Katmai, Brady Organizations: Service Locations: Katmai, Netherlands, Alaska

☆ Jack Dorsey is getting rid of annual reviews and PIPs at Block. I asked our workplace correspondent if it's a trend.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Katie Notopoulos | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jack Dorsey says Block will no longer do performance reviews or performance-improvement plans. She told me she thought PIPs — performance improvement plans — were underused because companies don't necessarily want to do the legwork that often goes with them. Jack Dorsey's Block just announced that they're going to stop doing PIPs and just fire people who aren't up to snuff. So, having some ability to correct your things you're doing wrong — that's important. Block is also getting rid of annual performance reviews.

Persons: Jack Dorsey, Block, Tim Paradis, Dorsey, —, BI's, who's, you've, Gen Z, Korn, they're, Jack Dorsey's Block, it's Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Valley

☆ I worked in Amazon HR and was 'disgusted at what I was seeing' with performance improvement plans. Then I got put on a PIP and knew I had to quit.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

A former HR staffer at Amazon put employees on a performance-improvement plan known as Pivot. Then the HR staffer, who said they developed PTSD from the work, was put on their own PIP. Either the Pivot appeal or the Pivot work that workers' managers had to do. And look, I'm not going to say you're going to ever find this somewhere, locked down in words. AdvertisementI have PTSDI was disgusted at what I was seeing with the Pivot process.

Persons: —, I'm, Pivot, it's, wasn't, I'd, I've, everybody's, didn't, Let's, Margaret Callahan Organizations: Amazon, Service, Business Locations: United States

☆ Sam Altman's return to OpenAI doesn't necessarily mean a return to normalcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In today's big story, we're looking at Sam Altman returning to the helm of OpenAI. Less than five days after his shocking ouster, Sam Altman is set to return to OpenAI as its CEO. Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella, a key figure in the past few days' drama, comes out a winner. By helping to reinstall Altman at OpenAI, he stabilizes a key piece of Microsoft's AI strategy.

Persons: —, NASA's James Webb, Sam Altman, JACK GUEZ, OpenAI, Altman, we're, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Taylor, Adam D'Angelo, Greg Brockman, OpenAI's confounder, They've, Tim Paradis, Satya Nadella, Kevin Scott, Insider's Ashley Stewart, Julie Bort, Darrin Zammit Lupi, Patrick T, Fallon Rivian, Elon Musk's, Jack Dorsey, Amr Bo Shanab, Madison, they're, Vladimir Putin, Billie Jean King, Jamie Lee Curtis, Scarlett Johansson, Hailey Bieber, John Deere, LongeviQuest's Ben Meyers, Yumi Yamamoto, Fabrizio Villatoro, Jack SteerLo, Fusa Tatsumi, they've, Dan DeFrancesco, Naga Siu, Hallam Bullock, Lisa Ryan Organizations: Service, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, Getty, Silicon, Business, Microsoft, REUTERS, Elon, Madison Ave Locations: OpenAI, AFP, OpenAI's, India, New York City, San Diego, London, New York

☆ Sam Altman inspired a mass defection at OpenAI — something Steve Jobs never did at Apple
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sam Altman's ouster has been so unpopular that most OpenAI workers have threatened to quit. The chaotic ouster of Sam Altman from OpenAI offers lessons around corporate stewardship and about seizing opportunity . It's a remarkable and uncommon show of support for a top dog at a company, leadership experts told Business Insider. Young, leadership expert and author of "Kissinger's Betrayal: How America Lost the Vietnam War" told BI. "Emotions and personalities play a much greater role in the small company," he said.

Persons: Sam Altman's, —, didn't, Sam Altman, It's, Satya Nadella, Altman, Jamie Dimon, Warren, Jeff Bezos, Jerry McGuire, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Sonnenfeld, who's, Steve Jobs, it's, Ken Frazier, Merck, Indra Nooyi, Marc Benioff, Benioff, Stephen B . Young, Young Organizations: Service, OpenAI, JPMorgan, Yale School of Management, Yale's, Leadership, Apple, PepsiCo Locations: Salesforce, Vietnam

☆ Landing your dream job by getting an MBA isn't as easy anymore
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

One second-year student told Business Insider he had to pivot to a job in consulting. His job win comes as the field of consulting isn't as red-hot as it was in 2021 and 2022, experts told Business Insider. But now a range of companies are being more deliberate about how quickly they're hiring MBAs, administrators told BI. However, it's actually close to a normal market for MBA grads, industry and career experts told BI. Still, that's leaving some MBA students uneasy.

Persons: —, he'd, Jeff McNish, MBAs, it's, that's, It's, he's, McNish, Stephanie O'Connor, aren't, we've, O'Connor, I've, I'm Organizations: Service, Ivy League, Business, University of Virginia Darden School, Darden, Center, BI, grads, Bain & Company, — McKinsey, Bain, Boston Consulting Group, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

☆ Why Gen Zers skip their lunch break
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Gen Z workers are most likely to skip lunch at least once a week, a survey found. Seven in 10 Gen Z workers report they don't take lunch at least once a week. That's compared with about half of millennial workers and four in 10 Gen Xers who skip lunch. Of course, not all Gen Zers skip lunch. Beyond what a lunch break does for us at work, eating at the right times can boost health, according to scientists.

Persons: —, Gen Zers, Xers, Zers, They're, Gen Z's, Diane Swint, Swint, TikToker Brittany Finkelstein, ezCater, it's Organizations: Service, Boomers, Business Locations: Sweetgreen, New York City

☆ More workers should be on PIPs, but they have to be used right first
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementYou were just told you're being put on a performance-improvement plan at work. Instead, she said, bosses need to be undertaking the essential and sometimes difficult work of coaching workers who need to beef up their performance. Ask about your chances of surviving a PIPNot all PIPs are necessarily well-intentioned efforts to help workers, of course. In many cases, workers have said they felt unfairly targeted by PIPs . AdvertisementFalcone said a good PIP, used judiciously, can help both sides.

Persons: they're, —, Jeanne MacDonald, MacDonald, Paul Falcone, he's, Falcone, Falcone doesn't, He's, yank —, Danna Greenberg, It's Organizations: Service, Korn, Workers, Babson College

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

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

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

☆ Gen Zers are saying 'no thanks' to promotions for reasons that go beyond money
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Gen Zers aren't eager for promotions, partly because they believe management is unfulfilling. Gen Zers crave support, clarity on goals, a realistic career path. But actually, that's not the dream of many Gen Zers. For many Gen Zers, it can be easy to look at their managers and think, "No, thanks." The consultancy also found that Gen Zers think meaningful work is just as important as workplace flexibility when they're considering a job opportunity.

Persons: Zers aren't, Zers, —, that's, Emily Rezkalla, Rezkalla, she'd, Zers —, it's, Pradeep Philip, Philip, Gen, we've, they're, Rod Thill, he's, Thill, TikTok Organizations: Service, Deloitte, Economics, McKinsey

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

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

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

☆ Gen Z is forcing a workplace reckoning that should have happened years ago
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Gen Z, on the heels of the pandemic, is pushing for changes to how we work. Workers across generations are benefitting from some of the questions Gen Z has been asking. AdvertisementAdvertisementThanks, Gen Z. Gen Zers aren't likely to get everything they're asking for — at least not right away. And even workplace jargon — that code for showing you belong because you know how to toss it around — is getting a Gen Z rewrite .

Persons: Gen Z, —, Zers aren't, Pradeep Philip, Philip, That's, Nicole Kyle, Zers, Brynn Anderson, who've, Alex Soojung, Kim Pang, Pang, we've, Read, Zer, Gen Organizations: Workers, Service, Deloitte, Economics, CMP Research, United Auto Workers, Detroit, UPS, Associated Press, UAW, didn't Locations: America

☆ I got laid off from Amazon. They've tried 4 times to rehire me, but I can't go back.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

We were made aware that we would be getting an email if we were getting laid off. It didn't really help to fill in the trust that was missing there. It felt really depersonalized and almost just like a slap across the face because you give so much to them. AdvertisementAdvertisementAmazon comes callingI got my first outreach on LinkedIn on behalf of Amazon a little over a month after they told us we were getting laid off. It kind of seemed like you're getting covered in ants and you're getting overwhelmed.

Persons: —, We'd, we'd, Amazon, you'd, who've, you've, I'd, we've Organizations: Amazon, Service

☆ Be more energetic at work! Why it seems like your boss is suddenly prioritizing soft skills.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementJames Neave, head of data science at Adzuna, compares soft skills to people skills. Selker said that because soft skills can be observed, they can be measured, even if somewhat subjectively. Measuring soft skills can then become more like evaluating hard skills. AdvertisementAdvertisement"It really is a shift in thinking then to say, 'Can we observe these soft skills?" The pandemic meant that many Gen Zers, as they started their careers, didn't get the face-to-face interactions at work that might have allowed them to further develop their soft skills.

Persons: —, we've, Carrie Fisher, Harry Met Sally, Norman Bacal, Bacal, James Neave, Neave, Greg Selker, Stanton Chase, Selker, Zers, didn't Organizations: Service, Management, LinkedIn, KPMG Locations: American, Adzuna

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

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

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

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

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

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

☆ Hey managers, we should be answering Gen Z's questions, not just complaining
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Tim Paradis | Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

It's easy for older workers to complain about Gen Zers as being lazy or entitled. Yet some Gen Z workers are questioning norms that need to be reconsidered, experts tell Insider. AdvertisementAdvertisementWe've all heard the complaints about Gen Z and how they're rattling older managers . People older than Gen Z created the social platforms some Gen Zers are sounding off on. 1 thing she hears from older workers is that Gen Zers ask too many questions.

Persons: Gen Zers, —, Gen, Gen Z, Zers, TikTok, Kenneth Matos, Matos, who's, Xer, " Matos, Rebecca Fagan, she's, Fagan, Maia Ervin, Ervin, it's, millennials, they're, Z Organizations: Service, Boomers, KPMG, Gen, JUV Consulting Locations: Zaria

☆ Amazon shut down a Slack channel where 2,000 employees talked about performance-improvement plans. Another one is up and running.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amazon deleted a Slack channel about the company's performance-improvement plans. AdvertisementAdvertisementAmazon deleted a Slack channel that some employees had used for swapping information about the company's performance-improvement plans, the company confirmed. Those workers Amazon managers think are failing to measure up can get placed in what's called Focus, Insider previously reported. Aldebot-Green said Amazon workers don't need permission to set up Slack channels. Insider previously reported the old channel appeared to have been created by an employee in July 2021.

Persons: —, what's, It's, Slack, Green Organizations: Service, Amazon, Employees

☆ 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

☆ ‘A scary situation’: As Wall Street assails Harvard, students worry about their futures
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Melia Russell | Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ackman, in his initial tweet about Harvard, said that "a number of CEOs" shared his desire to publicly out the Harvard students who condemned Israel. Other business leaders were quick to echo his calls, winning plaudits on social media. In a visit to Harvard, Insider spoke with a range of students about the backlash to the statement on Israel. It's ironic, of course, to accuse students of silencing dissent when Ackman and other business leaders are seeking to do exactly that. But now, some Harvard students fear that the backlash from the business community will have a chilling effect on student speech.

Persons: Bill Ackman, they've, Israel, Marc Rowan, Meyer Davidoff, Kalita, Eden Mendelsohn, what's, " Melia Russell, Tim Paradis Organizations: Harvard, Wall, Big Law, University of Pennsylvania, Invictus Pharmacy, LinkedIn, Birkoa Capital Management, Penn, Twitter Locations: Gaza, Silicon, Israel, Silicon Valley

☆ 'It rocks my spirit.' Harvard students share their takes on the difficult week on campus.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Harvard students spoke to Insider about the controversies roiling campus. The disputes followed the terroist attack by Hamas on Israel and a letter signed by student groups. One woman told Insider people falsely accused her and her fellow Jewish students at Harvard Law School of sponsoring the truck. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Harvard campus on October 12. First-year law studentOne first-year law student said he wished both the student groups and the Harvard administration would take a more nuanced approach.

Persons: —, Israel —, Bill Ackman, they're, who'd, it's, Tim Paradis, Eden Mendelsohn Mendelsohn, that's, Harvard, aren't Organizations: Harvard, Service, Harvard Law School Locations: Israel, Harvard

☆ This recruiter uses a late-night text message to see if you're a good fit for a job
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Would you answer a late-night text message from a recruiter after a job interview? The message is a test to help determine whether someone is a good fit for a job or a culture. AdvertisementAdvertisementYou go to a job interview at 1 p.m.Around 10 p.m., you get this text: "Hey, Tim. Text back quickly and it might up your chances of snagging the job, at least at Vanderbloemen's 45-person firm. Trial by text message joins other offbeat quizzes meant to help determine whether a job candidate should get an offer letter.

Persons: William Vanderbloemen, —, Tim, Ben, proctor, that's, Vanderbloemen, they're, who'd, it's, It's, Slack Organizations: Service Locations: Vanderbloemen, Houston, New York City

☆ 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

☆ I thought I landed my dream job at Amazon. But after being put on an impossible performance plan, I quit even though I lost a $110,000 deposit on a house.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Tim Paradis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

It was going to really take me to that next level and lead me to my dream job. So I was like, "Wow, I'm going to work for Amazon. I'm going to put you into a Pivot program." Well of course I'm going to leave because I'm not that stupid. I lost $110,000 that there's no way I'm going to get back.

Persons: —, I'm, TAMs, we're, he'd, wasn't, I've, Slack, I'd, that's Organizations: Amazon, Service, Amazon Web Services, LinkedIn, TAM

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