A new poll reveals what Americans fear about AI taking their jobs

The explosive launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022 has put the artificial intelligence or AI conversation into overdrive. As we sort through potential ramifications of advanced AI applications, the impact on jobs is at the top of the list.  
 
In July, two significant reports on AI job displacement were released. On July 11, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reported, "27% of jobs are in occupations at high-risk of automation." READ MORE

The Four-Day Workweek Gets Shorter With Practice, Companies Find

Findings from one of the largest experiments with a four-day workweek offers new ballast for people hoping to adopt the same schedule: The longer people worked in new, more efficient ways, the shorter their workweeks became.

The results come from a series of four-day-workweek trials conducted in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Ireland over the past 18 months. Dozens of companies ranging from design agencies to manufacturers and nonprofits tested the four-day concept, an approach that is gaining traction as employers and employees rethink the traditional ways of work. Workers were given a paid day off a week but the same workload to see whether they could get as much done working more effectively.  READ MORE

Craftsman factory in Texas shows challenges of reshoring manufacturing

The unsuccessful effort to launch a highly-automated factory for Craftsman tools in the U.S. underscores the challenges American businesses face in bringing manufacturing back from overseas.

Craftsman, the world’s largest tool brand, owned by Stanley Black & Decker, initially announced in 2019 that it would build a $90 million facility employing up to 500 workers in Fort Worth, Texas. The effort was viewed as an opportunity to showcase Craftsman products being "Made in the U.S.A." with cutting-edge manufacturing technologies to make the automated factory competitive with overseas facilities that use more manual processes.  READ MORE

Why 'loud quitting' is not recommended by job experts

Some employees who are fed up with their bosses or jobs are turning to social media to quit in a vocal and viral way, declaring they're leaving their jobs on such social media platforms as TikTok or Instagram Live. 

This behavior may seem amusing, even something that could make the unhappy employee go viral and become an online "star."

HR pros say it's wise to think twice about engaging in "loud quitting."  READ MORE

U.S. business activity growth slows as services soften

U.S. business activity slowed to a five-month low in July, dragged down by decelerating service-sector growth, closely watched survey data on Monday showed, but falling input prices and slowed hiring indicate the Federal Reserve could be making progress on important fronts in its bid to reduce inflation.

S&P Global said its flash U.S. Composite PMI index, which tracks manufacturing and service sectors, fell to a reading of 52 in July from 53.2 in June. July's reading showed the sixth straight month of growth but was restrained by softening conditions in the service sector. Readings above 50 indicate expansion. READ MORE

Have Tech Layoffs Peaked?

When will the layoffs end? The question is top of mind for anyone who works in the tech sector, whether they’ve watched friends and co-workers lose their jobs or been handed a pink slip of their own.

The tech industry has undergone a major reset since the glory days of 2021. By our count, at least 250,000 tech workers in the U.S. alone have lost their jobs since the start of 2022 — likely many more, as we often don’t have reliable layoffs figures for smaller startups. READ MORE

Tension Is Rising Around Remote Work

You don’t have to look hard to find someone arguing passionately about the benefits or perils of remote work. Some people argue that leaders’ productivity concerns are unfounded, while high-profile executives like Elon Musk suggest that anyone working from home is “phoning it in.” The issue, variably framed in terms of returning to the office (RTO), hybridity, or flexibility, is no doubt polarizing. But the one consistent element of the arguments for and against is how strong and entrenched the stances are. READ MORE

Businesses look to self-regulate the use of AI in hiring

A group of large companies has developed a set of principles and policies for the self-regulation of using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in hiring processes in response to the relative lack of government regulation on the subject.

A total of 18 companies worked with BBB National Programs to develop a pair of documents that will serve as a voluntary framework for self-regulation.  READ MORE

Why AI is not a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card for talent bias

Starting last week, companies in New York City now face enforcement of a 2021 law designed to reduce bias in the hiring process when automated employment decision tools are in use. The new standard prohibits companies that have offices or employees in the city from using AI tools to decide hiring or promotion practices unless these tools have been independently audited for bias. While this regulation decisively impacts organizations with a footprint in the Big Apple, experts say all U.S. companies should pay attention. READ MORE

Workers are calling out bosses who ‘guilt’ staff into donating their vacation time to sick colleagues

When it comes to paid time off from work, America doesn’t have the best reputation. Last year, researchers named the U.S. one of the worst countries in the world for giving employees paid leave.

American workers get an average of 10 paid days off per year, according to careers site Zippia. While this increases slightly after five years with the same employer, it’s still far less than workers in other parts of the world are entitled to—often by law. READ MORE

Forget 'Quiet Quitting', Employers Have a Bigger Problem With Workers

In the modern workplace, you can "quiet quit" or stay and become a "resentee."

After a bad day at the office some workers reported "rage applying" on LinkedIn and coming up with a five-figure salary raise. Employers have also hit back with "quiet hiring" — spreading out the work between existing employees or freelancers instead of hiring a new full-time employee to save money. READ MORE

‘Not for employee use’: why are US retail workers being denied chairs?

When Zay clocked into her customer service job one recent morning, she noticed things looked different. There were no chairs in the break room. She had nowhere to sit at the table where she usually files invoices. When she reached the back of the store, there was one lonely folding chair propped against the wall. “Not for employee use,” read a handwritten note taped on the metal.

When employees asked their boss what had happened, they learned about a new no-sitting policy. Hopefully, the business owner said, this would “increase worker productivity”. READ MORE

Remote workers flocked to ‘Zoom towns’ during Covid—now they’re competing to stay work-from-home

Fully remote jobs are getting harder to come by, but the competition for work-from-home jobs is especially fierce in some parts of the country.

In Bend, Ore., nearly 3 in 4 job applications are to roles that are remote, according to LinkedIn’s latest Workforce Insights Report, which analyzed more than 201 million applications to remote jobs in the U.S. over the past year. Just two years ago, remote jobs in Bend attracted about 42% of applications. READ MORE