April 7, 2023

Working from home became commonplace during the pandemic as companies increasingly kept in contact with employees through platforms like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. As offices opened back up, though, managers started requiring workers to come in at least a few times per week. According to a recent study from the Labor Department, 72.5 percent of American businesses reported that their employees rarely or never work remotely, close to the level of 76.7 percent that preceded the pandemic. 

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September 2, 2022

Last year, the Danish building-block company Lego earned more than 7 billion euros in sales, making it far and away the top toymaker in the world. Once on the brink of bankruptcy in the early 2000s, Lego turned things around when it focused exclusively on construction bricks along with licensed sets based on popular franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Now the company’s dominance extends even into the offices of the world’s biggest corporations as part of team-building exercises Continue reading

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August 24, 2022

exasperated woman working at computerLike other social networks, TikTok users share almost everything about their lives on the app, from their favorite music and TV shows to their anxieties about work. In fact, talk about the latter has increased significantly in recent weeks as videos about “quiet quitting” generate millions of views among young professionals. The phrase is meant to convey the opposite idea of “hustle culture,” another popular work-related topic on TikTok that encourages people to devote themselves entirely to their careers. Quiet Continue reading

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August 9, 2022

Seeking out qualified employees and then hiring them is a costly process for even the biggest companies, which is why most managers strive to keep their staff around for as long as possible. Sometimes fresh hires don’t feel the same way, though, and they leave their new jobs as swiftly as they joined. These “quick quits” are especially prevalent in the current job market where employee turnover remains high. As a result, companies are focusing on a key milestone: a Continue reading

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Although the pandemic ushered in a new era of working from home, many companies still want employees to come into the office. This video looks at how the social network LinkedIn redesigned its workplace to include more than 75 different types of seating, combining the comforts of home with the collaborative nature of the office environment. 

Questions:

  1. What are the benefits and drawbacks of LinkedIn’s new hybrid office plan?
  2. Do you think more companies should follow LinkedIn’s lead and Continue reading
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June 29, 2022

Although the food conglomerate Kellogg might be best known for cereal brands like Rice Krispies and Frosted Flakes, the company also controls other big names such as Eggo waffles, Pringles, and Cheez-It. Managing such a wide portfolio of successful brands is no simple task, though, as departments must often compete with one another for attention and resources. Then there are the unique requirements for each market: for instance, cereals have different marketing and packaging needs than Kellogg’s snack brands.

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March 29, 2022

With omicron infection rates falling and mask mandates expiring across the country, many companies are attempting to reestablish a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy by reopening offices and bringing employees back to stay. But while firms return to business as usual, the nation’s biggest companies may never again return to business travel as usual. According to the Global Business Travel Association, spending on corporate travel amounts to a third of what it was before 2020. 

For example, the consultancy giant Continue reading

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September 29, 2021

At the beginning of the year, the widespread distribution of Covid vaccines gave many companies the confidence to start plotting their triumphant returns to office life. Then the spread of the delta variant largely thwarted these plans as firms brought back just a fraction of the staffers they had intended to. And for those few employees who returned to offices, most are still doing the same thing that they’ve done since March 2020: Zoom meetings. 

For example, Nick Kneer Continue reading

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July 28, 2021

Yesterday, the CDC announced that vaccinated Americans should once again wear masks in indoor public places. This reversal of course from guidelines established just two months ago comes as the Delta variant spreads across the country. As a result, companies that intended to bring their employees back into the office in the coming months are now reconsidering their reopening plans. 

For instance, Apple hoped to bring staff back into its corporate offices by September but have now pushed that Continue reading

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When the pandemic hit the U.S. last year, millions of Americans suddenly went from commuting to the office every weekday to working from home on their laptops. While it was difficult for some people to adjust to this abrupt change, many others became accustomed to remote work quickly, and they would very much like to continue doing just that. As a result, a number of companies are experimenting with “hybrid offices” in which employees come in a couple days of Continue reading

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