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Business people standing in the conference room.
gettyWhat a weekend. Between the marathon of sports championships (Spain dominating Wimbledon and the EuroCup was a nice surprise!) and heavier political news from the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump, there is certainly enough to go around the proverbial water cooler this week.
Or is there? While sports are typically fair game, discussing politics at work can be a dicey subject. Our contributors have written loads about the idea, including why discussing politics at the office can damage your personal reputation, how to manage political conversations that feel unavoidable, and tips on how to establish boundaries.
And it’s not a given your political opinions will be protected from actions by your employer. While the exact level of protection employees have when it comes to talking politics at work varies by state, the reality is that you don’t have freedom of speech in the workplace. It’s a topic my colleague Jena McGregor and I discussed a few months back when it comes to activism in the workplace, which you can read more about here.
That applies to your activity on social media, too. From liking to posting commentary or memes, be careful about your digital footprint. Ultimately, I think this TikTok video said it best: “You are still a full-time employee! Do not post things online right now that could cause you to lose your full-time employment.”
No matter the amount of memes you post or like from your supposed anonymous account, your online persona can still become a determining factor for current or future employers.
Happy reading, and I hope you stay cool and have a great week!
WORK SMARTER
Practical insights and advice from Forbes staff and contributors to help you succeed in your job, accelerate your career and lead smarter
Are you in a career rut? Consider these ideas before making a rash transition.
We may be in the age of AI, but that only makes confidence in your skills that much more important.
If you find yourself constantly caring for others before yourself at work, you may be a ‘careaholic.’
Deep Dive: Corporate Retreats Are Making A Comeback
Has your employer ever hosted a corporate retreat? Think team building activities, a trip to a rented-out villa or even an all-inclusive resort.
These excursions are becoming increasingly needed as a worker loneliness epidemic and remote/hybrid work make colleagues feel disconnected. Corporate retreats are once again being used to increase team bonding, writes Forbes contributor Bryan Robinson.
And they could be the way to solve some staggering team dynamic statistics. Nine out of 10 people have working preferences that are different from their team’s behavior, and over half of teams exhibit rigid communication styles to the detriment of adaptability and efficiency, according to a TeamDynamics’ State of the Team report.
Company retreats could help bridge this gap among teams, writes Robinson. They are an opportunity for companies to showcase company values, “activate creativity” and ultimately bring people together.
But they’re not without their dangers. Corporate retreats have also earned some infamous headlines in past years and have been criticized for their huge costs. Who remembers WeWork’s summer camp? It brought together WeWork employees and clients for a sort-of corporate retreat-meets-Coachella, and even included celebrities like Deepak Chopra and Lorde, all while the company had yet to be profitable.
Still, as the age of remote and hybrid work continues to see loneliness rates rise, a dedicated time and place for colleagues to meet and hang-out in person is increasingly becoming a top priority.
“As we move forward, the focus must be on creating environments where every employee can thrive in concert with their colleagues,” TeamDynamics’ Christopher Morrison said.
TOUCH BASE
News from the world of work
Salary growth may be back to pre-pandemic levels, but not for the top position in the U.S. government, as inflation could make the next president’s salary the worst in history, according to a Forbes analysis. Kyle Khan-Mullins reports on how much the chief executive’s fixed salary, which has been $400,000 since 2001, is really worth.
Should AI chatbots be considered employees? HR technology provider Lattice seems to think so, as it announced AI “agents” would be given employee profiles as digital workers—but after much online controversy the company swiftly retracted its announcement. “We look forward to continuing to work with our customers on the responsible use of AI, but will not further pursue digital workers in the product,” Lattice CEO Sarah Franklin announced in a blog post.
Side hustlers are earning more: Workers with jobs on top of full-time employment are, on average, earning $891 extra a month, up 10% percent from last year, according to a new Bankrate survey. But a more stabilizing job market means that fewer workers need the extra income—only 36% of adults said they need a side hustle, down from 39% last year.
Apprenticeship programs in the U.S. will be receiving an influx of $244 million, thanks to a new investment by the Biden-Harris Administration. Apprenticeships, popular for their training programs into trades, have been especially popular with young Gen-Zers, who have been nicknamed “the toolbelt generation,” as high schoolers shy away from college due to increasing costs.
NUMBER TO NOTE
2,520
That’s the number of employees tech companies laid off in just the past week, according to the Layoff.fyi tracker. Leading the charge was Intuit, which laid off 1,800 employees but said it would hire the same amount of workers for its AI unit. Salesforce, which laid off 300, and Ui Path, which laid off 420, cited restructuring measures for their layoffs.
VIDEO
Meet the AI Startup Building ‘General Purpose Brains’ For Robots
QUIZ
What industries have implemented mandatory retirement ages?
A. Commercial airline pilots
B. Federal and state police officers
C. Nuclear material couriers
D. All of the above
Check if you got it right here.
