In today’s episode of the workplace trends digest, we are exploring the latest news and discussions that shape the future of work. As always, we continue to make sense of a continuing wave of layoffs and share tips that help leaders steer teams through the recession.
Here are this week’s top stories:
- Airtable lays off over 250 employees
- Remote work revolution is turning downtowns into “ghost towns”
- AI is coming for jobs – and creative fields are not safe
- The four-day week is beneficial to businesses
To stay on top of the news, follow us on LinkedIn and get regular updates on how companies transition back to offices.
Layoffs
Airtable, last valued at $11 billion for its no-code software, lays off over 250 | TechCrunch
Last week, Airtable announced layoffs that cut 20% of the company’s staff. The workforce reduction impacted the C-suite as well: the company’s chief product officer, chief people officer, and chief revenue officer have left the team.
Adobe Cuts 100 Jobs Concentrated in Sales as Tech Tightens Belt | Bloomberg
The company let go of 100 employees, most of whom worked in the sales department. According to an internal source, trimming operational expenses was the company’s key reason for job cuts.
Blue Apron to cut 10% of corporate workforce | Reuters
Valued at $1.7 billion in 2017, Blue Apron is now a shell of its former glory. The company’s current valuation is at $30 million and its shares trade at $1. To “create a more nimble, focused organization”, Blue Apron has announced layoffs that will impact 10% of its workforce.
BuzzFeed Lays Off 12% of Employees | Variety
On Tuesday last week, the company disclosed its round of layoffs in an SEC filing. According to the official statement, job cuts are necessary for “reducing company costs” and “eliminating redundancies where they exist”.
Remote and hybrid work
The 2022 Status Of Remote Work And Top Future Predictions | Forbes
As we look back at 2022 and analyze the state of remote work, its unprecedented stickiness comes out in plain sight. According to Gallup’s survey, 87% of employees would rather work from home than go back to offices. At the same time, companies are increasingly leveraging opportunities for office return, making one wonder what the future of remote work loos like in 2023.
The ‘office apocalypse’ is upon us | INSIDER
2022 was riddled with predictions of office return – some experts believed that RTO will fail as employees no longer want to set foot in the office. Others thought executives would succeed in pressuring workforces into returning to normal. It seems that the truth lies in the middle – even so, the impact of the remote work revolution for downtowns is tremendous.
Working one day a week in person might be the key to happier, more productive employees | The Conversation
Toronto Metropolitan University has released new data on remote work that, while confirming the known benefits of working from home, raised awareness of its challenges, like the loss of engagement between employees and their organizations. To that end, the authors of a piece for The Conversation, offer a simple yet elegant solution – one day of in-person work a week.
No, Remote Employees Aren’t Becoming Less Engaged | Harvard Business Review
While data suggests that people struggle to build strong relationships when working remotely, studies also show that we are getting better at it. According to survey data released by HBR, employees are getting increasingly more skilled at getting online meetings to mirror spontaneous in-person interactions.
Leadership and management
Can younger workers speak up without managers bristling? | BBC Worklife
As Gen Z is graduating, workplaces fill with the new generation – ambitious, no-nonsense, and extremely vocal about its needs. After having them around for a few years, employers see that young workers are not afraid to speak up but are not always encouraged to do so.
Your Creativity Won’t Save Your Job From AI | The Atlantic
It was always common knowledge that most workplace tasks requiring physical labor would (and should) be automated by technology. When it came to creativity, we saw it as the holy grail of humanity – until GPT-3 and DALL-E came out to prove everyone wrong. Right now the discussion about the jobs that are safe from AI automation is a lot more slippery.
The four-day week is positive for business bottom lines | UNLEASH
With companies and governments rallying behind a 4-day week, more data is now available to assess its benefits. As counterintuitive as it seems, working one day less actually makes teams more productive and helps companies deliver business objectives.
Nearly 1 in 3 people are wired as high performers. Why are they afraid to show it? | Quartz
Research shows that perfectionism and the desire to do one’s best work are more common than the tendency to settle for mediocrity. Yet, employees often hesitate to unleash their drive and ambition for the fear of being criticized and scrutinized by managers.
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