{"id":12974,"date":"2023-09-08T19:15:09","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T19:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/more-back-to-office-mandates-ai-agents-and-weworks-future\/"},"modified":"2023-09-08T19:15:11","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T19:15:11","slug":"more-back-to-office-mandates-ai-agents-and-weworks-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=12974","title":{"rendered":"More Back-To-Office Mandates, AI \u2018Agents\u2019 And WeWork\u2019s Future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is the published version of Forbes’ Future of Work newsletter, which offers the latest news for chief human resources officers and other talent managers on disruptive technologies, managing the workforce and trends in the remote work debate. Click here to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday!<\/em><\/p>\n

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I<\/abbr>t\u2019s the first week back after Labor Day, and that can mean only one thing for office workers and human resources leaders: yet another round of return to office mandates. In what\u2019s become a post-Covid annual rite of fall, more companies are pushing people to head back to the office more often\u2014from Meta\u2019s new \u201cin-person focus\u201d to in-office expectations, according to media reports, from drugmaker Merck\u2014now that kids are back in school and the economy gives bosses more leverage.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re battling the high costs of a return-to-office commute, worried about increasing numbers of Covid cases, drowning in back-to-school chaos or simply wishing you were still at the beach, it\u2019s back-to-the-grind week. To help, contributor Jack Kelly has some suggestions on managing the back-to-work routine. If your company has decided to go with offsites rather than mandates, here\u2019s how to make the experience worthwhile. And for those still strategizing on how to get more people back on site, remember the decision shouldn\u2019t be based on productivity alone. Hope it\u2019s a great weekend, after a week when it\u2019s well-deserved.<\/p>\n

Jena McGregor, Senior Editor, Leadership Strategy & Careers | @jenamcgregor<\/strong><\/p>\n

HUMAN CAPITAL<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On Thursday, the union that represents 150,000 workers of General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis warned that a potential strike looks increasingly likely as a deal is still out of reach between automakers and workers about hours worked, benefits received and a requested 46% wage hike. Shawn Fain, the UAW president, said the union is reserving its endorsement of President Joe Biden for the 2024 presidential election until he addresses concerns about employee protections in the transition to electric vehicles.<\/p>\n

Contributor Paul Klein writes that companies will need to be more prepared for climate disasters and their impact on employees, emergency operations, recovery efforts and sustainability impacts, citing examples of both Walmart\u2019s and Verizon\u2019s prepared response to recent hurricanes.<\/p>\n

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The unemployment rate rose to 3.8%, August job numbers released last Friday showed, but the U.S. still added 187,000 jobs, outperforming the 170,000 figure expected by economists. Still, layoffs continue, with big companies laying off more than 65,000 workers this summer. Recently, Roku cut 10% of its workforce, Forbes<\/em>\u2019 Brian Bushard reported\u2014the company\u2019s stock rallied 10% afterwards\u2014and Barstool Sports reportedly cut 25% of staff.<\/p>\n

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While OpenAI and rivals like Anthropic and Google battle to build AI foundation models like GPT-4, entrepreneurs Kanjun Qiu and Josh Albrecht are taking a different approach with Imbue, which is building AI \u201cagents.\u201d This type of computing system can simulate human decision-making to complete complex tasks, Forbes<\/em>\u2019 Alex Konrad and Kenrick Cai report, acting more like a virtual research assistant that can crunch analysis, recommend follow-on experiments and even set them up.<\/p>\n

Contributor Nick Morrison writes about new guidance from UNESCO, the UN\u2019s education and cultural arm, which warned that \u201cgenerative AI can be a tremendous opportunity for human development, but it can also cause harm and prejudice,\u201d said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the organization. \u201cIt cannot be integrated into education without public engagement, and the necessary safeguards and regulations from governments.\u201d Read more here.<\/p>\n

FACTS AND COMMENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In advance of this Labor Day, the organization Jobs for the Future surveyed more than 2,200 workers and found that workers saying they have high-quality jobs are consistently more likely than their peers with low- to medium-quality jobs to feel productive (46% vs. 29%), happy (40% vs. 14%), and optimistic (34% vs. 15%).<\/p>\n

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  • 19 million: <\/strong>The number of workers (or more) who are estimated to earn less than $15 an hour.<\/li>\n
  • Two-thirds:<\/strong> The proportion of workers in low-wage jobs who are between 24 and 55 years old, the years considered to be workers\u2019 prime working years.<\/li>\n
  • \u201cWe cannot expect to have a thriving, engaged workforce unless every worker has access to quality jobs.\u201d<\/strong>\u2014Maria Flynn, president and CEO, Jobs For The Future<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    VIDEO<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    President Biden Speaks On Potential Auto Workers Strike<\/p>\n

    Watch<\/p>\n

    STRATEGIES + ADVICE<\/h3>\n

    Stop the negativity in your workplace if \u2018doom loops\u2019 are ruling them.<\/p>\n

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    Be a better mentor with these strategies and ideas.<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s why authenticity matters when it comes to hiring and retention.<\/p>\n

    QUIZ<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    WeWork said Sept. 6 it plans to renegotiate \u201cnearly all\u201d of its leases to try lower operating expenses and stay in business \u201cfor many years to come,\u201d an announcement that comes just weeks after the coworking space company warned its ability to stay in business was in doubt. How many locations did the company have as of June 30?<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. 906<\/li>\n
    2. 390<\/li>\n
    3. 777<\/li>\n
    4. 653<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Check if you got it right here. <\/p>\n

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      ACROSS THE NEWSROOM <\/strong><\/p>\n

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