What? Why? Which one gets to the heart of the issue? | Hiring slows as economic uncertainty continues | Plant nears 100% 5-day productivity in 4-day workweek
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Beware when boomeranging to old job Millions of people changed jobs during the last few years. And while many are happy with their new roles, some might be yearning for jobs gone by. If you are one of those people who might be thinking about going back to your old job, this article outlines various questions you should ask yourself. It also suggests seeking advice from your new manager or colleagues and how to go about communicating your interest to your old employer. Full Story: Harvard Business Review (tiered subscription model) (10/25)
Asking a colleague "what" -- as in "What motivates you" -- isn't as telling as asking them why it motivates them, Susan Fowler, consultant and author, writes. Fowler quotes the blog of Judes Donin, a Mojo Moments co-founder: "The very reason we refrain from asking 'why' questions is also the reason they can be so powerful: They engage both emotional and cognitive levels in a way that other questions don't ... [and used] carefully and appropriately ... can help clients get unstuck and cause a shift." Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (10/25)
The Landscape
Hiring slows as economic uncertainty continues Employment services provider Randstad NV says businesses are showing less urgency in hiring than a year ago as challenging economic conditions continue. Global uncertainty across industries is making companies hesitant to invest and hire, and firms are taking longer to bring on new workers, in part because it is more difficult to convince senior managers of hiring needs. Full Story: Bloomberg (10/24)
Plant nears 100% 5-day productivity in 4-day workweek Ohio's 50-employee Advanced RV is one of a few manufacturers testing a four-day, 32-hour workweek, and CEO Mike Neundorfer said after 18 months the company has reached 90% of its 40-hour week productivity. Employees first examined what to trim out of the process without affecting quality, then "[w]e started looking into making more templates, more little jigs and boxes to help us with things that are repetitive," said plant worker Bill Kowalcic, adding roles were also reassigned based on who could do tasks best and quickest. Full Story: National Public Radio (10/24)
Within the next three to five years, artificial intelligence will have evolved to the point where we're no longer talking about "using AI," but it will be embedded in almost every facet of business and will not lead to "net job reduction," says Zach Kass, who served as head of go-to-market at ChatGPT parent OpenAI. "More likely, what we're going to see is a new type of job emerge, and I don't know what exactly it will be like, but I think it will be far more human in many respects and far less computational," Kass said. Full Story: SmartBrief/Leadership (10/24)
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Listening to your favorite music can act as a painkiller, according to a study of participants who were asked to rate their pain while listening to different types of music. Researchers found that patients rated their pain as less intense and less unpleasant when listening to their favorite tracks and an there was an increased effect when people listened to bittersweet or moving music, which produces "chills" linked to lower pain intensity. Full Story: The Guardian (London) (10/25)
SmartBrief Podcast Network
Gevo's Gruber outlines advances in sustainable aviation fuel Dr. Patrick Gruber, the CEO of Gevo, explains how sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) fits into the wider energy ecosystem, what it will take for SAF to see wider adoption and the hurdles that might be standing in the way. Gruber also details how Gevo, which has partnered with carriers like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines to expand the SAF market, is developing fuels with the potential to be carbon negative. Full Story: Renewable Energy SmartPod (10/24)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
It was the media story of 1984, when Dr. Leonard Bailey performed a highly successful interspecies transplant using the heart of what animal with "Baby Fae"?
