Tech employees at The New York Times have organised a half-day strike, protesting the publisher's unilateral push to bring them back to the office. The work stoppage commenced at 1 p.m. ET and saw nearly 700 workers participate in demonstrations conducted on Zoom and outside the newspaper's Manhattan headquarters. Some workers even donned Halloween costumes as part of their protest, an initiative led by the Times Tech Guild (TTG).&nbsp;

This strike comes in response to The New York Times issuing its return-to-office policy, a decision that predates the recognition of the tech guild, which occurred early last year. At that time, tech workers voted overwhelmingly, with a tally of 404-88, to join the NewsGuild of New York. This move bestowed bargaining rights upon TTG, establishing it as the largest tech union in the United States.&nbsp;

For over a year, tech workers represented by the union have engaged in contract negotiations with The New York Times. The company's refusal to recognise their bargaining rights concerning return-to-office policies has spurred this demonstration. Kathy Zhang, unit chair for the guild that comprises software engineers and data analysts, described the situation as an attempt by the Times to intimidate the workforce.&nbsp;

A spokesperson for the media organisation expressed the belief that flexibility, allowing employees to work both in the office and remotely, serves the interests of all involved parties. Additionally, the spokesperson asserted that the U.S. National Labour Relations Board had not ruled against their approach. &nbsp;

This statement came in response to a Bloomberg News report claiming that the agency's prosecutors had concluded that the company violated federal law by unilaterally implementing a return-to-office plan without negotiation with the union. In the absence of a resolution, a regional director of the agency is expected to file a complaint against The New York Times.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

Tech employees at The New York Times have organised a half-day strike, protesting the publisher's unilateral push to bring them back to the office. The work stoppage commenced at 1 p.

Tech employees at The New York Times have organised a half-day strike, protesting the publisher's unilateral push to bring them back to the office. The work stoppage commenced at 1 p.m. ET and saw nearly 700 workers participate in demonstrations conducted on Zoom and outside the newspaper's Manhattan headquarters. Some workers even donned Halloween costumes as part of their protest, an initiative led by the Times Tech Guild (TTG). This strike comes in response to The New York Times issuing its return-to-office policy, a decision that predates the recognition of the tech guild, which occurred early last year. At that time, tech workers voted overwhelmingly, with a tally of 404-88, to join the NewsGuild of New York. This move bestowed bargaining rights upon TTG, establishing it as the largest tech union in the United States. For over a year, tech workers represented by the union have engaged in contract negotiations with The New York Times. The company's refusal to recognise their bargaining rights concerning return-to-office policies has spurred this demonstration. Kathy Zhang, unit chair for the guild that comprises software engineers and data analysts, described the situation as an attempt by the Times to intimidate the workforce. A spokesperson for the media organisation expressed the belief that flexibility, allowing employees to work both in the office and remotely, serves the interests of all involved parties. Additionally, the spokesperson asserted that the U.S. National Labour Relations Board had not ruled against their approach. This statement came in response to a Bloomberg News report claiming that the agency's prosecutors had concluded that the company violated federal law by unilaterally implementing a return-to-office plan without negotiation with the union. In the absence of a resolution, a regional director of the agency is expected to file a complaint against The New York Times. (With inputs from Reuters) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

New York Times tech workers stage half-day strike over return-to-office rules 

The CEO of the messaging platform&nbsp;Slack&nbsp;believes that businesses should reconsider how employees spend their time at work. With the popularity of hybrid working, many people now split their workweek between being at home and going to the office.

Stewart Butterfield, the CEO of Slack, contends that working in office should be a chance to accomplish tasks that are impossible to complete at home. Not one of them, he claims, is working at a desk while using headphones.

It goes without saying that the CEO of an online messaging service won't go so far as to advise colleagues to leave their laptops at home, but he does remark that doing so would "draw a sharp line in the sand about what the purpose of being together is."

The US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and India all host Slack's corporate offices, reports BBC.&nbsp;

Reflecting on its offices before the pandemic,&nbsp;Butterfield says: "The 80% of the floor space that we dedicated to kind of factory-farm, battery-chicken housing for people to use their desks all by themselves and listen to their headphones, and not talk to anyone else... was a bit of a waste."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/employees-who-work-4-days-a-week-dedicate-new-free-time-to-sleep-study-521214">Employees who work 4 days a week dedicate additional free time to sleep: Study</a>

He claims that ongoing changes are making the Slack office more like a social club since he wants employees to come to work to collaborate and for&nbsp;connections in person.

"The best thing we can do is create a comfortable <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-zealands-marine-report-microplastics-found-in-75-of-fish-90-of-seabirds-on-the-verge-of-extinction-524999">environment</a> for people to come together and actually enjoy themselves," he says.

In addition, he believes that young individuals just starting their careers often prefer to work in an office environment with their peers and recognises that some people will choose to work full-time in an office setting because they cannot or do not want to work from home.

Butterfield is really not a huge admirer of meetings.

He supports Jeff Bezos's proposal from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/report-billionaire-philanthropist-mackenzie-scott-donates-15-million-to-help-provide-affordable-glasses-525143">Amazon</a>, wherein attendees read a six-page document as a briefing note at the beginning of a meeting rather than listening to PowerPoint presentations.

"There probably are 20% or 30% (of meetings) that don't actually have to be meetings, that would be more effective with written communication," he says, in a nod to the internet meme "this meeting should have been an email".

He also supports "asynchronous work," which minimises the need for information to be shared in real time.

WATCH WION LIVE TV HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

The CEO of the messaging platform Slack believes that businesses should reconsider how employees spend their time at work. With the popularity of hybrid working, many people now split their workweek between being at home and going to the office.

The CEO of the messaging platform Slack believes that businesses should reconsider how employees spend their time at work. With the popularity of hybrid working, many people now split their workweek between being at home and going to the office. Stewart Butterfield, the CEO of Slack, contends that working in office should be a chance to accomplish tasks that are impossible to complete at home. Not one of them, he claims, is working at a desk while using headphones. It goes without saying that the CEO of an online messaging service won't go so far as to advise colleagues to leave their laptops at home, but he does remark that doing so would "draw a sharp line in the sand about what the purpose of being together is." The US, Canada, Japan, Australia, and India all host Slack's corporate offices, reports BBC. Reflecting on its offices before the pandemic, Butterfield says: "The 80% of the floor space that we dedicated to kind of factory-farm, battery-chicken housing for people to use their desks all by themselves and listen to their headphones, and not talk to anyone else... was a bit of a waste." Also read | Employees who work 4 days a week dedicate additional free time to sleep: Study He claims that ongoing changes are making the Slack office more like a social club since he wants employees to come to work to collaborate and for connections in person. "The best thing we can do is create a comfortable environment for people to come together and actually enjoy themselves," he says. In addition, he believes that young individuals just starting their careers often prefer to work in an office environment with their peers and recognises that some people will choose to work full-time in an office setting because they cannot or do not want to work from home. Butterfield is really not a huge admirer of meetings. He supports Jeff Bezos's proposal from Amazon, wherein attendees read a six-page document as a briefing note at the beginning of a meeting rather than listening to PowerPoint presentations. "There probably are 20% or 30% (of meetings) that don't actually have to be meetings, that would be more effective with written communication," he says, in a nod to the internet meme "this meeting should have been an email". He also supports "asynchronous work," which minimises the need for information to be shared in real time. WATCH WION LIVE TV HERE:

Office time is not for video calls, employees must collaborate, connect in person: Slack CEO

Apple on Monday informed that its employees will be expected to return to the office three days per week from next month, September 5, to be precise. Reportedly, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out the mail, informing about the changes that the upper hierarchy was implementing in the coming days.

Apple on Monday informed that its employees will be expected to return to the office three days per week from next month, September 5, to be precise. Reportedly, Apple CEO Tim Cook sent out the mail, informing about the changes that the upper hierarchy was implementing in the coming days. Currently, Apple employees have been working from their offices, twice a week. However, with the new rules coming in, all employees in Bay Area will have to report to the office on Tuesday and Thursday compulsorily. The third day will be picked or decided based on individual teams. Meanwhile, the option of working from home will be applicable for two days only. "Teams participating in the pilot will come to the office three days each week with Tuesday and Thursday as set days across the company, but now the third day you come in will be decided by your teams." said Cook in a memo sent to his employees. "In terms of timing, many locations around the world are in different phases and you will hear more details shortly. For Santa Clara Valley, we plan to begin our new adjusted pilot with all employees in the office three days beginning the week of September 5th." added the Apple boss. It is pertinent to note that Apple attempted to implement its pilot programme a year ago. The employees were expected to return to the offices in May. However, the rise in Covid cases delayed the process. Read More: Apple and Amazon post impressive numbers amid an economic slowdown Apple's culture heavily depends on employees working together and creating new products. The company has relied on in-person meetings, demos and the physical touch to shape its products; something which was missing in the last couple of years. By recalling its employees to the office, Apple appears to be reaffirming its faith in the office culture, albeit with a hybrid twist. Apple’s head of software, Craig Federighi built on Cook's mail and added that Septemeb will mark the true start of Apple's next hybrid chapter. "Needless to say, this next phase is a pilot, so the one thing of which we can be assured is that we’ll learn a great deal in the months to come. I’m excited for this next chapter and all that lies ahead." he signed off by saying. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Apple sets deadline for employees to be in the office at least three days a week

Ever since a global pandemic swept the entire planet, we, as a human race have been forced to re-evaluate our working habits. Work from home has become a mass phenomenon and as the economies are opening up, hybrid work culture is slowly becoming popular.

Now, a study conducted by Stanford University has revealed that hybrid work culture has reduced 'Churn Rate', also referred to as 'Attrition Rate' by 35 per cent at large technology firms.

'Attrition rate' is defined as the rate at which employees leave their companies. The trial was conducted over 1,612 employees of Trip.com from departments such as engineering, marketing and finance between 2021 and 2022, according to Nicholas Bloom, co-author of the study.

Read More:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/work-from-home-is-now-a-legal-right-in-netherlands-495111"> Work from home is now a legal right in Netherlands</a>

Reportedly, those having birthdays on odd-numbered dates were given the option to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays while others had to punch in at the office full-time.&nbsp;

The findings of the paper prompted Trip.com to roll out a company-wide hybrid work model. The study results showed that employees working from the comfort of homes worked fewer hours but increased their work output on the days they were at the office.&nbsp;

Statistically speaking, employees worked 80 minutes less when working remote and 30 minutes extra on other work days and weekends,&nbsp;

One of the biggest takeaways from the study was that employees working from home reported higher productivity than their office counterparts; with an eight per cent increase in line of codes written, despite working less. &nbsp;

Read More:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-australian-government-encourages-people-for-work-form-home-499011">COVID-19: Australian government encourages people to 'work from home'</a>

The work from Home employees emulated their habit of increased individual messaging and video call communication when working in the office, leading to better coordination amongst their peers.&nbsp;

A hybrid work model is the future. Companies at the moment are hesitant to pull the trigger but as more studies reveal the benefits, it wouldn't be long before it becomes the preferred mode of working for employees worldwide.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) 
 
WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1  width=&quot;100%&quot;"></iframe>

Ever since a global pandemic swept the entire planet, we, as a human race have been forced to re-evaluate our working habits. Work from home has become a mass phenomenon and as the economies are opening up, hybrid work culture is slowly becoming popular.

Ever since a global pandemic swept the entire planet, we, as a human race have been forced to re-evaluate our working habits. Work from home has become a mass phenomenon and as the economies are opening up, hybrid work culture is slowly becoming popular. Now, a study conducted by Stanford University has revealed that hybrid work culture has reduced 'Churn Rate', also referred to as 'Attrition Rate' by 35 per cent at large technology firms. 'Attrition rate' is defined as the rate at which employees leave their companies. The trial was conducted over 1,612 employees of Trip.com from departments such as engineering, marketing and finance between 2021 and 2022, according to Nicholas Bloom, co-author of the study. Read More: Work from home is now a legal right in Netherlands Reportedly, those having birthdays on odd-numbered dates were given the option to work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays while others had to punch in at the office full-time. The findings of the paper prompted Trip.com to roll out a company-wide hybrid work model. The study results showed that employees working from the comfort of homes worked fewer hours but increased their work output on the days they were at the office. Statistically speaking, employees worked 80 minutes less when working remote and 30 minutes extra on other work days and weekends, One of the biggest takeaways from the study was that employees working from home reported higher productivity than their office counterparts; with an eight per cent increase in line of codes written, despite working less. Read More: COVID-19: Australian government encourages people to 'work from home' The work from Home employees emulated their habit of increased individual messaging and video call communication when working in the office, leading to better coordination amongst their peers. A hybrid work model is the future. Companies at the moment are hesitant to pull the trigger but as more studies reveal the benefits, it wouldn't be long before it becomes the preferred mode of working for employees worldwide. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

35 per cent reduction in employees quitting offices due to hybrid work model, Stanford study shows

A recent survey shows a lack of flexible work policies driving women to quit their jobs. Survey says a hybrid work model proving to be exhausting for most employees.

The Burnout generation: Are Hybrid work models leading to burnout?