A late January batch of links
Since the most recent batch of links went out, paying subscribers received a suggested overview of how to describe themselves in the job market this year followed by a short essay about dealing with disappointment. This coming weekend they will get another essay from me about restoring order amid a world of confusion.
Below, you’ll find a batch of links on the subjects this newsletter covers each week, which are professional development, community building, and self care.
‘We were kindred spirits:’ As seniors battle a loneliness epidemic, the friendship of a 76- and 17-year-old shows connection has no limits. We need to stop thinking about communities being defined by or determined by age or stage of life. Find your people whoever they are built around sentiment and sensibility.
Layoffs Often Leave Companies Worse Off.
How Big Tech’s pandemic bubble burst. “The tech layoff announcements are likely to continue into the upcoming earnings season, Kessler said, amid ongoing economic warning signs. And even companies that might not yet be feeling the pain may follow their peers’ lead in trimming their workforces.”
High Turnover of Home Caregivers Makes Life Precarious for Many.
Are remote workers lazy? Experts weigh in on Elon Musk and Marc Benioff’s productivity problem. I agree with all of the points made in this story, but there’s a big difference between people saying that if they get their job done, why should it matter where they work? and what’s laid out in this story about targeted goals. Of course if you’re doing to be invisible to others you’ll be asked to be more visible with your work outcomes.
The Digital Workplace Is Designed to Bring You Down.
A Pessimist’s Guide to Embracing Positivity. We cannot become different people in January, but we can definitely make strides to change our habits. The messaging around resolutions is weird and wacky. I do enjoy looking back on the year for what it offered me by way of growth. It’s more about feelings during December than around January, I suppose.
Why Marriage Can Change Your Money Habits.
Inflation Is Cooling, Leaving America Asking: What Comes Next?
“My personal situation has improved a good amount,” Mr. Bate said, explaining that he’s feeling cautious but hopeful about the economy. “It’s looking like it might shape out all right.”
Remote Work Saves Global Commuters 72 Minutes a Day, Study Finds.
How to Nab a New Job…Without Tipping Off Your Current Boss. All of the advise from these career experts is outdated. None of it covers what’s been happening over the past 90 days. They need to update their thinking, examples, materials, and perspective to match what’s happening now.
The Job Market for Remote Workers Is Shrinking. This article had it backward. People are indexing on LinkedIn around remote work availability. What they should be doing is using LinkedIn to find people who need them to join their teams, then negotiating the right roles that come with accommodations they desire, such as but not limiting to flexibility in where and when they work. It’s more available than they realize it is.
In the wake of massive layoffs, tech workers reconsider their future.
It’s sometimes said that every company is now a software company, given how omnipresent tech is in every facet of the economy, and many non-tech companies still have good reasons to hire the people that traditional tech firms just laid off.