Episodes tagged: Workplace

A Sign of the Times: Cutting Paid Holidays in Corporate America

In this episode Steve discusses news from Walgreens, where new Private Equity ownership has taken cost-cutting right to the frontline – by eliminating paid holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas for their retail store hourly employees.

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Why So Many Americans Get Health Insurance from Their Employers

In this episode Steve discusses the history of employer-based health insurance in America, how it came to be, who it benefits, and why considering a single-payer, Medicare for all type system might create better healthcare outcomes and allow companies to focus on their businesses.

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Tech Workers Facing a Reckoning in the Job Market

In this episode Steve discusses how a combination of AI adoption, a drive to cut costs and flatten organizations, and CEO “follow the leader” trends are combining to create a perfect storm of bad news for tech workers in the US. Turns out “Learn to code” may not have been foolproof career advice.

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JPMorgan’s New HQ: The Biggest Bet Yet on Office Culture

In this episode Steve discusses JP Morgan Chase’s new massive, $3 billion HQ tower in Midtown Manhattan and what is suggests about office culture, development, and collaboration. It is the biggest bet yet on the power and importance of in-person working since the end of the pandemic.

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Immigration and the Shrinking Labor Force

In this episode Steve breaks down a new report on the short and long-term impacts to the US labor force of the Trump administration’s policies designed to limit immigration. Restricting immigration could result in talent shortages and slower economic growth for years to come.

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Holiday Hiring in 2025 Will be the Coolest Season in Years

In this episode Steve discusses 2025 Holiday Season hiring plans in the US. This year is shaping up to be much quieter than recent years, and many retailers and logistics firms are taking a cautious approach to adding workers.

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Workers Take the Fall for Poor Management Decisions at Amazon

In this episode Steve discusses the news from Amazon – 14,000 corporate workers slated to be let go do to “efficiency” and the rise of new AI technology. But who at Amazon is really responsible for the strategic errors that led to this, and will they also take their share of blame?

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How Declining Birth Rates are Transforming Economies and Companies

In this episode Steve discusses how declining birth rates in most of the world’s largest economies, including the U.S. and China, are impacting global markets and even individual organizations.

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AI and the Extended Workday

In this episode Steve shares findings from a new academic research paper on the impact of AI on work/life balance and on how many hours we put in on the job. In short, AI is leading to longer workweeks and diminished work/life balance.

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The Robots Are Coming for Amazon’s Jobs – and Maybe Yours

In this episode Steve discusses reports that Amazon, the second-largest private employer in America, is taking steps to aggressively automate much of its operations – with the goal of reducing hiring by as much as 600,000 potential jobs by 2033.

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