Arianne Cohen here on this delightful Thanksgiving week. If you aren’t yet signed up for this Work Shift newsletter, please do so here. Follow us at @thefuture, and check out Work Shift for our news and insights on all the latest workplace topics.
Quick Hits
- Want to channel workplace optimism and togetherness? Our columnist Julia Hobsbawm says to co-opt the Thanksgiving vibe.
- That time getting Taylor Swift concert tickets upended your work day.
- Every day is Take Your Dog to Work Day at these offices in Japan.
- Recession, shmession. Workers will likely retain their new-found leverage over employers, even after an economic downturn, according to a new study.
- Remote work has helped Americans with disabilities find employment as never before. Advocates are hoping that they’ll continue to find work opportunities, even as managers bring staff back to the office. Here are eight ways to make sure your company is inclusive and accessible.
- Have workers returned to the office in New York City? It depends on whom you ask. Here’s a guide to all the different ways people are measuring the trend. What Workers WantNew Yorkers are now in the office more, but they crave more days at homehttps://www.bloomberg.com/toaster/v2/charts/eba5918afdaa3ff67b3742457b52fe4f.html?brand=work-shift&webTheme=default&web=true&hideTitles=trueSource: WFH Research/Jose Maria Barrero, Nicholas Bloom and Steven J. Davis
Why is Everyone Career Cushioning?
First came the Great Resignation, and then quiet quitting. Now career cushioning is the workplace catchphrase you need to know.
What is it? Career cushioning is the act of discreetly lining up a Plan B, while fully employed. The term “cushioning” comes from the dating world, where people in relationships pad the hard landing of a breakup by keeping romantic options open. It’s not hard to see why this term has entered the work conversation with tech giants like Twitter, Meta and Amazon filling headlines with thousands of layoffs and making the rest of us a little anxious about our own job security.
How to do it? To start, no need to feel guilty. “A lot of people feel that looking for another job while already employed is cheating on a company, which I find insane,” said career strategist Abbie Martin, whose clients typically feel loyalty to bosses or teammates. That said, career cushioning is mostly job-searching lite, and activities like networking and job board scanning are best done off-hours. “Be ethical,” Martin said. “Maybe do your research on lunch break.”
Why do it? Much like quiet quitting, career cushioning is a psychological pivot of sorts: you before your job. “You’re still committed to your current job, but you’re thinking about what’s important to you and where your passions lie, and where your network and experiences could take you,” Diane Gilley, a partner at recruiting firm Odgers Berndtson’s tech practice, said. “People are definitely looking right now.” Martin has a similar take: “You need to be doing something every day that moves you toward where you want to go,” she said. “It feeds the dream, and the dream expands.” It’s also never a bad career strategy to have a few fallbacks in your back pocket — even if you don’t work for Elon.
Read/Watch/Listen
- Read: Robots are coming to take over the world and…deliver your coffee. Except yours might glitch up and not actually stop at your desk. Here’s The New York Times’ excellent update on office robots.
- Watch: More RTO — as bosses continue to try to coax workers back to their desks, Quicktake spoke to McKinsey’s chief people officer Katy George on what she thinks makes a compelling return-to-office message.
- Listen: It’s a holiday week, so here’s a crowd-pleasing family affair: “What’s Up Doc?”, Radiolab’s classic 2012 take on Mel Blanc, the guy who voiced Bugs Bunny. And Daffy Duck. And Barney Rubble. And Porky Pig. And more than 1,000 others
