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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Business Insider obtained a recording of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy's latest all-hands meeting.</li><li>Jassy said Amazon's RTO policy is not a 'backdoor layoff' strategy. </li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-employees-react-jeff-bezos-washington-post-decision-leaked-messages-2024-10">Amazon</a> employees have speculated that the company's strict return-to-office policy is part of a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-jobs-layoffs-quiet-firing-tactics-employees-2024-1">"quiet firing"</a> strategy and the result of a secret agreement with cities that need to boost their local economies.Not true, according to Amazon's CEO <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-even-more-bullish-ai-cloud-opportunity-2024-10">Andy Jassy</a>.During an internal all-hands meeting on Tuesday, Jassy denied those rumors, saying he understands it is a big "adjustment" the company needs to work through, according to a recording of the meeting obtained by Business Insider."This was not a cost play for us. This is very much about our culture and strengthening our culture," Jassy said, adding that the only city Amazon notified ahead of time about its <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-employees-open-letter-aws-ceo-office-return-rto-2024-10">RTO</a> mandate was Seattle.Amazon announced in September that most corporate employees will have to come into the office 5 days a week, starting in January. The announcement sparked <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-andy-jassy-rto-office-policy-employee-jobs-2023-8">fierce pushback</a> from some employees. It also stoked <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-return-to-office-backdoor-layoffs-rto-nick-bloom-2024-10">rumors</a> of the mandate being a stealth ploy to cull the workforce without a large formal layoff.Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-office-policy-aws-ceo-employees-rto-five-days-2024-10">said in a staff meeting</a> last month that 9 out of 10 Amazon employees he'd spoken with were "excited" by the change. Still, more than 500 employees recently <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-employees-open-letter-aws-ceo-office-return-rto-2024-10">signed an internal petition</a> protesting the new RTO policy.When asked for comment, an Amazon spokesperson pointed to Jassy's memo from when the company announced the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link" href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/ceo-andy-jassy-latest-update-on-amazon-return-to-office-manager-team-ratio">new RTO announcement</a>.<h2 id="5bc8a17d-707a-4065-ae0a-75d2e55f36f2">'Most remarkable company in the history of business'</h2>At Tuesday's meeting, Jassy reiterated his belief that working in the same physical space can foster better innovation and work culture. He also said his eventual hope is that leadership won't have to track <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-forced-rto-tracking-employee-office-attendance-2023-9">individual badging data</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-enforces-new-office-hours-rule-targets-coffee-badging-compliance-2024-7">other workarounds</a>. He added that employees will be able to work remotely when they are sick or need to repair something at home.These moves are important for Amazon because of the rapidly changing nature of technology and intensifying competition, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-even-more-bullish-ai-cloud-opportunity-2024-10">especially in the artificial intelligence field</a>, Jassy said. Only a few companies survive for 50 or 100 years in the tech industry because "the world changes, technology changes, competitors change, companies change," he said."We have a chance to build the most remarkable company in the history of business," Jassy said. "But I also would say that I'm not sure that there's been a more important time in the history of this company with the way technology is changing, especially with AI, for us to be well set up to innovate together and to collaborate together and to be connected to one another and to understand the culture, and that's what we're optimizing for."<h2 id="0e1cd691-2731-4dfd-a289-965f92436bad">'I hate bureaucracy'</h2>Jassy also addressed the company's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/ceo-andy-jassy-latest-update-on-amazon-return-to-office-manager-team-ratio">decision</a> to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by the first quarter of 2025.Amazon hired so many people during the pandemic that it added "a lot more layers" to the company, he said. Having more management layers meant it took longer to get things done, and simple approvals went through multiple people. It created <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-andy-jassy-day-2-culture-first-year-ceo-2022-8">more bureaucracy</a>. Having fewer managers can potentially fix this, he said.As part of this, Amazon also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-wants-workers-report-wasteful-bureaucracy-boost-efficiency-good-thing-2024-9">announced</a> a new "Bureacracy Mailbox" last month, where employees can send unnecessary and excessive processes or rules that need to be fixed. On Tuesday, Jassy told employees that he has received more than 500 emails through this bureaucracy inbox, and the company has taken action on over 150 of those suggestions."The reality is that the S team and I hate bureaucracy," Jassy said, referring to Amazon's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-amazons-s-team-ceo-jeff-bezoss-top-lieutenants-2020-5">most senior leadership team</a>. "One of the reasons I'm still at this company is because it's not a political or bureaucratic place."Do you work at Amazon? Got a tip?Contact the reporter, Eugene Kim, via the encrypted-messaging apps Signal or Telegram (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" class="c-link">+1-650-942-3061</a>) or email (<a target="_blank" href="mailto:ekim@businessinsider.com">ekim@businessinsider.com</a>). Reach out using a nonwork device. Check out Business Insider's <a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/insider-guide-to-securely-sharing-whistleblower-information-about-powerful-institutions-2021-10">source guide</a> for other tips on sharing information securely.

In all-hands meeting, Amazon CEO says RTO mandate not a 'backdoor layoff'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Amazon's return-to-office mandate is a move to cut head count, says Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom.</li><li>Bloom told BI the policy may harm areas like AI, where recruiting top talent is challenging.</li></ul><a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-forced-rto-tracking-employee-office-attendance-2023-9">Amazon's</a> strict return-to-office push is an attempt to reduce head count, according to Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom.Bloom, a leading expert on flexible working, said that requiring employees to work in the office five days a week could be a "backdoor layoff" strategy — a move sometimes used by employers to reduce head count without facing the consequences of formal layoffs.He told Business Insider the move would probably succeed on that basis but would "damage areas like AI where it is hard to recruit top employees.""Amazon presumably took the view they would rather control costs by cutting head count and take the hit of technology and innovation," he said.Amazon's new policy of requiring employees to work in the office five days a week has been unpopular with workers. After the announcement, some Amazon employees took to an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-workers-blast-strict-rto-mandate-five-days-week-2024-9">internal Slack channel </a>to blast the company's new policy.One Amazon worker in Germany told BI that the return-to-office mandate was a "betrayal" and that he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-rto-employee-coffee-badging-office-2024-9">planned to "coffee badge"</a> rather than work in the office five days a week. Another employee told <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://fortune.com/2024/09/29/amazon-employees-angry-andy-jassy-rto-mandate/">Fortune they were "rage applying"</a> for other jobs.<h2 id="3df78d69-c645-40d8-b551-87a260dd0e81">Popular perk</h2>Hybrid work is generally very popular with employees and has been shown to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/remote-work-good-for-productivity-here-to-stay-pwc-2024-9">boost retention and productivity.</a>Amazon's strict stance on full-time office work is still somewhat of an anomaly within the tech industry. According to research from Flex Index, most tech companies still have a hybrid or remote policy.Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI all still operate a hybrid work policy with some mandated office days. At Microsoft, an exec recently reassured staff it wouldn't mandate an office return unless productivity dropped."I don't hear about other tech firms following suit, and indeed the broad consensus I hear is this is a great opportunity to pick off some top talent from Amazon," Bloom said."In particular, key AI personnel at Amazon are now being aggressively approached as the leading firms in this field — places like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI — are all hybrid. So this is an incredible opportunity for them to hire from Amazon," he added.<h2 id="f7d2a513-db6c-4826-878f-706ee944f8b4">Cost-cutting move</h2>In the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/ceo-andy-jassy-latest-update-on-amazon-return-to-office-manager-team-ratio">memo announcing the</a> RTO policy, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy hinted at plans to reduce managers.He said the company plans to flatten departments and ask senior leadership teams to increase the ratio of individual contributors to managers by at least 15% by the end of the first quarter of 2025.Jassy said the move was part of an effort to get the company operating "like the world's largest startup," allowing employees to "move fast" and not waste time with "unnecessary processes."A <a target="_blank" rel="" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-fewer-managers-leaked-document-2024-9">copy of an internal document obtained by Business Insider</a> indicates the new plan could result in role eliminations as "organizations may identify roles that are no longer required."Bloom said Amazon may be shifting from a phase of growth into a phase of consolidation and cost cutting.He noted that Amazon is a well-organized company that analyzes everything in detail."They clearly thought about this long and hard and presumably calculated it was more cost-effective to run a head count reduction via an RTO than active layoffs. This avoids the need for severance pay. The obvious downside of the RTO strategy is a lot of top talent will quit, so it has a growth hit," he said.Representatives for Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Amazon's RTO mandate is a 'backdoor layoff' strategy, future of work expert says

<ul><li><keyword id="19904608" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> announced an <keyword id="20007258" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="RTO" source="keywords">RTO</keyword> mandate last month</li><li><keyword id="19916568" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employees" source="keywords">Employees</keyword> have to come to office five days a week</li><li>Amazon has defended the move</li></ul> When <keyword id="20231207" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-from-home" source="keywords">work from home</keyword> became the norm during the Covid-19 pandemic, most people thought that this would be the new normal. Employees began realising that they could save up a lot of time as well as money by working from home and discussions about the importance of work-life balance surfaced. However, as soon as things started getting better, companies called employees back to offices. Amazon also made headlines last month for calling its employees back to offices five days a week. After the news went viral, many people began reacting to it. The tech giant also received a baclash for its decisions as people started saying on social media that this is not the solution. Now, according to a report in The Information, <keyword id="23472756" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Beth-Galetti" source="keywords">Beth Galetti</keyword>, Senior Vice President of People Experience and Tech at Amazon, has defended the mandate. Galetti said that younger employees are eager to benefit from in-person mentorship and have been asking to work from office. Speaking at The Information’s Women in Tech, Media, and Finance conference, Galetti explained that many junior staff members expressed a desire for face-to-face interaction with colleagues. She also said that the new policy reflects a return to Amazon’s previous work culture, where there was flexibility for personal matters but office attendance remained the norm. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113855017" title="Amazon's RTO mandate is a 'backdoor layoff' strategy, future of work expert says" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Amazon CEO <keyword id="19910506" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Andy-Jassy" source="keywords">Andy Jassy</keyword> also supports the decision, highlighting the importance of collaboration and innovation that come from being physically present in the office. In a memo to staff, Jassy acknowledged that pre-pandemic, the company allowed remote work when necessary, and this flexibility would remain. However, he stressed that regular in-office work is key to building stronger teams and a cohesive company culture. In response to the changing work environment, Amazon is also developing a generative AI-powered “culture coach” to help provide employees with real-time feedback, further supporting staff in their roles as the company adapts to new ways of working. On the other hand, Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economist, suggests that this could be a way for Amazon to reduce its workforce without resorting to formal layoffs. He refers to this tactic as a “backdoor layoff” strategy, where some employees might quit due to the new policy, helping the company cut costs without the need to offer severance packages. Speaking to Business Insider, Bloom said that this approach may work to control costs but could harm departments like AI, where top talent is hard to attract and retain. Other tech companies like <keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword>, Microsoft, and OpenAI are continuing with hybrid work policies, which may give them a chance to hire skilled workers leaving Amazon due to its stricter office requirements.

Young employees need mentorship: Amazon on calling employees back to office five days a week

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Pascal Lauener/ReutersYahoo CEO Marissa Mayer</div></div></div>Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is reportedly on a trip to meet investors and sell her future plan that would keep her on board - all the while cutting jobs as part of a downsizing effort.According to <a href="http://nypost.com/2016/02/24/marissa-mayer-tries-pushing-yahoo-in-new-york/">the New York Post</a>, Mayer recently visited New York City to meet with big Yahoo shareholders, including Millennium Partners and Mason Capital. Mayer has apparently taken a more "defensive stance" to the idea of selling Yahoo's core product, while pitching her grand plan to turnaround Yahoo with her earlier mobile-focused initiatives. Convincing large shareholders of her original turnaround plan would let Mayer keep her job without having to deal with a proxy fight.At the same time, some sources told the Post that she's planning to lead the buyout process on her own, with the help of private equity firms, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-board-is-split-over-the-sale-of-core-business-2016-2">reflecting a clear rift</a> between Mayer and the rest of the board, who's recently formed an independent committee to start the sales process.The meetings comes as Yahoo moves forward with efforts to trim its payroll. The latest report <a href="http://www.edd.ca.gov/jobs_and_training/warn/WARN-Report-for-7-1-2015-to-2-25-2016.pdf">by the California Employment Development Department</a> on Thursday shows Yahoo has laid off a total of 429 employees across 4 offices in California this month. The actual number of people let go company-wide is likely higher, as the filing only covers to the jobs based in California.It's all part of the big layoffs Yahoo announced earlier this month, which it said would represent 15% of its workforce, or roughly 1,600 jobs. The company it would <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-shutting-down-half-of-its-verticals-including-tech-news-site-2016-2">shut down some of its content verticals</a> last week, while pulling the plug on its research center, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-labs-to-integrate-with-product-groups-2016-2">Yahoo Labs.</a>The Post added that Mayer didn't meet with Starboard Value, the activist investor who recently sent a letter demanding a management change and the sale of Yahoo's core business. Starboard said it would run a proxy fight if Yahoo fails to listen. It could start nominating new board directors starting Friday.Yahoo declined to comment. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mcafee-iphone-backdoor-terrible-idea-2016-2">John McAfee explains why an iPhone backdoor is a terrible idea</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="tlaGwzMTE62pPQuJ3_ceddwSMihTkX0P" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is meeting investors to save her job, while laying off over 400 people

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Welcome back to our Sunday edition, a roundup of some of our top stories. Former Google lead Andrew Yeung has been dubbed the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-yeung-google-employee-throwing-techs-hottest-parties-new-york-2023-7">Gatsby of Silicon Valley</a>. He shared the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-grow-business-network-coffee-chat-2024-11">coffee chat formula</a> that's helped him grow his seven-figure tech event business.On the agenda today:<ul><li>Goldman Sachs tapped 95 people to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-partners-revealed-see-full-list-names-diversity-women-2024-11">join its exclusive partnership</a>.</li><li>Amazon CEO Andy Jassy explains <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-explains-why-he-wants-fewer-managers-hate-bureaucracy-2024-11">why he wants fewer managers</a>.</li><li>A free meal cost an investor <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-free-meal-cost-an-investor-his-retirement-savings-2024-10">his retirement savings</a>.</li><li>America has a shoplifting epidemic. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/middle-class-shoplifting-retail-theft-crime-stealing-stores-2024-11">The thieves aren't always who you think</a>.</li></ul>But first: What happens next after Donald Trump's resounding <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-trump-won-election-high-prices-cost-of-living-unemployment-2024-11">US election victory</a>.If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today-sunday-edition">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/app">here.</a><h2 id="11850be2-84e0-4d2d-bc14-a7b71271d9fa">Preparing for 47</h2><div type="image" title="President-elect Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida." height="2392" width="3581" msid="115143976" hostid="261" sizebytes="472336"></div>The most expensive presidential election in history is over, and the effects of Donald Trump's victory are already being felt in dollars and cents.Stocks surged, finishing the week at <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-today-sp500-crosses-6000-level-investors-cheer-trump-2024-11">record highs</a>. Bitcoin also hit record highs, while Tesla surpassed a <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tesla-stock-price-trillion-valuation-donald-trump-election-win-tsla-2024-11?utm_medium=ingest&amp;utm_source=markets">$1 trillion market cap</a>. Treasury yields also finished the week higher, as investors bet that a Trump White House will <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tariffs-higher-inflation-fed-interest-rates-taxes-mortgage-rates-2024-11">drive inflation</a>.Big companies are already weighing the potential impact of tariffs. Outdoors brand Yeti is looking for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-making-changes-to-business-trump-2024-11#yeti-1">new suppliers</a>. Steve Madden plans to cut its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-making-changes-to-business-trump-2024-11#steve-madden-2">sourcing of goods from China</a>. Airbus said it expects to pass the cost of any tariffs on to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trumps-tariffs-threats-world-ceos-thoughts-trade-2024-11">airline customers</a>.In Silicon Valley, many venture capitalists and startup founders are cheering the prospect of less regulation and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-could-help-deregulate-tech-amid-a-trump-victory-2024-11">increased deal activity</a>.On Wall Street, too, there's hope of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-election-citi-jane-fraser-regulators-frc-occ-2024-11">less onerous regulation</a>, particularly as several financiers are offering advice to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-advisor-trump-lutnick-schwarzman-warsh-federal-reserve-2024-11">incoming administration</a>.And at least <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wbd-trump-zaslav-consolidation-earnings-2024-11">one media CEO</a> hopes Trump's win will open the doors to consolidation.<h2 id="8de1f093-db58-438e-a296-ab09ff92ad5c">Meet Goldman's new partners</h2><div type="image" title="David Solomon smiles" height="3267" width="4900" msid="115143966" hostid="261" sizebytes="541678"></div>Goldman Sachs promoted 95 executives to its highest designation of leaders outside the C-suite. The new class is the largest number of partners to be promoted under CEO David Solomon.It's also one of Goldman's most diverse. A record 26 are women — a demographic that has been closely watched following a series of high-profile female partner exits — as well as a record level of Hispanic executive promotions, a company exec said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-partners-revealed-see-full-list-names-diversity-women-2024-11">Check out the list.</a>Also read:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-partner-promotions-feroz-khosla-youngest-financing-derivatives-2024-11">Inside the youngest member of Goldman's 2024 partner class's big day</a></li></ul><h2 id="69bad2e5-a5bf-4ba9-b958-e3eff00ffc5b">Andy Jassy hates bureaucracy</h2><div type="image" title="Andy Jassy" height="960" width="1920" msid="115143970" hostid="261" sizebytes="255456"></div>In an all-hands meeting this week, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy explained the company's recent plan to reduce the number of managers. According to a recording of the meeting obtained by BI, Jassy said the move was meant to root out bureaucracy.The goal is to make faster decisions and reduce management layers that are killing Amazon's unique culture, Jassy said. "The reality is that the S team and I hate bureaucracy," Jassy said, referring to Amazon's most senior leadership team.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-explains-why-he-wants-fewer-managers-hate-bureaucracy-2024-11">More from the all-hands meeting</a>.Also read:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ceo-says-rto-mandate-not-backdoor-layoff-2024-11">In all-hands meeting, Amazon CEO says RTO mandate not a 'backdoor layoff'</a></li></ul><h2 id="8d221ec2-a40e-4d73-80e7-638d6c30f428">Risky business</h2><div type="image" title="Plate full of cash" height="1500" width="2000" msid="115143967" hostid="261" sizebytes="366456"></div>There's no such thing as free lunch — or in one investor's case, free dinner. As a retiree, he was used to avoiding the countless postcards offering a fancy dinner accompanied by a presentation on investing advice.But on one occasion in 2010, he took the bait. There, he met one of the hosts who would eventually advise him to invest in financial products that ultimately cost him a chunk of his retirement savings.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-a-free-meal-cost-an-investor-his-retirement-savings-2024-10">Why these 'free lunch seminars' are common in the industry</a>.<h2 id="dc96d953-8312-4bf5-8432-dfb9ba5779e5">The great American shoplifting spree</h2><div type="image" title="A Shoplifting woman." height="1200" width="2400" msid="115143974" hostid="261" sizebytes="259560"></div>Regular Americans are shoplifting everything from tape measures to blocks of cheese. Rather than stealing out of true necessity, these shoplifters are opportunists: adults with decent jobs, firmly in the middle class.And they don't feel particularly bad about it. Some of them view shoplifting as a silly childhood habit they never kicked out, while others think of it as a way to fight back against goods that are unjustly expensive.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/middle-class-shoplifting-retail-theft-crime-stealing-stores-2024-11">Behind regular people's retail theft</a>.Also read:<ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rich-people-shoplift-self-checkout-why-explained-2023-12">Rich people are more likely to steal from self-checkout. Why?</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-war-organized-retail-crime-target-cvs-victorias-secret-2024-9">America's absurd war on 'organized retail crime'</a></li></ul>This week's quote:"I congratulate President Trump and we look forward to working with the new administration in support of sound policies that enhance economic growth and financial stability."— Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-ceo-david-solomon-memo-trump-presidential-victory-policies-2024-11">in an internal memo to staff</a>.More of this week's top reads:<ul><li>Anthony Scaramucci tells BI <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-trump-won-election-kamala-harris-biden-democrats-anthony-scaramucci-2024-11">four key reasons why Trump won</a>.</li><li>Sam Altman's hiring strategy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altmans-hiring-strategy-bets-on-talent-not-age-2024-11">bets on talent, not age</a>.</li><li>Silicon Valley is grieving over Trump, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-trump-return-startups-venture-capital-2024-11">quietly lauding a coming tech deal resurgence</a>.</li><li>After leadership changes, and layoffs, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-gaming-executive-reveals-new-ai-role-studio-shutdown-cuts-2024-11">Netflix's gaming exec reveals a new AI role</a>.</li><li>Donald Trump's election victory has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-second-trump-term-means-for-intel-2024-11">big implications for Intel</a>.</li><li>Food deliveries keep getting more expensive — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-diners-splurge-food-delivery-doordash-grubhub-ubereats-convenience-rules-2024-11">but we can't stop ordering</a>.</li><li>Your nest egg is private-equity giant Apollo's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apollo-global-single-biggest-opportunity-growth-retirement-athene-2024-11">"single biggest opportunity" for growth</a>.</li><li>A leaked memo shows <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-workspace-chief-stepping-down-leaked-memo-2024-11">Google's Workspace chief is stepping down</a>.</li><li>Hollywood is going conservative, turning toward <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hollywood-embracing-conservative-themes-after-playing-to-the-coasts-2024-11">faith and family-based shows</a>.The Insider Today team: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/grace-lett">Grace Lett</a>, editor, in Chicago. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/amanda-yen">Amanda Yen</a>, fellow, in New York. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/lisa-ryan">Lisa Ryan</a>, executive editor, in New York.</li></ul>

Insider Today: Preparing for Trump 2.0

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="19969515" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dell" source="keywords">Dell</keyword> informed all sales staff to return to the office five days a week with two days' notice.</li><li>The policy panicked parents and has led to crowded offices, Dell workers told Business Insider.</li></ul>Sales workers at Dell thought they'd had their <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/companies-requiring-return-to-office-rto-mandate">return-to-office</a> mandate for the year. In February, the company told all US employees to choose between hybrid or remote work. Starting in May, hybrid workers were required to be in the office 39 days a quarter, roughly three days a week. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dell-hybrid-return-to-office-mandate-monitor-employees-onsite-attendance-2024-5">Attendance was tracked</a>, but the system was flexible in practice, and many ended up leaving at lunchtime, Dell workers told Business Insider. But on September 26, the company's sales team <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-memo-dell-sent-staff-rto-5-days-a-week-2024-9">received a memo</a> from executives: From the following Monday, they'd be expected to be in the office five days a week. "The expectation is that ALL Global Sales team members who can work from a Dell office be on-site five days a week, regardless of role," sales chiefs Bill Scannell and <keyword id="23001913" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="john-byrne" source="keywords">John Byrne</keyword> told staff in the internal memo seen by BI. The memo cited the sales floor as a unique environment combining high energy and collaboration. "To harness this energy and grow skills, we believe our sales teams need to be together in the office," the memo added. "Additionally, our data shows that sales teams are more productive when onsite." It was sent on a Thursday, giving staff notice of two working days. Some parents and other caregivers on the sales team told BI that the lack of notice sparked panic. BI spoke to six US-based Dell employees about the policy change. All asked not to be named to protect their jobs, but BI has verified their employment at Dell. <h2>Parents 'freaking out'</h2>"The biggest thing that I saw from just being in the office that day was parents freaking out," said one Dell sales employee, who does not have children but has colleagues on his team who do. "It's one thing to already have childcare set up and already having to pay that crazy amount, but having a weekend to figure it out ..." he said. In the memo, Scannell and <keyword id="23582494" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="byrne" source="keywords">Byrne</keyword> acknowledged that workers had arranged their lives around coming in three days a week and "may need some time to make new arrangements." The memo did not give a timeframe for any new individual arrangements to be put in place. One sales team member, who is a parent, said they started searching for additional childcare arrangements on Thursday night. In addition to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-share-how-much-they-pay-for-childcare-in-us-2024-10">the extra cost</a>, the biggest issue was that day care and afterschool programs were already filled for the year, they said. "They have to have all these finalized before the year starts, and the next enrolment isn't until December or even when summer starts," the worker said. "I'm on a waiting list, and I don't have an option to put these kids in full time," they added. Two other parents at Dell told BI they were facing the same issue finding day care. <div type="image" title="Michael Dell" height="683" width="1024" msid="114082073" hostid="261"></div>Under the hybrid model, one worker was able to leave the office at lunchtime to manage the pick-up times and shared childcare duties with their partner, who <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wfh-fears-impacting-kids-parenting-remote-work-2024-7">worked from home</a>. The worker said managers were flexible about signing on later from home to complete their hours. Their productivity numbers had not fallen, they added. When the worker raised the issue with managers and HR after the memo was sent, they were told to use PTO whenever they were not available during work hours. "It wasn't clarified if I can log back in at home after or if I'm expected to come back," they added. A Dell spokesperson told BI the global sales team was required to make their best effort to make it into the office or to a customer or partner location while they make changes in their personal lives to get back to the office. "We emphasize flexibility and encourage team members to collaborate with their managers to accommodate their specific needs during this transition," the spokesperson said. <h2>Busy offices</h2>One week into the policy, Dell workers told BI that parking lots were full and the office was packed. <div type="image" title="Dell Round Rock Texas" height="683" width="1024" msid="114082068" hostid="261"></div>Two parents from the sales team told BI that managers were trying to be lenient where they could. One added that they would try to stretch their PTO as far as possible. However, they had already used some of their four-week allowance and said it would quickly run out. "If we run out of that PTO, then we're facing disciplinary actions," the worker said. "It's very disheartening. It makes me really not trust the company." <h2>Extending the RTO mandate</h2>Multiple employees said that they had heard unofficially from managers that the policy would be rolled out to hybrid workers in other departments but did not know when. One technical support worker said a senior leader informed them last week that the RTO might be required "because that's <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-ceos-wont-allow-hybrid-work-echo-chambers-brigid-schulte-2024-9">what Amazon is doing</a>." The online retailer recently told office staff to start coming in every day from next year. Stanford economist <keyword id="23582493" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nick-bloom" source="keywords">Nick Bloom</keyword>, a world authority on remote work, previously told BI that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-return-to-office-backdoor-layoffs-rto-nick-bloom-2024-10">Amazon's strict RTO push </a>could be a "backdoor layoff" strategy to reduce head count without facing the consequences of formal layoffs. A Dell spokesperson wouldn't speculate on future plans when asked if the policy would be extended. Some also expected those classified as remote workers to be affected. In June, BI reported that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-dell-workers-reject-return-to-office-hybrid-work-2024-6">close to half </a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-dell-workers-reject-return-to-office-hybrid-work-2024-6">of Dell's US workforce</a> had opted to remain remote. Workforce reductions since then may have changed that balance, but BI's sources said that many of their team members were still remote and did not live near an office. One remote worker in a technical role said she would have no choice but to quit if Dell's five-day RTO policy was extended to remote workers. "I cannot move close to a Dell office for family reasons, and so they would be forcing my hand to quit," the worker said. "It's very disappointing that a company such as Dell, which supposedly prides itself on pushing a good work-life balance, has instead cultivated a culture of fear of losing one's job if we don't have 'butts in the seat,'" she said. Johnny C. <keyword id="19918968" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="taylor" source="keywords">Taylor</keyword>, president of the Society for Human Resource Management, told BI that as more organizations have called workers back to the office, it's become clear that many employees didn't heed warnings that remote work was not here to stay. Companies are deciding they're better together, and employees are "pissed off" — that's why this issue is creating a lot of noise now, Taylor said. Are you a worker at Dell or another company pushing staff back to the office? Contact this reporter in confidence at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:pthompson@businessinsider.com">pthompson@businessinsider.com.</a>

Dell's sudden 5-day return-to-office order leaves parents scrambling to find childcare

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Good morning. JD Vance and Tim Walz displayed their best versions of Midwest Nice last night as they raced to appeal to moderate voters, BI's Brent D. Griffiths writes. In what was largely a civil discussion, the pair didn't trade serious blows ... <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://l.businessinsider.com/a/click?_t=c8e10479a20f45bba5aad6c5f6fbb009&amp;_m=J2V25MjXJsEukwEdJIqu5ugxEbEKt6oTd&amp;_e=LGLcfOvG4iKBFawBIOcmJ23s3xLTYBTL4h8-DroVXNYgQ68H5rj6rv_Rywv4dSKExCduRGyldWH9P-pHoN66o5lTRoD61e98MEsGQ5OmJe6fQIDCy4tHdUcJHHTfIlxC_ZaqHWn8V4QI8OUX9G6Whr077odpUzsd3Lao9MlHsNulyJAwmRuP1pqis84zbzbd1b8gtmoRaEpCwBvsLzKBsbkMrHFyKAq8D_FbJopV7OIj3sD9G4y_UggRHkbMPMP1cU4V8sMJpTmvITwns7VUjNV3DZyCPoDPToHtuTF2KgUoFhp28V8lQLcNRHNcbtYt4pGZKD2g2MOd7oOc_brQA8U9hf61spGYuaB18kAOznJNWeox7gvO1WOACrvRBwo3lGXWjLQtzaSjy6_dFdGrkA%3D%3D">until the end</a>.In today's big story, the market reacts to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-attacks-israel-with-missiles-after-hezbollah-leader-killing-2024-10">escalating situation between Israel and Iran</a>.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: China's stimulus package was a good start, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-outlook-stimulus-fiscal-consumer-support-deflation-stephen-roach-2024-10">there's more work to be done</a>.</li><li>Tech: Amazon's "safer than ChatGPT" <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-cedric-safer-ai-chatbot-employees-2024-9">chatbot for employees</a>.</li><li>Business: High interest rates and hidden fees mean it's a particularly <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-credit-card-interest-rates-americans-debt-bills-fees-spending-2024-10">bad time to be carrying credit-card debt</a>.</li></ul>But first, a trifecta of economic trouble.If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h3 id="7fa5f018-5b05-4a37-a8dc-d3f89138bcb3">The big story</h3><h2 id="5fd547b9-ec52-41fc-8e08-4f4b27dd8097">An attack, a strike, a hurricane</h2><div type="image" title="Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel" height="1333" width="2000" msid="113879619" hostid="261" sizebytes="135984"></div>A Middle East conflict escalates. A dockworkers strike begins. A hurricane's devastation continues.In a word: Chaos.In less than a week, three crises have complicated the path forward for the US economy just as things seemed to be back on track.Let's start in the Middle East, where Iran launched <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iran-attacks-israel-with-missiles-after-hezbollah-leader-killing-2024-10">a massive missile attack</a> on Israel.The strike, which reportedly included nearly 200 missiles, came after the Israeli military killed Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. It appears to have largely been an "ineffective" attack; as was the case earlier this year, US Navy warships <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-warships-downed-iranian-missiles-massive-attack-on-israel-2024-10">shot down multiple Iranian missiles</a>.Geopolitical risks were already a top-of-mind concern for investors, particularly after last year's October 7 attacks in Israel. But <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/stock-market-today-israel-iran-missiles-gold-oil-crude-bonds-2024-10">markets reacted sharply</a> to reports of Iran's imminent attack, with major indices dropping and safe-haven assets like gold climbing.Meanwhile, oil prices surged, a U-turn from a recent slump following reports Saudi Arabia would ramp up supply.Back in the States, a dockworkers strike could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/port-strike-could-wreck-us-economy-with-price-increases-scarcity-2024-10">upend an economy</a> finally on the mend.Tuesday morning marked the start of a dockworkers strike that will shutter dozens of US ports that handle about half of all US ocean imports. Depending on who you ask, the shutdown's daily economic cost could be anywhere from $540 million to upwards of $4 billion and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dockworkers-port-strike-ila-impacts-2024-10">has plenty of knock-on effects</a>.The tipping point appears to be the two-week mark. If the strike extends beyond that, the impact gets exponentially worse. Should things continue past a month, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/port-strike-impact-costs-us-economy-recession-outlook-shipping-delay-2024-10">the economy could slip into a recession</a>, according to one researcher.The entire saga is also set to crown <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/us-port-strike-biggest-stock-market-winners-losers-investing-analysis-2024-10">winners (air cargo businesses) and losers (shipping container companies)</a> in the market as companies work to find alternate supply-chain routes.It's all happening while the Southeast grapples with the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-destroyed-safe-haven-maples-coffee-shop-north-carolina-2024-10">wreckage left by Hurricane Helene</a>, which killed more than 100 people. Some roads and highways are impassable or difficult to navigate, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-damage-port-strike-could-hurt-us-economy-2024-9">creating more supply-chain issues</a>.As terrifying as this is for an economy trying to hit its stride, it's not hopeless. The Iranian attack was largely thwarted, and the dockworkers strike could be short-lived.But it's a reminder of the fine line the economy is balancing as it tries to finally nail its soft landing.<h3 id="77f31a4c-8462-4e3d-a71f-838cb79493fb">News brief</h3><h2 id="1fcd294b-3f53-425f-9f20-4093e8623b59">Top headlines</h2><ul><li>A top US security official says America will make sure Iran faces '<a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-warns-severe-consequences-for-iran-after-attack-on-israel-2024-10">severe consequences</a>' for escalating its conflict with Israel.</li><li>The biggest moments from JD Vance's and Tim Walz's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vance-walz-vp-vice-presidential-debate-highlights-2024-10">first and only faceoff</a>.</li><li>Exclusive: Health startup Roon is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/health-startup-roon-raising-funding-sequoia-2024-10">raising $15 million from Sequoia to replace 'Dr. Google.'</a></li><li>This iPhone feature is 'saving lives' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-satellite-message-feature-saving-lives-during-hurricane-helene-2024-10">during Hurricane Helene aftermath</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="8120060b-ae66-48dc-b149-f0489a30ffa2">3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="A graph/plug trending upwards toward electrical plug" height="1500" width="2000" msid="113879626" hostid="261" sizebytes="93554"></div><ol><li>A spike in electric demand will send these energy stocks surging. Power consumption is on the rise in the US, thanks to everything from AI to the electrification of transportation. Bank of America <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/energy-stocks-to-buy-utility-artificial-intelligence-data-center-bofa-2024-9">identified five sleepy utility stocks</a>, like Sempra and Northwestern Energy, that stand to benefit.</li><li>A Bridgewater vet is launching his own fund. Paul Podolsky, who spent 15 years at Bridgewater Associates, plans to go live with Kate Capital on November 1. The $200 million fund <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-former-bridgewater-leader-paul-podolsky-new-fund-kate-capital-2024-10">will maintain between 50 and 60 positions across the globe</a>.</li><li>China needs a two-step to avoid deflation. Chinese markets have been riding high thanks to Beijing's recent stimulus efforts, but the country risks falling into a deflationary lull, a Yale economist warned. It now needs <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-economy-outlook-stimulus-fiscal-consumer-support-deflation-stephen-roach-2024-10">fiscal stimulus and structural reform</a> to stave off that fate.</li></ol><h2 id="f4b54806-7f81-450c-ba32-92560d4fae9b">3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="Photo illustration of Elon Musk next to a Tesla factory" height="500" width="1000" msid="113879617" hostid="261" sizebytes="57746"></div><ol><li>Musk &amp; Co. could get their mojo back. Wall Street <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-q3-deliveries-preview-wall-street-expects-beat-mojo-returns-2024-9">expects some good news for Tesla</a> ahead of its robotaxi reveal on October 10: Q3 vehicle deliveries exceeding expectations. That's thanks in part to strong demand in China.</li><li>One fix could save Google's ad biz. Things have been looking grim for the search giant ever since the DOJ and 17 state attorneys general launched an antitrust suit against its ad business. But one research firm argues Google could save it by converting it to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-adtech-should-be-spun-off-b-corp-arete-analysts-2024-9">a spin-off business worth $150 billion</a>.</li><li>Meet Cedric, Amazon's AI chatbot that's SFW. According to internal documents obtained by BI, Amazon workers are encouraged to use the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-cedric-safer-ai-chatbot-employees-2024-9">new internal chatbot that's "safer than ChatGPT."</a> Cedric's launch is aimed at boosting employee productivity and job satisfaction, the documents state.</li></ol><h2 id="9260fa45-d397-4b3c-b4f8-4bb193976216">3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="Doormat with Airbnb logo and cash." height="455" width="910" msid="113879622" hostid="261" sizebytes="52802"></div><ol><li>Hey Airbnb, welcome to my crib. Gen Z has a new side hustle: Airbnb superhosting. On TikTok and Instagram, precocious twenty-somethings not-so-humbly brag about subletting their rentals, and promise to show you how to get rich like them. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-new-side-hustle-getting-rich-airbnb-super-hosts-2024-10">Critics — and in some cases, the law — be damned</a>.</li><li>Your credit card is overcharging you. It's easy for consumers to be lured in by credit-card companies' glitzy rewards and points. But with the average credit-card interest rate now over 21% — and the hidden fees to boot — card issuers have the power to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/high-credit-card-interest-rates-americans-debt-bills-fees-spending-2024-10">exploit consumers like never before</a>.</li><li>The real reason Amazon ordered RTO. Amazon's RTO mandate might be a move to cut headcount without the consequences of formal layoffs, Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom told BI. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-return-to-office-backdoor-layoffs-rto-nick-bloom-2024-10">It's a "backdoor layoff" strategy</a> that could cut costs but risks harming areas like AI, where recruiting top talent is tough.</li></ol><h2 id="1ad7b482-3f4b-44b4-81b6-a864aa386478">In other news</h2><ul><li>New York mag's Olivia Nuzzi <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/olivia-nuzzi-accuses-ex-fiance-blackmail-amid-rfk-jr-scandal-2024-10">accuses her ex-fiancé of blackmail</a> amid the RFK Jr. scandal.</li><li>DirecTV's CEO says its Dish acquisition 'isn't so much about bullying' media giants — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/directv-dish-deal-cable-bundle-pay-tv-disney-cord-cutting-2024-10">but it's definitely about playing hardball</a>.</li><li>Not hearing back on job applications? Some career consultants suggest <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/job-applications-send-dm-ceo-hiring-director-executives-advice-2024-10">a bold new tactic</a>.</li></ul><h2 id="9f5d80ac-3466-429f-a50a-2ffbb70c65ff">What's happening today</h2><ul><li>New York City mayor Eric Adams appears in court on charges of bribery and fraud.</li><li>G7 interior ministers meet.</li><li>Earth's temporary "micro moon" is visible.</li></ul>The Insider Today team: Dan DeFrancesco, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. Jordan Parker Erb, editor, in New York. Hallam Bullock, senior editor, in London. Milan Sehmbi, fellow, in London. Amanda Yen, fellow, in New York.

The US economy teeters after it's hit by a triple threat: Middle East escalation, port closures, and Hurricane Helene

D Dipasupil/Getty Images for AWXIIHearst Magazines president Troy Young<ul class="summary-list"><li>On November 12, Hearst Magazine editorial employees at some of the best-known titles including Cosmopolitan and Esquire announced they unionized, joining a throng of other media workers.</li><li>A Hearst union would be a big win for the Writers Guild of America East, with some 500 people across 24 brands represented.</li><li>Many people cited uncertainty around pay raises and career paths as motives to unionize.</li><li>Hearst magazines have also undergone massive restructuring under president Troy Young to modernize the business, and many saw their jobs dramatically change.</li><li>Organizers said they were also inspired by other media outlets' successfully unionizing.</li><li>Executives have taken a tough stance against the union effort, which some organizers said has only strengthened their resolve.</li><li>Young said the company was navigating industry change better than most, but acknowledged that change was hard.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime">Click here for more BI Prime articles.</a></li></ul>Sarah Rense, a digital editor at Esquire, remembers when the magazine's then-separate print and digital staffs were told they'd be operating as one last year."We had to figure out how to do a print magazine and there was no formal structure," she recalled. "Everyone was told, 'We're going to make a magazine, and if you have ideas, pitch them.' It was a very confusing time." For Rense and others, the integration was just the latest frustration of their lives working at Hearst Magazines that include a lack of clear job duties, regular pay raises and reviews, and programs to ensure diversity in hiring. Business Insider talked to 10 current and former Hearst employees of varying seniority and tenure.On November 12, those frustrations culminated in Hearst editorial employees announcing their unionization under the Writers Guild of America, joining a recent wave of media employees hopping onto the labor movement. The WGA unit would be a giant in editorial unions, with as many as 500 people spanning 24 titles including some of the industry's biggest, like Cosmopolitan and Elle in addition to Esquire. They're seeking an election under the National Labor Relations Board; a vote is expected to take place in January. Organizers said they wanted standards around things like salaries and job titles and talk about a union "giving us a seat at the table."It's a jittery time in media. Unions have sprung up at new digital and legacy media companies from Vox Media to Condé Nast where employees are seeking standards in their jobs, if not guarantees in job security, as they see <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/all-the-big-digital-media-deals-that-happened-in-2019-2019-12">scores of media jobs lost and companies shut down</a> or sold at fire sale prices. The WGA East has prioritized unionizing digital media and says it now represents nearly 6,000 writers in film, television, news and new media. For the cost of dues, <a href="https://contently.net/2014/07/07/resources/career-advice/networking/pros-cons-writers-guild-america/">around 1.5 percent of pay</a>, members get protections they can't always bargain for themselves.<h2>Employees complain of opaque pay processes</h2>Brendan McDermid/ReutersHearst CEO Steve Swartz.Many Hearst employees saw a scattershot approach to promotions and raises at the company, and saw unionizing as the answer.Whereas merit increases were given in the past, there was a pay freeze in 2018. As multiple people say it, there was no formal review process or regular raises given at Hearst. What information people got often came from backdoor channels. It was known that the best way to get a raise was to tell your boss you had an offer to go elsewhere.Stories about murkiness in pay are common. One editorial staffer said a colleague told them the colleague was making $10,000 a year less despite the two having the same experience and starting at the same time. "It's unethical. And it's demoralizing on top of that," the staffer said.Brett Williams, an editor at Men's Health and member of the union's organizing committee, heard about the 2018 pay freeze, but that he still saw people getting hired and promoted. "Brand to brand, compensation was wildly different, the way people were told about things," he said. The informal, decentralized approach might have worked in the old days when the magazine business was humming along nicely. But newer employees today are jittery about the future. They've seen others laid off across the industry and often were laid off themselves, and are more concerned about issues like pay equality and diversity in their ranks.<h2>People felt loss of control when brands were reorganized</h2>Wikimedia CommonsHearst Tower in Manhattan.Recent upheaval at Hearst didn't help. Legacy companies like Hearst have struggled to catch up to faster-moving digital competitors while preserving their declining but still sizeable print businesses. To jumpstart its digital business, Hearst Magazines brought in a hard-charging digital media executive, Troy Young, in 2013. Young had been president of Say Media, a portfolio of niche sites like xoJane and Remodelista, and he initially separated Hearst's print and digital content teams on the belief that to catch up to faster growing, pure digital players like BuzzFeed and Refinery29, Hearst needed to have people focused on digital without the distraction of print. In his first year, <a href="https://digiday.com/media/fusty-old-hearst-becoming-modern-publisher/">Hearst's online traffic shot up</a> to 41 million monthly uniques, a 32% increase.But in 2018, Young was promoted to head of the whole magazine group, and <a href="https://digiday.com/media/uncompromising-unique-hearst-magazines-incoming-president-troy-young/">he started reintegrating</a> the teams in an effort to make the print side more efficient. Print staffers were assigned digital duties and vice versa. While some employees' jobs changed little across the magazines, others' roles changed as much as half. Employees were told it was "an exciting opportunity," and that they would be "all part of one big team," people recalled of the process.Some amount of flexibility is expected in a modern newsroom, and some were excited about the chance to learn new skills. They emphasized that they enjoyed their work and their colleagues and were proud to work for their magazines, some of which are more than 100 years old.But some also said the integration process wasn't explained well and that the new tasks were imposed on them without any change in job title or pay increase. Some said they were overwhelmed, stressed, and bitter. A union, they hoped, would help by standardizing job titles and responsibilities.Other issues motivated staffers to unionize. Media companies like Hearst, to diversify their revenue, enlist editorial staffers to write shopping posts and branded content for advertisers - practices that can compromise a publication's editorial integrity. Union supporters say they want to ensure standards are maintained. They want to see more diversity in Hearst's executive suite, and are inspired by seeing other unions like Vox Media's diversity requirements in hiring.<h2>Hearst execs have taken a hard line against the union effort</h2>It's common for management to oppose unions out of concerns that they'll introduce adversity between supervisors and subordinates and introduce processes that make it hard to be nimble. Contracts can make it hard to fire underperformers, <a href="https://digiday.com/media/union-contracts-wring-greater-transparency-out-of-digital-media-companies/">some warn</a>. Even liberal news outlets like HuffPost and BuzzFeed <a href="https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/digital-media-unions.php">didn't wholeheartedly embrace their employees' unions</a>. Hearst fought back against a union. Young and chief content officer Kate Lewis, whom he brought over from Say Media, called meetings with magazine staffs where he argued that a union would divide the company and slow its progress. New York magazine wrote that Hearst <a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/11/hearst-is-urging-employees-to-withdraw-their-union-cards.html">"adopted an especially hostile posture toward staff."</a> The company threw up an information-style <a href="https://www.yourrights.hearst.io/">website</a> that warned that a union could make members go on strike without pay and doesn't guarantee protection against layoffs, among other things.ScreenshotA screenshot from Hearst's website arguing against unionization."We deeply believe that a union will divide our company and culture, as it has in the last week, and will surely slow us down at a critical time in our evolution without guaranteeing any tangible benefits," Young wrote in a November 21 email viewed by Business Insider. "We simply do not need an outside third party involved to do our best work." Suddenly, employees who felt they never got much information from the company started getting a lot of emails. In the November 21 memo, Young said the company shared many of the union's goals, and was already at work addressing many of them, including putting in place a new parental leave program, salary planning, and "refocused" diversity efforts.On November 25, employees received an email from Hearst's head of human resources that was viewed by Business Insider. The memo announced there would be merit pay increases, a formal review process, and a diversity and inclusion program - all issues that the union listed as priorities. Hearst has had women's and other affinity groups as early as two years ago and management had begun looking at the mix of diversity in staff, for example.The corporate response to the union has left some employees feeling angry and patronized. The appearance of the anti-union site in particular "fueled the fire," one organizer said. While the company insisted the initiatives like raises and reviews had been in the works for a while, some people suspected they were just being done to keep the union at bay. And not everyone ended up actually getting raises anyway, which added to the confusion.<h2>Were leaders caught by surprise?</h2>Some veterans saw the union movement as an expression of young people expecting more from their employers these days. They expressed surprise that leadership seemed caught off guard by the union's announcement and that its response wasn't more deft. After all, the parent company has a long history of dealing with unions at its vast newspaper group, and its former <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/frank-bennack-former-ceo-hearst-on-his-ceo-operators-guide-2019-10">CEO Frank Bennack preached</a> everyday cultural practices like meetings and direct communication as keys to the company's success. And unions have been forming all across the media industry.Some vets also voiced concern that a union will cause divisiveness and undermine the company's progress at a precarious time, as Young has also warned. Print magazines are facing headwinds. Hearst has been part of the industry consolidation; it acquired health and fitness publisher Rodale in 2017 and <a href="https://www.foliomag.com/layoffs-continue-hearst-magazines/">laid off 150 as part of the deal</a>. It's also cut the print frequency of Esquire in the UK and Seventeen in recent years and said goodbye to longtime famous editors like <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/business/media/joanna-coles-troy-young-hearst.html">Joanna Coles</a> and David Granger."This is a black eye for Troy," said one. "Didn't they know they had disgruntled employees? This should not have been a surprise.""For the past year we have been working to modernize all aspects of the employee experience at Hearst," Young told Business Insider. "There are a lot of amazing people who love being here. We are navigating the challenges of the industry better than most, but change can be hard."As to the view that the union is being driven by generational differences, Julie Kosin, an editor at Elle and one of the union's organizers, pointed out that organizing committee members represent a cross section of ages. "It's not fair to put us in the boat of <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/12/former-president-of-hearst-magazines-making-return-to-calm-the-storm/">whining millennials</a>. It does a disservice to the workforce."Many people who were behind the union's formation have since left the company. Some are reluctant to speak on the record for fear of retaliation.But now that people are getting back to work after the holidays and as the election looms, some remaining union supporters say the executive opposition has only sharpened their resolve."It just feels like the company is desperate to get us to stop," another staffer said. "I think it's had the opposite effect." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fireworks-blue-pyrotechnics-chemical-hard-make-2019-7">Why you won't see any blue fireworks at your New Year's Eve celebration</a></h3>

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