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<ul><li>Five states voted on some form of change to the minimum wage in Tuesday's US elections.</li><li>Missouri approved a raise, while Massachusetts and Arizona rejected changing how tipped workers are paid.</li><li>Results in Alaska and California were unclear early Wednesday.</li></ul>While economic issues were a major focus of this year's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-results-trump-harris-presidential-election-2024-11" target="_blank">US presidential election</a>, several states put pay directly on the ballot, and minimum-wage workers in at least one state are now set to get a raise after voting concluded Tuesday. Missouri, Massachusetts, California, and Alaska all had some form of referendum on their ballots on whether to hike the minimum wage paid by employers. In Massachusetts, voters were asked whether to gradually increase the share of tipped workers' pay that employers must provide, while voters in the three other states were presented with proposals for straightforward minimum-wage increases. In Arizona, voters weighed in on whether to decrease the tipped minimum wage — provided employers could show workers' wages would stay $2 above the state minimum when accounting for tips. Shortly after polls closed in Missouri, it was clear that the referendum there had passed. Voters in Massachusetts and Arizona rejected their proposals, and California and Alaska were still awaiting their results as of early Wednesday. <h2 style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Missouri</h2>In Missouri, voters opted to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. Per The New York Times, roughly 58% of Missouri voters had supported the measure as of early Wednesday, with some votes still uncounted. The measure, <a href="https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/petitions/2024BallotMeasures#:~:text=Official%20Ballot%20Title%0AProposition,Proposed%20by%20Initiative%20Petition" target="_blank">Proposition A</a>, is set to first raise the minimum wage to $13.75 an hour from $12.30 on January 1 and then increase it again to $15 an hour on January 1, 2026. Starting in 2027, the wage is set to be pegged to inflation. The measure also mandates that employers give their workers an hour of paid leave for every 30 hours they work. Missouri separately voted in favor of former President Donald Trump, who said he'd "consider" a minimum-wage hike if it proved beneficial for small businesses. His opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, had pledged support for raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour from $7.25. A group of Missouri business owners in favor of the measure praised Proposition A's passage on Tuesday evening. "Proposition A will strengthen Missouri's workforce and businesses," David Burmeister, the owner of Midwest Pasta Co. in St. Louis, said in a press release. "Raising the minimum wage will increase people's ability to shop at our business and local businesses across Missouri. We've seen that paying better wages is better business. Employees are happier at work and do a better job." <h2 style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Massachusetts</h2>In <a href="https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections/publications/information-for-voters-24/quest_5.htm" target="_blank">Massachusetts</a>, employers won't be required to gradually raise tipped workers' base pay to match the state's minimum wage. The measure failed, with the Times reporting at the time of publication that 64% of voters had rejected it out of the votes counted so far. The measure, which would have begun taking shape on January 1, wouldn't have actually raised the legal minimum wage for tipped workers but instead would have raised the share of that minimum wage that employers were required to provide. Currently, Massachusetts employers are required to pay tipped workers a base pay of $6.75 an hour and then make up the difference if those workers' total pay counting tips is less than $15 an hour. The failed measure would have ultimately required employers to directly pay tipped workers the state's full minimum wage by 2029. <h2 style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Arizona</h2>In Arizona, voters rejected a measure that would have let employers reduce their base pay for tipped workers. <a href="https://www.azleg.gov/alispdfs/Council/2024BallotMeasures/adopted%20analysis%20Proposition%20138%20SCR1040%20-%202024.pdf" target="_blank">Proposition 138</a> proposed allowing employers to pay tipped workers up to 25% less than the state's minimum wage, with the corollary that employers would need to establish their workers were still making the minimum wage plus an additional $2 an hour when accounting for tips. The Times reported that out of the votes counted so far, nearly 76% of voters had rejected the measure. That means that employers in Arizona can continue to pay their tipped workers $3 less than the current hourly minimum wage as long as workers are still making at least the minimum wage when accounting for tips. Correction: November 7, 2024 — An earlier version of this story included a sentence that incorrectly described the result of the ballot measure in Massachusetts. The system in which tipped workers are required to be paid at least $15 an hour through a combination of tips and a $6.75 hourly wage is the current system in Massachusetts, not a proposal on the ballot measure that voters rejected. The story was also updated to clarify the ballot results. The percentages attributed to The New York Times reflected the latest tally as votes were being counted, not New York Times projections for the final result. The specific figure of 76% in Arizona referred to the share of voters at the time who had rejected the ballot measure there, not the margin by which voters rejected the measure.

Workers in Missouri can look forward to raises after minimum-wage boosts passed

<ul class="summary-list"><li>New York Times tech workers are ending their strike after a weeklong stoppage.</li><li>The strike aimed to disrupt election coverage but had limited impact on the Times' operations.</li></ul>New York Times tech workers are ending their strike and returning to work Tuesday after a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-tech-strike-disrupt-site-election-coverage-2024-11">weeklong work stoppage</a>, a Times spokesperson told Business Insider.The Tech Guild chose a crucial day to go on strike, the day before the November 5 US presidential election, a move that threatened to disrupt the paper's all-important election coverage.But the Times' site and its famous election needle that shows how a race is tilting operated just fine on election night, which could have deprived the guild of some of its leverage.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-tech-workers-cross-picket-line-election-strike-2024-11">Dozens of tech workers crossed the picket line</a>, showing splinters within the unit. The strike also exposed division between the guild and some Times journalists (who are represented by a different unit of the same News Guild of New York), who previously expressed to BI a lack of sympathy for the tech workers, given their relatively high salaries and potential for the strike to impact the outlet's core journalism mission.Formed in 2021, the Tech Guild represents upward of 600 engineers. It has been bargaining since 2022 and has been at odds with management over issues including remote-work protections, pay equity, limits on subcontracting, and just cause. Both sides are expected to resume bargaining at some point."We look forward to continuing to work with Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority," the Times spokesperson said.Union reps didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.This story is developing…

New York Times tech workers are ending their strike

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ashley Bethea transitioned from the Air Force into a job as a government contractor.</li><li>Veterans can face challenges translating their military skills to civilian roles.</li></ul>Last summer, during her final month in the Air Force, Ashley Bethea cried almost every day.Bethea, 40, felt on edge about giving up part of the identity she'd held since she was 18. She was also nervous about making it in a civilian job market, where she had no experience."For 21 years, the military was who I was," Bethea told Business Insider. "I had no clue what corporate America looked like."Her predicament is one that often confronts military members attempting to shift from drills and missions to slide decks and sales targets.<div type="image" title="Ashley Bethea takes a selfie in uniform" height="878" width="1170" msid="115189951" hostid="261" sizebytes="41546"></div>Employers often face the inverse challenge: not knowing how veterans' abilities might translate to a civilian workforce, executives who work with vets told BI. These advocates for hiring veterans said that by looking a little closer at the skills undergirding veterans' experience, employers could help plug <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homebuilder-no-one-to-replace-retiring-boomer-construction-workers-2024-5">gaps in their workforces</a>.Bosses who dig into veterans' qualifications might like what they find. A 2023 LinkedIn report examining its users' experiences said veterans were three times as likely as those who hadn't served in the military to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://socialimpact.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/linkedinforgood/en-us/veteran-report-2023/veterans-opportunity-report-2023.pdf">have a graduate degree or higher.</a>Yet at the same time, employers often overlook or discount military experience, LinkedIn found. The result: Veterans are only half as likely to rise to the level of director or VP even though they have almost double the work experience of nonveterans, the report said.The gap exists even as more employers say they're interested in prioritizing skills over pedigree. Even so, many hiring managers still scan résumés for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/employers-dropping-degree-requirements-slow-to-hire-for-skills-2024-10">four-year degrees</a> and prior experience in a role, hiring experts previously told BI.<h2 id="8192f62f-db42-4013-9640-b2e6593b5685">A résumé for the private sector</h2>Bethea, who retired from the Air Force at the end of July, turned to a nonprofit called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.hireheroesusa.org/">Hire Heroes USA</a> to help her translate her experience running logistics for deploying and returning airmen into something palatable to hiring managers. A representative from Hire Heroes helped Bethea craft her first-ever résumé."I just wanted to highlight that I could work all avenues of logistics, whether it be supply, transportation, people, equipment, or whatever the case was," Bethea, a mother of three, said.A Hire Heros USA advisor also helped coach Bethea on salary negotiations.Ross Dickman, CEO of Hire Heroes USA, told BI that one of the biggest challenges for people leaving their service is explaining how what they did in the military can be helpful to civilian employers.Dickman pointed to his own experience flying Apache helicopters during the dozen years he served in the Army."No employer really needs a helicopter that puts missiles into other things," he said.In addition to the obvious differences with civilian life, Dickman said, many members of the military chose to take on additional duties during the spare time they had while serving. That work might not be reflected in vets' records and can be difficult to capture, he said."That is where it gets murky and hard for an employer," Dickman said.Dickman said Hire Heroes USA works to help vets communicate about the skills that they possess. These can range from abilities in manufacturing to prowess in so-called soft skills like conflict resolution and negotiating.From there, Dickman said, Hire Heroes USA can go to employers and point to the abilities a veteran, service member, or military spouse possesses. Hire Heroes USA recently assisted its 100,000th veteran in the search for civilian employment, Dickman said.Vets tend to excel, Dickman said, in roles involving consulting, customer service, operations management, logistics, analysis, and project management."They have a lot more skills that informed the way that they executed as an infantryman versus just knowing how to use a rifle," Dickman said.That was the case for Jesse Gartman, 41, who spent four years in the Marine Corps. In 2007, about a year after returning home from Iraq, he responded to an ad on Craigslist looking for movers in New York City. Gartman loved the work and the flexibility it offered. Plus, it was lucrative, and the camaraderie echoed what he'd found in the military.Some three years later, with his back and shoulders hurting, Gartman decided he had what it takes to run a business. So, he started Veteran Movers NYC, employing mostly former military members. Gartman later sold that business and started another moving company in Oklahoma City, which he still owns. Now, back in New York City, Gartman is also doing business development work for another moving company.Gartman said that in his case and that of many vets he's worked with, they're "just happy to be alive." He added, "We take a lot of pride in what we do in life."<h2 id="c0f85961-1af9-4d05-9b79-21b2861a91af">Helping employers help vets</h2>Trina Clayeux, CEO of Give an Hour, a nonprofit that provides mental health support to veterans and their families, told BI that employers offering affinity groups or employee resource groups for veterans can help ex-military members feel more at home in civilian roles.Give an Hour also provides training and consulting services for employers on how to best support veterans.Clayeux said that employers often see veterans in somewhat one-dimensional ways by thinking they're good at getting things done or in leadership roles."They have so many other individual skills in between that they've picked up," Clayeux said.Clayeux said that's why it's important that hiring managers and supervisors should be curious about veterans' experiences and the skills they can bring to a workplace.A hiring manager's curiosity came through for Bethea, the newly minted Air Force veteran. She recently began a job as a government contractor at the Pentagon. Bethea's new role as a mission readiness airmen analyst builds on her decades of work in the Air Force."I enjoy logistics, and I still wanted to do it in my second life," she said.

Employers seeking skilled workers often overlook military veterans

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Anxiety over the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/election-impact-companies-trump-harris-2024-10">US election</a> could be hurting some workers' productivity.</li><li>When we see incivility, even secondhand, it can hijack our attention and focus, an expert told BI.</li></ul>AJ Gareffa thought about taking off the day after <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-donald-trump-support-reflects-business-approach-tesla-2024-10">Tuesday's election</a> but instead plans to be off work for the entire week.Gareffa, 27, is a therapist in Livonia, Michigan, near Detroit. They said they've already found in recent days that stress over the election is causing their mind to sometimes wander for a few seconds when they're with a client. Gareffa said that's a sign that time off is needed."You can't be a life raft to anyone if you are drowning," they told Business Insider.<div type="image" title="AJ Gareffa" height="1364" width="1818" msid="114881702" hostid="261" sizebytes="130340"></div>Gareffa isn't alone in finding it harder to concentrate at work because of anxiety over the election.In a survey of 1,000 US managers conducted online in October by ResumeBuilder.com, 38% of respondents said the election had already hurt morale and productivity. Seven in 10 managers are worried tensions will worsen after the election.Felix Kim is the founder and CEO of Redrob, a startup that develops skills assessments designed to remove bias from hiring. He is concerned, in part, that the election might hurt team cohesion and said he's already seeing signs that the inescapable campaign news is wearing on workers."People, of course, are distracted," Kim said. He said he's planning for disruptions to his company's routines because, no matter who wins, "it's going to be a wild ride."Kim is considering telling the small company's workers who normally commute to its office in New York City several days a week to work remotely following the election, perhaps for as long as two weeks.<h2 id="e1c91231-8a67-4773-82bc-1feb19ee349c">The cost of tension</h2>The American Psychological Association found in an August survey that nearly seven in 10 US adults reported that the election was a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2024">"significant" source of stress</a>. That's similar to 2020 and above the 52% of adults who reported the same level of anxiety in 2016. The online survey, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of the APA, involved about 3,300 adults in the US."The emotional drain of what we're all experiencing is going to lower productivity," Gabriella Kellerman, chief innovation officer at the virtual coaching platform BetterUp, told BI. How much we get done on the job can drop because of our own anxiety, and when working with others becomes fraught."As we get closer to the election, people are more likely to avoid coworkers based on feared political tension," Kellerman said.That friction, or fear of it, can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/job-politics-talking-discussions-work-rules-election-hr-trump-harris-2024-8">hurt team output</a>.Dorie Clark, a communication coach who teaches at Columbia Business School and is the author of "The Long Game," told BI that some workers have been preoccupied for months about the election. That's likely to increase on Election Day, and perhaps in its aftermath, she said.She said some workers will be busy hitting refresh on news and social sites, looking for insight into how the election might swing."What they're wanting is the one thing they can't have, which is control," Clark said.She said that for some workers, not knowing what their future — and that of the country —might look like because of the vote can produce major stress."This is not dissimilar to a patient who has acute symptoms but no diagnosis," Clark said.<h2 id="9ea62c69-07ec-4729-82df-cad4d8874b26">Bad behavior can be contagious</h2>Christine Porath, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of "Mastering Community," told BI that the toxicity of a divisive election could seep into our workdays as people are exposed to rudeness and bad behavior — even if they're only learning about it secondhand."It's very distracting and hijacks our attention and focus. It leads us to perform worse, be far less creative, less helpful to others, and unfortunately, it is contagious," she said.Porath said that when incivility infiltrates the workplace, it primes employees to act or think dysfunctionally. Those employees, in turn, can spread that negativity to their coworkers.The Society for Human Resource Management reports that politics is a "top driver" of incivility on the job. Discourtesy, the organization said, costs US organizations a collective $2.17 billion every day due to absenteeism and reduced productivity.Yet it's not all bad news. In research Porath conducted several years ago involving six organizations in different industries, she found that workers who felt that they were thriving in their jobs were better able to repel the type of negativity — like that emanating from a contentious election — that could lead them to become distracted.<h2 id="8d93d8a3-d2e2-42f2-8755-79681440a7c4">What managers can do</h2>Clark, the communication coach, said managers shouldn't make assumptions about their teams' political leanings but should instead be sensitive to employees' emotions.Yet that doesn't mean being overly indulgent or letting workers focus too long on issues that aren't germane to the business."You might feel sad about who wins or loses a presidential election, but this is very different than, say, the death of a relative," Clark said.Despite the widespread election worries, not every indicator signals that the vexing political climate is throwing off most workers. In an online survey of about 900 US workers conducted from late August to mid-September, the research firm Gartner found that while 48% of employees said they were anxious about who would win the election, two-thirds of respondents said those concerns hadn't dented their productivity at work.Gareffa, the therapist in Michigan, doesn't want to risk being overly distracted when they're with clients. Gareffa plans to use the week off from work to spend time with family and perhaps focus on a hobby like drawing or sculpting. They said their clients have been understanding about the planned time away."It's been a good kind of example of how to take care of yourself without just running away from responsibilities or just pumping the brakes on life," Gareffa said.

Worries about the election could be cutting into some workers' productivity

Internal Tesla database shows why workers might accept lower salaries

<keyword id="19915275" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Boeing" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Boeing" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Boeing">Boeing</keyword> is set to cut 17,000 jobs, or 10% of its global workforce, in response to a strike by 33,000 U.S. West Coast workers that has stalled production of its major jets, including the 737 MAX and 777 models. The ongoing strike, which has persisted for over a month, is expected to result in $5 billion in third-quarter losses, the company revealed. CEO Kelly Ortberg announced the job cuts in a message to employees as part of a broader restructuring effort aimed at aligning Boeing’s operations with its financial challenges. "We reset our workforce levels to align with our financial reality and to a more focused set of priorities. Over the coming months, we are planning to reduce the size of our total workforce by roughly 10%. These reductions will include executives, managers and employees," Ortberg's message read as per a Reuters report. The planemaker, already facing hurdles from regulatory issues and a strike-induced production halt, has also pushed back the first deliveries of its 777X jet by a year, now expected in 2026. In addition to downsizing, Boeing is considering measures to raise billions of dollars in funding, including selling stock and equity-like securities, to safeguard its financial standing. Analysts estimate the company may need to secure $10 to $15 billion to maintain its credit ratings, which are perilously close to junk status. Boeing has taken legal steps against the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), accusing the union of failing to negotiate in good faith. However, IAM has criticised Boeing’s claims as an attempt to deflect from its refusal to return to the bargaining table. The strikes are costing Boeing roughly $1 billion a month, and analysts believe resolving the labour dispute is critical for the company’s future. With significant financial losses looming and a court case involving fraud charges ahead, Boeing’s challenges continue to mount as it faces increasing pressure from both regulatory bodies and its workforce. (With Reuters inputs)

Boeing announces global job cuts in the middle of workers’ strike, 17,000 people could lose their jobs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Misuse of perks has pervaded Big Tech, as Meta's recent 'Grubgate' episode highlighted.</li><li>Big Tech's lavish perks culture led to entitlement and rule-bending among some employees.</li></ul>For more than a decade, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/big-tech">Big Tech</a> companies doled out lavish <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-workers-office-perks-ski-trips-massages-meals-list-2023-2">perks</a> to hire and retain a limited supply of technical talent — and some workers pushed the limits of these benefits."<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-employees-react-grubhub-meal-credit-firings-2024-10">Grubgate</a>," where Meta <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-fires-employees-abusing-grubhub-meal-credit-perk-2024-10">fired staff</a> for misusing meal vouchers, shows how engrained perks-grifting became in Silicon Valley, but also how the era of pampered tech employees may be ending.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-firms-laying-off-employees-again-efficiency-amazon-google-2024-1">Cost-cutting</a>, huge layoffs, and the use of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-goose-ai-model-language-ai-coding-2024-2">AI</a> have put tech employers in a more powerful position. Hiring has also slowed, with tech job postings about 30% below pre-pandemic levels, according to job site Indeed. That, in turn, means fewer perks."In the 2010 to 2021 days, it was very much like employees were in charge," said a former Instagram staffer. "Then suddenly the tables turned."Business Insider interviewed tech workers and industry experts about Grubgate and the evolving relationship between Big Tech companies and staff. Most people asked not to be identified so they could speak frankly about some of the more egregious perks-grifting that's gone on in Silicon Valley. They also described how layoffs, efficiency drives, and tougher policy enforcement have shifted the culture at once easygoing tech companies.<h2 id="51453fde-23ef-4451-b36f-8b4205447a9f">It started with the entrées</h2>For years, luscious Silicon Valley "campus" spaces offered workers fancy food, exercise classes, laundry, and even massages, all on the company dime.Google kicked things off with high-quality free food in the early 2000s. It now has dozens of cafes at the Googleplex in Mountain View and in offices around the world offering an array of free meals cooked by chefs with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/one-of-jamie-olivers-top-chefs-is-now-working-for-google-2016-6">fine-dining experience</a>.Things gathered pace from there as Facebook and other emerging tech giants began competing hard for talent.Perks became so expected that such benefits stopped being highlighted in job postings across the sector, according to Allison Shrivastava, associate economist at Indeed's Hiring Lab.<h2 id="1330d176-8353-4d90-b415-2e0c1403bb0c">Hacking the perk system</h2>In a culture of moving fast and breaking things, it was perhaps inevitable some staffers hacked the system.In 2022, Meta banned employees from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.hcamag.com/us/specialization/benefits/facebooks-parent-company-meta-cutting-perks-for-employees/399035">bringing in Tupperware</a> because too many had been stocking up on free food and taking it home with them. Even then, employees invented workarounds."They got clued up on people taking food home, so people would start bringing their family in," for meals on campus, said a former Google employee, who worked at the company for five years. (Google's policy also states that employees can't take food from its cafeteria home.)In the Grubgate episode from earlier in October, Meta <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-fires-employees-abusing-grubhub-meal-credit-perk-2024-10">fired</a> several employees after they misused Grubhub vouchers to order nonfood items like laundry detergent, acne pads, and wine glasses.Food isn't the only in-house luxury where employees tested the boundaries."I used the laundry expense — yes, do my own clothing, but also my spouse's clothing. It's one big laundry hamper at the end of the day. Am I supposed to use it for my spouse's laundry? I don't know, but that kind of thing seems very minor," said a former US Meta employee who was offered a clothes-washing credit because they worked at an office with no on-site laundry.Meta briefly nixed its in-house laundry service in 2023 before reinstating it — though it's now no longer free.The use of voucher-based perks was long established at tech companies with offices that couldn't cater for food and other services. These sorts of benefits ballooned during the COVID-induced work-from-home era as employers looked to maintain employee morale.Over at Snap, the company used to offer employees Snapchat-yellow-branded cash cards loaded with an allowance for a daily meal. "It could be used anywhere — so yes, people used to save it up during the week and blow it on a big shop," said a former Snap UK employee.<h2 id="6075ba1e-765c-46ab-ac39-f94ef3ba98c6">A $2,600 travel pass ruse</h2>A senior Meta employee who left last year recalls former colleagues claiming a $2,600 annual travel pass to get the receipt to expense, only to then instantly refund their tickets.A $3,000 a year "wellness stipend" — meant to cover costs for employees' physical and mental health and care for their families — was exchanged for Nintendo Switch consoles by other staffers, he said.A $25-a-month advertising credit given to employees to test and improve their skills on Facebook Ad Manager was instead sold for $20 cash, he added."It was just kind of normal. Oh, you're getting an Uber Eats, you throw stuff in. It wasn't like you felt you were cheating," said the former Instagram employee. "You feel like that's your money."<h2 id="dff5050e-64c2-453b-801c-91a664734b08">A growing sense of entitlement</h2>Some say that all this pampering of tech employees led to a growing sense of entitlement, which allowed some to think they could push the limits of what was acceptable when it came to perks."Google would give out Christmas presents, the latest phone or something, and I would see people complain about it," the former Googler said.Meta CEO <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.theverge.com/23277797/mark-zuckerberg-meta-facebook-employees-pressure">Mark Zuckerberg famously bristled</a> during an all-hands meeting about coming layoffs in 2022 when an employee asked whether the company would continue its COVID-era bonus holidays."People would get angry about the littlest of things in the live comments when Zuck did the company all-hands — the kinds of comments that would get you fired in any other job," said a former Meta employee who left last year. "'How can you cut the laundry benefit?' 'The food is crap now!' etc."<h2 id="affcf9d4-8854-4d15-8c10-dfcd74cce30f">Where to draw the line?</h2>None of the tech workers Business Insider spoke to endorsed expense fraud. Indeed, there are tax consequences for companies and individuals if tax-exempted benefits or vouchers or a specific purpose are used for something else.Many tech workers told BI that companies never really made it clear what was acceptable. Is it ok if your partner stops by late to see you in the office and grabs a French fry from a plate of food that your employer paid for? What about 10 fries, or a whole plate?Patrick Mork, who led marketing for Google Play before leaving in 2013, thinks tech companies have moved too far away from their initial worker-friendly cultures as their focus has turned toward Wall Street's profit expectations. That shift has eroded leadership skills, meaning some employees aren't clear on their company's values and rules, he added."Employers don't focus on anything that's not being measured — and what's not being measured is culture, leadership, and values," Mork said.Dilip Rao, CEO of Sharebite, a startup that lets client companies give workers credit cards for meals that only work at approved restaurants, criticized companies for offering easily abusable perks to workers then penalizing them for it. "Why even put somebody in that position?" he said.Grubgate is "a perfect example of a recurring issue," he added. "Obviously it's gained visibility because it happened at Meta. But I got to tell you, this same exact problem happens all the time."He said he's seen other examples of tech employees using company meal vouchers to buy firewood and pet food.<h2 id="5abf862f-fe39-4e31-a101-ebe4603f8f26">Layoffs led to more perks-grifting</h2>Layoffs across the industry have left some employees cynical about the companies they work at, and worried about job security. When you might be let go by a company, you might max out on perks.According to job marketplace Trueup, at least 650,000 tech workers have been cut since the start of 2023."Once the layoffs started, people were focused on spending whatever perks they had as quickly as possible," said the former Meta employee who left last year.Soon there may be fewer perks-grifting opportunities. Alongside industrywide layoffs that began in 2022, many tech companies also trimmed back the benefits on offer.The Big Tech pampering era could soon be over, according to Bruce Daisley, a former vice president at Twitter and YouTube who now coaches leadership teams at large companies on workplace culture."There's a feeling that it became a monster that needed to be killed," Daisley said.

Big Tech workers got too used to perks. The pampering is over.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Striking Boeing workers voted in favor of a 38% pay rise.</li><li>The latest big victory for US labor unions could inspire others despite the tense process.</li></ul>After seven weeks and billions of dollars in expected losses for the company, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-strike-rising-tension-complaint-union-nlrb-2024-10">strike at Boeing</a> is over.Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted in favor of a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-workers-approve-labor-contract-end-strike-2024-11">contract that includes a 38% general wage</a> increase over four years and a $12,000 ratification bonus."For many frontline Boeing workers in the IAM Union, the terms of this contract will be life-changing," said Gary R. Allen, general vice president of IAM Western Territory.Boeing said the average pay for machinists, currently $75,608, would rise to $119,309 by the end of the contract. The 38% wage increase compounds to around 43% over the term of the deal.The machinists' victory is the latest to highlight the power of labor unions in the US.Last year, the Teamsters secured a deal that would see the average <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-workers-comments-170k-ups-driver-deal-anger-admiration-2023-8">UPS driver make about $170,000</a> in annual pay and benefits. Then, the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-uaw-strike-deal-workers-sometimes-get-what-they-want-2023-10">United Auto Workers union</a> took on all the US' big three automakers simultaneously for the first time, securing a 25% pay rise."Over the last four years, we've shown collective bargaining works," President Joe Biden said in a Monday statement. "Good contracts benefit workers, businesses, and consumers — and are key to growing the American economy from the middle out and the bottom up."It has been a tense road for the roughly 33,000 unionized Boeing workers who began their strike on September 13. The strike started after the union's members overwhelmingly voted down Boeing's first offer of a 25% pay increase.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-strike-negotiations-union-leaders-break-down-after-two-days-2024-10">Negotiations later fell apart</a>, before each side lodged complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing the other of bargaining in bad faith.Acting US <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-strike-us-labor-secretary-traveled-julie-su-negotiate-union-2024-10">Labor Secretary Julie Su flew to Seattle</a> to help mediate discussions, leading to the accepted offer.The union didn't win a return to the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-terrible-24-hours-turnaround-analysts-union-vote-production-backlog-2024-10">traditional pension plan</a> lost in 2014 negotiations — a key point for many on the picket lines — but did secure numerous improvements to the 401(k) plan.Despite the arduous process and heated negotiations, it resulted in another strong pay rise for union members. That may only grow more common as workers find inspiration from others' victories, something noted by the president of the Boeing union."A contract like this sends an inspiring message to all workers in the United States who are seeking to join unions or who have been shortchanged by their employer," said IAM International President Brian Bryant.

Boeing machinists' bumper pay packet is just the latest win for unionized workers

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The New York Times' tech workers went on strike, risking disrupting the Times during the election.</li><li>The Tech Guild is seeking remote work protections, pay equity, and limits on subcontracting.</li></ul>The New York Times' tech workers went on strike Monday morning, threatening to disrupt the publication's operation during the presidential election and its aftermath.The Tech Guild, which represents workers like software developers and data analysts, said members would be picketing outside the Times' New York City headquarters. It asked the public to honor its digital picket line by not using the NYT Cooking app or playing popular Times games like Wordle and Connections.The stoppage could split the vaunted news organization between the Tech Guild and other newsroom members, who worry about how the strike could impact the outlet's ability to handle a surge in election-related traffic — especially as the Times increasingly depends on its digital operation. Digital-only subscriptions became the Times' biggest revenue stream in 2020."Sometimes you have to put the public service mission ahead of your self interest, and this is one of those times," said one newsroom employee, speaking anonymously to discuss the strike freely.The Times Guild, which represents non-tech workers, called <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/nytimesguild/status/1848727940969742519?s=46&amp;t=rey_6ejrzAuWHuW1na5T7g">on Times management</a> to complete a deal by Election Day."Can you imagine if our election needle didn't work, the app didn't open or the homepage went down?" the Times Guild said.The Tech Guild said it was bargaining over issues including remote work protections, pay equity, limits on subcontracting, and just cause.Times management has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/threat-of-new-york-times-tech-worker-strike-on-election-day-grows-174b1912">countered</a> that it made a strong offer promising tech workers generous pay and benefits, including total compensation (salary, bonus, and restricted stock options) of $190,000, or $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild."We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority," a Times spokesperson said in a statement. "We're in one of the most consequential periods of coverage for our readers and have robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers."The Tech Guild, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/business/media/new-york-times-tech-workers-form-a-union.html">formed in 2021,</a> has been negotiating with management since 2022. It's made up of 600 members including designers, software engineers, data analysts, and project managers. It's represented by the NewsGuild of New York, which also represents more than 1,400 newsroom and business employees via The New York Times Guild. The NewsGuild also represents Business Insider employees.The Times signaled it's preparing for a long fight: Times Co. chairman AG Sulzberger wrote in a note that he expects the strike to continue at least through the election.This is a developing story and will be updated.

New York Times tech workers are going on strike at the worst possible time

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Slack surveyed more than 17,000 desk workers about artificial intelligence. </li><li>Executives have been prioritizing AI, yet excitement about AI adoption is slowing down for workers.</li></ul>While executives are <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-business-execs-trending-insights-ai-worker-well-being-roundtable-2024-9">keeping AI top of mind</a> for their investments and goals, workers seem to be less excited about AI at work, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/blog/news/the-fall-2024-workforce-index-shows-ai-hype-is-cooling">a new survey</a> from Slack.The popular work communication platform asked over 17,000 desk workers around the world about their feelings and experiences with AI. The responses suggested stalling levels of AI adoption and a lack of AI training.Here are five interesting takeaways from the survey, which was administered by Qualtrics and did not target Slack or Salesforce employees or customers.<h2 id="d8b8b66c-ba87-4684-b550-36c4d6ba87f8">AI adoption is plateauing among workers</h2>Despite <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-business-execs-trending-insights-ai-worker-well-being-roundtable-2024-9">artificial intelligence staying a priority</a> for many executives, with 99% surveyed saying they will invest in AI this year, desk worker enthusiasm is decelerating.According to the report, excitement rates about AI have dropped six percentage points globally over the past three months. In particular, the number of US workers who said they're "excited about AI helping them to complete tasks at work" dropped from 45% to 36%.The US also saw its AI adoption rates increase by only a single percentage point, from 32% to 33% among desk workers. In the report, Christina Janzer, head of Slack's Workforce Lab, said that the stalling growth in AI usage and interest is a "real wakeup call" for leaders.<h2 id="c34dd29b-e70c-45d2-90d9-ed48f693f888">Around half surveyed don't want to tell their manager they use AI at work</h2>When it comes to daily work tasks like writing messages or brainstorming ideas, 48% of surveyed desk workers said they would be "uncomfortable" admitting to their manager that they're using AI for at least one of those activities.Employees said they were concerned that bosses may view them as "less competent" or lazy, and 47% said they felt that using AI was "cheating."A previous Slack survey of over 10,000 workers found that 2 in 5 employees reported that their workplace has no AI policy. The lack of guidelines has led many workers to err on the side of caution — especially with some instances of people <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/freelancer-use-ai-double-output-client-fired-2023-6">being fired for using AI</a>.<h2 id="4db65718-4ef1-472b-8529-889d482691ce">The majority of workers aren't receiving that much AI training</h2>While execs rush to incorporate AI into their companies, workers might not be adequately equipped to keep up.The survey also found that 61% of workers have spent less than five hours learning how to use AI, while 30% said they haven't had any AI instruction.This could become a major oversight as AI continues to affect jobs. A <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/digest/#:~:text=All%20but%20two%20technologies%20are,in%20the%20next%20five%20years.">2023 report</a> by the World Economic Forum estimated that 44% of workers' skills will be "disrupted" within five years.The Slack study found that "learning and skill building" ranked first on lists of activities that executives wanted workers to prioritize and lists of what workers wished AI gave them more time to concentrate on.<h2 id="d4336ce0-e9f0-4407-8c9e-bbdcbec526e4">Workers are concerned that the time they save with AI will increase their workload</h2>Ninety-seven percent of executives surveyed say they feel "some level of urgency" to mix AI into their business operations.Yet though AI has been able to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-saving-sales-teams-hours-work-daily-survey-says-2024-1">save professionals time</a> on more menial activities, like writing messages, workers in the survey said the extra free time may be filled with even more tasks and result in a higher workload.When asked which common work task AI is best at assisting, administration was the top answer. But when asked what workers would do with the potential time saved by AI, respondents said they would spend those hours on even more administrative tasks.<h2 id="7c3e415a-9d4c-488f-af3c-fe2ccee9c262">Gen Z and millennial AI users are more likely to turn to AI than colleagues</h2>According to the survey, 81% of AI users said they ask AI for assistance or advice rather than a friend or peer. The main drivers of the trend were Gen Zers and millennials, with 30% and 33% respectively frequently consulting AI in place of a colleague.Slack's survey included 17,372 workers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. It was fielded between August 2-August 30, 2024.

5 interesting takeaways from Slack's survey of 17,000 desk workers about AI

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Dozens of New York Times tech workers crossed the picket line amid a tech strike.</li><li>The Tech Guild is striking over remote work, pay equity, and subcontracting limits.</li></ul>Dozens of New York Times tech workers have crossed the picket line since the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-times-tech-strike-disrupt-site-election-coverage-2024-11">Tech Guild went on strike</a> Monday, sources said.Two knowledgeable sources, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal operations, estimated about 100 of the Guild's 600 members were working on Election Day. Benjamin Harnett, an engineer at the Times and union steward, said the figure was under 50.Harnett said some members opted not to strike because they were on work visas, had concerns about job security, or were anti-union."Nobody wants to be on strike election night," Harnett said. "Everyone is talking about how disappointed they are. People are disappointed that management saw the deadline coming and decided not to meet it. There's definitely a few people conflicted about the mission, but the vast majority who expressed conflict have ended up on the picket."The Tech Guild, formed in 2021, represents Times workers like software developers and data analysts. It's striking over issues including remote work protections, pay equity, limits on subcontracting, and just cause.Times management has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/threat-of-new-york-times-tech-worker-strike-on-election-day-grows-174b1912">countered</a> that it made a strong offer promising tech workers generous pay and benefits, including total compensation (salary, bonus, and restricted stock options) of $190,000 — or $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild.The work stoppage threatened to disrupt the Times' operations during an expected election traffic surge. Some speculated that it could impact the Times' famous needle, a data visualization tool that shows which way a race is leaning. Nate Cohn, the Times' chief political analyst, <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/Nate_Cohn/status/1853849211432734973">said</a> Tuesday that he didn't know if the Times would be able to publish the needle if there were bugs that couldn't be fixed due to the strike."Publishing the Needle live on election night relies on computer systems maintained by engineers across the company, including some who are currently <a target="_blank" class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/04/business/media/new-york-times-strike.html">on strike</a>," the Times' election analytics team wrote in an article published Tuesday. "How we display our election forecast will depend on those systems, as well as incoming data feeds, and we will only publish a live version of the Needle if we are confident those systems are stable."The strike has exposed some divisions among Tech Guild members — and between the guild and some Times journalists who have expressed a lack of sympathy for the tech workers. The Tech Guild had <a target="_blank" href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/nyt-tech-strike-fund">raised</a> nearly $108,000 on GoFundMe toward a $150,000 strike fund goal as of Tuesday evening.

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