Workplace

Viewsroom: Reparations math, the coming WFH battle

25 June 2020

As America continues to grapple with the legacy of slavery, Breakingviews columnists debate the financial question of whether the government, and some corporations, have a debt to repay. And Pete Sweeney dives deep into the post-pandemic future of working from home – or not.

LGBTQ ruling adds to the great American workaround

15 June 2020

Outlawing workplace discrimination was a job for Congress, not the Supreme Court. But with government so dysfunctional, change had to come from elsewhere. Big companies know the feeling: they are already working around the political void on everything from climate to Covid-19.

Corona Capital: Tech diversity, CNN’s middle age

1 June 2020

Concise views on the pandemic’s corporate and financial fallout: As big U.S. technology companies’ CEOs speak out about racial inequality, working from home trends could give them a chance to make a real difference; and 24/7 news network CNN feasts on Covid-19 as it turns 40.

Silicon Valley gears up to leave Silicon Valley

13 May 2020

Remote work has highlighted the Bay Area’s high costs. Some startups are closing San Francisco offices; giants like Facebook were already expanding their national footprint. Covid-19 will hasten the planting of tech flags across America, altering recruiting and local economies.

Viewsroom: Freebies no more

16 April 2020

Breakingviews columnists check in from home in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong to discuss disappearing Silicon Valley perks like free meals and booze, office activism at tech firms, the mystery of China’s 20 million lost mobile-phone subscribers and an ascendant TikTok.

Culture is disrupted for coveted tech worker bees

14 April 2020

Silicon Valley companies offered perks like free meals, beer, and sweet pay packages to retain white collar staff in a tight labor market. Benefits will be cut as companies try to shore up cash. Office activism for pet issues will be replaced by traditional worker demands.

For staff, Jeff Bezos is more CEO than trailblazer

8 April 2020

The Amazon founder has transformed shopping. But the way the $950 bln firm treats its workers is not so futuristic. Like Walmart, it only recently provided protective gear to warehouse employees. That might fit with short-term profit, but not with long-term innovation.

The Exchange: Verizon’s HR chief

31 March 2020

Christy Pambianchi oversees the well-being of more than 100,000 people. She explains how Verizon quickly rewrote the rule book to address the coronavirus outbreak from getting people set up at home to ensuring the safety of field employees providing critical infrastructure.

Uber’s gig model mutates to meet virus challenge

13 March 2020

The ride-hailing app will give paid leave to quarantined drivers. It’s also mulling a compensation fund with Lyft, DoorDash and others who treat their labor force as contractors. Silicon Valley’s gig economy giants aren’t admitting workers are employees, but the line is blurring.

Review: Murdoch’s Fox News survives “Bombshell”

7 February 2020

A movie based on the downfall of the American network’s architect Roger Ailes is equal parts inspiring and depressing. Ailes left in disgrace after a brave anchor accused him of sexual harassment. The outcome didn’t weaken Fox News and the film captures the limitations of #MeToo.

Slack would be better off as part of a team

19 November 2019

Shares of the work-messaging service are down 45% since its June IPO. For all Slack’s charms, Microsoft’s alternative has nearly double the users, and is untroubled by the need to raise capital or turn a profit. Slack’s best course is to find a rich benefactor, like Salesforce.

Viewsroom: When the CEO breaks the rules

7 November 2019

McDonald’s has provided a map for other firms after ousting boss Steve Easterbrook over a consensual relationship with an employee. Elsewhere, Aramco’s IPO and Fiat Chrysler’s merger with Peugeot. Plus: Breaking Japan’s love of hard cash.

McDonald’s CEO ouster sends clear #MeToo message

4 November 2019

The $144 bln fast-food chain replaced CEO Steve Easterbrook after he broke rules by having a consensual relationship with an employee. A simple policy, applied at the top, is one way to let everyone know that worse behavior – like harassment of subordinates – is out of bounds.

Review: #MeToo comes out of the shadows

25 October 2019

The casting couch is a Hollywood trope, but it's real for many women. Yet exposing their mistreatment is daunting, and not just because it requires courage. Two books about the fall of media mogul Harvey Weinstein show the insidious role of legal agreements that muzzle victims.

U.S. unions are in need of reinvention

30 August 2019

Labor Day originally celebrated full-time and fairly paid employment. The unions which helped win such jobs have declined, in part because the people doing them are now mostly comfortable. Organising workers who are left behind is harder, but would be good for the U.S. economy.

Slack debut takes direct listing closer to a trend

20 June 2019

The work-messaging service’s early trades gave it a valuation of some $24 bln. That’s more than three times its worth a year ago. Like Spotify before it, Slack’s decision to opt out of a full-blown IPO paid off. Airbnb could be the one to make direct listing almost mainstream.

Gender pay gap deserves GAAP accounting

19 June 2019

Alphabet is the latest to oppose a shareholder call for it to report the difference between median male and female pay. Many companies publish data by job categories to deny sexism, but that sidesteps a lack of women at the top. Fuller numbers would help get at the real problem.

Canada adds startup-like optimism to tech turf war

22 May 2019

The country has simpler immigration, livable cities and lower valuations than its southern neighbor. Capitalizing on U.S. dysfunction in a bid to become a tech magnet is smart. But if Silicon Valley is any guide Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should be careful what he wishes for.

Capitalists on defensive even as good times roll

30 April 2019

There’s a sense of foreboding at the annual Milken confab in LA. The U.S. economy is robust and valuations frothy. But last year’s tax cuts are history and a downturn may be looming. That could redouble the need to address tough challenges like diversity and inequality.

Slack needs a channel for valuation skeptics

29 April 2019

The email disruptor’s revenue jumped 82 pct in the year to January. But losses held steady, leaving profit far away. Private trading in March may imply a price tag of $15 bln or so and Slack could expect even more from its direct listing. Investors may want to chat before buying.