Fri.Jun 27, 2025

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Why the best leaders embrace both ‘agile’ and ‘waterfall’ thinking

Work Life

Have you ever admired a leader so dialed into their long-term mission that it seems nothing can shake their focus? Every move appears premeditated, every milestone perfectly timed. Now think about a leader who seems to always be in step with the moment. Their company launches timely features, aligns instantly with market shifts, and always feels fresh.

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Business rates hike could cost London office occupiers £432 million more from 2026

Workplace Insight

Office-based businesses across Central London could face a steep increase in business rates from April 2026, according to new research by property consultancy Colliers. The analysis suggests that occupiers of prime office space may collectively see bills rise by £432 million, bringing total business rates liabilities to £5.23 billion—a 9 percent increase on current levels.

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How to get the growth opportunities you want at work

Work Life

Research tells us that high performers thrive on challenges. Stretch projects help ambitious teammates grow their skills, and cross-team initiatives offer greater visibility. Yet, managers are overwhelmed, often unable to curate the bespoke growth opportunities their teams desire. As a result, “seeking career growth opportunities” has become the number-one reason people change jobs, according to one survey by Gallup.

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Can’t Focus? Blame the Workplace Noise Impact

Attendance Bot

Some people need absolute silence to work effectively. Others can tune into a heavy metal playlist and still meet their deadlines. Whether you’re team “library quiet” or “background buzz,” one thing’s clear: workplace noise impact is real, and it plays a bigger role in how we focus, think, and get things done than most of us realize. From chatty coworkers to humming AC units, our brains are constantly processing background sounds, even when we think we’re tuning them out.

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The Memory Edge: Outlearn, Outperform, Outlast

Speaker: Chester Santos

Forgetfulness is costing you time, money, and a ton of missed opportunities. In the age of automation, it’s easy to underestimate the power of a well-trained human mind. But memory isn’t just a parlor trick, it's a strategic edge. Human memory is one of the most underrated business skills. Whether you’re managing people, leading sessions, or having high-stakes conversations, remembering names, details, and concepts can be transformative in building trust, absorbing knowledge, and driving perform

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‘Pawternity’ leave, unlimited ice cream, and more: 5 offbeat company benefits

Work Life

Employees are in a burnout crisis. A 2023 Mercer report found that 82% of workers were at risk of burnout. Overworked employees say they need time off , work-life balance, and flexibility. But the same report noted only 32% of leaders thought reducing employee burnout was important. Still, some companies are getting wildly innovative with their well-being perks.

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The next specialty: The physician CEO

McKensey

Healthcare organizations face growing complexity, and physicians are eager to step in, drawing on their distinct expertise. Here’s how their CEO potential can be unlocked to achieve both mission and margin.

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New Study Reveals This Emotion Is Key to a Meaningful Life

Success

A new study reveals that hope is not just an abstract feeling, but a powerful psychological mindset that shapes human thought and behavior. Although we exist constantly in the eternal present, our minds instinctively navigate past memories and future possibilities to shape our decisions, giving us the option to choose how we view the expanse of our lives.

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5 self-sabotaging career moves women often make—and how to avoid them

Work Life

We often focus on the visible obstacles stopping women from getting ahead: pay inequality, missed promotions and opportunities, and those boardroom tables with not quite enough seats. Yet there is another, less-visible hindrance to women’s career success : our internal habits, harder to name and even harder to shake. The opportunity passed over not because it was out of reach, but because our inner dialogue said it wasn’t ours to take.

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Workplace AI doesn’t appear to be having a negative effect on wellbeing for now, research suggests

Workplace Insight

A new study published in the journal Nature: Scientific Reports offers a cautiously optimistic view of how artificial intelligence is affecting workers’ wellbeing. Contrary to common fears, the research finds no clear evidence that AI exposure is harming workers’ mental health or job satisfaction. In some cases, it may even be contributing to small improvements in physical health, particularly among workers without a college degree.

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by Finola

Ask a Manager

“I’m the third person brought in to replace him, and it’s been six months with no signs that he intends to step aside. Given his ongoing access to accounts and financial authority, I would thinj that someone really should review the books. In small companies, reluctance to relinquish control can sometimes be an early red flag for financial misconduct or embezzlement.

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Automation, Evolved: Your New Playbook for Smarter Knowledge Work

Speaker: Frank Taliano

Documents are the backbone of enterprise operations, but they are also a common source of inefficiency. From buried insights to manual handoffs, document-based workflows can quietly stall decision-making and drain resources. For large, complex organizations, legacy systems and siloed processes create friction that AI is uniquely positioned to resolve.

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OM Group Offices – Surat

Office Snapshots

This 1000 sq. ft. office space has been designed for a textile firm, drawing inspiration from contemporary Indian architecture while deeply rooting itself in traditional aesthetics. The design thoughtfully blends modern spatial planning with elements of Indian heritage, creating a workspace that is both functional and culturally resonant. Central to the design concept is the integration of Indian motifs—subtle yet impactful—in surfaces, partitions, and textures.

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by Lenneth

Ask a Manager

I had a great-grandboss at an open office in a UK public sector job who liked to circle our group of desks to make sure we “looked busy” I was scolded by her for things like: – Doing the company’s mandatory online fire safety training. – Reading the monthly informal newsletter sent by the company to all staff. – And, the main point that she would “catch” me doing about at least once a week: using the internal IM system to speak to other members of

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Why ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ is the best movie about investing ever made

Work Life

The 1994 Frank Darabont film The Shawshank Redemption may be everyone’s favorite movie to catch on TNT on a rainy Saturday, but it’s not an obvious place to go looking for money lessons. This quiet film is a meditation on the power of hope to change lives—which hardly seems like a message one can expect from financial professionals (ahem). Yet, the story of Andy Dufresne’s time in (and spectacular escape from) the Shawshank State Prison provides a blueprint for smart financial choices.

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by Asking For a Friend

Ask a Manager

At one company where I was the office admin, one of our C-level execs scolded me because the bottle of Coca-Cola he took from the fridge didn’t have enough bubbles for his satisfaction. He made me go through several crates until we found the bubbliest one to his taste.

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Maximizing Profit and Productivity: The New Era of AI-Powered Accounting

Speaker: Yohan Lobo and Dennis Street

In the accounting world, staying ahead means embracing the tools that allow you to work smarter, not harder. Outdated processes and disconnected systems can hold your organization back, but the right technologies can help you streamline operations, boost productivity, and improve client delivery. Dive into the strategies and innovations transforming accounting practices.

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5 books about AI to get you caught up in 2025

Work Life

The AI landscape is evolving rapidly and it’s important to keep up. No one can afford to stay out of the loop on AI, so here are five new books to fill you in on the latest updates, concerns, and uses of this world-changing technology. AI First: The Playbook for a Future-Proof Business and Brand By Adam Brotman & Andy Sack In AI First , you’ll hear from a who’s who of tech visionaries who spoke with the authors, including Sam Altman himself, Bill Gates, and Reid Hoffman, sharing how they’re

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by Corporate Goth

Ask a Manager

Oh, I know. I wasn’t “happy enough.” In an office job with zero requirement to interact with the public and no expectation of happiness. I expect the scolding was because I dared to point out problems with rampant favoritism that impeded job completion.

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42 Leadership Quotes to Inspire You to Be a Better Leader

Success

Leadership manifests differently across various realms—be it in business, education, community or personal life—but its essence remains the same: the ability to uplift, inspire and motivate. Effective leaders don’t just make change, but they motivate others to do the same. Leadership isn’t a title; it’s the ability to inspire action through example—and some of the most powerful leadership quotes help illustrate this.

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by EvilQueenRegina

Ask a Manager

In reply to Daria grace. I had that manager. I had two hours of my time wasted on a telling off for excessive chatting causing a backlog to build up. Thing was, leaving aside the fact that the excessive chatting was a “specific employee” thing rather than an “all of us” thing, there were several factors in play that led up to that (that person’s chatting didn’t help, but was no way the whole cause of the problem).

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B2B customers have spoken. Will telcos listen?

McKensey

Operators have long asked whether they can expand beyond connectivity. Our latest survey of tech and telco B2B decision-makers shows the market offers a resounding “yes.

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by Kwebbel

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In reply to Jax. I had the exact same setup in London a decade ago as a working professional. The landlord lived in another country and had the longest serving tenant act as an agent of sorts. Very high turnover, always something breaking down. It’s not that uncommon, and not necessarily illegal.

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Two Years Later: My TMS Story, From Gaslighting to Finding My Voice

Mad in America

I t’s strange to think it’s been two years since everything changed. What began as a well-intentioned step toward healing became the start of something I never could’ve seen coming. On June 28, 2023, I went in for what was supposed to be a safe and effective treatment called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). I left with injuries that have since shaped every part of my life.

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by Bananapants Modiste

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In reply to Lorna. But if Blake was situationally unaware when that happened, that’ll happen again – only in a job concerning public safety. That could get him or others hurt. OP#3, I say tell your story.

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To serve and protect: A great customer experience while ensuring compliance

McKensey

Skip to main content To serve and protect: A great customer experience while ensuring compliance June 27, 2025 | Interview State regulatory variations create challenges for insurance companies seeking technology solutions that improve both customer experience and ROI. With US states creating a variety of insurance rules and regulations, such as those around parental and sick leave, the resulting fragmentation has created significant complexity for some companies.

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by Rogue Slime Mold

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In reply to Oui oui oui all the way home. There was a past letter about someone who framed a coworker for fraud so she could get the police there to report domestic abuse. And a theme in the comments was that anyone in the emergency response professions is usually trained on “We responded to a report of X, and there was no evident X, but there was a person acting nervous and jumpy so we found a way to talk to them alone.

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I turned off my phone for a week: Here’s why you should too

Work Life

I run two companies, lead a team of over 20 people, mentor women entrepreneurs, and juggle multiple side projects. As a result, my calendar is filled with calls, meetings, decisions, deadlines, and the constant ping of notifications. For years, I convinced myself that unplugging—even for a day—would be reckless. What if something urgent came up? What if everything collapsed?

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by Delta

Ask a Manager

In reply to Lorna. I’m conflict avoidant as well, and I could see myself retreating too. The difference is, I know I’m conflict avoidant, so won’t apply to job where that’s a requirement. It’s possible it didn’t look to bad when the roommate walked in, but if it was obvious LW always in trouble and he walked away, that should absolutely be mentioned in the reference.

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5 Must-Read Sports Books

Success

Sports are a phenomenon that’s embedded in our language, fashion and media. Sports metaphors are so ubiquitous that we barely even notice them anymore; they’re used for everything from a first kiss to career trajectory. Resilient in nature, athletes often share personal stories about breaking through barriers , beating odds and conquering significant challenges—stories that are often riveting and inspirational.

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by EvilQueenRegina

Ask a Manager

In reply to Cheese Girl. “What’s your greatest regret?” “Taking this job working for you.

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4th of July Quotes for Freedom, Fireworks & Fun

Success

Cue the carnivals, parades and hot dog eating contests—it’s time to celebrate the 4th of July! Independence Day is a favorite holiday among Americans for many reasons, and these 4th of July quotes remind us why. First, it comes at the culmination of summer when the sun is at its peak, making all those stars shine even brighter. The July day also buzzes with outdoor activities filled with loved ones and delicious food before ending in a crescendo of booming fireworks displays.

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by knitted feet

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In reply to Jax. …what letter did you read?

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by amoeba

Ask a Manager

In reply to Christmas Carol. Hah, yes, or no husband and a great new job instead, because she has much more time and energy without that glassbowl!

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Comment on I was hired to replace someone who won’t retire, is it unethical to give negative answers after agreeing to be a reference, and more by Wings

Ask a Manager

In reply to hazel herds cats. I think that the essential point in the examples are not the exact details (they of course need to be adapted to each case) but the fact that they look at success from the user experience perspective which hopefully aligns with the organization’s strategic goals. So, instead of thinking just what looks successful to the IC as an individual, they articulate what success looks like to users.

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by BookshelfElf

Ask a Manager

In reply to HR Guy. In many workplaces, “no walking with hands in pockets” is a safety rule, in case you slip and fall.

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Comment on what’s the weirdest thing you’ve gotten scolded for at work? by Tea Drinker

Ask a Manager

I had a purple box of Tetley British Blend tea sitting on my desk. My boss told one of my co-workers to tell me to hide it in a drawer because she thought it looked like tampons and male visitors to the office would be uncomfortable. IT WAS TEA.

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