Journal

When a smaller company gets acquired by a behemoth, the leadership needs to get ready for huge change.

When a smaller company gets acquired by a behemoth, the leadership needs to get ready for huge change.

Jet.com, the once-scrappy supposed killer of Amazon, is now just another part of the corporate machinery—albeit a corporate machinery that wants to compete with Amazon. Earlier this week, Walmart bought Jet.com for $3.3 billion, an attempt by the big box retailer to boost its flatlining e-commerce presence. Though Jet.com and Walmart.com will remain separate brands, Jet’s CEO, Marc Lore, will be overseeing both.

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Employees will watch the Games at work, with or without permission, so why not use the Olympics as an opportunity to build culture?

Employees will watch the Games at work, with or without permission, so why not use the Olympics as an opportunity to build culture?

The 2016 Rio Olympics pose both a unique challenge and opportunity to U.S. employers, with data suggesting that 37% of the working population will consider tuning in during working hours.

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In a few weeks, Apple will likely unveil a new iPhone with a better camera, a faster chip, an additional speaker, and no headphone jack.

In a few weeks, Apple will likely unveil a new iPhone with a better camera, a faster chip, an additional speaker, and no headphone jack.

It started with the infamous revelation that the new device would come without a headphone jack. Wait? What? Why? Then came a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over this great indignity foisted on consumers by Apple. Apple is essentially forcing new iPhone owners to use a dongle if they want to keep using their standard analog headphones.

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The privacy activist says the loss of the iPhone’s last analog output could lead to a couple of anti-consumer scenarios in the future.

The privacy activist says the loss of the iPhone’s last analog output could lead to a couple of anti-consumer scenarios in the future.

It’s almost a certainty that Apple has removed the standard headphone jack from the next iPhone, which will be announced in a matter of weeks. The new phone will deliver sound through the Lightning port at the bottom of the phone, or via Bluetooth to wireless headphones. These are both digital outputs; the analog output of the headphone jack is probably gone for good.

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Plenty of workers fib to get an extra day or two off. So ditch sick days for a different policy that can actually boost engagement.

Plenty of workers fib to get an extra day or two off. So ditch sick days for a different policy that can actually boost engagement.

Face it: There are days when you just don’t want to go to work. According to a 2015 survey from the job website CareerBuilder, 38% of employees said they’ve called in sick even though they felt well, up from 28% in 2014. Of the employees who feigned being sick, 27% said they just didn’t feel like going, 26% needed to relax, and 21% wanted to catch up on sleep.

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Schools wary of Clinton versus Trump minefields are avoiding lessons on government—but it’s to the detriment of our kids, say experts.

Schools wary of Clinton versus Trump minefields are avoiding lessons on government—but it’s to the detriment of our kids, say experts.

Mock-election student voters at schools across the country might expect to find useful information on the presidential candidates’ policy positions on Scholastic’s Election 2016 news site. Instead, Scholastic offers kids preparing to cast a classroom ballot a cheat sheet on Republican Donald Trump’s childhood (“As a teen, Trump was a star baseball player”), fortune, and many grandchildren. To introduce Hillary Clinton, Scholastic notes that the Democrat once sold cookies (“Clinton was a Brownie and a Girl Scout”), without mentioning that she later disavowed the idea of staying home to bake them. Foreign policy, guns, jobs—the topics that animate voting decisions in the grownup world—are glaringly absent.

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Have reason to question a colleague’s integrity? Here are three ways you can deal with them.

Have reason to question a colleague’s integrity? Here are three ways you can deal with them.

Once, long ago, I worked at a rapidly growing tech company. For all intents and purposes, the organization was nailing it, sending consultants out all over the country to work with organizations on problem-solving, tech-related issues. All sounds great, right? It only took a few months for me to begin noticing things I was far from comfortable with.

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Silicon Valley human resources veteran Patty McCord helps businesses build influence.

Silicon Valley human resources veteran Patty McCord helps businesses build influence.

During Patty McCord’s 14 years as chief talent officer of Netflix, her unconventional approach to human resources shaped the workforce that transformed the DVD-by-mail retailer into a top content-streaming service. Her philosophy, which included unlimited vacation and no annual reviews, is detailed in a 124-page report, “Netflix Culture: Freedom and Responsibility,” which Sheryl Sandberg has called “the most important document ever to come out of the Valley.” Now a consultant, McCord helps businesses such as Warby Parker and Birchbox hire effective teams. Here’s how she forms company culture.

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Working a temporary job this summer? Here’s how to make it count before your time’s up.

Working a temporary job this summer? Here’s how to make it count before your time’s up.

They may not be glamorous, they probably won’t be easy, and they might not pay very well, but temp jobs can—and do—lead to successful careers in rewarding fields of work. Just ask Todd Cherches, CEO and cofounder of BigBlueGumball, a New York City–based career consulting, training, and coaching firm:

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Some companies are building much more diverse employee bases while their boards remain heavily white and male.

Some companies are building much more diverse employee bases while their boards remain heavily white and male.

Many companies are buckling down on their diversity efforts, some with better results than others. But most of those initiatives focus on employee bases, with few businesses giving the same attention to diversity at the board level. That’s a problem. Here’s why it persists and what it will take to fix it.

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