Future of Work Roundup - Week of January 16

Welcome to the Future of Work Roundup. Each week, we bring you five top stories—drawing from the latest academic research and industry trends—to give you an easily-digestible snapshot of how work is changing—and why it matters.

Dangers of inventing new job titles

BBC reports on the dangers of "flashy job titles," like "chief visionary officer, "chief innovation evangelist," and "chief remote officer," especially in today's economy. One potential danger - lack of clarity in terms of role and responsibilities.

Tulsa’s big bet on remote workers

A new HBR article reports on the early success of Tulsa Remote, a program that pays remote workers $10,000 to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and also the challenges that other cities face in trying to replicate the model.

Shopify purges meetings from calendars

Global News reports that Shopify has purged 10,000 meetings from employees' calendars as part of an effort to increase employee productivity. Is it time for companies to do the same?

Unlimited time off - better for employers or employees?

After Microsoft has offered its employees unlimited time off, the Financial Post reports on why this "benefit" can drive cost savings and is often better for employers rather than for employees.

Free Twitter ads - enough to bring brands back?

Wall Street Journal reports that Twitter is offering free ads (matching advertisers' ad spending up to $250k) in an effort to incentivize brands back to its platform. The question is - is that enough?

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for next week’s Future of Work roundup.