Future of Work Roundup - Week of October 3

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.

A productive disconnect?

New research by Microsoft finds that workers are bullish on their productivity levels right now—with nearly 90% of employees reporting that they are productive at work. But there’s a disconnect between employees and their leaders, as only 12% of leaders say they have full confidence in their team’s productivity levels.

Older workers are struggling to rejoin the workforce

Business Insider reported that older workers aged 55 and up are struggling to rejoin the workplace amid the Covid recession. As compared to the two previous recessions, the proportion of Amercians aged 55 and over in the workplace has been much slower to return to pre-crisis levels.

Amazon urges call center employees to work from home

Bloomberg reported that Amazon has urged its call center employees to work from home. The push, which marks a reversal of Amazon’s previous remote work stance, is, at least in part, a cost-cutting measure.

Musk unveils a humanoid robot

The Wall Street Journal reported that Elon Musk introduced a new humanoid robot during a Tesla event focused on artificial intelligence. The robot prototype took a few steps, waved to the crowd, and proceeded to perform a few dance moves.

Sweaty bosses make a return

The Wall Street Journal reported on the reopening of office gyms—which despite their health boons are also "etiquette minefields." Sweaty bosses and colleagues sporting Spandex can lead to awkward encounters that can get your heart racing as quickly as a run on the treadmill.

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