BossFeed Briefing for April 15, 2019. Last Tuesday was the 121st anniversary of the birth of Paul Robeson. Last Wednesday our stripper safety & security bill passed the State Senate by a 46-0 vote. Last Thursday Jeff Bezos challenged other corporate CEOs to raise wages higher than Amazon. Last Friday 30,000 grocery store workers in New England began the first full day of their strike against the Stop & Shop chain. And tomorrow your taxes will be one day late.
Three things to know this week:
Pregnancy-tracking app Ovia is frequently offered at a discounted price as part of “corporate wellness” programs. The app shares users’ personal medical information with their employers.
More than 6,000 Amazon tech workerssigned a letter calling on the company to do more to address climate change. Meanwhile, hundreds of CNN and HBO employeeshave signed petitions calling on their corporate owner to continue paying for discounted memberships at a fancy gym.
A recent Pew survey finds that 82% of people think that robots and computers will “definitely” or “probably” do much of the work that humans currently do.However, only 37% think robots and computers will be able to do the type of work they do.
Two things to ask:
Is it you?The Pinkerton security company, notorious for its bloody role in US labor history, is selling a new suite of services to their corporate clients. Among the offerings: they are now working with major corporations to place Pinkerton agents among their clients’ new hires… so they can provide intel on the employees.
Think they'll get any applications?Despite near-universal distaste for the man and his message, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz continues to invest in his own presidential aspirations. He is now hiring a “social media community manager”to manage the twitter ratios, blistering comments, disparaging hot takes, and other blowback he regularly receives.
And one thing that's worth a closer look:
Jobs take up a lot of space in our lives, and the kind of work we do can have with a big impact on our health — including our mental health— as local treasure Hanna Brooks Olsen explores in an important Healthline article on the realities of working in the gig economy. As Olsen highlights, the flexibility of contract work can be beneficial to those who struggle with the mental health challenges presented by conventional employment, but it can also bring isolation, financial stress, and constant stress. Micromanaging expenses, chasing surges and bonuses, and keeping up your resting-customer-service-face can be major strains for gig workers, who — like millions of others — often face all kinds of pre-existing health challenges. And it’s all further compounded when mental healthcare is too-often made available only as an employment-based luxury for a privileged few.
Read this far?
Consider yourself briefed, boss.
Let us know what you think about this week's look at the world of work, wages, and inequality!