How to go back a little and give to yourself

Hello, please let it work.

I was delighted when my longtime friend Jonathan Black invited me to Oxford University’s career services last week to see the “graduation day” of students taking part in the university’s Making a Difference program. In a tough job market, the scheme provides students with the opportunity to gain valuable experience and contact information in the world of charity and social enterprises.

The first cohort of 50 students presented a final project full of organizational ideas, including the United Nations Development Programme and Leukemia Care.

This model, which offers additional skills and support to dedicated students before entering the recruitment market, can certainly be expanded or replicated. Do you know something similar?

Read some achievable small fixes for your performance busyness (come on, we all do it), and in office therapy, we encourage generative AI beginners.

As always, please email us about something like this.

“Too many” on the calendar ?

I often work late at night with this newsletter and have been making too many daytime meetings and calls when I need to research and study “focus” times and block writing. This type of self-harm is common. It’s especially full of what we’re taking, as we underestimate how long it takes humans to complete a task. (This has a name: Planning error.)

So, how do you decide which opportunities to follow up or start? I am a fan of Cal Newport’s book Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Achiding Art of Burnout. In an overwhelming world, it must be our goal to do it less (or to use more fashionable work terms).

I ask Rebecca Robbins how she prioritizes, making her journal easier to manage. She is a leadership, brand and culture consultant (see action above) and co-authors the book.

Rebecca told me: “My big question is, ‘Why?’ – and ‘What will change as a result?’ applies to everything from meetings and events to initiatives. . . The firm and careful art of “why” is the basis for creating spaces to focus on what is important. ”

It’s easy and clarify your purpose for all new projects and encounters. Meanwhile, leadership and team coach Kellen Blackmore suggests starting with the question, “What are you saying, “Yes” to this?” What is often overlooked is that our existing commitments may not attract the attention they deserve. Here is the Keren version of “Why” that Rebecca Robbins uses: Is the meeting “Yes in Hell” or no? If it’s no, or maybe it can fade in a way that works for you. ”

And when you can’t, or when you don’t want to say no? Expand tactic management: “Reduce the length of meetings you’re filming, pay prepaid for a hard stop, then stick to it. Share what you’ll do with meetings and briefing work in advance. For example, is there a format you like?”

One of the very efficient people I asked about this uses what I call “emotion-based” checklists. They say yes to work things and their personal lives (seeing friends and mentoring young colleagues). They also accept “intelligently intriguing” events and meetings, blocking their projects by reading a wider self-initiated, idea-generating journal. Everything else gets no.

I can’t let this go without mentioning my colleague Tim Harford’s 2015 article, “The Power of Say No.” Tim wrote:

“One trick is to ask, ‘If I had to do this today, would I agree with it?” That’s not a bad rule of thumb, as no matter how far your future commitments are, they will ultimately become a pressing issue. ”

Tim’s advice is stuck (see Google – frequently quoted). Because it works for both your professional diary and social events.

I’d like to hear your idea of ​​making commitment easier to manage while being polite, sane and on track: isabel.berwick@ft.com.

Office Therapy

Problem: I’m not starting to use AI – to be honest, I’m a bit frightening. I don’t want to be caught up in a fundraiser when it’s suddenly imposed (I’m in my 40s, a fundraiser). How can I get started? My employer doesn’t mention it. We are a rather small organization.

Isabel’s advice: I’ve had this version of conversation with others for the past six months so you’re not alone. I use Gemini at work – for example, please give me suggestions to improve your email – but here is the truth about my personal progress from Instagram.

First, check with your manager to see if your AI policy is in your workplace. Given what your boss doesn’t mention, it could be a key conversation. (The staff who “take their AI to work” are massive at work for now, and are bubbled under the radar, a topic that is likely to boil if things are not checked.)

I then asked Louise Ballard for her advice for you, me, and everyone else who was confused about where to start. Louise’s Atheni.ai program aims to attract people and teams to AI experts generated from scratch.

Louise told me: “Don’t worry about getting left behind. Most people haven’t started yet. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Generation AI is not just a tool, it’s a whole new way of working. First, subscribe to a paid version of Claude or ChatGpt (which keeps your data private) and personalize it to understand your specific roles and styles. You can do this in your settings.

“Doing that will help you avoid the touch of AI that is very common. Most people don’t realize that. AI is something like Combine Harvester for administrative tasks, and it handles the first 80% at speed, so you can focus on adding a touch of finishing touch. I like to think of AI as an avid intern. The more context you provide, the better its output will be.

“You can see that the biggest limitation of AI is often what you can imagine for you. So, keep asking how it helps. AI isn’t always right, but it offers a convenient starting point and a fresh, well-researched perspective. You maintain control and decide what you want to use it, but don’t think of it as your replacement, it’s not, it’s amplification.”

Do you have any office therapy questions? Anonymous: isabel.berwick@ft.com

Five Top Stories from the World of Work

Graduates face a difficult battle with employment. Even top university graduates struggle to get their first job. Michael Scapinker outlines the causes of recruitment issues in the UK and how young adults can highlight their resumes.

Who Fears Big, Bad Sabbaticals: Pirita Clark looks into the benefits of the Ultimate Staff, a paid sabbatical, and discovers that an astounding number of financial services companies are offering these breaks.

Payments for age discrimination are getting bigger. Emma Jacobs sees how ageism claims are unfolding in legal cases, including high-paid experts fighting forced retirement.

What happened to the shortage of great truck drivers? : Sarah O’Connor discovers that despite the skilled drivers initially getting more cash, they are once again separated from jobs where pay and conditions are not adequate.

‘you know what? They quit. “Resignation of Agent in Japan: Leo Lewis explores an institution that resigns on behalf of Japanese workers for a fee. It is an insight into the established hierarchy and etiquette in corporate culture, with young workers fighting back.

One more thing. . .

Walmart has a family-dominated history and spirit in Bentonville, Arkansas, and a new Apple-style campus. There is an attractive (but very long – making coffee) profile of the world’s largest retailer. Walmart wants to be something for everyone in Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s split America (£). Chief Executive Doug MacMillon was at Walmart throughout his career, beginning in the warehouse. Fun fact: He was named “most attractive” in his Bentonville High School graduation class.

US workplace insights: DEI latest

This week I told Kevin Delaney, editor-in-chief of Charter, a future US media and research firm, what they are doing about their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the wake of the Trump administration’s attacks.

Kevin has at least confirmed that many big companies are changing the way they talk about Day. No surprises (see this FT story about the right moves from high-tech companies that have surprisingly little employee backlash).

But what I’ve never heard before is that Kevin said they were walking down the thin line as employees pushed back the retreat from Day. Is there a drain of talent from companies that staff don’t like what leadership is doing? Is technology exempted due to a particular composition of its workforce?

I’d like to hear your opinions: isabel.berwick@ft.com.

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