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Human Times
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                                 Monday 24th August 2020

THE HOT STORY

Companies begin to cool on remote working
A growing number of company executives say that remote working isn't their preferred
long-term solution once the coronavirus crisis passes. “There’s . . . an emerging sense
behind the scenes of executives saying, ‘This is not going to be sustainable,’” said
Laszlo Bock, chief executive of human resources start-up Humu and the former HR
chief at Google. Peter P. Kowalczuk, president of Canon Solutions America, an
employer of about 15,000 people across the U.S., says workers are becoming
fatigued. Rajat Bhageria, the chief executive of San Francisco start-up Chef Robotics,
says problems that typically took little time to solve in the office were greatly protracted
when being worked upon by staff in remote locations. Meanwhile, several executives
have said that extended work-from-home arrangements are likely to hit career
development, particularly for younger workers. “I am concerned that we would
somehow believe that we can basically take kids from college, put them in front of
Zoom, and think that three years from now, they’ll be every bit as productive as they
would have had they had the personal interaction,” said Ronald J. Kruszewski, chief
executive at St. Louis, Miss., headquartered investment banking firm Stifel.

Wall Street Journal

MANAGEMENT

Amazon consumer chief announces departure
Jeff Wilke, chief executive of Amazon’s worldwide consumer business and widely
considered to be a potential successor to Jeff Bezos, will retire next year, the firm
announced in a regulatory filing. In a memo to employees, Mr Wilke said he was not
leaving for another job and that he would retire in the first quarter of 2021. He will be
succeeded by Dave Clark, who currently serves as senior vice president of the
company’s worldwide operations. “Jeff’s legacy and impact will live on long after he
departs”, founder Jeff Bezos said. “He is simply one of those people without whom
Amazon would be completely unrecognizable”. The Seattle-based company also said
Amazon executives Alicia Boler Davis, John Felton and Dave Treadwell will be added
to its “S-Team,” which consists of Mr Bezos’s top executives. Bloomberg observes
that Boler Davis is the first Black woman to be appointed to the company’s top
leadership council. She joined Amazon last year after a protracted tenure at General
Motors.
Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg

LEADERSHIP

Discover your leadership style!
Do you know what kind of leader you are? Leadership is not one-size-fits-all and
different styles mean distinct strengths and weaknesses. Take your management
skills to the next level by continuing your learning with the complimentary guides we
provide along with our quiz. Discover your leadership style by taking this quiz
presented by The Human Times and Ultimate Software.

DIVERSITY

Three diversity executives speak out on Black Lives Matter
Forbes' Sheila Callaham asks three diversity executives - Mary-Frances Winters,
president and CEO of The Winters Group, a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting
firm; Jerrell Moore, global diversity and inclusion leader at insurance company
Assurant; and Brian Reaves, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Dell - about
whether they think the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement hinders or helps universal
equity.
Forbes

LEGAL

Black Lives Matter lawsuit grows to add Amazon
A class action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Boston over Whole Foods
Market’s refusal to allow its workers to wear Black Lives Matter attire has expanded
to nine states and now also includes Whole Foods’ parent company Amazon.com as
a defendant. An Amazon Prime shopper, who fills online orders at a Cambridge Whole
Foods and is employed directly by Amazon, was disciplined for wearing a mask and
has become a plaintiff. The grocery chain is alleged to be discriminating against
employees wearing Black Lives Matter apparel because it has overlooked employees
sporting other items which it said also violate a policy against workers wearing non-
company-related slogans and messages.
Boston Globe

TECHNOLOGY

Virtual reality is tackling racism in the workplace
CNN examines how virtual reality is helping to tackle racism in the workplace. For
example, U.S. start-up Vantage Point is offering courses on diversity, inclusion and
unconscious bias that use virtual reality headsets to immerse employees in scenarios
based on real life events. Clients include US telecommunications giant Comcast, law
firm Latham and Watkins, and data analytics firm Looker, which was acquired by
Google in February for $2.6bn.
CNN

WORKFORCE

IRS predicts 37m fewer regular jobs than before pandemic
The IRS projects that lower levels of employment in the U.S. could persist for years,
showcasing the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. The new estimate
describes 229m employee-classified jobs in 2021, 37m fewer than the IRS estimated
before the pandemic hit. The IRS also predicted that the lower estimates of jobs would
continue through 2027, with about 16m fewer W-2 forms filed that year than estimated
before COVID-19 hit, and that 1.6m more gig jobs that require 1099-MISC tax forms
will exist in 2021. The revised projections also show fewer filings of 1099-INT forms
through 2027. That’s the paperwork used to report interest income, and serves as a
sign that low interest rates could persist.
Accounting Today

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Future of Norway oil fund’s next chief thrown into doubt
The future of the hedge fund manager who is due to be the next head of Norway’s
$1tn oil fund is in doubt after Norway’s political parties came together to insist he
cannot take on the role unless he eliminates potential conflicts of interest. Nicolai
Tangen is due to meet with the leadership of the central bank in Oslo today as they
attempt to satisfy demands made by parliament before he can start running the
world’s biggest sovereign fund. The CEO “cannot have assets or interests that create,
or could appear to create, conflicts of interest that could weaken confidence in the
reputation” of the fund, Norway’s parliamentary Finance Committee said, adding
“These matters must be resolved before” the new CEO can start.
Financial Times, Bloomberg

INTERNATIONAL

Rio Tinto cuts bonuses over sacred caves blast review
Rio Tinto is to cut the short-term bonuses of some senior executives following a review
of the mining giant’s destruction of two ancient caves in Australia. The company
legally destroyed the historically significant sacred caves in Western Australia state
as part of a mine expansion. Rio said the short-term bonuses for 2020 of Chief
Executive Jean-Sébastien Jacques, Chief Executive of Iron Ore Chris Salisbury and
Group Executive, Corporate Relations, Simone Niven would be reduced by about
$3.7m in total. Investor groups has pressed for management change. “Rio’s board
could have acted decisively. This soft touch, public relations-oriented review calls into
question the suitability of every board member, especially the Chair Simon Thompson
and the head of the review Michael L’Estrange,” said shareholder advocacy group the
Australasian Corporate Centre for Responsibility.
Bloomberg, Reuters

Workers in Qatar still face abuses
New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Qatar's migrant
workforce is still being exploited by employers who withhold salaries, threaten
expulsion and deduct pay. "Independent employers, as well as those operating labor
supply companies, frequently delay, withhold, or arbitrarily deduct workers' wages,"
the group said in a report, adding "Employers often withhold contractually guaranteed
overtime payments and end-of service benefits, and they regularly violate their
contracts with migrant workers with impunity." HRW wants Qatar to implement
recommendations made by the UN's International Labor Organization to introduce
prompt payment laws and expedited adjudication in cases of non-payment, among
other measures. "Taking employers and their companies to the Labor Relations
department or the Labor Dispute Resolution Committees is difficult, costly, time-

consuming, ineffective, and can often result in retaliation," the watchdog said of the
current situation.
Asharq Al-Awsat

OTHER

Bud Light wants a chief meme officer
Bud Light is seeking a "chief meme officer" who will be responsible for curating memes
around Bud Light Seltzer, a 100-calorie drink available in a variety of flavors. The job,
which is listed on LinkedIn, offers $5,000 a month to the right candidate.
USA Today