February 8, 2019: Friday News Roundup
So much to dig into this week. Of course, we’ve got robots-at-work stories, but we’ve also got advice for those who don’t want a promotion as well as advice for those who’ve gotten the promotion but without a raise. If you can make it to the end, we’ll help you settle your distracted mind.
White-Collar Robots Are Coming for Jobs
For a time, the popular opinion was that factory workers had the most to fear from automation, and while manufacturing is still square in the robot crosshairs, workers in many other industries should watch their backs too. This article posits that machine learning is enabling computers to approximate human skills like “reading, writing, speaking and recognizing subtle patterns.”
Why Captchas Have Gotten So Difficult
While robots are getting better at human skills, humans are now having trouble proving they’re NOT robots. Asking people to click a box is no longer enough, not even close. One computer science professor explains that “making it harder for software ends up making it too hard for many people. We need some alternative, but there’s not a concrete plan yet.”
How to Tell Your Boss You Don’t Want a Promotion
This article is a welcome respite from the societal expectation that every worker should be aiming for the C-suite and working like a dog to get there. Lots of outstanding performers might deserve to be in those leadership roles—yet have no interest in climbing the corporate ladder. There are plenty of legitimate reasons for NOT wanting a promotion, but it’s still hard to know how best to communicate the idea to a boss.
3 Things To Do If You’re Offered A Promotion Without A Raise
This one’s for those of you who actually DO want the promotion and might even get it—only to discover the new title doesn’t come with a bump in salary. In such circumstances, should you turn it down? Do you need to quit? That depends.
How To Keep Your Mind In One Place At A Time
It sure is hard to focus, isn’t it? We don’t want to tell you how many other things we were doing, looking at, and thinking about while compiling this week’s roundup! For the sake of your productivity AND sanity, you need to figure out how to turn off the competing thoughts that derail your concentration.