Thought-provoking Things Worth Sharing - Issue #107
So now we have FOBO - Fear of Being Obsolete
Welcome to this week’s collection of thought-provoking things. I write this weekly newsletter so subscribers can see some of the things I’m writing and sharing without depending on social media algorithms to show them to you. Each week I’ll share information about careers and workplace culture, mental health in the workplace, talent development, and important information about privacy, security, and legal tech.
You can find out all about me here - Mike McBride Online.
A recent Gallup poll shows that almost a quarter of workers have what they are calling FOBO.
It makes sense on a couple of levels. First, the obvious one. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting three sales reps touting their new AI tool that is going to eliminate 30, 40, or 50% of the work we currently do.
Secondly, if we’ve learned anything from the layoffs across the tech sector this year, it’s that employers and VC funders will always take the opportunity to cut their costs related to labor. It’s been item one on the agenda over the past year.
So, if you asked me if I think AI will ever get so good that it’ll end up displacing hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of workers, I would offer you this answer instead.
It doesn’t need to get good to do that. To many employers, just the promise that it’ll do something will be the excuse to replace employees. It already does that. That’s a good enough reason to have some level of FOBO.
Last week I recommended that tech workers should plan for being laid off. I’ll just repeat that in this context.
Are you experiencing FOBO?
Careers and the Workplace
Who Are You When You're Not At Work?
We've lost this idea. We've bought into the fallacy that being engaged at work, having best friends at work, and bringing our full selves to work is the "correct" way to function and get ahead in life. That working 60-80 hours per week at our jobs is somehow going to change the world. I think Toni's father had it right.
Get your money, then come home. Nothing less, nothing more. Work is not home, your life isn't there.
As often as layoffs are in the news I hope no one is dealing with the stigma of being laid off, but I know that it still exists. - Managing the Stigma of Being Laid Off: Staying True to Your Values
Something from a few years back that I wanted to remind folks about - Legaltech is a Small World, There’s No Reason to Be Rude Ever
Training and Development
Linked - Employees missing out on AI training and development
Are you thinking about how you're going to train users to use AI appropriately?
Training at Work is Not Like School
Do we approach training from a "just in case" mindset, where we teach employees everything they might need to know before we get them started doing any productive work, or should we be approaching it from a "just in time" mindset, where they continuously learn new skills as they are needed?
A few weeks ago I shared that the folks at Offbeat were collecting information from folks who work in Learning and Development about their salary, to build a salary database. It’s far from complete, or necessarily scientific, but they have some initial thoughts on the 700+ responses they have gotten so far.
Mental Health in the Workplace
You can use technology to monitor everything your employees are doing but don’t also claim to care about burnout. - Employers using AI to monitor workers has negative impact on employees
While recognizing that your employer might be part of the problem and we can only do so much, I still offer this up - 7 Ways To Manage Your Emotional Health & Your Career — Without Giving Up On Either
The Mental Health Impacts of Being New to the Workplace
There should be no question about how to access resources. There should be an expectation that there are people you can reach out to who would help you navigate those resources and that managers are supportive of basic mental health activities that help avoid burnout.
Anything less just isn't good enough.
Privacy, Security, and Legal Tech
Being the Better Expert Witness - Craig Ball offers a guide for testifying as a forensic examiner.
In the M365 newsletter this week I found some inconsistencies when testing the new Collect Directly to Export feature in Premium eDiscovery when it came to collecting cloud attachments:
This seems like a pretty strong statement - It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy
Microsoft warns about a new malware threat that's being distributed via Teams chats - It makes sense, a tool with as many users as Teams has is going to be a target.
If you didn’t see the announcement yesterday, eDiscovery Day 2023 is coming on Dec. 7.
That’s all folks. If you found something interesting in this week’s newsletter, please share it with your friends. It’s the best way to help support the effort I put in each week to share this with you.