New Week, New Headlines: your fast-track through the now + next of work.
This week we’re covering three stories shaping how you work, earn, and lead:
- 42,000 US manufacturing jobs lost. Since April, durable goods have shed tens of thousands of jobs—what tariffs, automation, and uncertainty really mean for the economy.
- 72-hour work weeks exploding. Silicon Valley is doubling down on extreme hours while Europe, New Zeland (even NVIDIA) tests the 4-day week. What each bet reveals about strategy and speed vs. resilience.
- Immigration raids threatening America’s skill base. Crackdowns at Hyundai’s EV plant show how politics collide with workforce realities—and why US innovation depends on global expertise.
👉 If you want to stay ahead of the forces reshaping work—from jobs to hours to immigration—this one’s for you.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. We are not responsible for any losses, damages, or liabilities that may arise from the use of this podcast. The views expressed in this podcast may not be those of the host or the management.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Manufacturing in the US just shed another 12,000 jobs
in August, bringing totallosses to 42,000 since April.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Aren't we supposed to be bringing manufacturing back.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I'm Mal Plett.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And I'm Francesca Ranieri.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
This is your work, friends, where we break down the
now and next of work.
So you stay ahead, Francesca.
What's going on over there?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
We're in eclipse season per Chani.
If you follow Chani app, youknow I love Chani, you love
Chani, I do too.
Yeah, we're in eclipse season,but last week was one of those
weeks where a little stressfulit caught up with me so badly
that I was watching k-pop demonhunters and I started crying.
That is not, it's your jerk.
Your movie, it is a cartoonwith a killer pop soundtrack.
(00:58):
And that's how my week went.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
yeah, yeah how was your weekend?
It's fall stuff here in NewEngland, so we did all the
things.
We went apple picking, we did acorn maze.
It was shaped like pizzabecause Connecticut is the pizza
capital of the US, not.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
New.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
York people.
New Haven style pizza.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Listen, you got to get outside while you can.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Go touch grass folks.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Go touch grass.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well, in your work friend news we've had some stuff
.
You should follow us onLinkedIn if you are not already
following us.
Francesca and I are out there.
We'd love to meet you, and it'sour annual survey time.
It's time to share what youthink about the pod.
So we are going into our annualstrategy session in a few weeks
.
I'll be out in Portland withFrancesca, so tell us what you
(01:42):
think, love.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I'll be out in Portland with Francesca, so tell
us what you think.
Love it.
Well, we're back with new week,new headlines, mel.
What are you talking abouttoday?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Two news stories One the US is losing thousands of
manufacturing jobs and I want totalk about the Korean Hyundai
workers situation.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
What are you covering ?
The rise of the 996 workweek.
That's 9 am to 9 pm, six days aweek.
It's about a 72-hour-plusworkweek.
That is getting hot, hot hot inSilicon Valley and in Europe
and in China, even though theyoutlawed it.
So I want to talk about that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
CBS came out with an article talking about
manufacturing.
Jobs are just slipping away, somanufacturing in the US just
shed another 12,000 jobs inAugust, bringing total losses to
42,000 since April.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Aren't we supposed to be bringing manufacturing back?
Yeah, that's what.
I thought I mean it's not funny, mean that's nervous laugh.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Everybody is just like what?
42 000 jobs.
Since april, a new analysis waspointing to tariffs,
immigration crackdowns andrecent policy changes as the big
culprits for this.
Companies like john deere andmajor automakers are already
announcing layoffs tied to thehigher cost of tariffs.
John Deere alone says it'seaten about $300 million in
(03:09):
extra costs this year alone.
Economists are warning thatuncertainty is freezing
investment, pushing companies tocut back and lean harder on
automation and thosemanufacturing jobs have been
shrinking for decades, but thisyear that drop is much sharper
than expected, hitting durablegoods like cars, appliances,
electronics the hardest.
(03:31):
Yeah, to your good point.
I thought manufacturing wassupposed to be the big comeback
story this year.
Why are the jobs still going?
Here's my thing.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Bringing back or onshoring manufacturing takes
time.
Ask anybody that's in that typeof industry.
That's a multi-year plan to getthings back on.
It's a cruise liner.
You're trying to turn around.
It's going to take time.
What I wasn't expecting is thishuge drop in the amount of jobs
.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
If automation keeps rising.
Are these jobs really comingback?
I'm curious what's impactedfrom tariffs versus automation.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah.
That I'm interested in seeingthat's going to be this poll
that you and I are asking for atleast the next year is is this
the economy or is this AI andautomation Right?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I think that's going to be the major question.
Yeah, I think it's both.
Right now.
Truly, a couple things foreverybody that's listening.
Manufacturing jobs are not justabout factories, as we all know
.
They are signals for where theeconomy is moving.
Especially when you see 42,000jobs disappear in just a few
months, that's a red flag.
(04:42):
If your business relies onsupply chains, talent pipelines,
consumer spending in thoseregions, the loss of those
stable jobs are going to weakenthe foundation in those areas.
So when we're planning for thefuture and automation is bigger,
immigration is getting tighter,tariffs might stay a little bit
(05:03):
messy, that manufacturingcoming back is potentially going
to get hit.
That cruise ship is going totake longer to turn.
And then, behind all of thatloss, it really has economic
impacts locally when you thinkabout how it's going to ripple
into schools, which then impactsalso things like restaurants,
local families, because a lot ofmanufacturing shapes a lot of
(05:26):
neighborhoods throughout thecountry.
A lot of manufacturing shapes alot of neighborhoods throughout
the country.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I want to talk about a tale of two strategies.
There's two themes that arecoming out pretty strongly,
bigly in the atmosphere rightnow.
On one hand, the four-dayworkweek is still out there.
We have folks in the UK, inScotland they did a four-day
workweek.
It had fantastic results toproductivity, to profit.
(05:53):
New Zealand might be looking ata standard four-day workweek as
law.
So four-day workweek huge.
Nvidia, the firsttrillion-dollar company, is
looking to put in a four-dayworkweek.
They are strongly contemplatingit.
So the four-day workweek ishanging around.
It's got some sustance to itWith no loss of pay.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
All of the studies like these big pilots that have
been happening mainly in Europeand other small countries.
They've been successful.
It's helped with mental health,it's helped with productivity
and engagement.
It's helped with businessresults.
Overall they're seeing theseincreases.
So there's no loss of goodnesscoming from it for anybody.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So a 32-hour workweek right, or a four-day workweek,
however you want to couch.
It has been tested.
It's getting some traction.
We're still not 100% there, butthat idea of a work week is out
there.
The other tale of a work weekis what's being called a 996
work week.
Now, you might have heard whata 996 is.
(06:57):
As I mentioned earlier, itmeans 9 am to 9 pm, six days a
week.
Now, this was huge in China, bythe way, China outlawed this in
2021 for various reasons, butit is a 72-hour work week and it
is absolutely gaining tractionin Silicon Valley and in tech
(07:19):
startups right now.
There is a whole philosophyaround being quote unquote
extremely hardcore when you'recoming into work.
We started seeing some of thiswhen Elon Musk went into Twitter
now known as X and basicallyblitzkrieged everyone out of
there and said if you're notwilling to give 80 hours a week,
get the hell out.
We're starting to see more andmore of this pickup, as most
(07:43):
leaders in these organizationsfeel we are in an all-out war.
In AI.
It is all hands on deck.
If you are not the type ofperson that wants to work at
Google, a 60-hour workweek.
At a lot of these organizations, a 70-plus-hour workweek.
There's some accounts of peoplein an 80 or 90-hour workweek.
If you can't handle that, ifyou don't want to be a part of
(08:06):
that, this isn't for you.
Those two things represent verydifferent things strategically
to your organization.
Ours again are a signal and atrade-off of what leadership is
willing to make.
And here's the deal.
I want to talk a little bit moreabout the data.
In global trials, across 2,900employees, a four-day workweek
(08:29):
lowered burnout.
It improved health andmaintained or increased revenue.
So to your very good pointgreat for employees, great for
businesses.
Burnout is consistently citedamong the top reasons.
Early stage ventures fail andbeyond 50 hours a week,
productivity flatlines.
(08:49):
We know this.
You don't get more return, youget exhaustion, you get
depreciation.
So what these choices reallyreveal in this strat if you're
going with a four-day, it sayswe value resilience, People are
our engine, we're playing thelong game, and if you are at a
996, we value speed amonganything else, and people are
(09:13):
literally fuel.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
I also wonder are they getting speed from that
approach?
Are they truly getting speed?
How many things have to getcorrected, revisited Again once
you go above 50 hours?
Productivity, innovation all ofit flatlines People are not
doing their best work.
If you want to get results andto get speed, you're actually
(09:42):
going to go faster by flippingthat and not asking people to
work 72 hours a week.
It's almost like the antithesisof what they're hoping the
results will be from thatapproach.
I'm like whose grandpa justdoesn't want to be with his
family and wants people to work.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I mean hand a gadmell .
I think this is going to be oneof the biggest change
initiatives of the next two orthree years, which is more time
does not equal more value.
It does not.
It doesn't Just like butts inseats.
Does not equal better workexperience right, we're holding
(10:21):
on for dear fucking life tothese old paradigms that data
tells us over and over again.
It's not true.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
We're not against the occasional week that you might
work 70 hours because it's aproject that you're trying to
figure out that stuff happens.
We're not against people comingtogether for meaningful
in-person work, but when youhave people returning to an
office to sit on Zoom meetingsall day and no one interacts,
(10:49):
how is that helping you innovate?
It's not when you are askingthem to then sit there for 72
hours to do what.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
These are choices.
They are strategic choices andboth come with trade-offs.
Your 32-hour workweek it's abet on durability.
It's a bet on resilience.
Your 996, you're betting onspeed, but you are betting on
collapse Because you might getinto a car accident.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
You've got those people who are like weaving in
and out of traffic.
They're just trying to weave inand out of traffic so fast to
make it there five secondsearlier, and then they're just
going to end up in a fiery crashon the side of the road.
(11:37):
That's the thinking that goesthrough my head when I hear
about these decisions.
It's like do you want to getthere in one piece and it feels
pretty good, or you're okay withpotentially crashing and
burning?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh, what a great analogy.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
I'll interject a little palate cleanser, if I may
, please.
Yes, okay, are you watching theBear?
I've only watched a few seasons.
Okay, I've never watched a fewseasons.
Okay, well, because of Chicagoand I'm like son of a B, I
should have gotten the Italianbeef when I came to visit you
once To me.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
It is a beautiful homage to this city and I will
also say, being Italian andbeing raised in the suburbs of
Chicago, anybody that has acharacter named Carmine is like
beyond, spot on Like Carm, carmi, carmine Most people have one
in their family.
I very much appreciated that.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Robbie and I were watching the Bear.
It is.
I love some Ted.
I love Ted Lasso.
I really do blah, blah, blah.
This, though, is so if you'relooking for a really good
leadership workplace dynamicsstory that's interwoven
throughout their personal life.
(12:48):
This is a very realistic viewof how personal and professional
lives are intertwined and thedynamics that show up in the
workplace and how people addressthem, and there's so many
really good leadership lessonsthroughout it, so if you're not
watching the Bear, go watch it.
Binge, all four seasons.
Are you on season?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
four.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
I just finished.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Is that where it really feels like leadership-y?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
It does.
It's all the building you're soused to when you're bringing
new people together, and there'sall that angst or conflict and
goodness but chaos, and thisfelt like a flow, like
everyone's finding themselves init finally and seeing
themselves in it, and it's justvery touching do you and robbie
go like behind, like when you'rein the kitchen?
(13:33):
no, but I have started sayingthat's 86 when he's asking me to
make things.
The other headline I wanted tocover was addressing the recent
raids that happened at Hyundai,and there's a lot to cover about
that we could talk aboutessentially here.
(13:55):
What does this mean?
Ice raid, when you think aboutglobal skills and local futures
for the US, and what this raidshows us of things that we need
to be concerned about for the US, and what this raid shows us of
things that we need to beconcerned about.
So, if you haven't heard thisnews story, nearly 500 employees
were detained at Hyundai's EVbattery plant in Georgia last
(14:16):
week and the headlines focusedon immigration enforcement.
But the bigger story here ismany of those workers were
engineers and installers whowere brought in from South Korea
to get that massive batteryplant online skills the US
doesn't yet have in enoughsupply, and so one of the things
we don't see being called outis this isn't unusual.
(14:39):
For decades and you and I haveworked in large companies, right
we rely on global talent tomove into new markets, to expand
in organizations.
So for decades, globalcompanies they'll send their
specialists abroad for thistransfer of knowledge, to train
local teams.
Japanese and German automakersdid this same thing when they
(15:01):
were setting up their USfactories.
This rate is actually showingus what happens when now
politics are colliding withworkforce realities and we need
these global skill pipelines ifwe want to keep innovating in
industries like electronicvehicles at home.
Without them, progress is goingto stall before it even starts.
(15:22):
I think there's anunderestimation happening about
how much global talent weactually rely on in the US to
build our industries.
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Global talent both ways to yourvery good point US-based
companies that use H-1B, H-1Avisas to support their workforce
.
No, it doesn't feel like itright now.
There is a talent shortage inthe United States in pockets of
AI, automation, decision science, engineering I know it might
(15:53):
not feel like that for everyone,but there is and a lot of times
for US-based organizations tokeep operating, making money,
making profit, building newproducts that then, in turn,
allow them to hire moreAmericans, you need global
workforce to come in and helpwith that.
(16:14):
So there's that angle of it thesupport of the US-based
companies.
In this case, we have a Koreancompany who set up manufacturing
here right.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Just to go back to my earlier story we're losing
manufacturing jobs.
They're trying to help us buildit.
Yeah, bring it back, yeah.
And then this raid happens andoh, by the way, everyone was
here legally on visiting visas,which is normal for that
pipeline to come in and help.
I love how Hyundai showed uphere, jumping in immediately to
(16:48):
be like, nope, we're going toprotect our people, pull them
out.
And it's an unfortunate impactnow to that local community in
Georgia about the jobs that willbe potentially lost as a result
of what happened and just thescarring for those folks who
came here with goodwill to helpset something up.
(17:09):
It's just really damaging andheartbreaking.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Yeah, I'm thinking about your good comment about
Hanae pulling their employeesout right.
Flew those employees back toKorea.
That says to me that,strategically, they are going to
protect their employees overpolitics.
That's the non-negotiable there, which makes me also think that
if that is a value they'regoing to hold true to, if I'm
(17:35):
Hyundai, I would absolutely bequestioning if I want to
continue doing business in theUS.
I would be questioning whetheror not I want to continue doing
business in the US.
I would be questioning whetheror not I want to continue
sending incredibly skilledworkers from my country over to
the US with the possibility thatthey might get interrogated
this way and or even arrested.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, we could see devastating impacts from this
for a long time In an alreadystruggling industry.
Clearly, 42,000 jobs lost sinceApril those are not small
numbers, folks.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
And the amount of foreign car manufacturers that
have set up base.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
It's also like what's our US strategy for innovation
and industries here and growingindustries here, and this is a
big part of that.
Right, when we talk aboutdurable strategies, we mean
building industries.
That last, which means you needto be able to partner with
global experts and local talentpipelines over time, and we
(18:40):
can't treat global skills likethey're some sort of threat
that's going to weaken theindustries that we're trying to
anchor here.
They're a partnership.
And then on the human side,because work is political,
behind the politics are people,engineers, installers, all the
families, the local communitiesthat are counting on those
factories for growth.
(19:00):
A human strategy for how wework together globally
acknowledges that globalexpertise accelerates local
opportunity and it's not aboutus versus them, but with,
because when we get this right,it creates dignity, it creates
jobs, it creates stabilities onboth sides of the ocean.
It's very interconnected andwhy this is so critical to pay
(19:23):
attention to.
This episode was produced,edited and all things by us
myself, mel Plett and FrancescaRanieri.
Our music is by Pink Zebra, andif you like this, please rate,
rate and subscribe.
We'd really appreciate it.
(19:44):
That helps keep us going.
Take care, friends.
Bye, friends.
Manufacturing in the US just shed another 12,000 jobs
in August, bringing totallosses to 42,000 since April.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Aren't we supposed to be bringing manufacturing back.
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I'm Mal Plett.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
And I'm Francesca Ranieri.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
This is your work, friends, where we break down the
now and next of work.
So you stay ahead, Francesca.
What's going on over there?
Speaker 2 (00:35):
We're in eclipse season per Chani.
If you follow Chani app, youknow I love Chani, you love
Chani, I do too.
Yeah, we're in eclipse season,but last week was one of those
weeks where a little stressfulit caught up with me so badly
that I was watching k-pop demonhunters and I started crying.
That is not, it's your jerk.
Your movie, it is a cartoonwith a killer pop soundtrack.
(00:58):
And that's how my week went.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
yeah, yeah how was your weekend?
It's fall stuff here in NewEngland, so we did all the
things.
We went apple picking, we did acorn maze.
It was shaped like pizzabecause Connecticut is the pizza
capital of the US, not.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
New.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
York people.
New Haven style pizza.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Listen, you got to get outside while you can.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Go touch grass folks.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Go touch grass.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Well, in your work friend news we've had some stuff
.
You should follow us onLinkedIn if you are not already
following us.
Francesca and I are out there.
We'd love to meet you, and it'sour annual survey time.
It's time to share what youthink about the pod.
So we are going into our annualstrategy session in a few weeks
.
I'll be out in Portland withFrancesca, so tell us what you
(01:42):
think, love.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
I'll be out in Portland with Francesca, so tell
us what you think.
Love it.
Well, we're back with new week,new headlines, mel.
What are you talking abouttoday?
Speaker 1 (01:47):
Two news stories One the US is losing thousands of
manufacturing jobs and I want totalk about the Korean Hyundai
workers situation.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
What are you covering ?
The rise of the 996 workweek.
That's 9 am to 9 pm, six days aweek.
It's about a 72-hour-plusworkweek.
That is getting hot, hot hot inSilicon Valley and in Europe
and in China, even though theyoutlawed it.
So I want to talk about that.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
CBS came out with an article talking about
manufacturing.
Jobs are just slipping away, somanufacturing in the US just
shed another 12,000 jobs inAugust, bringing total losses to
42,000 since April.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Aren't we supposed to be bringing manufacturing back?
Yeah, that's what.
I thought I mean it's not funny, mean that's nervous laugh.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Everybody is just like what?
42 000 jobs.
Since april, a new analysis waspointing to tariffs,
immigration crackdowns andrecent policy changes as the big
culprits for this.
Companies like john deere andmajor automakers are already
announcing layoffs tied to thehigher cost of tariffs.
John Deere alone says it'seaten about $300 million in
(03:09):
extra costs this year alone.
Economists are warning thatuncertainty is freezing
investment, pushing companies tocut back and lean harder on
automation and thosemanufacturing jobs have been
shrinking for decades, but thisyear that drop is much sharper
than expected, hitting durablegoods like cars, appliances,
electronics the hardest.
(03:31):
Yeah, to your good point.
I thought manufacturing wassupposed to be the big comeback
story this year.
Why are the jobs still going?
Here's my thing.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Bringing back or onshoring manufacturing takes
time.
Ask anybody that's in that typeof industry.
That's a multi-year plan to getthings back on.
It's a cruise liner.
You're trying to turn around.
It's going to take time.
What I wasn't expecting is thishuge drop in the amount of jobs
.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
If automation keeps rising.
Are these jobs really comingback?
I'm curious what's impactedfrom tariffs versus automation.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah.
That I'm interested in seeingthat's going to be this poll
that you and I are asking for atleast the next year is is this
the economy or is this AI andautomation Right?
Speaker 1 (04:21):
I think that's going to be the major question.
Yeah, I think it's both.
Right now.
Truly, a couple things foreverybody that's listening.
Manufacturing jobs are not justabout factories, as we all know
.
They are signals for where theeconomy is moving.
Especially when you see 42,000jobs disappear in just a few
months, that's a red flag.
(04:42):
If your business relies onsupply chains, talent pipelines,
consumer spending in thoseregions, the loss of those
stable jobs are going to weakenthe foundation in those areas.
So when we're planning for thefuture and automation is bigger,
immigration is getting tighter,tariffs might stay a little bit
(05:03):
messy, that manufacturingcoming back is potentially going
to get hit.
That cruise ship is going totake longer to turn.
And then, behind all of thatloss, it really has economic
impacts locally when you thinkabout how it's going to ripple
into schools, which then impactsalso things like restaurants,
local families, because a lot ofmanufacturing shapes a lot of
(05:26):
neighborhoods throughout thecountry.
A lot of manufacturing shapes alot of neighborhoods throughout
the country.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I want to talk about a tale of two strategies.
There's two themes that arecoming out pretty strongly,
bigly in the atmosphere rightnow.
On one hand, the four-dayworkweek is still out there.
We have folks in the UK, inScotland they did a four-day
workweek.
It had fantastic results toproductivity, to profit.
(05:53):
New Zealand might be looking ata standard four-day workweek as
law.
So four-day workweek huge.
Nvidia, the firsttrillion-dollar company, is
looking to put in a four-dayworkweek.
They are strongly contemplatingit.
So the four-day workweek ishanging around.
It's got some sustance to itWith no loss of pay.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
All of the studies like these big pilots that have
been happening mainly in Europeand other small countries.
They've been successful.
It's helped with mental health,it's helped with productivity
and engagement.
It's helped with businessresults.
Overall they're seeing theseincreases.
So there's no loss of goodnesscoming from it for anybody.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
So a 32-hour workweek right, or a four-day workweek,
however you want to couch.
It has been tested.
It's getting some traction.
We're still not 100% there, butthat idea of a work week is out
there.
The other tale of a work weekis what's being called a 996
work week.
Now, you might have heard whata 996 is.
(06:57):
As I mentioned earlier, itmeans 9 am to 9 pm, six days a
week.
Now, this was huge in China, bythe way, China outlawed this in
2021 for various reasons, butit is a 72-hour work week and it
is absolutely gaining tractionin Silicon Valley and in tech
(07:19):
startups right now.
There is a whole philosophyaround being quote unquote
extremely hardcore when you'recoming into work.
We started seeing some of thiswhen Elon Musk went into Twitter
now known as X and basicallyblitzkrieged everyone out of
there and said if you're notwilling to give 80 hours a week,
get the hell out.
We're starting to see more andmore of this pickup, as most
(07:43):
leaders in these organizationsfeel we are in an all-out war.
In AI.
It is all hands on deck.
If you are not the type ofperson that wants to work at
Google, a 60-hour workweek.
At a lot of these organizations, a 70-plus-hour workweek.
There's some accounts of peoplein an 80 or 90-hour workweek.
If you can't handle that, ifyou don't want to be a part of
(08:06):
that, this isn't for you.
Those two things represent verydifferent things strategically
to your organization.
Ours again are a signal and atrade-off of what leadership is
willing to make.
And here's the deal.
I want to talk a little bit moreabout the data.
In global trials, across 2,900employees, a four-day workweek
(08:29):
lowered burnout.
It improved health andmaintained or increased revenue.
So to your very good pointgreat for employees, great for
businesses.
Burnout is consistently citedamong the top reasons.
Early stage ventures fail andbeyond 50 hours a week,
productivity flatlines.
(08:49):
We know this.
You don't get more return, youget exhaustion, you get
depreciation.
So what these choices reallyreveal in this strat if you're
going with a four-day, it sayswe value resilience, People are
our engine, we're playing thelong game, and if you are at a
996, we value speed amonganything else, and people are
(09:13):
literally fuel.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
I also wonder are they getting speed from that
approach?
Are they truly getting speed?
How many things have to getcorrected, revisited Again once
you go above 50 hours?
Productivity, innovation all ofit flatlines People are not
doing their best work.
If you want to get results andto get speed, you're actually
(09:42):
going to go faster by flippingthat and not asking people to
work 72 hours a week.
It's almost like the antithesisof what they're hoping the
results will be from thatapproach.
I'm like whose grandpa justdoesn't want to be with his
family and wants people to work.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
I mean hand a gadmell .
I think this is going to be oneof the biggest change
initiatives of the next two orthree years, which is more time
does not equal more value.
It does not.
It doesn't Just like butts inseats.
Does not equal better workexperience right, we're holding
(10:21):
on for dear fucking life tothese old paradigms that data
tells us over and over again.
It's not true.
Speaker 1 (10:29):
We're not against the occasional week that you might
work 70 hours because it's aproject that you're trying to
figure out that stuff happens.
We're not against people comingtogether for meaningful
in-person work, but when youhave people returning to an
office to sit on Zoom meetingsall day and no one interacts,
(10:49):
how is that helping you innovate?
It's not when you are askingthem to then sit there for 72
hours to do what.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
These are choices.
They are strategic choices andboth come with trade-offs.
Your 32-hour workweek it's abet on durability.
It's a bet on resilience.
Your 996, you're betting onspeed, but you are betting on
collapse Because you might getinto a car accident.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
You've got those people who are like weaving in
and out of traffic.
They're just trying to weave inand out of traffic so fast to
make it there five secondsearlier, and then they're just
going to end up in a fiery crashon the side of the road.
(11:37):
That's the thinking that goesthrough my head when I hear
about these decisions.
It's like do you want to getthere in one piece and it feels
pretty good, or you're okay withpotentially crashing and
burning?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Oh, what a great analogy.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
I'll interject a little palate cleanser, if I may
, please.
Yes, okay, are you watching theBear?
I've only watched a few seasons.
Okay, I've never watched a fewseasons.
Okay, well, because of Chicagoand I'm like son of a B, I
should have gotten the Italianbeef when I came to visit you
once To me.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
It is a beautiful homage to this city and I will
also say, being Italian andbeing raised in the suburbs of
Chicago, anybody that has acharacter named Carmine is like
beyond, spot on Like Carm, carmi, carmine Most people have one
in their family.
I very much appreciated that.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Robbie and I were watching the Bear.
It is.
I love some Ted.
I love Ted Lasso.
I really do blah, blah, blah.
This, though, is so if you'relooking for a really good
leadership workplace dynamicsstory that's interwoven
throughout their personal life.
(12:48):
This is a very realistic viewof how personal and professional
lives are intertwined and thedynamics that show up in the
workplace and how people addressthem, and there's so many
really good leadership lessonsthroughout it, so if you're not
watching the Bear, go watch it.
Binge, all four seasons.
Are you on season?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
four.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
I just finished.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Is that where it really feels like leadership-y?
Speaker 1 (13:12):
It does.
It's all the building you're soused to when you're bringing
new people together, and there'sall that angst or conflict and
goodness but chaos, and thisfelt like a flow, like
everyone's finding themselves init finally and seeing
themselves in it, and it's justvery touching do you and robbie
go like behind, like when you'rein the kitchen?
(13:33):
no, but I have started sayingthat's 86 when he's asking me to
make things.
The other headline I wanted tocover was addressing the recent
raids that happened at Hyundai,and there's a lot to cover about
that we could talk aboutessentially here.
(13:55):
What does this mean?
Ice raid, when you think aboutglobal skills and local futures
for the US, and what this raidshows us of things that we need
to be concerned about for the US, and what this raid shows us of
things that we need to beconcerned about.
So, if you haven't heard thisnews story, nearly 500 employees
were detained at Hyundai's EVbattery plant in Georgia last
(14:16):
week and the headlines focusedon immigration enforcement.
But the bigger story here ismany of those workers were
engineers and installers whowere brought in from South Korea
to get that massive batteryplant online skills the US
doesn't yet have in enoughsupply, and so one of the things
we don't see being called outis this isn't unusual.
(14:39):
For decades and you and I haveworked in large companies, right
we rely on global talent tomove into new markets, to expand
in organizations.
So for decades, globalcompanies they'll send their
specialists abroad for thistransfer of knowledge, to train
local teams.
Japanese and German automakersdid this same thing when they
(15:01):
were setting up their USfactories.
This rate is actually showingus what happens when now
politics are colliding withworkforce realities and we need
these global skill pipelines ifwe want to keep innovating in
industries like electronicvehicles at home.
Without them, progress is goingto stall before it even starts.
(15:22):
I think there's anunderestimation happening about
how much global talent weactually rely on in the US to
build our industries.
What do you think?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Oh yeah, absolutely.
Global talent both ways to yourvery good point US-based
companies that use H-1B, H-1Avisas to support their workforce
.
No, it doesn't feel like itright now.
There is a talent shortage inthe United States in pockets of
AI, automation, decision science, engineering I know it might
(15:53):
not feel like that for everyone,but there is and a lot of times
for US-based organizations tokeep operating, making money,
making profit, building newproducts that then, in turn,
allow them to hire moreAmericans, you need global
workforce to come in and helpwith that.
(16:14):
So there's that angle of it thesupport of the US-based
companies.
In this case, we have a Koreancompany who set up manufacturing
here right.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Just to go back to my earlier story we're losing
manufacturing jobs.
They're trying to help us buildit.
Yeah, bring it back, yeah.
And then this raid happens andoh, by the way, everyone was
here legally on visiting visas,which is normal for that
pipeline to come in and help.
I love how Hyundai showed uphere, jumping in immediately to
(16:48):
be like, nope, we're going toprotect our people, pull them
out.
And it's an unfortunate impactnow to that local community in
Georgia about the jobs that willbe potentially lost as a result
of what happened and just thescarring for those folks who
came here with goodwill to helpset something up.
(17:09):
It's just really damaging andheartbreaking.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Yeah, I'm thinking about your good comment about
Hanae pulling their employeesout right.
Flew those employees back toKorea.
That says to me that,strategically, they are going to
protect their employees overpolitics.
That's the non-negotiable there, which makes me also think that
if that is a value they'regoing to hold true to, if I'm
(17:35):
Hyundai, I would absolutely bequestioning if I want to
continue doing business in theUS.
I would be questioning whetheror not I want to continue doing
business in the US.
I would be questioning whetheror not I want to continue
sending incredibly skilledworkers from my country over to
the US with the possibility thatthey might get interrogated
this way and or even arrested.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Yeah, we could see devastating impacts from this
for a long time In an alreadystruggling industry.
Clearly, 42,000 jobs lost sinceApril those are not small
numbers, folks.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
And the amount of foreign car manufacturers that
have set up base.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
It's also like what's our US strategy for innovation
and industries here and growingindustries here, and this is a
big part of that.
Right, when we talk aboutdurable strategies, we mean
building industries.
That last, which means you needto be able to partner with
global experts and local talentpipelines over time, and we
(18:40):
can't treat global skills likethey're some sort of threat
that's going to weaken theindustries that we're trying to
anchor here.
They're a partnership.
And then on the human side,because work is political,
behind the politics are people,engineers, installers, all the
families, the local communitiesthat are counting on those
factories for growth.
(19:00):
A human strategy for how wework together globally
acknowledges that globalexpertise accelerates local
opportunity and it's not aboutus versus them, but with,
because when we get this right,it creates dignity, it creates
jobs, it creates stabilities onboth sides of the ocean.
It's very interconnected andwhy this is so critical to pay
(19:23):
attention to.
This episode was produced,edited and all things by us
myself, mel Plett and FrancescaRanieri.
Our music is by Pink Zebra, andif you like this, please rate,
rate and subscribe.
We'd really appreciate it.
(19:44):
That helps keep us going.
Take care, friends.
Bye, friends.
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