workplaces

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

Assessing Trump’s Immigration Crackdown: Raided Workplaces Severed Families, A Climate Of Fear

Donald Trump was on the defensive about his immigration policies in the final presidential debate, with a question about 545 migrant children taken by the U.S. government who may never be reunited with their parents. Immigration authorities say they cannot find the children’s families, many of whom have been deported to Central America. Taking children away from their families at the border was part of a broader strategy aimed at discouraging immigrants from coming. The cruelty of the family-separation policy traumatized migrant children and spurred nationwide protests. A federal judge ordered the government to reunite the separated families on June 26, 2018. Four years ago, candidate Trump was on the offensive about enforcement, portraying immigration as a threat to American security. T...

Diversity pledges alone won’t change corporate workplaces – here’s what will

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS

Diversity pledges alone won’t change corporate workplaces – here’s what will

Dozen of companies, from Apple to Zappos, have reacted to George Floyd’s killing and the protests that followed by pledging to make their workforces more diverse. While commendable, to me it feels a bit like deja vu. Back in 2014, a host of tech companies made similar commitments to diversify their ranks. Their latest reports – which they release annually – show they’ve made little progress. Why have their efforts largely failed? Were they just empty promises? As a gender diversity scholar, I explored these questions in my recent paper published in the Stanford Technology Law Review. The problem is not a lack of commitment but what social scientists call “unconscious bias.” Big tech, little progress Today’s efforts to promote diversity are certainly more specific than the tech industry’...

Workplaces are turning to devices to monitor social distancing, but does the tech respect privacy?

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

Workplaces are turning to devices to monitor social distancing, but does the tech respect privacy?

As we emerge from the coronavirus lockdown, those of us who still have a workplace may not recognize it. Businesses, eager to limit liability for employees and customers, are considering a variety of emerging technologies for limiting pandemic spread. These technologies can be loosely divided into two types: one based on cellphone technologies and the other using wearable devices like electronic bracelets and watches. Both approaches focus on maintaining social distancing, nominally six feet between any two workers based on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and supported by some modeling. Most workers will have little choice whether to participate in their employer’s risk mitigation. As a networking and security researcher, I believe that it is essential that...

US workplaces are nowhere near ready to contain a coronavirus outbreak

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

COVID-19, HEALTH & WELLNESS

US workplaces are nowhere near ready to contain a coronavirus outbreak

The new coronavirus has spread rapidly around the globe since its discovery late last year in China. It has now infected more than 20,000 people worldwide and killed over 400, prompting travel bans, citywide quarantines and mass hysteria. To combat its spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has offered some seemingly straightforward advice: “Stay home when you are sick.” That’s easier said than done for the tens of millions of workers in the United States who don’t have paid sick days or who operate in a “tough-it-out” workplace culture. This gap is a big problem when a disease like the coronavirus can be spread with as little as a cough. As someone who researches work, I’ve been wondering: Do these workplace norms and policies help our companies cope...