Experts on employment predict how Covid-19 will change the way we work and impact jobs in the future. The isolating impact of Covid-19 forced us to change the way we work. It recast the relationship between employer and employee and it brought the role of technology in our workplaces forward by years. This shift was … Read more
Roughly 11,000 people lost their jobs from Covid-19, and 10,000 of them were women. But as Leonie Morris from Auckland’s Womens Centre writes, this shows the need to address industrial patriarchy and create opportunities for women where they’re needed most. Just as predicted, Covid-19 has affected unemployment and under-employment rates for women far more than … Read more
The Future of Work at Hutt City’s Dowse Art Museum makes visible our changing work conditions. Mark Amery took a tour, and even got some work done himself while he was there. I’ve gone to work at the gallery. And I’m making an exhibition of myself. Making my labour visible. I’m writing about the exhibition … Read more
Work-obsessed drone Alex Braae assesses whether shutting himself up in a dark room will allow some semblance of normality on a day off. It is a sad fact of life that many of us spend alarmingly large chunks of it working. The relationship is like quicksand: as we spend more time on the job, we … Read more
Thousands of Pacific Islanders – including a quarter of Samoa’s population – are hoping for a new life through the annual visa lotteries. They are ready to wrench themselves from home for a New Zealand residence visa. But is the better life the ballot promises a reality? Philippa Tolley reports in this piece originally published … Read more
A fledgling writer asks five of the best how they are striking a balance between work – as in, for proper money – and writing. We like writers to be poor, but in a sexy way – black clothes from the op-shop, a windowless flat, and an endless supply of wine and cigarettes, but no … Read more
In the fourth instalment of our Money Talks series, Henry and Alice are inspired to discuss the differences between working full-time and freelancing – and how to switch between the two – after Henry throws a spanner in the works. After three months of confessing their money woes and missteps, Alice and Henry were ready … Read more
Facing criticism, comparison and scrutiny every day takes its toll. Heaping even more pressure on someone who’s suffering isn’t the answer, writes chef and MKRNZ judge Ben Bayly. It’s no secret that restaurants are high-adrenaline, high-stakes workplaces. The hours are long, it’s highly competitive and with the added pressure of maintaining impeccable customer service, there’s … Read more
Kerri Jackson reports from a future of work seminar and concludes that the good news is, with revolution comes huge opportunity. The bad news? The starter gun’s gone off and New Zealand business is still milling about. We’ve all had those heated dinner party discussions about whose job will soon be handed over to the robots, … Read more
Which carries more bacteria, your toilet seat or your desk? If you guessed the former, you’d be very wrong. Microbiologist Michael Loughlin explains why your workspace is a breeding ground for germs. If you work in an office, the chances are there are some colleagues you would rather sit next to than others. But we’re … Read more
For no particular reason we’re celebrating Kiwi companies that are being a bit extra, for the good of working parents. We know the drill. It’s the hardest job you’ll ever have. Working, parenting – parenting, working. It’s tough. We’ve got a bunch of in-built safety nets via our labour laws which (hopefully) ensure parents with … Read more
BizDojo was founded on the premise of building and supporting a coworking community for startups. But with the collapse of its Auckland branch last year, former staff have accused the company of bullying, evasiveness and unpaid redundancy, forcing one employee to take BizDojo to court. This is the story of how one worker fought back … Read more
The government has announced an increase in the minimum wage, but tax consultant Terry Baucher says a shift in tax brackets might make us all better off. In response to our low wage economy the new government has committed to raising the minimum wage from $16.50 an hour progressively to $20.21 per hour by 2020. Aside … Read more
Minimum wages are going up – but when they do, Working for Families will go down. The Maxim Institute’s Alex Penk and Julian Wood weigh up the new Government’s wage policy. Raising the minimum wage will usher us forward into the glorious workers’ paradise – or it will grind the economy to a halt? These are … Read more
If robots are going to be the accountants, what is the point of getting a degree? Rebecca Stevenson reports on the future of work, and finds old skills are getting a new relevance. Late last month 100 New Zealand companies including Xero, Fonterra, The Warehouse, Spark and Fisher & Paykel signed an open letter that … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. You could look at the way work is arranged and decide that … Read more
New Zealand has had legally-mandated equal pay for women since 1972 but, as the new Treat Her Right campaign makes clear, we still have far to go to reach true pay equality. Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw explains why the economic imbalance between genders is about a lot more than just equal pay for equal work. Last … Read more
You’re probably back at work this week. And it probably sucks. But if want to bring some of the light-hearted silliness of the holidays into your fluorescent offices, Josh Drummond has a six-song playlist that’ll be fun. For you. A lot of us are going back to work this week, and it’s a mixed blessing. … Read more
‘Business is Boring’ is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. Making it in the modern economy is no easy thing. Traditional career … Read more