work

The US wants China to become addicted to Nvidia chips. His problem is that his greatest rival is not for the work

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The administration led by Donald Trump has realized that her predecessor and herself have made a very serious mistake. SANCTION PACKAGES that have deployed during the last three years To prevent China from doing with the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and also with avant -garde chips for artificial intelligence (AI), have forced the Government of Xi Jinping to become independent of foreign technologies. The Chinese industry of the integrated circuits has advanced a lot during the last five years, and will surely continue to do so. It is very likely that in 2026 Chinese manufacturers have their own extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment (UVE). And currently Huawei, Moore Threads and other Chinese companies have GPU for some scenarios They compete with the Nvidia and AMD chips. The independence of the Chinese semiconductor industry is underway. The best output given this juncture for the US is none other than to deliver to China in a controlled way advanced chips for AI, but less powerful than the most capable that design Nvidia, AMD or brains. In this way this Asian country may relax a bit its ambition for development and independence. This is exactly what the Trump administration is doing by allowing Nvidia to give back to its Chinese clients Your GPU for IA H20as Chris Miller holdsthe author of ‘The chips war’in his Newsletter. China is getting out of Nvidia The future of Nvidia in China is largely in the hands of the administration of the cyberspace of China, known as CAC for its English denomination (Cyberspace Administration of China). This institution is the main Internet regulatory body in China and is thoroughly investigating NVIDIA H20 GPU Because it suspects that this chip could incorporate a back door of difficult location by Chinese experts. If so, the possibility of China to use this GPU could be possible. David reber Jr., Nvidia Security Director, published last week An article in the blog of this company entitled “There are no rear doors in the Nvidia chips. There are no deactivation switches. There are no spy software” in an obvious attempt to defend the company’s reputation and appease the growing distrust to which he faces in China. There is a lot at stake. If the final resolution of the CAC turns out to be unfavorable with all probability NVIDIA will lose a good part of the income currently obtained in this country. The Chinese government is urging Chinese companies that are dedicated to the development of large models of the use in their Chinese chip servers However, this is not all. Whatever the CAC verdict is a fact that the Chinese government He is urging Chinese companies that are dedicated to the development of large models of AI to use in their servers integrated circuits of Chinese origin. In this scenario their best bazas are now Huawei and Moore Threads. The first of these companies has lists its own GPU for iathe chips ascend AI, for more than five years. During this period of time it has been refining them and increasing their abilities with the purpose of matching or even overcoming the performance of the chips A100 and H100 of Nvidia. His most ambitious proposal right now is the chip Ascend 910dwhich seeks to overcome the performance of the H100 GPU. However, this Chinese company has also recently presented its chip Ascend 920a solution that is clearly destined to occupy in the Chinese market The H20 GPU space. This proposal will enter large -scale production during the second half of 2025 using 6 NM integration technology that have presumably developed elbow with Huawei elbow and SMIC. On the other hand, Moore Threads He has developed several GPU for AI applications that, on paper, rivaize some of the advanced solutions that have placed in the Nvidia, AMD or Huawei market. The MTT S4000 and MTT S3000 cards are its most interesting proposals right now, although, curiously, in its porpholio the MTT S80 card, a proposal for games and content creation that, according to Moore Threads itself, has a 14.4 TFLOPS calculation capacity also appears in Floating Coma operations of simple precision. It doesn’t impress, but it’s not bad at all. Image | Gage Skidmore | Wikipedia More information | Financial Times In Xataka | Ten Chinese companies in Chips and IA have allied with a common goal: to put an end to the domain of Nvidia

China has a huge youth unemployment problem. So much, that some people pretend that they work

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China and the European Union have one thing in common: the youth unemployment rate. 14.5% of young Chinese have no job, while in the European Union the figure is slightly higher, 14.7%. The difference, of course, is that about 448 million people live in the European Union, while in China there are more 1,400 million inhabitants. Not finding work feels bad to anyone, but in China both family and social pressure is huge. It is a very competitive market and the young man is expected to find work, do everything possible to find it: training, studiespractices, Temporary workswhatever. Not working or worse, not looking for work, has a negative impact on social perception. In that context, the emergence of a phenomenon of the most peculiar makes sense: pay for pretending you work. Image | Marc Mueller China and work. When a student graduates, what is expected of him is to work, be useful and not depend on the family. It is possible that this is not immediately possible. Some students can opt for a “Deliberate transition“(慢就业), that is, take a while while they form and explore options actively; others can do a postgraduate (考研) or study oppositions (考公); and others, access a temporary job, support the family business, etc., while looking for something more stable. It is expected, in short, that the job search is active and proactive. Not doing so has negative effects on social perception. Depending on parents without being contributing or looking for anything (啃老, we could literally translate it as “bite the old” or more Castilianized, being a Nini) is something that is frowned upon. But situations are not always conducive and, given social pressure, it may be easier to pretend than you work while looking for work than giving explanations. Image | Xataka Work looking for work. Given this complex social and labor situation, companies have emerged in some areas of China that rent a place to go to work when you have no job. One of them is intend to work Company, which for 3.5 euros per day allows access to a false office with computers, Internet access, meeting rooms, etc. Like a Coworkingmore or less. These companies are announced on social networks such as Xiaohongshu. And what to go? There are several reasons. BBC echoes From the testimony of Shui Zhou, a 30 -year -old person who goes to the “office” every day to do networking, train his discipline and, in some way, relax his parents. Right now he is taking the opportunity to improve his skills with AI. Others such as Xiaowen Tang, a newly graduated, 23 years old, pointed out because their university has a kind of unwritten rule: if you do not send your contract or proof that you are doing practices a year after graduate, they do not give you the diploma. He pointed to the company, took a photo of the office and used it as proof. Workers in a smartphones factory | Image: Xataka Another cantonous girl, whose identity remains in anonymity, left her job in 2024 due to the pressure of the financial world, explains to The country. He pointed to a false office because he does not dare to tell his family the truth. He started going to coffee shops, but for 400 yuan monthly he can go to a lie office to spend the day while looking for work. A shell. “To pretend that it works is a shelter that young people find for themselves, creating a slight distance with respect to the majority society and giving themselves a little space,” Dr. Biao Xiang, director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany in Germany, tells the BBC. The same thinks the owner of Pretend to Work Company, a 30 -year -old boy who affirms that “what I sell is not a job, but the dignity of not being a useless person.” As reported, 40% of its customers are recent graduates who need to try their tutors who are doing practices. Some also go to flee from family pressure. Others are autonomous or digital nomads that understand this space as a coworking. The Middle Ages is 30 years. The other face of the currency. Pandemia made a mella in youth employment in China, which in 2023, after years of employability record, was estimated at 46.5% According to Zhang DandanProfessor of Economics at the University of Beijing. So disastrous was the situation that Statistics were stopped. The country faces 14.5% youth unemployment, a figure that probably grows When the 12.2 million new graduates Try to enter the market. The pressure to get a job is such that, in recent years, a movement that pursues the opposite has emerged. Instead of being ambitious, reaching the extreme and doing work the central axis of life that Once the day 996 proposed (and Now it seems to be changing), The 躺平 movement, literally “lie down”, promotes the opposite: criticism of extreme competition, work just to fulfill, lead a slower rhythm of life, enjoy a little more even if that implies a work of less relevance or a lower salary. It is in China what we knew here as the Silent resignation. Cover image | Marc Mueller In Xataka | This worker promised them happy combining three jobs, until he made an error and in a matter of hours was unemployed

The AI has converted work interviews into a cheat circus. So companies are returning to the face -to -face

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The virtual work interviews They are already normal in job search processes. The problem is that in certain areas, such as software and programmers engineers, candidates usually take advantage of AI tools to cheat. The trend is so worrying that some companies are already returning What always worked: Interviews in person. Google wants to meet you in person. SUCTAR PICHAI, CEO of Google, He explained in June In the Lex Friedman podcast that renewal of the company’s policies at the time of Hire certain profiles. “We are making sure that we introduce at least one round of the candidate for the candidates, just to ensure that the fundamental aspects are fulfilled.” Return to the face -to -face. Pichai’s message is the same as They are adopting other companies such as Apple, goalCisco or the consultant McKinsey, who are among a growing number of companies that are recovering the interviews face to face with the candidates in various stages of the selection process. Mike Kyle, from the Coda Search/Staffing Employment Agency, explained how the quota of companies that have the requirement to make face -to -face interviews has become 30%, when in 2024 it was only 5%. If you want what salary I offer you, I need to meet you. That return to face -to -face interviews usually also focus on the last part of the selection process, but in reality it can occur at any time. If you do not present yourself physically at some point in that process, You won’t know what conditions (Salary included) offers you the company. Cheat programmers. As we said, that is especially true for profiles such as programmers. During some phases of the interviews, real -time sessions usually consider in which candidates must solve a programming problem. In virtual interviews, what has happened is that the interviewees cheat And they use AI to solve the problem, which is not clear whether or not those candidates meet the requirements. AI has become a problem. The resurgence of interviews in person tries to mitigate the problem that AI has raised. Companies that offer jobs have ended up using AI systems for Filter candidateswhich usually flood those offers because they also use AI to generate their CVS adapted to each position and automate the request for various positions quickly. THE ART OF THE TRAPS A few months ago we counted how a student managed to overcome a Amazon technical interview Thanks to the use of AI. That gave him a disturbing idea, because he created a startup called Cluelly to help others do the same or to make exams. One that in fact advertises with an unusual message: “Cheat everything.” The idea seems to have liked, because the investment firm A16z has already injected 15 million dollars In the project. Deepfakes that are interviewed for you. That is a good example of a dangerous trend. It is not that candidates try to deceive companies about their real capacities thanks to AI: there are people who are using these methods much more worrying. The FBI already warned in 2023 of a fraud that involved thousands of North Koreans that simulated being North Americans seeking to work remotely in US companies. His way of doing so was really striking and complex. Be careful with murmuring. Companies that use virtual interviews in their selection processes are also paying special attention to these traps. In fact, some try to detect them by monitoring indications that can aim at fraud: muttering out of the screen or typing and then pauses before answering (waiting to see what the chatgpt tells them on duty to read that answer) It is usually a clue to hunt checkery. Image | RAD MINE In Xataka | Hide the holes in the curriculum of an intermittent work career: the art of not deceiving without telling the whole truth

Meta messaging application does not work correctly

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It is not your connection, neither does your computer. WhatsApp is experiencing problems This Wednesday night, and everything indicates that the failure is concentrated in its web version. When trying to access Web.whatsapp.comthe page loads partially, but the chats do not show themselves. Only the application logo accompanied by the message “Extreme to end” appears. For practical purposes, the service is blocked for those who depend on the desktop customer. The fall has been reflected in Downdectorthe platform that monitors the status of online services. The first user reports They began to register at 9:00 p.m.and after 23:00 they were already counted for hundreds. At this time, goal has not offered any official explanation about what happened. His profiles in X and Threads They do not contain messages that clarify the failure. The origin of the problem is not clear, and that leave several hypotheses open. In cases like this, the causes can range from failures on the finish lines to interruptions in one of their infrastructure suppliers, or even specific incidents in network operators that hinder the connection between the web client and the company’s servers. For now, the only thing confirmed is that the mobile app, both in Android and in iOS, continues to function normally. Everything indicates that it is an isolated interruption that affects only the WhatsApp web version. Images | Screen capture | Xataka with Gemini 2.5 In Xataka | What is cloudflare, how it works and why when “it falls” part of the internet falls apart

More and more work interviews are with an AI and more and more candidates refuse to have them

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One of the sectors in which AI is penetrating more quickly is in human resources. We have been talking to you for months that many candidates looking for employment were surprised that His interviewer was an AI. They were not isolated cases, more and more companies are using in their selection processes and there are already those who are refusing to be interviewed by a bot. What’s happening. If you are looking for work, it is possible that the interview is made by a bot fed by AI. It is a growing trend that arises from a problem: the departments of human resources are increasingly limited They often have to interview hundreds of candidates. Using AI to filter the best profiles is presented as a solution. The problem is that candidates are not liking anything. Candidates against. They tell it in Fortunethere are more and more interviews made by AI and the reaction of the interviewees is being quite negative. “I do not want to work for a company in which the RRHH head does not even take the trouble to spend some time to talk to me,” said Debra Borchardt, one of the interviewees. He did not have to wait long to form an opinion, as soon as he connected he caused him rejection: “I don’t like this. It’s horrible,” he recalls. The truth is that the experiences describing some candidates are quite mediocre, with bots that limit themselves to reciting the curriculum and ask questions, but are not able to answer if the candidates have a doubt. Sometimes they even begin to hallucinate and They repeat questions without stopping. This makes many candidates get out of the interviews before they finish and others reject participating in selection processes with AI. Companies in favor. For companies that are using these interviewers, the experience is being more than positive. Adam Jackson, CEO of Braintrustthe company that is dedicated to creating these bots, assures Fortune that there is no generalized rejection by the candidates. If “our clients would not find the tool useful (…) and we are not seeing that, but quite the opposite.” For those responsible for hiring, AI saves them having to interview hundreds of candidates “ago 100 interviews and tells you what have been the best ten, there the human takes control,” says Jackson, although he also recognizes that the interviewers are limited. Increasingly. According to summarize data91% of those responsible for hiring used AI in their work especially to summarize curriculum and schedule interviews. IA interviewers are the next step and more and more companies are adopting them. Although most cases reach us from the United States, there are Spanish companies that They are using the Telefónica Tech And there is also startups creating solutions of this type. It seems that we like it or not, the interviewers AI They have come to stay. Candidates also use AI. It is not just a human resources thing, there are also candidates Using AI to overcome selection processes. In Reddit we can read from cases of people who admit to having used chatgpt in an interview even human interviewers who have encountered candidates who They responded with the help of a chatbotwhich caused him to discard it from the process. Image | Julia M Cameron, Pexels In Xataka | Someone used AI to overcome an interview on Amazon. His success has made Google see his candidates face to face

Freezing rice not only saves time and work: for many Tamnb nutritionists

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When one makes rice, there are only two options: either you fall short, or kitchens to feed half regiment. In that second case, the usual thing is to save it in a taper for the next day. What everyone knows is that this daily gesture – guard, cooling and reheating rice – can have effects on your health and even help you absorb less calories. But if it’s just reheating it … There is something else. And no, it is not a Tiktok kitchen trick or a fashion without a base: it is pure biochemistry. In a report by El Confidencial, Dr. María Muñoz – specialist in digestive system at the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital in Murcia – made it clear that the rice of the next day has no magic, but enough science. “Did you know that cooked and then frozen rice can have fewer calories? It is not magic, it is science and has to do with how your body digests starch,” he explained. The secret is on the starch. The key to this transformation is a substance called Resistant starch. When cooking foods rich in starch – such as rice, pasta or potatoes – a process called gelatinization is produced: starch chains are messy and become more accessible to our digestive enzymes. But if that food cools (for example, in the fridge or freezer), those chains are reorganized in a more compact and less digestible way, through a process called retrogradation. The result ends that starch becomes resistant, that is, it is not absorbed as glucose. Instead, it reaches the colon and acts as a prebiotic fiber. Less calories, better digestion. This type of starch – the so -called type 3 – behaves like a fiber: feeds the good bacteria of the intestine and generates beneficial compounds such as short chain fatty acids, including butyrate, essential for intestinal health. According to has pointed out Dr. Muñoz in El Confidencial, that resistant starch “is not digested or absorbed as glucose, but passes to the colon as a fiber, having a prebiotic effect.” In other words, the body absorbs less calories and experiences a more moderate glycemic response. Something especially useful for people with insulin resistance, digestive problems or who seek to control their weight. Science behind. As We have explained in Xatakavarious studies partially support the benefits of resistant starch. From Cleveland Clinic They define it As “a functional fiber that can help improve intestinal microbiota, regulate blood sugar and contribute to the immune system.” Now, not all types of resistant starch act the same. According to a meta -analysis posted in Scientedirectthe most powerful effects are observed in the types present naturally in foods such as green bananas or legumes. Type 3, the reheated rice, also shows benefits, although to a lesser extent. In other words, you can add, but it will not work miracles on its own. But there is a silent bacterium. The rice has its weak point, and it is not the microwave. When it is already cooked, it is especially vulnerable to a little known but quite resistant bacterium: Bacillus cereus. This bacterium can survive the heat of cooking and, if the rice stays too long at room temperature, find the perfect environment to multiply. The problem comes that it is not enough to reheat it: their toxins can continue there, causing poisoning with symptoms such as diarrhea or digestive discomfort. A silent risk that many times goes unnoticed between tuppers and leftovers of the previous night. Dr. Muñoz He has warned In the confidential that a bad conservation can have consequences. And in Xataka He also alerted that the cooling and overheating cycles – precisely those needed to generate resistant starch – are an ideal environment for this bacterium if they are not handled well. The recommendations are clear: cooling the rice in less than an hour, save it in the fridge (or freezer) without exceeding 48 hours if it does not freeze, reheat only once and never leave it several hours at room temperature. One last concern. Rice not only worries how we cook it, but also how it is grown. In an article published in Xatakawe collected the results of a study that launches a disturbing warning: climate change could be increasing arsenic levels in rice. The reason is in the combination of two factors – more carbon dioxide and higher temperatures – that facilitate plants to absorb more arsenic of the soil. If the trend continues, the impact could be noticed around 2050, especially in regions where rice is basic food. Reheating is not magic, but it can help. Finally, reheating rice can help you absorb less calories, but you will not convert a paella dish into a miraculous diet. Science supports it, provided that good conservation practices are followed. What began as a fashion on social networks has ended up opening a broader conversation about microbiota, glucose and eating habits. In the end, it’s not about changing your life for a rice taper. But with a simple gesture you can improve your intestinal health and reduce the caloric load a bit. Image | Pexels Xataka | The strange worship of resistant starch: what is behind the fever to cool food so that fattening less

Weddings where they don’t work alcohol

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In the middle of a dance floor surrounded by dim lights and tables decorated with wild flowers, someone asks for a “red fruits mocktail with basil.” There is no toast with cava, or white wine glasses. In short, there is no alcohol. And more and more weddings are rewriting the bridal script: goodbye to the champagne, hello to the mocktails with a hibiscal flower and the dance tracks without stumbling. How without alcohol? More and more couples are consciously deciding to eliminate alcohol from their celebrations. The motivations are diverse: healthy lifestyle, background of addictions, religious reasons, or simply the desire to avoid the typical drunk drama at the party. In a report for The Wall Street JournalGracie Giambrone, a marketing professional in Tampa (Florida), summarizes it clearly: “If it’s a day on us, it makes no sense to put alcohol just to please others.” Instead of a open bar, he will opt for live chefs cooking Paella and a handmade coffee station. Tradition vs Trend. Here comes the clash. Some guests do not understand it and do not hide it, as is the case of American influencer Siobhan McCaffrey. Interview by the American media did not hesitate to qualify the experience as “the worst wedding of his life” after attending a celebration in Paris. “Your wedding is not just about you, it is also about creating a good experience for others,” also declared the WSJ. And, despite the growth of the sober movement, most weddings continue to bet on alcohol. According to the Wedding Wedding Sector Report.in Spain 94% of couples claim to have served alcohol in their celebration. In addition, for 81%, it is still directly “essential.” A slight change. However, there are nuances: only 58% of couples hired Barra Break for the final party, a slight drop compared to the previous year. And most interesting: the mocktails, without alcohol, are booming. “More and more work so that they are up to alcohol classics,” has pointed out in the newspaper Albert de O’Drink Molecular cocktails. In fact, in his letter, one third of cocktails are already without alcohol. The debate is spilled in networks. The Argentine influencer Sol Carlos, with more than seven million followers on Tiktok, was a trend for a radical decision: his wedding I wouldn’t have a drop of alcohol. “Neither my partner nor I almost ever took. Maybe that money we invest in a show where we all enjoy,” he said in one of his most commented videos (now not available). The reactions soon. Some supported their decision with a blunt “The wedding is yours.” Others asked for a “midpoint”: some alcohol, but without excesses. Also She was criticized for her intention not to invite children: “In several weddings that I was, the children destroyed decorations and nobody tells them anything,” he argued. The truth is that the debate no longer revolves around what is drinking, but how we redefine the meaning of the party. There is a generational change. Behind this trend there is a new generation that begins to reconfigure the ecosystem. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, already represents almost 20% of couples who marry in Spain, According to Bodas.net. And with them comes a new way of celebrating: more customization, less protocol, and a different relationship with consumption. As we have already detailed in Xatakathis generation stars in a new underground of leisure that includes raves without alcohol, rest zones and sensory experiences designed to “heal a broken generation for stress.” For many young people, getting drunk is no longer synonymous with having fun, and emotional and physical well -being prevails even on holidays. Rewriting weddings. And it is not just alcohol that is changing. Also the menus. In full explosion of conscious food, vegan weddings have gained prominence. This was shown by the tiktoker @rocio.girasol, which narrated a 100% vegan banquet: ham and cheese without animal origin, cauliflower croquettes, vegan gossip and chocolate brownies. Although the opinions were divided, the video exceeded 25,000 views. The debate is the same: is it all at a wedding, if it reflects the identity of the couple? What do you get for? Maybe the answer is there, because they are finally ceasing to be crowded rituals to become personal expressions. Some couples choose classic luxury, others prefer fair -type celebrations or intimate parties with sustainable decoration. The important thing is no longer to meet others, but feel represented. And that is very good. But it should also be remembered the context: today weddings are no longer only emotional rituals, but events of high economic, logistics and social voltage. In Spain, more than 160,000 weddings are celebrated a year, According to the INEwith an average expenditure per link that exceeds 20,000 euros. Guests, meanwhile, usually assume gifts Between 150 and 250 euroseven if the wedding does not feel like it, it does not suck them or not remotely close. They go because “it’s what touches.” In the midst of that emotional and financial machinery, alcohol had remained the only collective consolation. The open bar was the prize: what justified the expense, the hours of travel and to the ill -ironed shirt. And now, that also disappears. This new generation not only changes the menu or the protocol: it eliminates the agreed drunkenness. Is it a revolution or a betrayal? It depends on who you ask. But if you are going to marry you and yours, do not forget that there are many others that – although they don’t say it – are there only for you. Image | Unspash Xataka | A councilor of Valencia had a date and place to marry, but not a couple. So he did something increasingly common: an autoboda

A study reveals that the best of the four -day work week is not what it achieves: it is what eliminates

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There are discrepant voices among those who argue that it is impossible to reduce working hours Without bringing the economy to bankruptcy of the country, while others argue that applying the work week to four days without reducing salary is demonstrating to be beneficial Not only for employees but also for companies. International investigation published in the magazine Nature Human Behaviour It reveals that the reduction from working hours to a four -day work week model produces Clear improvements in well -beingphysical and mental health, and labor satisfaction of workers, without the change having any effect About productivity. A two -year study. The study ‘The reduction of working time through a 4 -day work week improves the well -being of workers‘, conducted by researchers from the University of Boston and Dublin, was carried out between 2022 and 2024. 2,896 employees of 141 companies in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States participated. The researchers divided participants into three groups according to the amount of weekly reduction hours: one with a reduction of eight hours or more (32 hours per week), another with reductions of five to seven hours and another with reductions from one to four hours in their weekly day. In addition, they formed a control group of 285 workers from 12 companies that were initially interested in reducing the day, but Finally they did not apply it. According to the authors of the study, these countries were chosen “partly by linguistic convenience, but also because their neoliberal labor systems are known and the stress levels among employees are high.” Before starting, some tips. As indicated in the study, on average, companies reduced the weekly work hours of 39.12 to 34.48 hours, which is equivalent to 80% of the usual schedule, but maintaining 100% of the salary. 30.8% of employees managed to reduce his day In eight hours or more per week, while 24.3% maintained the same amount of hours. As already demonstrated in the pilot tests of the four -day week, it is impossible to reduce the working day Without applying some changes in the way of working in companies. Therefore, the researchers had mentoring of the non -profit organization 4 Day Week Global, which has supervised the tests of the work week of tests such as the one that It was carried out In Valencia. However, as investigations point out, their role was limited to consulting to advise companies, but did not participate directly in the study of the study or in the interpretation of the data. The results soon arrived. Such and as indicated in Popular Sciencethe biggest surprise was that there was no surprise. The studies of the study coincide largely with the results obtained from the analysis of the different four -day work week pilot programs that have been carried out around the world. The more visible results indicate that the feeling of work exhaustion (Burnout) decreased by 16% in those who participated in the four -day work week, while in the control group it increased its exhaustion by 1.4%. General fatigue was reduced by 14%, and improvement in physical and mental health resulted in better self -perception by employees. In addition, sleep problems also descended 16%, showing the direct connection among less work hours and better capacity for rest. Better results are more reduced. The group of employees that reduced their working hours in eight hours or more recorded the highest percentages of improvement, including a reduction in exhaustion, increased job satisfaction and improvements in mental and physical health. For their part, groups with a minor day reduction Between one and four hours and between five and seven hours, they also experienced similar benefits, although in these cases the improvement percentages were lower. Improve because they are committed. Although the results confirm the positive effects of the four -day work week for the health and productivity of the workers, the researchers warn about some conditions. All participating companies were predisposed to apply the reduction of working hours, which can influence the positive motivation of the results. In addition, the information comes mainly from employee self -reports, so future research should include more varied methods and broader samples to consolidate these conclusions, at least to the same extent as this study consolidated the Results obtained by other researchers that have been collecting the data in the different pilot projects around the world. However, its authors consider that “despite their limitations, this study has important implications to understand the future of work, in which probably 4 -day work week will be a key component.” In Xataka | Not everything is 38.5 hours a week: the formulas for a waiter or temporary to benefit from the reduction of day Image | Unspash (INNN agency)

The Starbucks CEO wants everyone to work to the office. It is easy for him because he can go in private jet

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Back to Starbucks. That is the name that Brian Niccol, the current of CEO of the popular coffee shop chain, put To the plan to revitalize the company. It is an ambitious plan and that, among other things, has meant a change of course as far as teleworking is concerned. Since 2023, Starbucks workers have maintained a hybrid format Three days in the office, two at home. That will end because, soon, will be four mandatory days. It is a novelty that is seen very differently when you go to the office in private Jet, of course. Let’s start at the beginning. Of coffee tacos. Niccol was CEO of Taco Bell until 2018. The headquarters of this company is in Irvine, California, 15 minutes by car from Niccol’s house in Newport Beach. In 2018 he left Taco Bell to exercise as CEO in Chipotle, whose headquarters was in Denver, 1,600 kilometers from his residence. Three months after assuming the position, Chipotle changed its headquarters to Newport Beach affecting 400 people in the process. In 2024, and after revitalizing Chipotle, Niccol assumed the CEO of Starbucks With conditions that did not go unnoticed. Elon Musk vs Jeff Bezos: The Galaxies War Brian Niccol | Image: Starbucks To the ophi yes, but I don’t move. The Starbucks headquarters and therefore the workplace of its CEO is in Seattle (Washington). As a company employee, he also applied the policy of going at least three days to the office. The distance that separates the headquarters from your home is 1,600 kilometers, but that is no problem because The offer contemplated that “you will not be asked to move to the headquarters of the company”. So… It will not go by car, clearly. They are about 19 hours of journey, According to Google Mapsbut fortunately the job offer established that Niccol could dispose of the company’s private jet for “business -related trips according to the company’s travel policy, travel between its city of residence and the headquarters of the company in Seattle, Washington and its personal trips according to the company’s policies, up to a maximum amount of $ 250,000 a year.” Image | Starbucks Three four days. Now that we know the context, we will surely see in another way The letter that the CEO has recently published. In this text, Niccol explains that from next fiscal year employees will have to go to the office four days instead of three. Specifically, from Monday to Thursday. At the moment, this dynamic will affect the regional offices of North America, the Toronto support centers and, of course, the headquarters in Seattle. If you are a boss, to the office. In February, Starbucks asked the VP level team and managers who worked in Seattle and Toronto. Now that requirement will also apply to support centers, whose leaders will also have to move to these cities. And all this why? According to Niccol, the reason to reestablish this office culture is that “we work better when we are together. We share ideas more effectively, we solve difficult problems creatively and move much faster.” Between lines can be read that an increase in productivity is sought. The CEO affirms that it understands that not everyone will agree with this measure, “but as a company based on the human connection, and given the magnitude of the change we have ahead, we believe that this is the right path for Starbucks.” So clear it has that the future goes through the office that, in its own words: “If you decide to leave Starbucks for any reason, we respect it. To support those who decide to” leave “, we are offering a unique voluntary output program with a cash payment for the partners who make this decision.” Two rhythms. This is not a problem for Niccol (to which this policy should also be applied). Has All the company’s resources at your disposal To travel and, according to a company spokesman, a house has been bought in Seattle. This already shows that The return to the office is made at two speeds: that of employees, which can be forced to move to a more expensive city, give up promotions or even leave the company; and that of the senior executives, who can afford to travel in a private jet or buy a house in the city that proceeds. Cover image | Tr In Xataka | Starbucks made a very strong bet in China to continue growing. Tariffs threaten to take it ahead

When the bosses already value at the same time they do not work in your free time

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More and more companies recognize the importance of their employees Disconnect from work to improve your well -being and Avoid exhaustion. After all, it suits them since that way Improve productivity. However, a New study It has confirmed the existence of a significant contradiction: although managers value their employees to take breaks and maintain a good balance between working and personal life, they usually penalize those who make use of those limits. The detachment paradox. The study carried out by researchers from the University of Science and Technology of Hong Kong and the Spanish IE Business Schoolanalyzed how managers perceive employees disconnect of work in your free time. “We only analyzed what happens when the worker should not work, such as the afternoons, on weekends and vacations,” said Elisa Solinas, co -author of the study. OK To what is published in Hardvard Business Reviewthe experiment had 7,800 participants, in which managers evaluated fictional employees who in a version took measures to disconnect from work and in another not. The results showed that, in their reports, managers recognized that those who disconnected from work during the weekend, returned with more energy and better performance. However, in the evaluations, they constantly described them as less compromised, even if they were more productive than those that did not disconnect. Even if you are the best, do not rest. The data suggest that the feeling of reproach of managers towards employees persisted even when the employee was a direct subordinate of the manager, when the employee who was disconnected was objectively better in his work and even when he disconnected for a justified reason as take care of a relative. As they stressed in HBR, managers tend to identify Availability with effort and commitment. “Our studies show that the commitment is valued almost more than productivity. In short, we seek to perceive that a worker is really committed, and that is what, in fact, we reward more than productivity,” declaredBuechel a Fortune If you take care of yourself, you don’t ascend. The experiment revealed that, in addition, 62% of managers considered that those employees who put limits between working time and staff were less likely to be promoted, despite recognizing that their productivity could be greater. A bias that too It was given on teleworking. As Eva Buechel explained, co -author of the study: “The same people who said that workers were going to be more productive also said they were going to be less promotable.” This bias reflects that, although the disconnection and rest improve health and employee performance can negatively affect the perception of commitment and professional opportunities since employees who respond outside your working hours or that their vacations skip are seen as people who strive more. The cost of not disconnecting. The pressure to always be available generates negative consequences. According to data from A studyMade by the Glassdoor Employment Portal, exhaustion reports increased by 32% year -on -year during the first quarter of 2025. Employees who claimed to feel exhausted have shot themselves above 50% if it was counted since 2019. “Even if a satisfied or high -performance employee can support a greater workload without impact on its productivity or in its satisfaction during a short period, that does not necessarily mean that it can do it indefinitely,” wrote Daniel Zhao, author of the Glassdoor report. Benefits of taking a break. A meta -analysisLed by Ryan Grant, a PhD student in Psychology at the University of Georgia, he found that the revitalizing effects during free time are actually 85% greater than what was suggested in different studies, and their benefits can be extended up to 43 days after the holidays. Grant points out that the disconnection capacity “was the only recovery activity that had a strong positive association with well -being, both during the holidays. This suggests that the more you disconnect yourself psychologically from work during your break, the better your vacation will be your vacation and the greater your benefits for well -being later.” The scientific evidence It corroborates Grant’s conclusions on the benefits in the mental health of employees who separate work time and leisure time. Disconnected by law. Countries like Spain and Australia have created a legal framework to guarantee the Right to digital disconnection Out of working hours. The regulations not only exempt employees from responding to any message or call of their work during their rest time, but penalize companies that carry out these practices. What the legislation cannot regulate is the perception that managers have of those workers who comply with the work schedule that appears in their contract. In Xataka | Bill Gates’ five errors that led him to improve at work: productivity is not everything Image | Unspash (DFY)

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