work

Being a perfectionist at work was a virtue. The obsession with perfection has transformed into toxic productivity

by

Imagine feeling that you never do enoughthat every free minute should be used to advance something productive, even if your body and mind ask for rest. This obsession for staying productive every minute of the day, increasingly normalized in contemporary culture, is what Harvard Business Review and other experts they call “toxic productivity“. Avoid her at all costs, it’s everything less productive. Far from being a direct route to success, psychology specialists agree that this approach can have negative consequences for both physical and mental health, and even sabotage the achievements you achieve every day because, as they have revealed different psychological studies it is never enough. Productivity is just an excuse The toxic productivity is also defined as action bias or the tendency to prioritize action over inaction, even when this inaction does not produce any benefit or there is no justification that supports it. In short, it is the constant drive to “do”, often sacrificing physical and mental well-being and personal relationships. Toxic productivity doesn’t just manifest itself in working overtime. beyond the working daybut they also appear feelings of guilt for spending time resting, doing pleasant or social activities. That imbalance in working time limits and the staff makes something that used to be enjoyable now a focus of unnecessary, self-imposed anxiety. According to a study from the University of Michigan’s psychology department links this bias as a form of coping for anxiety or low self-esteem, where “being busy” serves as a distraction from negative thoughts and feelings. According to what was published by Psychology Todaythis type of toxic productivity bias is more common among people with high levels of perfectionism and self-esteem focused on performance. Misunderstood perfectionism This type of constant pressure not only causes exhaustion, but also deteriorates physical and mental health. He meta-analysis by Andrew Hill and Thomas Curran, from the Universities of York and Bath, delve into the effects of this toxic productivity. For example, in their study, they define two dimensions of perfectionism: Perfectionistic aspirations (perfectionistic strivings): having very high goals, wanting to perform to the maximum, seeking excellence, etc. Perfectionistic concerns: fear of making mistakes, obsession with the expectations of others, constant self-criticism, etc. The key is that these two dimensions usually go together in the same person. Someone who demands a lot of themselves (high aspirations) may also be afraid of failing (worries), the result is how to combine fire with gasolineand the result leads to states of anxiety. The worst part is that this dynamic feeds on itself in a continuous cycle of fatigue and more and more work in which you are never productive enough. One of the warning signs that indicates that toxic productivity is deeply established in your life is a progressive time poverty. That is, the feeling that you don’t have enough hours in the day. Different economic studies, such as the elaborate by the La Caixa Foundation have revealed that women (especially those who are mothers) endure a second shift at work, and are more likely to show symptoms of toxic productivity and time poverty. According to the investigations of Slack, there is a direct relationship between establish adequate rest times and increased productivity. Their records revealed that employees who log off at the end of the workday report 20% higher productivity than those who feel obligated to work outside of work hours. Breaking this cycle of toxic productivity involves recognizing and redefining what, on a personal level, is considered success and prioritize breaksself-care and healthy boundaries both at work and in personal time. The magnitude of the problem: exhaustion in numbers In work environments it is usually celebrated when someone seems to never slow down or always have a project in hand, but this rhythm can end up being destructive. In fact, in many contexts, rest is still associated wrongly lazilyand exhaustion is taken as a sign of commitment, a perception that Harvard Business Review consider profoundly wrong. The data is compelling. According to data from the report Global Talent Trends prepared by the consulting firm Mercer in 2024, around 82% of the world’s workforce is susceptible to suffer job burnout or “burnout” due to excessive workloads. This figure demonstrates to what extent the pressure to always be active It affects the majority of working people. He job burnout It goes far beyond occasional tiredness; It is a direct consequence of a culture that values ​​busyness over well-being. In many countriesthis translates into extended hours, workers who They sacrifice weekends and holidays for not knowing set limits between work time and personal time, letting work tasks invade the space intended for developing social, family or personal life. In Xataka | Productivity is not linear: learning to manage its ups and downs makes a difference and these questions will be your lifesaver Image | Unsplash (Paola Chaaya, Vasilis Caravitis)

AI was supposed to free us from work. At the moment the engineers who develop it work 100 hours a week

by

He impact of AI on work It fills many pages. On the one hand, it is presented as a threat to many jobs. On the other hand, a much more positive vision in which AI frees us from the burden of work so we can enjoy life. For now, what we do know for sure has been true is that the engineers who work in AI companies are working endless hours. what’s happening. We already talked about what Silicon Valley was embracing the 996th journey that China had already left behind. We are talking about twelve-hour days, six days a week, that is, 72 hours a week. Several AI engineers have in the WSJ that the days reach even 80 and even 100 hours per week, even comparing the situation with war. We are talking about large companies like OpenAI, Meta, Microsoft, Anthropic or Google, all competing to be the best in the frenetic AI race. May the rhythm not stop. The innovation cycle is crazy; Almost every week new models and new tools are announced that are not made alone. In the main AI laboratories there is no rest. Josh Batson, an engineer at Anthropic, defines it in a very graphic way: “we are basically trying to compress 20 years of scientific progress into two years.” In the small startups in the valley, things don’t change much and it is becoming more and more common that people are required to work 996 in the job interviews themselves. “We do not offer conciliation,” said the CEO of one of them. The urgency of the AGI. Furthermore, there is artificial general intelligence or AGI, that superintelligence that gurus like Altman either Musk They don’t stop mentioning. Especially in the case of OpenAI, getting the AGI is already a matter of survival. It would be a perfect argument to justify the parade of stratospheric investments of the last few weeks that have fueled bubble fears. Millionaire salaries. Over the summer, Mark Zuckerberg set out on a mission: take all the AI ​​galactics to Meta. He has managed to form a team, but also that millionaire salaries raise the bar even further in the sector. Engineers are the most precious resource and must be used accordingly. The irony of the situation is that many of these engineers who are now multimillionaires practically live in the office. Waking up from sleep. Gone are the days when working at a big technology company meant having all kinds of comforts. Google, for example, was a paradise with gyms, cafes, shops… even masseuses when you needed them. The return to the offices after the pandemic was anything but paradisiacal and many of those privileges disappeared. Until when? It’s a question we ask ourselves a lot when we talk about the AI ​​career. How long will the flow of investment continue despite the fact that AI is not making money (or not enough)? And now too, until when will there be engineers willing to dedicate all their time to AI? There have been other frenetic moments in Silicon Valley, such as the app boom after the launch of the first iPhone. The difference is that this is happening in much less time. Image | Pexels In Xataka | The co-founder of OpenAI is not afraid of superintelligence: he fears that we are building “digital ghosts”

The connected glasses look like a lot of fun. Until they force you to wear them at work

by

amazon he doesn’t trust his workers. It has never done so, and this is demonstrated by the measures that have been filtered and that served the same purpose: to monitor them and prevent productivity from dropping. Some control is reasonable, without a doubt, but this company stopped being that a long time ago and became in a nonsense. We are talking about a company that patented a wristband to find out if employees relax and they start to work a little less. Which was discovered to have automated tracking systems to evaluate productivity rates of each worker. Which used AI cameras to monitor delivery vans and drivers during 100% of the journey. that ended receiving fines due to this strenuous monitoring and had to change the algorithm that penalized productivity data for going to the bathroom. A company in which some employees they had to urinate in bottles to avoid wasting time and others said that working at Amazon was like being in a prison. Augmented reality glasses to work better… Well, now Amazon is working on augmented reality glasses that will follow the line of the Meta Ray-Ban Display. They are likely working on a version for end users, but what the company has officially confirmed is that I was developing some glasses for your messengers. After delivery, the courier will take a photo by pressing a button… which apparently is not on the glasses themselves. With them, they indicate in the press release, couriers will be able to “identify dangers, reach the customer’s door without problems and improve deliveries.” The glasses make use of AI, artificial vision, cameras and sensors to offer all their options to couriers. Thus, when a courier arrives at a delivery location, the glasses are activated and the courier has information about the package to be delivered on the display (a monochrome HUD with information in green). This same HUD allows you to follow navigation instructions similar to those of GPS navigators – but with a much more schematic design – to find the client’s home. The courier will also take a photo to confirm the delivery and can share it as a demonstration of that delivery if there are problems. …and to monitor workers more than ever The company is testing a prototype with the help of hundreds of couriers in the US, and is collecting information and feedback from those “beta testers” in order to refine the product. On paper, these glasses may seem like a useful aid for drivers, but it is inevitable to think that they also They can be used for much more exhaustive monitoring and control of those drivers and messengers. Thanks to this device, Amazon will, for example, have absolute control over the location of the couriers and their productivity when delivering packages. Are they fast or slow? Do they make mistakes? Here the border between supporting technology and that which allows for labor control is blurred. It is true that it provides advantages in terms of efficiency and even security, but the amount and precision of the data collected by glasses like this raises questions about worker privacy and, once again, the degree to which Amazon can supervise its employees. And like her, of course, many other companies that may also end up making this type of device a mandatory element for employees. In the EU, however, it seems more complicated that this type of wearables can be used: there are legal precedents that years ago already posed a clear obstacle to this type of monitoring, but it remains to be seen if these measures are finally also adopted among EU workers. In Xataka | The temperature in an Amazon warehouse was too high to work. So the company faked the thermometers

Ukraine has a weapon against Russia that we had only seen in James Bond. Her name is Sea Baby and when she finishes her work she blows herself up.

by

At the end of September Ukraine sent a message: It was already the largest drone laboratory on the planet, but with its latest 12-meter “monster” it wanted to do the same under the sea. This is how the family of Toloka underwater dronesa technological leap that redefined naval warfare in the Black Sea. That effort now has its continuation in a drone that until recently we had only seen in James Bond movies and the like. Technological evolution. Ukraine has taken its “Sea Baby” naval drones from being disposable explosive boats to becoming attack and multiple mission platforms capable of operating at more than 1,500 kilometers, transporting up to 2,000 kilos and mount heavy telecontrolled weaponry (multiple rocket launchers, stabilized turrets, secondary drone launch) while incorporating self-destruct systems to avoid capture and AI-assisted functions to reduce identification errors. This step not only adds firepower and range, but turns a low-cost means into a sustained system that can penetrate, hit, return and remain available (or self-destruct), something that repositions the naval drone from immediate consumption to renewable operating capital. The Black Sea. Successive waves of drones have forced Russia to withdraw most of its fleet from Sevastopol to Novorossiyska change in posture that does not respond to a specific defeat but to that persistent risk that makes it unfeasible to sustain an advanced presence without assuming continuous losses. The “Sea Baby” have been attributed by the SBU to eleven attacks against shipsas well as repeated blows against the Crimean bridge and other logistics facilities, producing a chain effect: Moscow has had to redirect its military transport to land and more distant ports, making each kilometer of support more expensive and reducing its ability to condition Ukrainian trade routes to Europe. Doctrinal change. What once required steel fleets, shipyards and squadrons can now be inflicted with platforms cheap, reproducible and guided at a distance, which modifies the unspoken rule that the maritime domain belongs to the one who owns tonnage: here control emanates from who can inflict repeated damage at a lower cost than that imposed on the defender. The Ukrainian case surpasses precedents such as the coastal missiles of the Lebanon in 2006 because it not only denies a coastline, but forces a structural reconfiguration of an entire squadron and its main base, demonstrating that an entire naval theater can be altered without having a conventional navy. Industry and allies. kyiv claims to produce around 4,000 naval drones and needing only half for his own defense, opening the door to sell the surplus to partner countries while NATO observes and adjusts doctrine after verifying that these systems have changed the cost/effect relationship at sea. Public financing via United24 and coordination with political and military command make the program an example of how a country at war can generate dual technology with external projection, replicating what happened with aerial UAVs: first combat effectiveness, then international adoption and doctrinal adjustment by third parties. Consequences and cycles. There is no doubt, offensive success is strong now defensive investment: floating barriers, sensors, redundant electronic warfare and point defense layers in ports and terminals to prevent innovation that has worked externally from reversing its own infrastructure. Russia tries to copy these platforms and use them againwhat chains a cycle of innovation in the face of interference that pushes both sides to adapt communications, navigation and mission architecture to overcome the electronic blockade. The result: a loop of accelerated evolution in which the advantage is no longer in possessing an isolated weapon, but in the ability to continually improve it before the opponent degrades its effect. Strategic conclusion. The Ukrainian naval drones have shown that sea power can be eroded without a conventional fleet through cheap mass, strategic reach and sustained pressure on valuable nodes, altering the adversary’s posture and reallocating its resources on the defensive. The displacement of the Russian fleet, the logistical impact and the international adoption as a reference point to a change of era: the sea ceases to be a domain secured by the capital spent on steel and becomes a space where the advantage belongs to whoever controls the marginal cost of the next impactnot the size of the hulls it anchors. Image | Security Service of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine cannot believe what it found inside Russia’s ballistic missiles: déjà vu In Xataka | After Cubans and North Koreans fighting alongside Russian troops, new guests have appeared in Ukraine: Chinese

A man had access to the Government’s nuclear secrets. Until he uploaded thousands of porn photos to his work computer

by

Using your work computer for personal things is a delicate area that can be reason for dismissal. This worker from the US Department of Energy has discovered it by force after uploading hundreds of thousands of pornographic images on his company computer. What has happened? They tell it in 404Medium. In March 2023, the employee wanted to back up his photo collection. He thought he was uploading the images to his personal hard drive, but it was connected to his work computer and he ended up making the copy where it wasn’t. The problem is that it was not a normal collection of photos, but more than 187,000 pornographic images that he had been collecting over several decades. Although he did not lose his job, his mistake has had consequences and the main one is that he has lost his security clearance. To train AI. The employee defended himself by arguing that this happened during a depressive episode in which he felt “extremely isolated and alone.” One of his distractions at this stage was creating images with AI, specifically “robotic porn.” At first he used his cell phone, but tired of using such a small screen, he thought it was a good idea to upload all his pornographic images to the computer to train the AI. The problem is that he did not upload them to his hard drive, but rather they ended up on the network of a government company. Goodbye accreditation. The employee did not realize his mistake until six months later. It was the time it took his bosses to investigate the origin of that enormous amount of porn photos flooding their servers. The result was that his security clearance was withdrawn. The Department of Energy is the in charge of supervising the US nuclear arsenalso we are talking about access to very sensitive information. The worker appealed to get it back, but after an exhaustive investigation, they decided not to return it. If he had not appealed, the story would not have been made public. My boss spies on me. It is one of the reasons that the man presented in his appeal, which compared the investigation to “the Spanish Inquisition.” What does the law say about this? According to expertsAlthough they let us use it for personal things, we should not expect to have privacy on a company-owned computer. Some companies even pre-install software to measure the time employees work. Control programs. Can they force you to install one of these programs? A few years ago we talked about installing software to control the work of remote employees and Joaquín Muñoz, an expert lawyer in digital law, resolved our doubt: the company cannot force us to install a program of this type if the computer we use to work is ours, but if it belongs to the company they can do so. Of course, they are obliged to report in detail about all the functions of said software. Image | Gemini In Xataka | “These are things that a university student would get in trouble for”: Deloitte scammed Australia with a report made with AI

The pistachio has provided work for 200,000 people and needs 100,000 more

by

Few economic success stories have grown as quickly and as strongly as that of what is, without a doubt, the fashionable dried fruit: the pistachio. This dried fruit has become the protagonist of an unprecedented nutritional phenomenon, becoming the star of the toppings and ally of the most diverse desserts that go viral on Instagram. However, thanks to that unexpected popularitythe cultivation of pistachios is generating thousands of jobs and revitalizing regions of the country that for years had seen their population slowly decline. The pistachio is unleashed. According to the report ‘Present and future of pistachio cultivation and its processing. From a business perspective’ prepared for Agróptimum, the pistachio industry has registered spectacular growth. Only in the last decade its expansion exceeds 3,000%, consolidating itself as one of the largest agricultural surprises of recent years in Spain. The rise of this crop not only responds to international demand, but also to the push of new local producers and cooperatives that, given their adaptation to climatic conditions and its high profitabilityhave discovered a product that allows them to maintain agricultural activity. An employment engine. According to the data in the report, currently the pistachio production chain is generating more than 200,000 jobs throughout the country, including both direct and indirect jobs. This figure includes positions ranging from cultivation and field care tasks to jobs in genetic research, data programming for precision agriculture, and distribution and export tasks. From the consulting firm Agróptimum, they estimate that this wave will continue to grow, and about 100,000 additional jobs will be created in the next five years, especially in those areas related to new plantations and in the process of modernization of the sector. Pistachio is not the only thing that takes root. The data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, show that 61% of the irrigated pistachio area registered in 2024 was newly planted, along with 70% of the dry land area that was also beginning its cultivation activity. Most of these new pistachio plantations are being developed in areas recognized for their risk of depopulation, such as Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura or Andalusia. The arrival of the pistachio to these regions has meant an injection of employment that contributes to anchoring the young population in these territories and makes it possible to attract new neighbors with new business projects linked to the cultivation of this nut. Castilla-La Mancha as a pistachio superpower. The most striking growth of this type of crop has occurred in Castilla-La Mancha, where it is concentrated around the 80% of the national surface of cultivated land dedicated to pistachio, achieving a harvest of more than 5,600 tons in 2025. 75% of the national total of 7,500 tons. In this community, the planted area already exceeds 64,000 hectares in its different types of dryland and irrigated land, with a significant expansion year after year and a growing focus on organic production, which represents approximately 36% of all pistachios cultivated. An industry with global projection. According what was published by The EconomistSpain is consolidating itself as a European producer in the production of pistachio. At the moment, the Spanish pistachio market represents around 0.7% of world production, and Spain imports pistachios from the US and Iran. However, these harvests occur in a context in which the plantations are still young and their productivity is limited. He sector esteem that in a few years these plantations will reach cruising speed and the volume will be multiplied of a very good quality product that will have the EU countries as its main destinations. In Xataka | The best pistachio, the one from Madrid: this is how the capital of Spain wants to become the capital of nuts Image | Unsplash (Alexa Soh, Agroptium)

The HP Store fall sales are here with discounts on computers and laptops for work

by

Sooner or later the time comes to renew a PC, either because it has become outdated, broken or simply because we want something more powerful to work with. To do this, it is always better if we can take advantage of a good offer, since this way we can opt for better equipment and save along the way. If we are in that scenario, then surely we are interested the new fall sales from the HP Store. We have a wide selection of computers of all types with very juicy discounts. Below, we leave you a selection of the most notable ones. HP 250R G10 Laptop by 676.39 eurosa versatile team with a fairly reasonable price. HP EliteBook X Flip G1i Laptop by 2,358 eurosvery powerful laptop with a touch screen. HP Pro 400 G9 Mini PC by 627.99 eurosan economical desktop ideal for any business. HP Pro One 440 G9 All-in-One Computer by 918.39 eurosan all-in-one device with a very good configuration. HP ProoBook 4 G1q Laptop by 906.29 eurosa very interesting laptop with a Qualcomm processor. HP 250R G10 Laptop The first of the professional HP computers that we bring is this 250R G10, a fairly inexpensive device, but one that could be great for our business. It has an Intel Core 5 120U as a processor, which is accompanied by 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD. It comes with Windows 11 Pro (important now that Windows 10 support is ending) and has a 15.6-inch screen. Right now we can purchase it for 676.39 euros (its price was 933.16 euros) HP 250R G10 15″ Professional Laptop The price could vary. We earn commission from these links HP EliteBook X Flip G1i Laptop If we have a demanding job that requires us to have a powerful, current and very versatile computer, perhaps this EliteBook X Flip G1i is better for us. It is a device that stands out thanks to its 14-inch screen, which is touch. In addition, it has plenty of power and memory thanks to an Intel Core 7, 32 GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD. From more than 3,000 euros, it is now reduced to 2,358 euros. HP EliteBook X Flip G1i 14″ Professional Laptop with AI Wolf Pro Security Edition with 3-year warranty The price could vary. We earn commission from these links HP Pro 400 G9 Mini PC We also have very good options if we prefer something to leave in our permanent business. This Mini HP Pro is very interesting, since at its quite attractive price (right now it costs 627.99 euros) we must add that it has a good configuration and is very compact. It features a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. Additionally, it includes a keyboard and mouse. HP Pro 400 G9 Mini Professional PC The price could vary. We earn commission from these links HP Pro One 440 G9 All-in-One Computer If we prefer an all-in-one option, this HP Pro One 440 G9 all-in-one may be perfect for us. It goes one step further than the previous one thanks to a 14th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. The 23.8-inch screen also has an integrated webcam. From 1,869.45 euros it is reduced to 918.39 euros. HP ProOne 440 G9 All-in-One PC: Wolf Pro Security Edition The price could vary. We earn commission from these links HP ProoBook 4 G1q Laptop For the last option we once again have a laptop, although this time one that has a Qualcomm processor, the company responsible for some of the most important mobile chips there are. This device has its Snapdragon X1-26-100 (which has great performance for tasks of all kinds), as well as 32 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD. In addition, the 14-inch screen it has has WUXGA resolution (1,920 x 1,200 pixels). It is reduced to 906.29 euros. HP ProBook 4 G1q Professional Laptop The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | HP Store In Xataka | Best laptops in quality price: which one to buy based on use and eight recommended models In Xataka | Best ultrabooks: which one to buy and 10 recommended light laptops from 600 to 1700 euros

Since 2024, Greece has had a six-day work week. Now, it is planned to establish a 13-hour day

by

Economic recovery became a top priority for the conservative government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. His strategy to try to improve Greece’s low productivity was apparently simple: work more days. However, extending the working day to six working days it doesn’t seem enough and now the Greek executive proposes increasing the daily work day to 13 hours. Unions and worker associations have not been slow to respond to the measure by calling for protests and a general strike. The working day in Greece. In 2024, Greece approved new labor regulations that allowed for six day work week for certain industries that operate 24 hours a day, increasing the weekly working hours from 40 to 48 hours. This measure already generated social and political unrest in its day due to the impact on the lives of Greek workers. The Eurostat Q2 2025 data reveal that 20.9% of Greek workers between 20 and 64 years old work more than 45 hours a week, compared to 9.7% in Spain or 11.4% in Italy. According to 2023 data recorded by Eurostat, Greece would have the longest average working day in the EU, with 39.8 hours per week, followed by Bulgaria with 39 hours and Poland with 38.9 hours. With 36.4 hours per week, Spain is just above the European Union average of 36 hours. 13 hours with limitations. After allowing the establishment of the six-day work weeks For certain sectors, the labor controversy in Greece has reignited with a Government proposal to allow working hours of up to 13 hours a day in certain cases. The expansion seeks to improve flexibility and reduce bureaucracy, but just as it says GuardianGreek workers denounce that this measure represents a historic setback and an increase in burnout and work stressreaching unsustainable levels. “You can’t push people like that; at some point there will be an explosion,” Makis Kontogiorgos, a trade unionist at a major technology company, told the British newspaper. The law stipulates that this extension can be applied only 37 days per year per worker, which is equivalent to a maximum of three days per month. In addition, extended hours are voluntary for the employee and overtime will be paid an additional 40% over the standard rate. The regulations maintain other established limits, such as a mandatory rest of 11 hours between days and a maximum average of 48 hours of work per week in a period of four months. A “voluntary” measure. According to has manifested to the Greek press Niki Kerameos, Minister of Labor and Social Security of the current Greek government, “this is an exceptional provision. The employee you have the right to refusewithout being threatened with dismissal or unfavorable treatment. However, union forces see this “voluntariness” of the measure as an open door to coercion by companies, retaliating against those employees who choose not to extend their working hours. “That is not possible without consequences, since the employee has minimal bargaining power,” assured to D.W. Theodoros Koutroukis, Professor of Labor Relations at the Democritus University of Thrace. Much ado about nothing. The union response to the measure has not been long in coming, with the call for various demonstrations in the main cities of the country and a general strikedenouncing that “this law will not improve anything”, assured to France24 Panagiotis Gakas, member of the construction workers union. In one interview with a local mediathe minister highlighted that only 0.1% of businesses used the provision of the emergency shift allowed with the six-day work week, which shows a low adoption of this measure despite the imedia impact it had before being approved in 2024, equating it with the commotion caused by the specific increase of 13 hours. The key to avoiding abuse. In the previous labor reform of the Mitsotakis government, the implementation of a digital card for labor control and overtime was approved. A very similar system to which has been raised from the Ministry of Labor in Spain and which is in the public consultation phase before its approval. As stated According to the Greek Minister of Labor, this measure has the function of recording real working time and has made it possible to detect overtime that was not previously declared: “In 2025, 1.8 million more overtime hours were declared than in 2024, just in the first eight months.” This will help ensure that the number of overtime hours does not exceed legal limits and that workers are compensated fairly. Minister Kerameus defends that this regulation protects employees by guaranteeing adequate compensation and avoiding abuses by employers, accompanied by safeguards such as guaranteed days off and protection against unjustified dismissals, presenting itself as a key tool to enforce the law. In Xataka | The working day is no longer enough: interruptions are forcing us to work during free time Image | Unsplash (dole777, Thomas Kinto)

not for money, but to feel useful again at work

by

In recent years, something surprising is happening among those who occupy management positions in companies: many leaders no longer want to continue promoting or change companies and prefer to return to find motivation in his own position. The latest report ‘2025 Workplace Engagement Report’ made by Kahoot! points out that 46% of the managers consulted would be willing to leave their position in the company simply to feel comfortable again. committed to his daily work. This trend coincides with an environment in which motivation and a sense of purpose are becoming a priority for employees. Being in a thousand things, but not being in any. One of the effects of “hustle culture” is that excess workload or responsibilities overshadows the real motivation for the work being done, creating a kind of abstraction among those who lead teams. The data obtained by Kahoot! They point out that only 47% of the leaders surveyed consider themselves “completely involved” in their work, although 79% believe that their team sees them as having sufficient energy. As and how they stand out in Inc.comthis contrast shows that the disconnection begins with the managers themselves and can filter down to the rest of the employees. Furthermore, more than a quarter of leaders have thought about resigning during the last year. Burnout and demotivation in record numbers. The appearance of burnout (emotional exhaustion from work) is especially common among those who manage teams: 34% of those who occupy these positions acknowledge feeling exhausted daily or suffering from this exhaustion frequently. The report ‘State of the Global Workplace 2025’ prepared by the consulting firm Gallup confirms this trend, with a drop to 27% in manager commitment. In this context, it is striking that only 17% of companies offer their leaders the tools they consider useful to keep motivated of your team. 57% have never received adequate leadership training to re-involve their colleagues when the first symptoms of demotivation appear or tension increases. Only 38% admit that they have only received partial training. Given this, 40% of those responsible say that they would resign from their role as head of the team if it guaranteed that employees were committed again. Feel useful and valued. In recent months, a good part of the layoffs in large companies have been aimed at intermediate positionswhat have they seen underestimated his work within companies. Therefore, most managers are not asking for a raise or more power, but for something much more important to them: 69% indicate that what they need to feel more involved is to have their work recognized. In fact, the lack of recognition appears as the main element that 21% of these professionals miss. On a personal level, the managers surveyed for the Kahoot! say they would regain engagement if their days had more energy, creativity or fun (58%), more opportunities to learn and grow (52%) or better technology to connect with the team (48%). What all of this data reflects is that managers no longer aspire to just be promoted, but rather to more real and tangible jobs that allow them to be more creative and develop their skills. Bosses looking for a new role. Faced with these challenges, more and more organizations are criticizing rigid hierarchy models, valuing more those who facilitate work and encourage creativity from any position, regardless of the position. “If leaders are willing to trade their title for the opportunity to feel engaged, this is a sign of something deeper,” said Eilert Hanoa, CEO of Kahoot! in the report. According what was published According to Inc.com, today’s leaders prefer to act as companions to their teams, more attentive to the real work than to the office or the corporate hierarchy. The flexible structures they start to gain strengthpossibly driven by the arrival of generation Zencouraging the exchange of ideas and the active participation of the entire team in decision-making. In Xataka | At the end of this year, one in three young people will have changed jobs: it’s nothing personal, it’s just salary Image | Unsplash (Vitaly Gariev)

The main work of the creator of ‘Doom’ remains to explain how demons exist ‘doom’

by

John Romero’s enthusiasm is contagious: we agree that his main work, although he continues to devote himself to programming, is essentially to explain the ‘Doom‘. And it does it great. Romero is not only very aware of the essentials for the history of the piece he created with the rest of Software idbut he knows perfectly why, today, he is still the favorite video game of many fans. And he told us with hairs and signs in the Comic-with Malagawhere he came to explain what, in his opinion, the essential bases of the DNA of the FPS genre were. The original ‘doom’ is considered today a technical feat for many reasons that Romero himself was in charge of getting ourselves meticulously, but from the first minute, he made it clear what in ID knew that he had to have the game to shine above his competitors and his venerable predecessors: an infernal speed. He tells us that “we needed to design new techniques to create light and dark in a 3D world. And how to do it with very high frame speeds, which was the biggest obstacle: try to do it very fast” To get at that speed First they had to invent a new way of making 3D: “For a time ‘doom’ looked like what we had done in Wolfenstein 3D, because we mentally still there, doing things as they were done before us.” And how were things done before? “Wolfenstein’s walls were 90 degrees completely illuminated. But in ‘Doom’ there were stairs, dark corridors, immense open spaces, lots of monsters, and nobody had never seen anything like that before. We had no references. So we could only create, test, invent and try to improve it little by little.” Everything points to amounts of demential work, and Romero confirms it: “And the speed was not everything. The sound, the multiplayer (‘doom’ was the first in high speed, and with different ways, cooperative and Deathmatch), allowing people to modify the game and change it. And, well, all these things happened in a single game. And on top of that we wanted to launch it for Christmas. “A real madness, but he does not doubt a second to remember that schedule and design it” was very fun. “ History matters There is a very widespread topic, which is that ‘doom’ has no history, and indeed, the argument is of a minimum density, but That does not mean that he does not strive to convey an atmosphere and a narrative. “There was a general history,” Romero tells us, “for which we inspire ourselves in D&D. I always try to make games different from everything that players have experienced before: with ‘Wolfenstein 3D’, no one had faced Nazis like that. In the ‘Castle Wolfenstein’ ‘on which we rely, 11 years before, you had to camouflage yourself as Nazi. And if not, you were detained without the possibility of response. And we said: ‘Let’s put in this game a frontal confrontation with the Nazis’ “ And that philosophy translates into ‘doom’: “We could not have a science fiction game in which we only kill aliens, because that was what was expected. What could we do to be different? The idea of ​​’Doom’ emerged from the ‘Dungoons & Dragons’ campaign to which we had been playing for years and that ended because the demons multiplied they multiplied with everyone What existed. And they adding elements to the mixture: “We were inspired by the movie ‘Aliens’ in the space marines and Fast action, that tension, suspense and terror of having so many things moving around youwanting to kill you. And then evil for black humor, shotgun, chainsaw and attitude. “Finally, it is time to ask for an impossible. We ask Romero to make a total summary of ‘doom’, of his influence and impact. Why do we keep talking about the game decades later? “We can divide its influence into two branches: technical and cultural,” he says. “Technically, we boost the industry towards the 3D. When things have been successful for a long time, it is not easy to overcome them. And in the eighties, the lateral displacement games had been very popular and a lot of personalized hardware was created to manage this genre, such as the Super Nintendo or the friend.” Thus, “Domestic computers and consoles wore incredible dedicated chips. A lot of work was invested in R&D to manufacture these things. And huge companies, multimillionaire companies, launched these things to the market. But we think: “We are going to go to 3D, people are tired.” But there were no graphics cards, so we had to try to make my best with what we had. Technology at full speed Another important technical aspect in ‘Doom’ is the integration of the multiplayer in the game: “Today the game that does not carry multiplayer is rare, but then the strange was incorporated. Our intention was not only to take it, but to integrate it into everything we had already created for the individual mode. We put that multiplayer mode during the last three months of the game development, when we thought” shit And we schedule it in a hurry. And culturally, how did ‘doom’ mark the environment? Romero lists some details (“Heavy metal had never been heard in a commercial game”), but stays with two aspects that certainly changed everything definitively. On the one hand, ID launched instructions to freely modify the game, which generated a community around it: “We launched the game in 1993, and In 1997 we published all source codesyou could take the game and do everything you would like with him, without consulting us. Moreover, we get involved in the community and that helped it grow out of control. “ And that was from the same concept of the game: “We created it thinking that people could change the game at will, so that it was modifiable, and we published all the data explaining how to modify the levels and others. So, … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.