Latest news with #AlexandraPetri
Forbes
17-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Gen-Z Work Trends Like Task Masking Go Viral—Here's How Leaders Can Adapt
A majority of Gen-Z workers trust TikTok for career insights and information. There has been no shortage of Gen-Z work trends circulating online. Concepts like 'task masking,' which Investopedia defines as employees pretending to be busy without actually being productive, and 'micro-retirement,' a term used to describe taking planned extended breaks from work, are a couple of the latest Gen-Z workplace trends to go viral. These trends are sparking widespread discourse about Gen-Z's evolving workplace values, what constitutes a proper work-life balance, and the definition of productivity in 2025. For example, Alexandra Petri, a writer for The Atlantic, argues that Gen-Z work trends are little more than 'routine' workplace behaviors being portrayed in an 'alarmed way.' Conversely, private practice psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Ditzell told Investopedia that trends like task masking are 'a common trap where the appearance of effort is confused with genuine value.' Through Social Media, Gen-Z is Redefining Workplace Culture The debate persists as to whether Gen-Z workplace trends genuinely represent new business challenges or are simply long-existing practices with new labels. Regardless, some Gen-Z workers are publicly discussing the value of popularizing these trends in an effort to reshape workplace culture. For instance, Gabrielle Judge, a Gen-Z influencer with a significant following on Instagram and LinkedIn, frequently uses her posts to address misconceptions about "task masking." Likewise, one of influencer Emily Durham's humorous TikTok videos, which garnered nearly 500,000 views, discussed booking a meeting room not for work, but to vent about work issues with a colleague. There are both benefits and drawbacks to influencers like Judge and Durham openly discussing workplace issues like the need for flexibility and unfiltered dialogue at work. On one hand, these posts offer Gen-Z workers advice and insight into potential issues they may face in the office. According to Owl Lab's 2024 State of Hybrid Work report, 92% of Gen-Z workers trust TikTok for career insights and information. These posts could also provide employers with a valuable window into what younger hires want from a job. Moreover, evaluating these videos has the potential to help companies stay competitive in recruiting. However, social media posts that lack strategic insight or aren't as well researched may be fueling a growing trend of young workers criticizing companies or spreading counterproductive career advice online. Owl Lab's report reveals that nearly half of Gen-Z employees post negatively about their jobs or employers on social media and found that 55% of Gen-Z workers have followed inaccurate career advice from TikTok. If young workers follow unhelpful career advice and only focus on the negatives of work, it may create a misalignment of expectations between employers and employees, ultimately making it more difficult to hire and retain Gen-Z talent down the line. Embracing Gen-Z Workers' Needs Is Key to Building a Future-Ready Workforce Businesses may respond to Gen-Z's online authenticity by avoiding hiring young workers, fearing they'll share negative public comments about the company online. The unemployment rate for Gen-Z is already about 8.2%, more than double the national average. Yet opting not to hire young workers could be counterproductive for building a strong future workforce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Gen-Z includes 69.31 million Americans, making up around 20% of the U.S. population. Failing to hire Gen-Z workers now could result in labor shortages across all organizational levels in the coming years. To ensure a robust future workforce, business leaders may want to explore strategies that consider Gen-Z's authentic, and at times unfiltered, online presence without excluding them from being considered for job roles. For instance, companies can focus on creating healthier workplace cultures and practices so employees don't feel pressure to task mask or use other deceptive behaviors to avoid overwork. As previously reported, conducting workplace surveys, valuing results over hours worked, and encouraging employees to take time off are all ways to promote a productive, healthy and transparent workplace culture. Leaders may also consider taking a closer look at what younger workers are prioritizing in job roles. Deloitte's 2025 Gen Z and millennial survey found that many younger workers are seeking purposeful work, mentorship and on-the-job learning opportunities. This includes developing critical soft skills like communication, leadership and empathy. As part of helping employees develop these soft skills, leaders can provide direct guidance on how to communicate authentically online while maintaining professionalism and accuracy. There's no doubt that terms like 'task masking' and 'micro-retirement' may sound concerning at first glance. After all, how can businesses grow without employees who are willing to do the work? Yet ignoring the voices of younger workers or excluding them from the hiring process could undermine the potential of a resilient and engaged future workforce. Instead of avoiding Gen-Z workers due to social media concerns, employers should view these viral work trends as an opportunity to listen and learn. By developing a better understanding of where today's workplace trends come from, business leaders can help build a more capable and fulfilled workforce for tomorrow. Leaders who choose to evolve with Gen-Z, rather than resist them, will be the ones with future-proof organizations.
Toronto Star
18-06-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Now that everyone's in turmoil, all decisions seem to be bad from cancelling subscriptions to vacuuming hornets
Now is not the time to be cancelling subscriptions, especially in a fit of annoyance. Journalism is flailing right now, as we all are. Everyone's in turmoil, and that includes nations, political leaders, voters, writers, retail, distribution, medical care, travel, restaurants, entertainment, and most people personally as they sit inside their homes fuming. For work reasons, I personally subscribe to a lot of good and useful publications. They became less good. I cancelled the Washington Post because its owner Jeff Bezos moved from relatively affable destructive oligarch to anti-intellectual thug. Yet I sorrowed about losing out on the last mainstream American humour columnist, Alexandra Petri.
Atlantic
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Six Weekend Stories
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. Spend time with six reads about Carl Jung's five pillars of a good life, an infamous escape artist, Donald Trump's right-hand man, and more. Jung's Five Pillars of a Good Life The great Swiss psychoanalyst left us a surprisingly practical guide to being happier. By Arthur C. Brooks The Escape Artist West Virginia frat boy, hippie expatriate, big-time drug dealer, prison escapee, millionaire mortgage broker—Jim Sargent was many things before he arrived in the idyllic Hawaiian town of Hawi and established himself as a civic leader. But it was only a matter of time before his troubled past would catch up with him. (From 2014) By John Wolfson Trump's Right-Hand Troll Stephen Miller once tormented liberals at Duke. Now the president's speechwriter and immigration enforcer is deploying the art of provocation from the White House. (From 2018) By McKay Coppins What Happened to American Childhood? Too many kids show worrying signs of fragility from a very young age. Here's what we can do about it. (From 2020) By Kate Julian So, What Did I Miss? 'How much can possibly happen when I'm on parental leave?' Alexandra Petri said five months ago. By Alexandra Petri The Power of One Push-Up Several simple ways of measuring a person's health might matter more than body weight. (From 2019) By James Hamblin The Week Ahead 28 Years Later, a sequel to the apocalypse movie 28 Weeks Later (in theaters Friday) Season 2 of America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, a docuseries about a group of women who hope to land a spot on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (premieres Wednesday on Netflix) The Genius Myth, a book by Atlantic staff writer Helen Lewis that challenges assumptions about what 'greatness' entails (out Tuesday) Essay The Father-Daughter Routine That Transformed Our Family Life By Jordan Michelman Conceptually, what my family has come to call 'Dad-urday' grew out of a common parenting-duo problem: Sometimes, even though my wife and I believe in sharing household duties equally, one person will end up doing more kid-related labor than the other. This, I will admit (with some discomfort and guilt), fairly accurately depicts my family situation. Although I do parent throughout the week, I travel a lot for work, which means my wife has had to take on many an early morning alone. More in Culture Catch Up on The Atlantic Tom Nichols: Israel's bold, risky attack A parade of ignorance Stephen Miller triggers Los Angeles. Photo Album Take a look at these photos of the week showing a camel bath, protests in California, a rescue operation in the Mediterranean, and more.
Atlantic
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Alexandra Petri
Alexandra Petri is a staff writer at The Atlantic. Before joining The Atlantic in 2025, she wrote a humor column for the Washington Post. She won the 2025 Thurber Prize for American Humor for her book AP's US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up). She is the author of two other books, Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays, and A Field Guide to Awkward Silences. Her writing has also appeared in McSweeney's, the N ew Yorker 's Daily Shouts and Murmurs, and elsewhere.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Atlantic Hires Alexandra Petri as Staff Writer
Alexandra Petri, one of America's great columnists and funniest writers, is joining The Atlantic as a staff writer. Alexandra will begin writing for The Atlantic next month; she has been a long-time columnist for The Washington Post, where she started as an intern in 2010. Below is the staff announcement about Alexandra from editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg: Dear everyone, I'm writing today to share the outstanding news that Alexandra Petri, one of America's greatest columnists – and funniest writers – is joining The Atlantic as a staff writer. You are undoubtedly familiar with her work as a columnist for The Washington Post (although you may have seen her writing in McSweeneys, The New Yorker, or other publications), and I'm beyond thrilled that she is coming aboard. Alexandra is brilliant and hilarious, wildly creative and adventurous. Her columns for The Post have been the favorites of readers for years. No one cuts to the heart of the matter faster or more incisively than Alexandra. And even those among us who don't laugh out loud as they read columns laugh out loud while reading hers. Alexandra appears to believe that no experience should be left unexperienced, which is why she entered and performed in an international whistling competition without actually knowing how to whistle. Then there was the time she made what was later described as the 'worst final Jeopardy! wager of all time.' She somewhat recently achieved her lifelong dream of being a talking head in a documentary about our 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison. Alexandra is the winner of the 2025 Thurber Prize for American Humor—for her book, AP's US History: Important American Documents I Made Up. She also received an award for her parody Twitter account (Emo Kylo Ren). And she is an O. Henry International pun-off champion (You can watch her winning performance here). Alexandra begins with us next month. I can't wait for all of you to meet her, and I can't wait to read her. Please join me in welcoming Alexandra to The Atlantic. Best wishes, Jeff The Atlantic has announced a number of new hires this year as part of a major editorial expansion, including managing editor Griff Witte; staff writers Isaac Stanley-Becker, Tyler Austin Harper, Nick Miroff, Ashley Parker, Missy Ryan, Michael Scherer, Jamie Thompson, Josh Tyrangiel, and Caity Weaver; senior editors Jenna Johnson and Dan Zak; and contributing writers Jonathan Lemire and Alex Reisner. Please reach out with any questions or requests. Press Contacts: Anna Bross and Paul Jackson, The Atlantic | press@ Article originally published at The Atlantic
