From a glance at 2024's top business headlines, you'd think all companies were pushing return-to-office (RTO) policies, embracing AI and banishing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes. But let's remember that headlines don't always reflect reality.
Start with RTO mandates. The media loves a scary back-to-office headline. From the point of view of clicks, a strict five-day-a-week policy is gold. Even better? If that policy applies to tech dweebs. Full points if it's a company that once promised to work remotely forever, like X when it was still Twitter. These headlines gain attention because they play to some readers' anxieties—and others' schadenfreude. But the reality is that most firms do hybrid work.
Even Elon Musk had to back off his declarations of full RTO at X; shortly after his initial demands, he conceded there'd be exceptions. He also shuttered some of the company's offices, meaning that all staff in those locations had to go fully remote.
I expect this duality to ramp up in 2025, with more companies announcing returns to the office even as most quietly shrink office space and retain hybrid arrangements. The bottom line: Badge-in data in the US has been close to flat for the past two years. Among workers whose jobs can be done remotely, hybrid arrangements remain the most common.
Denne historien er fra January 03, 2025-utgaven av Mint New Delhi.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 03, 2025-utgaven av Mint New Delhi.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
India, Oman FTA negotiations over
India is not seeking customs duty concessions on over 100 product categories in FTA with Oman. AFP
PSB to raise ₹2k cr via QIP in Q4: CEO
State-owned Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) plans to raise ₹2,000 crore through qualified institutional placement (QIP) during the ongoing quarter, a top official of the bank said.
NCLT Directs Tulip Hotels' Liquidation
The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has directed the liquidation of debt-ridden Tulip Hotels, as the tribunal failed to receive any bidder during its insolvency resolution process within the prescribed timeline.
Nailing the 'smart business casual' code during winter
Looking 'smart casual' is easy if you build a wardrobe around versatile separates like blazers and trousers
AESL order book swells to ₹54,700 cr
Adani Energy Solutions Ltd has won two new transmission projects, helping swell its order book to ₹54,700 crore—more than three times the work order it had at the start of the current fiscal in April 2024.
Life, accident insurance coverage may be doubled
The initiative aims to strengthen financial security, especially for economically weak sections
Trump and the threat to global trade: Much ado about nothing?
His past moves won little success even as key changes since have made world trade less vulnerable
Guide to investing in global stocks via Liberalized Remittance Scheme
From KYC to investments: Indian platforms are streamlining stock investments in the US, other global markets
Union Budget Likely To Offer Personal Income Tax Relief
in the July 2024 budget. The bold move to revamp the individual income tax regime comes at a time economic growth is expected to moderate to 6.4% in the current financial year, below the post-pandemic average of 8.3% seen in the preceding three financial years.
House sale tax: Are furnishings deductible?
I am planning to sell my house in a few months and want to understand how to calculate the cost of acquisition for all tax purposes.
