In a country that’s known to have one of the hardest working society, workers at Microsoft Japan enjoyed an enviable perk this summer: working four days a week, enjoying a three-day weekend — and getting their normal, five-day paycheck. The result, the company says, was a productivity boost of 40%. Microsoft Japan says it became more efficient in several areas, including lower electricity costs, which fell by 23%. And as its workers took five Fridays off in August, they printed nearly 60 percent fewer pages.

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Standard Chartered has used smart technology like voice modulation, artificial imagery (AI) and computer-generated imagery (CGI) to celebrate what would have been legendary Liverpool football club manager Bob Paisley’s 100th birthday in 2019.

The campaign, called ‘Project Stand Red’ and created by Octagon and MediaMonks, aims to highlight Paisley’s achievements to inspire and educate the next generation of Liverpool fans.

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Between 11 million and 55 million meetings are held each day in the United States, costing most organisations between 7% and 15% of their personnel budgets. Every week, employees spend about six hours in meetings, while the average manager meets for a staggering 23 hours.

And though experts agree that traditional meetings are essential for making certain decisions and developing strategy, some employees view them as one of the most unnecessary parts of the workday.

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We’ve all heard the old adage that “money can’t buy you happiness”, but with the cycles of festive sales and the temptation of regular discounts on e-commerce websites, it can be hard to think of an alternative to retail therapy. Here are a few suggestions from happiness scientists on what can bring you true joy - and it’s not your next Black Friday impulse buy.

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“Even if I become number one, there is an entity that cannot be defeated.” Those are ominous, and quite frankly, chilling words from former Go Champion, Lee Se-dol. After mastering one of the most mentally-challenging games in the world, Se-dol admitted that DeepMind, the AI-powered opponent built to learn Alpha Go, cannot be defeated by us humans.

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“Welcome back John!” expressed in a delightful tone by Amazon Echo. This is no science fiction because Amazon’s Alexa can now express excitement and disappointment (also getting a radio-DJ voice) in hopes to make us feel more connected to these voice-activated devices.

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With the small-scale success of Amazon Go in recent years, the tech giant is now planning to open full-blown supermarkets around the US in 2020. While the concept may sound the same, implementing Amazon Go tech in a large-scale retail space is a whole other endeavor.

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Your Double Master’s Degree should secure your job in the impending AI takeover, right? Don’t be so sure. A new study has found that better-educated, higher-paid employees are more likely to be replaced by some form of technological disruption. Apparently artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation is more suited for those highly-skilled than we previously thought.

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Talking about how much or how little money you make feels taboo, and it shouldn't. Knowledge is power and Glassdoor info is hit or miss. Wouldn't it be great to know what your peers make so you can use that to leverage a raise? Or if your company does a "market adjustment" yet you don't see the data, wouldn't it be great to know how accurate it is or isn't? Would salary transparency help or hurt workplace wellness?

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Many kids today will have jobs that don’t even exist yet. As such, Generation Z and some millennials are working in industries and verticals that were yet to be invented 20 years ago. Looking back at how jobs have evolved over the last decade or so could give us some insight into what the kids of today will be working as when they grow up.

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