All articles tagged with #workplace culture
Debi Mazar told The Times U.K. that Entourage’s set grew toxic toward the end of her run, especially after she gave birth to her second child and allegedly gained weight, describing a testosterone‑fueled environment and noting she remained professional even as she spoke her mind."
EA’s $55 billion take-private by a Saudi-led consortium including the PIF has ignited worker fears that creative direction and company culture could bend to Saudi interests, a concern amplified by allegations of “pixelwashing” and human-rights issues. Anonymous employees describe a widening exec–staff divide, worry about future layoffs or project cancellations to service a JP Morgan‑backed $20 billion debt, and note that vested stock may cushion some but not all. EA says there will be no immediate layoffs and vows continued investment, but many staff remain skeptical about the deal’s long-term impact on their jobs and on what gets greenlit.
Bipartisan Reps. Kat Cammack and Teresa Leger Fernández push a sweeping overhaul of Congress’s ethics machinery to create a one-stop reporting system, speed up investigations, and harden penalties for misconduct—measures that face resistance from lawmakers and require Senate buy‑in, with enforcement and frivolous-claim concerns complicating prospects.
Claire Stapleton, a Google communications lead and organizer of the 2018 walkout, explains how Google moved from its founding motto toward a bloated, branding-focused culture, detailing management overreach, HR dynamics, and the personal cost of dissent in her memoir Don’t Be Evil.
Tech leaders have long claimed AI will cut workloads, but workers say hours are rising as AI tools are embedded into daily work. Reports describe long sprints—up to 90 hours in a seven-day period—at OpenAI and Anthropic, and Meta pushing staff onto AI projects. A UC Berkeley study finds AI can speed up tasks yet expand overall work due to constant monitoring and new responsibilities, eroding any time savings. Some individuals report health improvements after leaving, but the prevailing pattern suggests AI is increasing, not reducing, workloads in tech.
Insiders say Howard Stern’s staff were told at company events not to speak to him, with claims that people were fired for violations. NYC SiriusXM allegedly feels “cultish,” with Stern’s image everywhere and staff chasing his approval. The piece comes as a dozen Stern staffers were laid off recently, with severance negotiations ongoing, amid a prior lawsuit by a former assistant alleging a hostile work environment.
Capitol CNCT founder David Tennent launches 'The Scoop,' a verified, anonymous review platform for Capitol Hill offices that lets staffers rate lawmakers and the workplaces they run; reviews are screened to confirm the staffer worked for the office, aiming to prevent retaliation and increase transparency. Early data show Republican offices drawing more reviews than Democratic ones, with mixed ratings across both chambers, and the project intended to provide constructive feedback to improve office culture amid ongoing ethics scrutiny.
As traditional after-work happy hours fade due to rising prices and hybrid work, companies are replacing them with curated, experience-driven events (barbecues, line dancing, fitness activities) designed to foster connection—though some employees still perceive a constraint or formality at company-organized gatherings.
Former Fever teammate Brianna Turner claims on X that the Indiana Fever fired a male staffer for sexual harassment last season and urged players to stay quiet, a charge the team did not comment on; the allegation surfaces as the league focuses on player safety and online abuse amid ongoing scrutiny of team workplaces.
Ubisoft Barcelona reportedly cut 51 staff after completing work on Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced, despite strong launch interest. Insiders claim project assignments were decided well ahead of completion, the Barcelona team was disbanded soon after, and a canceled launch event reflected broader concerns about workplace culture and workers’ rights.
As England’s 1am World Cup kickoff looms, UK employers are weighing flexible start times (some at 11:00 or later) and other arrangements to let staff watch the game and recover. While some industries like manufacturing and frontline retail may struggle with shifts, many firms are opting for leniency, unpaid or annual leave, or later starts. Government guidance urges common-sense and fair handling of requests, with advice from unions and Aubt Acas on managing time-off and scheduling to minimize productivity impact.
The article argues that the pandemic’s shift toward empathy placed a heavy, often invisible burden on managers—especially women—who become the 'emotional infrastructure' of modern work. This 'empathy tax' leads to burnout as colleagues rely on them for debriefs and conflict resolution, while leaders celebrate tougher, less empathetic styles. Research shows a large share of professional women spend at least 30% of their workweek on caring tasks, with many reporting increases year over year and thousands leaving the workforce. Experts call for recognizing, measuring, and rewarding emotional labor, setting boundaries, and ensuring leadership culture values vulnerability without exploiting it.
Variety reports that SVU’s season, led by Michele Fazekas—the show’s first female showrunner in 26 years—has ditched major toxicity and fostered a cohesive, energized team. Fazekas joined with Mariska Hargitay, Brenna Malloy, Kelli Giddish, and a refreshed writers’ room to center survivors’ perspectives with sharper writing and collaboration, delivering a season that feels fresh and more authentic than before. Fazekas also directed multiple episodes and helped shepherd finales written in the rain, underscoring a renewed sense of excellence and teamwork behind the iconic series.
A former Meta engineer, Jeremy Bernier, claims race-based discrimination at Meta, saying teams were 90% Chinese and that non-Chinese employees were routinely excluded and targeted in layoffs; he describes Mandarin-only informal conversations and social exclusion, urges Meta to enforce English-speaking policies and diversify leadership, but doubts real change will occur while the leadership remains ethnically homogeneous. Bernier was among Meta's 8,000 layoffs on May 20.
Dropbox continues to embrace remote roles as a core part of its hiring strategy, leveraging a global talent pool and flexible schedules to attract and retain workers, while also navigating collaboration and culture challenges as some teams shift back toward office work.