• Morgan Stanley on Wednesday promoted a new class of managing directors to help steer the firm.
• See all 173 new MD names here.
• The promotions come as Wall Street prepares for a more active environment for dealmaking.

Morgan Stanley this week welcomed a new class of leaders to help shepherd the bank through what's expected to be a more active dealmaking environment. On Friday, they shared the names of their 173 new managing directors, the bank's highest title outside the C-Suite.

The promotions are an annual rite of passage on Wall Street and follow similar elevations at banks like Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, which each promoted new executives to their top ranks in recent weeks.

Morgan Stanley new MD class is larger than last year's, although short of the multiyear highs hit at Goldman and Citi. Some 46% of the new MDs come from the firm's institutional securities group, 13% from investment management, and 9% from wealth management.

Here's the full list of names of the new MDs. See here for statistics on the makeup of the new class.

Here's the list organized in alphabetical order:

Andrea Alberti

Andrew Arena

Emma Atkins

Mona Benisi

Maria Berezhkova

Alison Bilger

Priya Bindra

Nathan Bishop

Peter Boehm

Dan Bray

Katalin Broz

Shinya Bukawa

Edward Bury

Ryuk Byun

James Carroll

Matt Cashia

Kathy Chan

Kendal Cehanowicz

Fabien Charbonnel

Issam Cherif

Florence Hiu In Cheung

Simerjeet Chhatwal

Joseph Chiovitti

Cassandra Choi

Lindsay Connor

Lori Corbett

Stephanie Crombie

John Crowe

Jon Davis

Laura D'Albey

Toussaint Davis

Jamie Day

Daniel DeDora

Daniel Diamond

Sean Diffley

James DiGuglielmo

Danielle Dimitriou

James Donnelly

Charles-Antoine Dozin

Patrick Edwards

Cedar Ekblom

Steve Farr

Kurt Gabriel

Tish Garrett

Jenna Giannelli

Marjorie Goichberg

Jennifer Gonzalez

Fernando Manuel Gonzalez Baquero

Max Gordon-Brown

Anna Grainger

Jonathan Greenberg

Stephen Grambling

Emma Griffin

Dirk Grunert

Inan Gunbay

Pranav Gupta

Yash Gupta

Caroline Halimi

Kyle Hallett

Ryuichiro John Hanawa

Todd Hand

Sophia Herrmann

Andrew T. Hill

Jaylene Howard

Phil Humphreys

Ross Hutcheson

Daniel Iacovitti

Eiji Ieno

Kiran Inamdar

Tomoo Ishimaru

Emiley Jellie

Paul Jodice

Chris Ju

Michele Jones

Patrick Keeley, Jr.

Michael Keene

Andrei Keis

Brian Kelly

Aly Kerr

Hussein Khattab

Christopher Khouri

Nicholas R. Kirschner

Krisztian Kovacs

Sara J.G. Krantz

Jenna Krause

Mithun Kunder

Colm Leahy

Jon LeBoutillier

Ben L. Lee

Dick Lee

Jason Lees

Benjamin Liberos

Uri Lichtenfeld

Daniel J. Lingeza

Fan Liu

Sarah Lloyd-Johns

Elly Lukenskaite

Mayank Maheshwari

Richard Mancusi

Koren Maranca

Lesley A. Matthews

Helen Mbugua-Kahuki

Mandy McClung

Felipe Medeiros

Lauren Miller

James Montgomerie

Joseph Morgan

Louise Mylott

Paul Nicely

Marianna Nichols

Patrick J. Nolan

Onyekwere Randy Ojukwu

Dina Paek

Monica Pal

Mark K. Parsonson

Liju Paul

Rebecca Peckham

Richard Perrott

Tony Piperno

Jon Pistilli

Laurie Pistilli

Sanjiv Prasad

Anthony Preisano

Jared Richardson

Chris Rigoli

Lúlica Rocha

Alison Rooney

Brendan Ross

Daniel Rossi

Samantha L. Schreiber

Neil Schwarz

James Scilacci

Stephen Scott

Matt Sebesten

Federico Sequeda

Sajan Shah

Brian Sanderson

Steven Santoro

Rebecca Shaoul

Eugene Shenkar

Aleksey Shevchenko

Derek Simmons

Snigdha Singh

Sat Sivanathan

Ben Smith

Lucio Solms-Lich

Zachary Solomon

Nick Spiller

Reed Staub

Kirsten Stewart

Alexandra Straton Gleich

Jason Swankoski

Keiko Takeno

Emma Tamblingson

Frank F. Tang

Daniel Tay Zhi Yang

Courtney A. Thompson

Paul B. Tucker

Ciaran Tuohy

Bolivar Valera

Alex J. Visokey

Elizabeth Mazzagetti Waggoner

Robert R. Walton, Jr.

Mae Wang

David White

Patrick Whitehead

Emma Whitehouse

Russell Wilk

Brandon D. Winikates

Erik Woodring

Ken Yamaguchi

Saba Zahid

Mike Zheng

• I thought Gen Z would love my company because I built a fun, inviting culture.
• However, my first Gen Z intern wanted to explore departments outside her internship.
• She "quiet quit" and then left the company four months later because I treated her poorly.

For years, I dreamed of working for a company like Google. After all, who wouldn't want to head into the office on Monday morning and be greeted by sleeping pods, VR summits, or Quidditch matches? The entire place was a millennial wonderland with a never-ending supply of cereal bars and gluten-free baked goods.

The early 2000s was the genesis of open office spaces, open-door policies, and open-mindedness. When I started my own business, I copied and pasted this format and waited for Gen Z to knock down my door, begging to work for me.

But my neon signage, proclaiming a fun and diversified environment with great company culture, only caught the interest of one Gen Z applicant.

Thankfully, she seemed like the perfect fit for our internship. Her values aligned with my company, and her education and experience fit our exact needs. But after multiple Zoom meetings, I felt like I was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.

She clearly decided to "quiet quit" after a week and didn't stay after her internship. Instead of looking at myself and my own company, I blamed the new hire.

My intern had goals I didn't expect

When I set out to bring in my first intern, I presented my company as a place where everyone belongs and can bring their entire self to the table. Well, I didn't exactly honor that goal. Instead of taking the time to ask my intern questions and find out what her goals were, I saw her as a solution to my needs.

I hated creating social media campaigns. So, when my intern's résumé boasted her experience and educational background in digital communication, I leaped at the chance to bring her onto the team and use her skills.

But in one of our first meetings, she told me she wanted to explore different departments and figure out if this industry was right for her.

I panicked. I hoped she'd focus solely on my need for social media, but she was interested in branching out beyond that.

My cool office culture didn't seem to appease her or her curiosity to learn more. She lost interest in the company quickly, and I noticed her "quiet quitting." After four months, she left the company for good.

I quickly learned Gen Z is different in the workplace

As a geriatric millennial, I wasn't raised to see my degree separate from my future career plans. I picked classes that made sense for my aspirational goals and chose internships that aligned with my education and background.

But that's not what Generation Z is about. They're interested in exploring and learning — especially during internships. They want a full experience, and that includes trying on different hats to see what fits.

My intern wanted to experience what it was like to live in my shoes, to see the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I wish I could tell you that I adapted and was the best boss ever, but I'd be lying. I lost my intern because I couldn't figure out what to do with her. I ignored her and gave her menial tasks to fill her schedule.

I wish I had done so many things differently

Firstly, I would have broken away from my interview script and gotten to know her. I would have asked her about her five-year plan, what her hobbies were, and how I could help her reach her goals.

As much as I wish I had changed sooner, there's a huge part of me that's so grateful for this failure. It taught me to break a lot of my own biases and think in broader terms of creating a place of belonging.

Even though I wasn't able to retain my first intern, I retained all the lessons she taught me. I will forever be grateful for that.

• Some Americans are struggling to find work due to a challenging labor market.
• Many have found temporary ways to generate some income while they look for jobs.
• These strategies aren't always enough to prevent significant financial challenges.

Americans who are struggling to land full-time jobs are finding creative ways to pay the bills while they search for work.

Juan Pelaez has been looking for a job for more than two years. To generate some income, Pelaez said he's driven for Uber Eats and Instacart, done some part-time work for his prior employer, and was a background actor in the coming film "Happy Gilmore 2." However, since he was laid off from his account executive job at a marketing agency, Pelaez said he and his wife have taken on tens of thousands of dollars in debt from credit cards and personal loans.

Pelaez, 47, is based in New Jersey and said he earned about $3,500 across roughly 22 days of work for the acting opportunity. Landing the gig has helped him get similar work on a few other productions.

"It has not accounted for a full-time position salary, but it has been a great help," he told Business Insider.

Pelaez is among the Americans who have had a hard time finding work in recent years. Since October, more than 750 recent job seekers between the ages of 18 and 76 have responded to Business Insider's informal, nonrepresentative surveys and shared their stories with reporters through emails. Some said they've faced stiff competition for white-collar roles, while others shared that they couldn't land a job in their industry, despite having an advanced degree.

Their struggles have been driven in part by a widespread hiring slowdown in the US. Excluding a two-month pandemic-related dip in 2020, US businesses are hiring at the lowest rate since 2013. Among the nearly 7 million unemployed individuals as of December, about 1.5 million had been looking for work for at least six months — up from 1.1 million a year prior. To be sure, the unemployment rate remains low compared with historical levels.

The job seekers who BI heard from said part-time employment, gig work, selling their belongings, and other strategies have helped them stay afloat financially, but many continue to face significant financial challenges.

Are you looking for a job and comfortable sharing your story with a reporter? Did an AI job tool help you land a job recently? Please fill out this form.

Many earning opportunities don't replace a full-time job

Some job seekers told BI they found part-time roles, but the jobs haven't paid enough to cover the bills.

Rhonda Alexander has been looking for customer success management jobs since being laid off from her tech role in March 2023. To earn some income, Alexander, who's 55 and based in Illinois, started working part-time as an AI content engineer last April. She said the role involved evaluating the quality of AI-generated content.

Alexander said she enjoyed the work but was paid $21 an hour, which she felt wasn't enough to support herself. She said that her contract came to an end in late December.

"It seems that I am back on this miserable roller coaster of seeking a role in order to literally put food on the table and a roof over my head," she said. Going forward, Alexander said she's focused on developing new income streams, including becoming a notary. She's also driven for Uber and DoorDash in recent months.

Amanda Wilson has been looking for work for months. She quit her part-time caregiving gig in July — which she said was unsustainable due to the long commute and the physical demands of the job. She said an injury she suffered last year has limited her.

The 35-year-old, who's based in Arizona, said she's applied to hundreds of jobs — including customer service and management roles — but has only received an offer for one job: a different part-time caregiving gig where she's working 10 hours a week.

To earn some income, Wilson said she sold her Xbox One and a few video games for about $150, as well as three swords from her collection for about $100 each. But this money wasn't enough: Wilson said she's been forced to max out her credit cards and draw upon her savings.

"Right now, I can afford rent and my car payment for this coming month, but that's it," she said in December, adding, "I will probably have to sell off more things."

Meanwhile, Pelaez is hopeful that boosting his skills — and reflecting those changes on his résumé — will help him land a job that matches his experience level. For example, he said he's working toward Google's data analytics certificate through Coursera. While he's continued his gig driving and acting work, he said he temporarily paused his job search in October.

"With the overwhelming ghosting and lack of feedback from prospective employers, it becomes a cycle of never-ending applications," he said.

• I've been saving for retirement for most of my career and should be on track by retirement age.
• However, I'm not sure I'll ever want to stop working.
• Not only do I love my work as a writer, I also think I'll have a hard time spending my savings.

Some people worry about not having enough money for retirement. For now, at least, I don't feel I have to worry about that. I'm 45 years old, about 20 years away from retirement age, and I've been saving and investing for retirement for most of my career in a steady, disciplined, diversified way.

Especially after making big gains in the stock market over the last few years, I'm actually feeling good about my retirement account balances. If all goes well for the next few decades, I should be in good shape to be on track for retirement. But even if and when I can afford to quit working, I still might not "retire" in any traditional sense.

I'm just not sure what I'd do in retirement — and I love my job

Retirement might sound like paradise, right? No more work! Do whatever you want! But some people struggle to make the emotional adjustment to retirement. Especially if you're used to having a stimulating, rewarding, demanding career that gives you a lot of meaning and connection, the weekdays in retirement might feel empty.

Not everyone is lucky enough to feel this way about their job, but I really love my career as a freelance writer. I love learning new things, meeting new people, and getting paid for doing what I do best. I don't want to feel bored or lonely in retirement. How do you stay busy and grounded without the structure of a career? Do I have to get hobbies or join a gym? Is this all a huge cry for help that I need to get a life?

The point is that retirement planning is not just about money. Even though I might be on track to have my everyday living expenses covered in retirement, I can't envision the day-to-day routine of how I'll fill the hours if I don't have work to keep me busy anymore. Like other would-be retirees, I'll need to think ahead about how I want to live life and what I want to do when I grow up — apparently, that big question never goes away at any age. I can't picture a future without my creative craft of writing, the work that has defined my life and everyday purpose.

I'd have a hard time spending my savings if I wasn't making an income

By the time I've saved up enough money to retire, I might feel uncomfortable spending my savings. Retirement can bring a lot of big, scary expenses like nursing home bills and end-of-life care. Or, on a happier note, I might want to help contribute to my grandchildren's college tuition or keep traveling internationally for as long as possible. Even if I'm 70 years old and in good health, I might still be worried about providing for my 85-year-old "future self" in the event that I have serious health problems and need round-the-clock care.

Feelings like these can make it hard for anyone to splurge in retirement, even for those who can afford to. Though many are putting off retirement due to financial worries, recent research has shown that some retirees actually underspend in retirement — that is, they don't spend as much of their retirement account balances as they could. I might end up being one of those "underspenders" in retirement. What if I can't bear to part with all those big, reassuring numbers in my investment account that I worked so hard to make bigger?

If I do retire in some capacity, I can't ever see myself truly putting work aside. At the very least, I think I'd get a side hustle. I love having income! Even in retirement, I like the idea of making the numbers in my brokerage account bigger.

I want to stay creative, productive, and engaged with life

After leaving his network late-night TV show, David Letterman wasn't ready to officially "retire," and I probably won't be able to either. (Not to compare myself with a legendary comedian like him.) But I like the idea of a Letterman-style retirement: instead of disappearing into oblivion, just keep showing up to do a few meaningful projects. Do what you love without the grind of a full-time job.

I will keep saving for retirement, even if I don't retire in the traditional way. Not everyone gets to keep working for as long as they want to; sometimes retirement gets imposed upon people whether they like it or not. But I'm rethinking the conventional wisdom on what a happy retirement means. I'm not afraid to keep working for many years to come.

• Blackstone encourages junior staff to speak at deal meetings, fostering open dialogue.
• It can be "scary," said Jon Gray, the firm's president, on a recent podcast.
• A former intern told BI last year that a senior leader said to him "rank doesn't matter here."

Blackstone's president said that senior executives often ask the most junior people in the room to speak at the private equity firm's deal meetings.

"We'll go around in many of these committees and ask the most junior people in the room, 'hey what do you think?' We want them to articulate why they have conviction," Jon Gray said on a recent podcast hosted by Norges Bank Investment Management. Norway's sovereign wealth fund has invested hundreds of millions of dollars with Blackstone.

The 54-year-old, who started his career at the firm, said that it can be "scary" for a young person, and that the committee is "not the most patient group of people."

Gray added that meetings get into questions immediately, with people "drilling" the presenters about the companies in question.

"What we try to do is make sure a lot of please and thank you's and be appreciative to the group, but there's really sort of a truth-telling exercise," Gray said.

Blackstone is the world's largest alternative asset manager, with more than $1 trillion in assets under management. The firm has 12,700 real estate assets and 240 portfolio companies as of June, according to the company's website.

Last year, an associate who interned twice at the firm told Business Insider that juniors were encouraged to make their presence known.

"Senior leaders were constantly coming out to the bullpen and asking the most junior person on the team what they thought about the deals that we were currently in process with, what they thought about up-and-coming trends," said Marshall Plumlee, who was a US Army infantry officer before his Harvard MBA. He's now working at Blackstone full time.

Plumlee said that one senior leader explained it to him this way: "Rank doesn't matter here; your thoughts are just as valuable as the next guy."

Blackstone had 4,735 employees as of December 2023.

Talent development initiatives

The private equity firm has made other commitments to developing talent, too.

In 2020, it launched Career Pathways, a program to help portfolio companies solve talent problems by creating internal trainings. Last year, it started a data program to find and train people to fill specialized technical positions. In September, the company said the portfolio companies that took part in the program have hired over 10,500 people from underrepresented groups.

"We put it inside of our portfolio operations side of the business," Gray said at the time. "It's not a charitable effort. It's designed to drive talent to companies."'

The executive is also known for being in charge of the iconic Blackstone holiday videos, which started in 2018 when the firm had grown too large to host company-wide Christmas parties. Business Insider previously reported that Gray is usually the first person to come up with the idea for the holiday video — a comical sketch sometimes filmed in the style of the television show "The Office" or with other pop-culture bents.

• Employers see AI and cybersecurity skills as some of the most important in the next few years.
• Employers expect nearly 40% of skills to change or become irrelevant by 2030, a WEF report said.
• Big data specialists and fintech engineers will likely be the fastest-growing jobs.

Employers say AI and big data proficiency are now some of the most important skills for job seekers in the next few years, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report.

The sweeping survey found that employers believe various tech-related skills will grow in importance the fastest, while manual dexterity and reading will decline this year. This highlights the rapid workplace transformation happening across industries.

Over 1,000 employers representing more than 14 million employees worldwide were surveyed for the report, which previews the job landscape for 2025 to 2030.

AI and big data, networks and cybersecurity, and technological literacy ranked as the three skills growing the fastest in importance. The AI boom has not only transformed Silicon Valley but also reshaped once-mundane tasks across industries, from legal research to code writing.

A Google Cloud director previously told Business Insider that cybersecurity is one of the most broadly relevant skills, with industries from agriculture to financial services seeking professionals in the space. Yet demand isn't being met, he said, and the field is here to stay.

Survey respondents said they don't anticipate that tech skills alone will be in demand. Creative thinking and resilience ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on the list of skills growing the fastest in importance.

On the flip side, employers surveyed said they believe manual dexterity, endurance, and precision will decrease in importance. Reading, writing, and mathematics also saw a small dip among respondents. Overall, employees globally can expect that nearly 40% of their current skills will drastically change or become irrelevant by 2030, according to the survey.

Compared to the World Economic Forum's previous reports, tech skills saw the biggest jump in projected importance, with AI spiking in anticipated value across almost all agencies. Though the tech industry has hit a hiring slump in recent years, tech and non-tech companies alike are eager to hire AI roles, BI previously reported.

The fastest-growing jobs in the next five years will likely be big data specialists and fintech engineers, while clerical and secretarial workers will continue to decline, according to the report. With job growth slowing and unemployed Americans staying out of work longer, economists previously told BI that 2025 will prove challenging for job hunters overall, especially those in white-collar industries.

• Exhibiting red flags in a job interview can be an easy way to lose out on advancing to the next stage.
• But on the flip side, there are green flags that can help set you apart and boost your chances.
• We asked 6 recruiting professionals for the green flags they look for in candidates during job interviews.

The start of the year is usually one of the busiest times for hiring as many companies have finalized their new budgets.

If you're brushing up on your interview skills right about now, BI spoke with several current and former recruiters for the traits they say always make a good first impression.

Here are the green flags they like to see in job candidates:

Demonstrating accountability

"Self-reflection, accountability, and confidence in themselves and their work," are green flags to Lauren Monroe, who leads the creative practice group at Aquent, a staffing agency for creative, marketing, and design roles.

A personalized touch also helps. Monroe recalls one candidate who "studied the job description and prepared success stories and examples for every responsibility" to share in the interview. As the cherry on top, the candidate "created a fun animation using the company's logo and added it to their email signature" in their thank-you note.

A clear pitch

Tessa White, a former head HR chief, is the CEO of The Job Doctor and author of "The Unspoken Truths for Career Success."

"When a candidate comes in and is clear on how they can help the company, and why they are a fit, it's refreshing," she says. "I often tell people, if you don't know what your value proposition is, I guarantee you the company won't know."

Mentoring others

Kyle Samuels, who leads executive search agency Creative Talent Endeavors after 20 years in senior-level executive recruiting, looks for candidates with "a history of coaching and mentoring others" because this shows they "want the organization as a whole to operate at a high level."

Enthusiasm for the job

Amri Celeste, a recruitment manager and interview coach, watches for applicants who show passion and enthusiasm for the job.

"When a candidate is particularly enthusiastic or excited about a role, the hiring manager will often be enthusiastic and excited about the candidate," she says. "It's one of the most common pieces of positive feedback I receive from managers about candidates."

Having prepared "clear examples of any achievements and duties mentioned on a résumé" ticks off another box on the candidate checklist, she adds.

Asking thoughtful questions

Marissa Morrison, VP of people at ZipRecruiter, says well-thought-out questions reflect "interest, enthusiasm, and a deeper understanding of the position."

"For example, asking about how they'd be expected to use AI or a certain new technology in the role in a job interview can be a way to demonstrate that you're up to date with current trends and willing to embrace new technologies to creatively solve problems, drive value, and support your work," she says.

An upbeat attitude

"Having a positive attitude, showing enthusiasm for the role, and being engaged during your interview can help set you apart from the competition," Amy Garefis, chief people officer at ZipRecruiter. "In my experience, it is often the tiebreaker for me between candidates with similar skills or professional experience."

• I spent most of my life measuring success in grades.
• After graduating from college, it was hard to adjust to a more arbitrary scale of achievement.
• Now, I know that regularly redefining success is a necessary part of a fulfilling life.

When I was 7, I was identified as a "gifted kid." That label of promised potential followed me from elementary school enrichment programs to high school AP classes, eventually earning me a degree from a top university.

It's no surprise that I measured my worth in numbers and letters as (mostly) objective indicators of success. Everyone knows what a 4.0 GPA or an A+ means. From an early age, I knew that I wanted those high marks more than anything.

My constant focus on getting the grade, earning the leadership title, and landing the job didn't come without sacrifice. I said no to social engagements. I treated sleep like it was optional. The gym? Forget it. I figured that when I landed my dream job postgrad, it would all feel worth it. Finally, I would have achieved the ultimate goal.

But when I started my first "real" job, I found myself wondering, "Now what?" For the first time in my life, the next step wasn't obvious— talk about a quarter-life crisis. I knew I had to learn how to measure success in this new environment.

I let go of the metrics of the past

Starting my postgrad job meant accepting feedback on an arbitrary scale—one that I quickly learned is often affected by relationships, tenures, and titles.

My GPA didn't matter anymore, and neither did my obnoxious, eight-line-long college email signature. All of those club memberships and academic affiliations disappeared from relevance. I felt bitter at first. After all, I had worked so hard, and none of it seemed to matter.

But then I reframed my stance: None of it mattered — none of the little things, at least. My not-so-stellar neuroscience grade? Sleeping through three of my 8 a.m. poetry classes in a semester? Submitting a late Spanish essay? None of it prevented me from pursuing my goals.

This realization was incredibly freeing. Now, I know that small mistakes don't outweigh consistency. I don't have to measure my self-worth in the number of corrections on a paper or how many extracurriculars I participate in. I get to decide what success means to me. I can choose what to pursue and when to switch paths. Letting go of the numbers that once defined me meant that I was no longer held to someone else's idea of "good enough."

I learned to part ways with my ego

My first professional projects came with a harsh learning curve. What would have earned me an "A" in my college classes was met with a flurry of edits and comments.

At first, I was upset with my performance. I felt like I had failed. I mentioned my frustrations in passing to a much more experienced colleague, and he gave me some wonderful advice: "Separate your ego from your work," he said, "and you will be amazed at how quickly you improve."

As a creative working in tech, I had to get used to receiving feedback from all kinds of stakeholders. I don't just write essays for a professor anymore. I write blogs and social media posts that are read by customers, partners, and employees. Sometimes, this means my work is reviewed by 20 people or more before it's approved. That doesn't leave a lot of room for an unearned ego.

My current definition of success won't stay the same — and that's a good thing

Success might mean getting promoted — or it might not. Maybe it means discovering a new passion outside work. It might look like a commitment to health, exploring new places, or visiting friends and family. Achieving these goals might not make me better at my job, but I know they will make me a better person, friend, and partner.

My new goals might look hazy compared to old ones, and they will most likely shift as I progress in my career. I wish I had known that life is less structured after school and less linear, too.

Still, in the modern world of social media highlight reels, it can be difficult not to compare myself to my peers. Some days, I feel left out for not pursuing graduate school, and sometimes, I wonder if I picked the right college or even the right city.

Despite all this uncertainty, I'm grateful for one thing I do know: Leading a satisfying life requires redefining success at different stages. Shifting my goals doesn't make me a failure; it makes me human.

• Hundreds of prisoners are helping to battle the wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
• Incarcerated firefighters earn $26.90 to $34 for each 24-hour shift.
• It's far below California's minimum wage of $16.50 an hour.

Hundreds of Californian prisoners have been deployed to help battle the fires raging across the Los Angeles area, with some working 24-hour shifts for as little as $26.90, or just over $1 an hour.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation told The Guardian that it had deployed 395 incarcerated individuals to help battle the blazes.

The firefighters, who have "minimum custody" status, have been embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which has deployed thousands of firefighters to the area.

The CDCR, jointly with Cal Fire and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, runs 35 "fire camps" across 25 California counties. Participation is voluntary, with inmates using hand tools to aid in fire suppression and other emergency responses.

The camps are considered minimum-security facilities.

California, which is grappling with longer and more destructive fire seasons amid the climate crisis, has long relied on incarcerated people for its response. In fact, the CDCR crews have, at times, accounted for as much as 30% of the state's wildfire force.

According to the CDCR, fire crew members earn between $5.80 and $10.24 a day, depending on their skill level, with an additional $1 per hour for active emergency assignments.

Crews can work 24-hour shifts during emergencies, followed by 24 hours of rest, it said, with the lowest-skilled firefighters earning $26.90 and the highest-skilled maxing out at about $34.

For context, California's minimum wage is $16.50 per hour, with some areas, such as West Hollywood, offering higher minimum wages.

In California, inmates are not guaranteed the state's minimum wage, and some earn as little as 16 cents per hour.

The $10.24 basic rate for the highest-skilled incarcerated firefighters ranks among the best daily rate for incarcerated people in the state.

In addition to pay, fire crews helping out during emergencies like this receive "time credits" on a two-for-one basis, meaning that for each day they serve on the crew, they receive two additional days off their sentence.

Participation can also lead to criminal record expungement and the ability to seek professional emergency response certifications.

The CDCR did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• Shayla Smith is the COO of a Hollywood law firm, where curt corporate speak is normal.
• She realized she needed to take a more nuanced approach to communication at home.
• Her experience in retail helped her refine her communication techniques, she says.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shayla Smith, Chief Operating Officer of Lichter Grossman Nichols Feldman Rogal Shikora & Clark, Inc. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I've always had a firm but fair communication style. I don't tone myself down: I am who I am because everyone else is taken. That's served me well professionally. While I started my career in retail at Target, I quickly stepped into C-suite operational roles, first in wealth management and later in law firms.

At work, I'm goal-oriented. Whether I'm recruiting new talent, helping a customer have the best experience possible, or working with one of the many managing partners at my firm, I operate with confidence and command. That's helped me get far in my career.

And yet, recently, I realized it was holding me back at home. It took a comment from my husband to help me realize that I needed to establish a clear separation between the role of a leader in the workplace and a leader at home. I was accustomed to providing directives all day at work, so I found it natural to adopt the same approach at home. Unfortunately, that often struck my husband and sons, who are 9 and 7, the wrong way.

Now, I focus on delivery, not just content

Professionally, I'm focused on the outcome. I can be curt, and I say something once and expect the team to act on it. After my husband pointed out that I was using corporate speak and delivery with him, I adjusted my communication at home. I started considering not only what I wanted to convey but how I wanted to convey it.

I stay true to myself but tone it down

I'm always going to have a strong communication style. Luckily, my husband is super even-keeled and well-balanced. I've started to think about toning down my sharp communication. I imagine it like a light switch: at work, I can let my bulb shine with full power, but at home, on relaxed evenings, sometimes it's nice to hit that dimmer switch and lower the intensity just a bit.

I'm intentional with my words

My husband is a first responder with a hectic overnight schedule, while I have an equally busy schedule in the corporate world. Sometimes, our communication has to be clipped and to the point because we're so busy.

Even at those times, I'm careful with the words that I use. Saying "I would like it if…" or "It would be nice if…" helps my husband know I come from a place of care and understanding, even when I'm being direct. In turn, that helps him better receive what I need to say, so we both win.

We create a relaxing environment at home

Since we both have such demanding jobs, we intentionally create a calm, relaxing environment at home that's markedly different from the chaos of the world outside. Physically, we create a very different environment, working together to pick soothing wall colors and decor. We might talk about work in the car, but we try not to discuss it at home because we want to protect our space.

There are some corporate communication lessons I want the boys to know

While I've changed my communication style with my family, there are aspects of corporate communication I want my sons to know. I'm always reminding them to speak loudly and clearly, looking the person they're speaking with in the eye and speaking with conviction. They know I'll only say things once, and I expect them to pay attention.

Ultimately, I hope they understand that people might not remember what you said, but they'll remember how you made them feel. I learned that working Black Fridays at Target when I was juggling angry guests, overwhelmed workers, and lots of small crises. Although a Hollywood law firm might seem different from that, customer service and great communication are critical across the board — whether with family, colleagues, or clients.

• Wall Street newcomers are often highly successful.
• But Morgan Stanley's Mike Wilson says a key to success is learning to accept failures.
• Always being ready to up your game as you get promoted is also crucial, he said.

If you're just getting started in your career on Wall Street, Morgan Stanley chief investment officer Mike Wilson has some tough love to share with you: life's only going to get harder.

In an interview with Business Insider in December, Wilson listed a couple pieces of advice he gives to his new hires, interns, and even his kids.

Number one: you're not going to be as successful as you're used to being. Landing a job at an investment bank or research firm is an achievement, with a stellar academic record often being a prerequisite. So many youngsters entering banking are accustomed to outperforming. But failing is a fact of life in banking, Wilson said.

"A lot of people coming to Wall Street are overachievers," Wilson said. "I say, 'My guess is your historical report card has very few Bs on it. Maybe none. And definitely no Cs. And so what you're going to have to get used to coming to Wall Street is you're going to get a bunch of Fs, and you can't even fathom what that feels like."

How you adjust to that feeling will be one factor in how successful you become, he said.

"You picked the stock, it went to zero, everybody knows you made a mistake. How are you going to deal with that?" Wilson said.

"The best investors generally get 55% of their calls correct," he continued. "There are a lot of dynamics that play into being a good investor, a good analyst, a good strategist. But I think the hardest one is learning how to accept failure, learning how to be wrong, admit it, and move on. Acknowledge your mistakes."

Wilson, who is also Morgan Stanley's chief US equity strategist, has put his advice to use in recent years. He was one of the most accurate market forecasters in 2022 amid a market sell-off, but his ongoing bearishness caught up with him in 2023 when the market turned around. He issued a mea culpa, offering more bullish price targets since then alongside the ongoing stock-market rally.

As for his second piece of advice, Wilson said to be ready to continually up your game as you become more successful.

"I have two sons in their 20s, and I always kid around with them. When they're successful at work, I say, 'Congratulations, you're gonna make it to the next level. Guess what: It's going to be harder,'" Wilson said.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing, he said.

"That's life. Every rung is harder, and that's the thrill of it, too, because you're competing at a higher level," he said. "If you're successful, you just understand that dynamic, and that's something I think young people need to know — what exactly they're signing up for."

In the interview, Wilson also shared more general career advice that can apply to people outside of the financial industry as well: stand up for ideas that you have high conviction in. In his role, that means sometimes issuing calls against consensus. He called this taking personal risk.

"You've got to be willing to go take a stand on stuff, whether it's in a meeting, with people you report to, pointing out things that you don't agree with, kind of making a firm stance," Wilson said.

For millions of Americans who have grown accustomed to the flexibility provided by their work-from-home arrangements, it's been a gloomy start to the year. As of this month, employees at Amazon and AT&T are required to start showing up in the office five days a week. Then, on Tuesday, news broke that JPMorgan is preparing to revoke the hybrid privileges of about 40% of its workforce. (The other 60% are already required to come in every day). The headlines, the latest in a steady stream of return-to-office announcements, sparked yet another round of freakouts on Reddit, LinkedIn, and countless group texts. But as someone who keeps a close watch on the American workplace, I can tell you that I'm really not worried about the future of working from home. Whatever old-school CEOs like Jamie Dimon and Andy Jassy may think of it, remote work is here to stay.

For one, take a look at the stats. The economist Nick Bloom runs a monthly survey of American workers that tracks the prevalence of remote work. At the peak of COVID, in the spring of 2020, as much as 62% of work across the economy was being done from home. As the pandemic eased, that number came tumbling down — to 37% at the beginning of 2021, 33% in 2022, and 27% in 2023. The work-from-home dream appeared to be fading.

But in the two years since, something odd has happened. Despite all the headlines about companies getting rid of hybrid arrangements, the actual prevalence of remote work has barely budged. Last month, the share of work-from-home jobs remained at 27%. The RTO wars, it seems, have reached an impasse — one in which neither side is able to score any gains.

This impasse is all the more remarkable because of the weakness of the white-collar job market. As I've reported, hiring for corporate professionals has been in a huge slump, which has given employers the upper hand to do whatever they want about remote work without risking a mass exodus of disgruntled staffers. If CEOs were waiting for the ideal market conditions to drag everyone back into the office, this would definitely be the time to do it.

And yet, as the data shows, that hasn't happened — which suggests that CEOs, for the most part, are fine with the policies they have in place today. Even if they quietly wish more employees would come into the office, they don't seem to think it's worth the disruption that would come from forcing the issue.

In fact, when you zoom out and look at the current status of work from home, what you see is nothing short of a sea change. In 2019, Bloom and his team estimate, only 4.7% of work was performed from home. That means the current level of WFH is still six times larger than it was before the pandemic. For all the Amazons and JPMorgans that are reverting to their pre-COVID policies, the norm remains tilted to hybrid work to a degree that would have been unimaginable back in 2019.

In the long run, despite the RTO efforts by the likes of Amazon and JPMorgan, I actually think working from home is almost certain to become even more common. First, given America's slowing population growth, employers will soon find themselves facing a serious labor shortage. That will force them to offer all kinds of perks to attract and retain staff — and the flexibility to work from home is sure to be one of them. Second, the WFH-friendly startups that were founded during the pandemic will continue to grow. They'll not only employ more and more remote and hybrid employees — they'll eventually come to dominate entire sectors of the economy, further cementing the value of work from home. And third, the technology that enables us to collaborate at a distance will only get better over time, reducing what's probably the biggest pain point of remote work.

That's all to say that the reports of remote work's death, to paraphrase Mark Twain, have been greatly exaggerated. After all, this is how big societal changes always happen: first comes innovation, then skepticism and fear, followed by a concerted push to return to the good old days. In the scheme of things, the office itself is a relatively recent innovation. Or consider one of the biggest inventions of Twain's time: the telephone. What was wrong with the telegraph, people asked. What's the point of switching to this new thing? Also, could it transmit ghosts? Could the electrical wiring shock you? Even as the devices proliferated, some worried that they portended the downfall of society. "The general use of the telephone," one New York Times writer lamented, "instead of promoting civility and courtesy, is the means of the fast dying out of what little we have left."

That's how laughable all the corporate hand-wringing about work from home is going to sound like a couple decades from now. Remote work, Jamie Dimon once groused, "doesn't work." History is in the process of proving him wrong.

Aki Ito is a chief correspondent at Business Insider.

• Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said she looks for candidates who love to learn new things.
• Sweet said in a podcast interview that she would ask people what they have learned recently.
• The former lawyer said it didn't matter even if people just said they learned how to bake a cake.

Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said there's one key question she poses to people who want to work for her.

"There's one question that we ask everyone, regardless of you're a consultant or you're working in technology or whatever you do," Sweet said in an interview with Norges Bank Investment Management CEO Nicolai Tangen on his "In Good Company" podcast, which aired Wednesday.

"We say, 'What have you learned in the last six months?'" she added.

Asking this question, Sweet told Tangen, is a practical way for her to determine if candidates are interested in learning new things.

"If someone can't answer that question, and by the way, we don't care if it's 'I learned to bake a cake,' if they can't answer that question, then we know that they're not a learner," Sweet said.

This wouldn't be the first time Sweet has talked about her expectations for new hires at Accenture. The consulting firm said on its website that it employs around 799,000 employees and operates in more than 200 cities.

The former lawyer said in a 2019 interview with The New York Times that she looks for candidates who demonstrate two main traits.

"The first is curiosity. The new normal is continuous learning, and we look for people who demonstrate lots of different interests and really demonstrate curiosity," Sweet told The Times.

"The second piece is leadership. I don't care what level you are, there is the need to offer straight talk when you're working with clients. You have to have the courage to deliver tough messages," she added.

Representatives for Sweet at Accenture did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Sweet isn't the only C-suite executive who places a premium on learning.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said that students should devote their time to learning and reading, and less time on social-media platforms like TikTok and Facebook.

Dimon was speaking at the Georgetown Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy's annual Financial Markets Quality Conference in September when he was asked if he had any advice for the students in attendance.

"My advice to students: Learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, learn, learn. If you're Democrat, read the Republican opinion, the good ones. If you're Republican, read the Democrat ones," Dimon said.

"Read history books. You can't make it up. Nelson Mandela, Abe Lincoln, Sam Walton. You only learn by reading and talking to other people. There's no other way," he continued.

• Zou Qiang, 39, is the founder of a tailoring brand based in Shanghai.
• She met her partner 11 years ago and, like an increasing number of women in China, doesn't plan to get married or have kids.
• Part of her decision is due to money and time, but it's also a personal choice.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Zou Qiang, a fashion designer and owner of a tailoring brand in Shanghai. The following has been translated and edited for length and clarity.

My parents divorced when I was young, and I didn't have a very happy childhood. After I grew up, I wanted to do things that made me happy. I don't want to give to other people; I just want to make up for that time. Maybe that's selfish, but I've thought that for a long time.

I met my partner on an online dating forum. We were both based in Shanghai and, after a few months of chatting online, met up in person for Japanese food.

After a couple of months of dating, we decided to make it official. We shared the same perspective on what a relationship should be — monogamous best friends who are attracted to each other.

We've been together for 11 years now. We rent a two-bedroom apartment in the center of Shanghai, where we pay 10,000 yuan a month in rent, or $1,370. It's relatively cheap as we rented it unfurnished.

My mom often gets asked by her friends why I don't have children and why she doesn't put pressure on me. She points out to them that they have to look after their grandchildren every day and how it's aged them while she can go traveling. She's not the typical Chinese mother.

Many of my friends' parents believe that since they raised their children, they are entitled to be repaid with grandchildren or to be cared for in their old age. They see their kids as investments, not as individuals. My mom just wants me to be happy, and she says that makes her happy.

My partner's parents have been asking if we'll have children. They live in a village about 140 miles from Shanghai and have told my partner that it's embarrassing not to have grandchildren. But so far, I haven't changed my mind. Sometimes, parental pressure gets to my partner, and we discuss having kids, but I'd be the one carrying the baby, and I don't want to.

I have no interest in being a mom

Two other concerns I have about having a child are finances and who would take care of them. Having a child costs a lot of money. In Shanghai, I would need around 200,000 yuan, or $27,400, spare for hospital costs and basic necessities the first year. Also, to keep up with my job, I might need to hire a nanny.

My partner works in sales for a tech company, commutes to the office, and makes more than me. As I work from home and run my own business, I know I would be the one responsible for taking care of the child.

I've noticed that after a few of my friends had kids, they often started complaining to me. They tell me what hard work it is and about conflicts with their partners. None of them put pressure on me to have a child. About half of my friends have kids. The other half don't want kids or haven't found a suitable partner.

My fashion line is my baby

I started my own brand 12 years ago, and it's like my child. I even feel like every piece of clothing I make is like a child. When I'm designing, I start with an idea, look for the fabric, and find the buttons. After it's made, I still think about and care about each piece.

This winter, I designed a series inspired by a story about my partner's father. He rarely came home, but when he did for Lunar New Year, he'd pull money from a pocket sewn inside his coat. Each coat in my series features a unique inner pocket, meant to hold a piece of your childhood while keeping an adult appearance.

I design around four seasons of clothing a year for my brand, Duet, and also make individual pieces. I price them from 600 yuan for a pair of trousers to 3,000 yuan for a dress or coat. Everything is tailored. My clients tend to be women aged 35 to 50. My brand combines traditional Chinese elements with more modern Western styles.

I get to do what I like

Before I started my brand, I studied marketing and international tourism. I worked in human resources and then as a Mandarin teacher. When I had to go to an office, I couldn't sit still, and I felt bored. I'm doing work that I like now, and I can do whatever I want.

I eat out at least five times a week and travel several times a year. The last trip I took was to Russia with my partner, and we spent around 20,000 yuan on bear watching, climbing a volcano, and whale watching. We both like snow-capped mountains, so we travel to mountainous places every year. I would find it hard to give up my lifestyle to have a kid.

Despite China's efforts to encourage childbearing — including monetary rewards and subsidies — I come across more and more people who, like me, are not interested in having kids. In the past, people would think that you were weird if you didn't have children.

There are more and more weird people now, so it's become a normal thing.

Do you have a personal essay about life as a millennial in China that you want to share? Get in touch with the editor at [email protected].

• Job cuts are continuing into 2025 following waves of reductions last year.
• Companies like Microsoft, BlackRock, and Ally have all confirmed cuts.
• See the list of companies letting workers go in 2025.

Layoffs and other workforce reductions are continuing in 2025, following two years of significant job cuts across tech, media, finance, manufacturing, and retail.

While companies' reasons for slimming their staff vary, the cost-cutting measures come amid the backdrop of technological change. Some 41% of companies worldwide are expected to reduce their workforces over the next five years due to the rise of artificial intelligence, according to a recent World Economic Forum report.

Companies like Dropbox, Google, and IBM have previously announced job cuts related to AI. Meanwhile, tech jobs in big data, fintech, and AI are expected to double by 2030, according to the WEF.

Here are the companies with job cuts planned or already underway in 2025 so far.

BlackRock is reportedly cutting 1% of its workforce

BlackRock told employees it plans to cut about 200 people of its 21,000-strong workforce, according to Bloomberg.

The reductions are more than offset by some 3,750 workers who were added last year and another 2,000 expected to be added in 2025.

BlackRock President Rob Kapito and Chief Operating Officer Rob Goldstein said the cuts will help realign the firm's resources with its strategy, Bloomberg reported.

Bridgewater is cutting approximately 90 staff

Bridgewater Associates cut 7% of its staff on Monday in an effort to stay lean, a person familiar with the matter told Business Insider.

The layoffs at the world's largest hedge fund bring its head count back to where it was in 2023, the person said.

Founder Ray Dalio said in a 2019 interview that about 30% of new employees leave the firm within 18 months.

The Washington Post is cutting 4% of its non-newsroom workforce

The Washington Post is eliminating less than 100 employees in an effort to cut costs, Reuters reported Tuesday.

A spokesperson told the wire service that the changes would occur across multiple areas of the business and indicated that the cuts would not affect the newsroom.

"The Washington Post is continuing its transformation to meet the needs of the industry, build a more sustainable future and reach audiences where they are," the spokesperson said, according to Reuters.

Microsoft is planning an unspecified number of cuts

Microsoft is planning job cuts soon, and the company is taking a harder look at underperforming employees as part of the reductions, according to two people familiar with the plans.

A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed cuts but declined to share details on the number of employees being let go.

"At Microsoft we focus on high performance talent," the spokesperson said. "We are always working on helping people learn and grow. When people are not performing, we take the appropriate action."

Ally will cut less than 5% of workers

Digital financial company Ally is laying off roughly 500 of its 11,000 employees, a spokesperson confirmed to BI. The impacted employees were notified on Tuesday.

"As we continue to right-size our company, we made the difficult decision to selectively reduce our workforce in some areas, while continuing to hire in our other areas of our business," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also said the company is offering severance, out-placement support, and the opportunity to apply for openings at Ally.

Ally made a similar level of cuts in October 2023, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Is your company conducting layoffs? Got a tip?

If you are an employee with a tip about upcoming job cuts, please contact Dominick via email or text/call/Signal at 646.768.4750. Responses will be kept confidential, and Business Insider strongly recommends using a personal email and a non-work device when reaching out

• The advertising giant WPP is telling workers to come to the office four days a week from April.
• Business Insider obtained the internal memo sent to the company's 114,000 employees.
• "I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person," CEO Mark Read said in the memo.

The advertising giant WPP has told its workforce of more than 100,000 employees to return to the office at least four days a week.

"From the beginning of April this year, the expectation across WPP will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office," WPP CEO Mark Read wrote in a memo sent to staff on Tuesday and seen by Business Insider.

The Financial Times first reported the move.

The policy is set to go into effect in April to give staff time to make adjustments and to "address capacity requirements" in offices, he wrote.

The CEO said in-office attendance was associated with "stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance."

"I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person," he wrote. "It's easier to learn from each other, it's a better way to mentor colleagues starting out in the industry, and it helps us win pitches as a truly integrated team."

Under the new policy, WPP will allow staff one flexible working day a week and consider individual circumstances through a formal approval process, a person familiar with the matter told BI.

One WPP employee, speaking with BI on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on company policy, said they still had questions about the return-to-office plan's practicalities. They said that in some offices, there were already issues with securing enough desk space or meeting rooms, for example.

AT&T this week began implementing a staggered five-day RTO mandate, and workers told BI that limited available desks and elevators at some offices complicated their return.

Amazon encountered office-capacity issues last year, which, as BI previously reported, delayed its full return-to-office plan for some employees.

Another WPP insider said they felt the move would be positive for younger staff and help them network and learn from colleagues, while allowing flexibility for those who required it.

WPP's announcement follows that of its fellow advertising giant Publicis Groupe, which last year told employees to return to the office at least three days a week. The company later fired hundreds of employees for noncompliance with the mandate, Ad Age reported in October.

Bruce Daisley, a workplace-culture consultant and former Twitter vice president, said WPP's return-to-office policy would be an employee-morale gamble because advertising jobs already aren't as lucrative and aspirational as they once were.

"Working in an advertising agency used to be gloriously paid, now those who work in the field squint into spreadsheets all day earning salaries that are often substantially lower than the clients and media owners they deal with," Daisley wrote in his Make Work Better newsletter.

Read the full memo CEO Mark Read sent to WPP employees:

To everyone at WPP

I hope you had a restful holiday season and the chance to recharge over the break.

As I wrote to you in December, 2025 is going to be a year of opportunity for WPP — a year when we can win through a relentless focus on our clients.

With that in mind, I wanted to share our priorities for the next 12 months, as well as a change we are going to make in the way we work.

Clients, creativity and our work

WPP's mission is to deliver creative transformation for the world's leading brands. This means not only producing exceptional work in every discipline of modern marketing, but helping clients transform how they operate for a very different world. This is ever more true of our largest and most important clients, who come to us for the quality of what we do, the breadth of our skills, and our ability to prepare them for the future.

While industry mergers and jostling for status may distract our competitors, focus will be paramount for us in 2025. We have the opportunity to stand out by being more obsessed than ever with serving our clients. In every single decision we make, we should ask ourselves "how will this help us do even better work for our clients?" Those companies who embrace this philosophy will be those who emerge on top.

Technology, data and AI

Demand from clients for creative ideas, effective media plans, brilliant PR campaigns and outstanding design remains constant, but the way in which we deliver our work is changing faster than I have ever seen. That's why technology, data and AI are at the heart of our plans for the future, and why adoption of our AI-driven marketing operating system WPP Open has grown so quickly. Keeping up that momentum is another key objective for 2025.

WPP Open helped us win a number of 2024's biggest reviews and we are going to increase our investment in Open this year to build on the success it has brought us. It will be central to how we bring an integrated, AI-enabled offer to market, with the goal of producing better results for clients and winning more than our fair share of pitches in the year ahead.

A culture of winning, together

Finally, we are going to focus on the culture of our company. For all our technological sophistication, we remain a people business. Across everything we do, our success still relies on the fundamentals of human connection, creativity and relationships. Teams of talented individuals, working towards common goals, are what drives growth for our clients and our agencies.

I believe that we do our best work when we are together in person. It's easier to learn from each other, it's a better way to mentor colleagues starting out in the industry, and it helps us win pitches as a truly integrated team. The data from across WPP agencies shows that higher levels of office attendance are associated with stronger employee engagement, improved client survey scores and better financial performance. More of our clients are moving in this direction and expecting it of the teams who work with them.

For all these reasons, spending more time together is important to all of us, and we are making a change to help that happen. From the beginning of April this year, the expectation across WPP will be that most of us spend an average of four days a week in the office.

This doesn't mean we're going back to old ways of doing things. During the pandemic we all learned the value of greater flexibility in our working lives and of being trusted to balance work and personal commitments. We need to keep that spirit of flexibility and trust, and will approach this transition with pragmatism and an understanding of people's different circumstances. There will be a clear process to request additional flexibility — including for those with caring responsibilities, health issues and other considerations. Some roles that have always been fully or largely remote will continue as they are.

We know that for some colleagues this new policy will require adjustments to their routines and arrangements, which is why it will not come into effect until April — giving people time to make any changes they need to. There is also work to do between now and April to ensure we make the best use of our workspaces. Our WPP campuses offer superb working environments in beautifully designed buildings with leading environmental credentials. But it will take detailed planning in the coming months to address capacity requirements and other related areas, and I'd like to thank the teams who are already hard at work figuring that out.

Your leaders are working closely with the WPP People and Real Estate teams, and will follow up with next steps for your part of the business. It's important that we take a consistent approach across our agencies, who will communicate the requirements to you in detail. In the meantime, visit insideWPP for FAQs, details of the policy, and an AI-powered chat agent to help answer your questions.

A collaborative, winning culture is what makes WPP and our agencies a great place to work, and it's the key to our future growth and success. I firmly believe this change we are making will protect and enhance that culture, for the benefit of everyone.

As always, if you want to get in touch, email me.

Mark

• When Dapo Bankole moved to Canada in 2012, he had years of IT experience under his belt.
• But he struggled to find a professional job for months and did minimum wage work to make ends meet.
• Bankole said he thinks companies weren't hiring him because he lacked Canadian experience.

This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Dapo Bankole, 47, about moving to Canada from Nigeria. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

My Canadian Dream began in 1993. I was living in Nigeria, where I was born, and had to sit an exam. My brother's friend drove me there. A few months later, I asked after him and was told he moved to Canada.

It was the first time I heard about someone relocating to a new country. I dreamed of doing the same.

I studied biochemistry at university and completed a postgraduate program in computer science. I worked in IT for around 12 years in Nigeria, where I gained experience in computer engineering, billing administration, and team management

My desire to relocate heavily influenced my life. When I courted my wife, I told her about my dream because I didn't want it to be a problem for her. I started getting myself ready to move by gaining IT certifications through a Canadian society.

In 2012, I moved to Canada with my wife and two children after successfully applying for permanent residency in the country.

But it ended up taking me around nine months to find a professional job. I struggled to get my foot in the door and provide for my family's basic needs. I feel I was overlooked because I didn't have Canadian work experience.

I applied for professional jobs in Canada but didn't hear back

We arrived in Canada in 2012 and stayed with my sister, who had moved there ahead of me, for two months before we got an apartment.

My wife worked in a bank in Nigeria, but when we moved she decided to pursue her hobby of making clothes, so she went back to school to go into fashion design. Meanwhile, I started job-hunting.

I applied for professional jobs, such as analyst and project manager positions, but it mostly was crickets. I wasn't hearing anything back.

Peers who were also immigrants asked to look at my résumé. I'd put Nigeria all over the place, someone suggested I remove it. When I did, I started getting follow-up calls.

I felt I wasn't getting opportunities because of my lack of Canadian work experience. Recruiters didn't say it directly — it was subtle. In phone conversations, recruiters would ask where my experience was based. I'd explain it wasn't in Canada, and the conversation would continue, but they'd never get back to me.

It became glaring that companies weren't hiring me because I lacked local experience, but I'd never get it if they didn't hire me. It's a chicken-and-egg situation.

I took on minimum-wage work. We struggled with our basic needs.

After a month or so of job-seeking, I started applying to lower-wage jobs as well. Living in Canada wasn't cheap, and I needed to stop depleting my savings.

I worked at a call center for CA $10 an hour for around two months. Then, I got a job as a grocery store clerk doing night shifts. I also did evening shifts unloading cargo from planes at the airport.

I kept my days free to pursue more professional opportunities. I didn't want to get stuck in a low-wage job. But it meant I hardly saw my kids. They were asleep when I got home and went to school when I was asleep. They started speaking to me less, and it made me question why we left Nigeria.

We were comfortable in Nigeria, but we lived in a basement in Canada. We struggled to cover our basic needs. There was a day when I only had around $10 left and had to decide whether I'd use it to buy food or put gas in the car. I'd never been in that situation.

Moving back to Nigeria at that stage would have meant starting all over again there, so we decided to push through the pain of integration.

I received help from a mentorship program and was eventually hired as a business analyst

During my struggle to get a professional job, my confidence levels crashed and I started to doubt myself.

Through an organization that offered loans to immigrant professionals, I received some money to attend a short training course. I interacted with professionals on the course who listened to me. I found myself leading conversations and felt my confidence being restored.

I also joined a mentorship program that reaches out to companies on your behalf. They didn't have a magic wand that automatically gave people jobs, but it leveraged social capital on behalf of immigrants like me.

They helped me get an unpaid opportunity, which led to a full-time offer for a business analyst job. I was able to keep doing my night shift work to make money in the interim and actually kept my grocery store job for months afterward for extra income.

Even though the road isn't completely smooth, it always becomes easier once you have that initial foot in the door.

I stayed in the business analyst role for around two years before I was headhunted by another company to work as a senior business analyst. In 2015, I started my own business. My team of six builds software and consults with organizations on software and implementation.

Employers should give people like me a chance

The program I did gave me an in-route for Canadian experience, but I don't think it's right to filter out candidates who don't have Canadian experience.

You don't need Canadian experience to succeed in Canada. You only need experienced people who are ready to do whatever it takes to fit in and deliver on the work priorities. We should give people a chance to prove themselves.

Immigration shouldn't make people suffer. It should help them transfer their skills, which can positively impact the economy.

Do you have a story about how relocating to a new place impacted your career? Email Charissa Cheong at [email protected]

• A millennial paid off more than $100,000 in student loan debt in two years by juggling two jobs.
• Secretly working multiple remote jobs allowed him to double his income.
• He said being "overemployed" is stressful at times, but the financial benefits are worth it.

Adam paid off his student loan debt last month, after more than doubling his income by juggling multiple remote jobs.

Two years prior, he had roughly $118,000 in student debt and was earning about $85,000 annually from one job as a security risk professional. Adam, who is in his 40s and based in Arizona, was eager to become debt-free as soon as possible. He started looking for ways to boost his income and discovered "overemployment."

Since early 2023, Adam has secretly juggled two full-time remote roles simultaneously. While his overemployed lifestyle has been stressful at times, he said he typically doesn't work more than 55 hours a week across his gigs — and that the financial benefits have outweighed the downsides.

"I would like to be a millionaire before I turn 50," said Adam, whose identity was verified by Business Insider but asked to use a pseudonym due to fear of professional repercussions. "I want the financial freedom to give more time to family and friends."

Adam is among the Americans who have worked multiple remote roles on the sly to boost their incomes. Over the past two years, BI has interviewed more than two dozen job jugglers who've used their extra earnings to pay off debt and travel the world. To be sure, holding multiple jobs without company approval could have professional repercussions and lead to burnout. But many current and former overemployed workers have told BI the financial benefits outweigh the downsides.

Job juggling is worth the stress

In 2022, Adam began supplementing his income by driving for food delivery platforms like DoorDash. But after growing frustrated by his meager earnings, he decided to explore other options. That same year, he watched a YouTube video about people secretly working multiple jobs to boost their incomes.

When Adam began looking for a second remote gig in early 2023, he said his two main goals were to double his income and pay off his student loans within two years. In February 2023, he landed a second remote security risk professional role that pushed his combined earnings to more than $170,000 annually.

Adam said working multiple jobs has been challenging at times. He said it can be difficult to juggle overlapping meetings and deadlines, and that coordinating vacation time across both jobs can be laborious — as each employer has a different policy and approval process. While he's generally been able to manage his workload, he said it can be difficult when colleagues quit or are out of the office, and he's asked to pick up some extra work.

"Managing priorities and ensuring both roles receive adequate attention requires careful planning and adaptability," he said.

While these challenges have been stressful at times, Adam said he's generally been able to avoid burnout. He tries to stay organized and automate his work wherever possible. Outside work, he makes an effort to spend plenty of time with his friends and family. When he needs a break during the workday, he sometimes plays video games.

"I have learned to manage stress pretty well," he said.

Looking ahead, Adam said he has no plans to stop job juggling. His goal is to boost his combined income to at least $250,000 annually by swapping one of his jobs for a higher-paying one or starting a consulting business on the side.

"I do plan on staying overemployed for the foreseeable future," he said. "The way I am overemployed may change."

Are you working multiple remote jobs at the same time and willing to provide details about your pay and schedule? If so, reach out to this reporter at [email protected].

• When I decided to start my career as a personal assistant, I didn't expect to learn so much.
• It's a much more intimate job than I expected, and I've become a better listener and communicator.
• I enjoy being relied on for tasks big and small, and taking part in my boss's successes.

Like many people, when I think of the unique relationship between a personal assistant and their employer, the first thing that comes to mind is Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs in The Devil Wears Prada. And while I've worked with my fair share of Miranda Priestly-types, I've also had the privilege of developing meaningful relationships with others I've worked for as a personal assistant.

When I first made the decision to switch career paths and become a personal assistant, I didn't think I'd learn anything profound. I thought managing someone's life would be easy — scheduling appointments, responding to emails, grocery shopping, making travel arrangements, and being the point of contact for other staff members.

These tasks, while seemingly easy to complete, gave me a glimpse of the person I would be working for and how integral my role in their life would now be. I never expected the deep relationship I'd develop with my employer and what that would teach me about true partnership. A relationship built on mutual trust, understanding, and respect.

Being a personal assistant is a much more intimate job than I expected

They trusted me to handle the most delicate parts of their world, and being relied upon so completely was something I had never experienced before. I had only ever been responsible for myself, but now, I was also responsible for ensuring this person's life ran smoothly. I felt needed and like my contributions added value to the company as a whole, even if that contribution was merely rearranging the day's calendar to allow a last-minute meeting or an urgent doctor's appointment.

In the past, I have worked jobs where the most I knew about my boss was how they took their coffee. I didn't know their allergies, the intricate details of their personal lives, or their favorite place to vacation. Now, that knowledge is merely an extension of my job description. I know every single detail about this person who was once a stranger — their dreams of one day having a big family, their anxiety after a difficult health diagnosis, their determination and ingenuity when starting a new business venture, and even their anger when confronted with bigotry in the professional world.

Being a personal assistant is an unconventional partnership with your employer, one which forgoes typical workplace professionalism because of how closely you need to work together. I have gained so much genuine fulfillment because of how much I love having the opportunity to help someone pursue greatness, care for them when necessary, and ensure that their world continues to spin on its axis.

When my boss was on a business trip abroad, and their transport from the airport to the hotel failed to arrive, I was responsible for ensuring they got to their destination safely. It was this moment that I truly realized how important my role in their life was. I was holding the pieces of their life together and gave them the ability to dedicate their time to their fast-growing company, their family, their friends, and the parts of their life that they'd never had the opportunity to prioritize before.

I feel like my boss's success is my success, too

Many companies preach about fostering a collaborative work environment, but I had no idea what that really meant until I started working with someone so intimately and learned the value of "we" in the workplace. Their wins were my wins because I had played a small role in their success. When I helped organize a networking event for industry professionals, and the company was featured in a prominent publication, or when we secured a $10K brand deal with a well-known beauty conglomerate — these were milestones we achieved together because we had both put in hours upon hours of work. Our shared success had never felt so rewarding because we had done it together, as partners.

For us to succeed individually, we needed to work well together in order to achieve our goals. I believe that my success in this role can be credited to the fact that I didn't work for a Miranda Priestly type, and instead, was seen as the second half of a whole and not merely a job title.

Cementing my role as a meaningful counterpart in this unique partnership allowed me to look at the other relationships in my life and how they have grown because of my career. I am a better communicator and listener, and I am more empathetic, attentive, and adaptable. I know what it takes to be a great partner and how using our individual knowledge and skills can ultimately lead to our mutual success — whether that be in my professional or personal life.

People say life takes a village, but in this case, I think it takes a badass personal assistant.

• A software engineer left a FAANG company for Oracle in 2024 due to a cultural mismatch.
• He felt micromanaged and a lack of trust at the FAANG company even though he worked intense hours.
• Oracle offered a structured onboarding process and a collaborative environment, and he plans to stay.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with a 27-year-old software engineer at Oracle who previously worked at a FAANG company. The source's name and full employment history are known to Business Insider but are not named to protect their privacy. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

In March 2022, I interviewed with a FAANG company for a software engineering role.

I heard back from my final round within a few days and started about three weeks after signing the offer. I didn't stay at the FAANG company very long because the culture was not a fit for me.

I'm now at Oracle and don't plan on leaving. Here's how my work experiences at both companies compare.

The FAANG company seemed more focused on personality fit during the interview process

After an HR screen and a tech screen, I had a final round of four interviews back-to-back, each lasting 45 minutes. Three interviewers were senior engineers, and one was the hiring manager.

The personality questions were more detailed than the technical questions. They wanted to know if I demonstrated the company's leadership principles, so they asked questions like "Can you tell me about a time you affected change in a company?" and "Can you tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer?"

The technical questions were on standard LeetCode and system design. I was asked to whiteboard and design a service similar to Instagram and discuss how I'd engineer it to scale to a billion users.

The FAANG company sought candidates willing to work long hours

The interviewers didn't ask directly how long I was willing to work, but they asked: "Tell me about a time when you had to meet an aggressive deadline." The hiring manager also told me the team I'd be joining was fairly new and wanted to roll out the technology they were developing quickly.

I did notice a few more red flags. Everyone I interviewed with had joined within the past year and a half. Most folks I interviewed with at Oracle had been at the company for four to six years.

One of the senior engineers at the FAANG company said it's fast-paced and has a work-hard culture, so there's a lot of turnover. However, I'd also get to learn a lot and work on features that millions of customers would use, and I was looking forward to that experience.

My Oracle interview process took longer

I interviewed with Oracle in February 2024 and started in March.

The steps were the same, but the Oracle process focused more on technical ability than the FAANG company.

In the final round, I was interviewed by two senior engineers, the hiring manager, and a product manager. The senior engineers and my hiring manager also asked me standard LeetCode and system design questions. My hiring manager asked if I had data center experience, which I didn't. The product manager asked me to go deep into the technical stuff I previously worked on.

The offer negotiation process was pretty similar for both companies

Both times, I had competing offers and asked them to match compensation. They matched it by increasing the amount of vested stock they'd give me, and I got a 10% total compensation increase from both.

Oracle's RSU vesting is spread evenly across four years. At the FAANG company, the four-year stock vest schedule was 5% for year one, 15% for year two, 40% for year three, and 40% for year four.

After my first year at the FAANG company, I received a 3% raise on my base pay. I haven't received a raise at Oracle yet.

I found Oracle's onboarding process to be much more structured

The initial few weeks at both companies were spent getting access to code bases, familiarizing myself with the teams' work, and having a lot of 1:1 meetings.

At Oracle, everyone helped explain the organization's overall mission. The team had an onboarding document that I could follow that outlined expectations.

There was no structure or clear expectations in the first few weeks at the FAANG company. Management also didn't focus much on helping people get onboarded.

My FAANG coworkers seemed very focused on their level of seniority

Almost every single engineer I met in my first week at the FAANG company either asked me a question about how I could help them get a promotion or was very closed off and wouldn't communicate much. One midlevel engineer asked me in our first meeting whether I'd be open to being "mentored" by him so he could use me as a data point to support his coming promotion.

Another engineer I met with told me, "That is between me and my manager," when I asked him about his long-term career goals during our first meeting. I asked my skip-level manager a question about the team, and he told me my question was better suited for a lower-level manager, not him.

At Oracle, everyone was friendly and gave me information and advice on succeeding.

Oracle has a sense of teamwork and collaboration that the FAANG company did not have

In my experience, micromanagement is virtually nonexistent at Oracle. Management and executives allow engineers and other contributors to set their own deadlines and expectations. I felt trusted.

The culture at the FAANG company was one of the most intense I've been part of. My teammates and I regularly worked until late into the night, and there was lots of micromanagement, which is one of the reasons I left. It felt like there was a lack of trust in lower-level employees.

It affected both my mental and physical health. My sleep pattern was chaotic, and I skipped a lot of meals because of the constant stress and anxiety.

Since I left the FAANG company for Oracle, I haven't looked back

The final straw was when the FAANG company asked me to relocate to a different state with three-months notice. I told my manager I'd move but immediately started searching for external jobs.

I got my Oracle offer shortly after. When I finally gave my two weeks' notice at the FAANG company, I felt a huge weight lifted off my chest.

Changing companies improved my mental health, and my stress levels dropped dramatically. I plan to stay at Oracle long-term.

Want to share your Big Tech job experience? Email Lauryn Haas at [email protected].