The Daily Valet. - 1/16/24, Tuesday
✔️ WFH But at What Cost?
Tuesday, January 16th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
If you hear a chattering sound, that's just my teeth ... adjusting to these arctic sub-zero temperatures.
Today’s Big Story
WFH But at What Cost?
New data shows that people who log on from home five days a week get fewer promotions and less mentoring
There are a lot of upsides to remote work. You don't need me to list them here. But a few years into this new reality, the downsides are becoming clearer. For instance, fully remote workers were promoted 31% less frequently than their in-person peers last year, according to Live Data Technologies. Remote workers also get less mentorship, a gap that's especially pronounced for women, research shows.In the data company's analysis of 2 million white-collar workers, 5.6% of employees who were going into the office on at least a hybrid basis received a promotion last year, compared to 3.9% of fully remote individuals, the Wall Street Journal reports. And it's not just a coincidence: About 90% of 400 CEOs surveyed last year by KPMG said they'd be more likely to give in-person employees raises, promotions, or better assignments.Amazon, for one, is enforcing its strict three-days-in-the-office policy for corporate workers by blocking promotions for anyone who doesn't comply, according to internal materials reviewed by Business Insider.Some workers who aren't (yet) required to do their jobs on-site told the Journal that they're now opting for the office anyway, mindful of the impact on their careers. However, studies have gone both ways about whether employees are more or less productive at home. One thing is clear—surveys have found fully remote workers are a lot happier and more likely to stick with their jobs. Half of fully in-person employees said they'd be job hunting in the next year, compared to a third of employees who work from home, according to a 2023 Resume Builder survey.But there is a happy medium, it seems. The data found no difference in promotion rates between hybrid workers and those who come to the office five days a week. “Three days a week is enough,” one economist, who co-wrote a related 2023 National Bureau of Economic Research paper, said. “You're not out of sight and forgotten about.”
FYI:
An estimated 32.6 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025, which equates to about 22% of the workforce.
NASA Reveals Its Supersonic Jet
The revolutionary plane will (quietly) fly over the U.S. at extreme speeds
Over a half-century ago, the U.S. banned commercial planes from flying at supersonic speeds over the nation. The ban protected us from the thunderous, jolting shock waves created when a plane breaks the speed of sound (around 767 mph), events aptly called sonic booms. For those who haven't experienced such an atmospheric blast from the likes of a military craft, it's “like the sound of an explosion,” NASA explains.But after a lot of R&D, the space agency just unveiled its newest X-plane, the X-59—designed to break the sound barrier without a boom, but with a much quieter “thump,” similar to the sound of a car door slamming as heard from indoors. If successful, the jet has the potential to revolutionize supersonic flight and aviation in general.When the curtain finally fell to reveal the X-59, the assembled crowd applauded and held their mobile phones aloft to capture photos of the new jet, shining red and blue under stage lights. The elongated beak-like nose section of the aircraft stood out prominently, showing off the fact that it does not have a forward-facing window—a design choice that helps reduce the sonic boom the aircraft produces. Instead, it features what NASA calls the eXternal Vision System, or XVS, which consists of a camera and a cockpit-mounted screen that offers pilots an augmented-reality view of what's in front of the jet.
The Best-Selling Spirit
You might guess it, but there's a catch
If you had to guess, what would you say is the top booze in America? Well, according to recently released data, the best-selling alcohol brand by volume isn't a bourbon, tequila, or even vodka. Well, it's kinda vodka ... let me explain.According to Robb Report, High Noon hard seltzer is now America's number one spirit. Apparently those slim cans are selling like crazy. Over 21.4 million cases were sold last year—an impressive growth of more than 30% over the prior year equaling about $1.5 billion in retail value. Compare that to Tito's Vodka, which while still leading the pack in retail dollars at nearly $2.5 billion in sales, moved just over 12 million cases. Jack Daniel's, on the other hand, sold a mere 6.5 million cases.The Takeout says the ready-to-drink category (or RTD, meaning anything you're intended to drink straight from the container) continues to grow and High Noon is the can to crush. It is technically a hard seltzer brand, but unlike the White Claws and Trulys that first dominated that category, High Noon isn't a flavored malt beverage. Instead, it mixes vodka with real fruit juice. And the brand now also has a tequila-based hard seltzer, released last year. So watch for that one to take off, too.
FYI:
As of 2022, the total share of the beverage alcohol category in the U.S. represented almost $260 billion.
The Emmys Finally Happened
there were a whole lot of sweeps for our favorite shows
After a five-month delay due to SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, the 2023 Emmy Awards finally happened… in 2024. Did you even remember that you were waiting for TV's most prestigious award show? Probably not. And if recent ratings trends hold up, last night's Emmys on Fox may well end up as the least-watched ever.But the golden-winged statuette remains as coveted as ever among creatives and the executives who employ them. And last night, a handful of popular shows swept the categories. Succession (RIP) won best drama, and six Emmys overall, with Kieran Culkin winning for best actor, Sarah Snook winning for best actress, Matthew Macfadyen winning for best supporting actor, Jesse Armstrong for writing and Mark Mylod for directing.Netflix's Beef hauled in five Emmys: It was named best limited series, Lee Sung Jin won for writing and direction and Steven Yeun and Ali Wong won for acting. And speaking of beef, The Bear won best comedy, along with awards for best actor, best director, best writer and best supporting actor and actress. Other highlights included Elton John becoming the latest member of the EGOT club and everyone's favorite White Lotus guest, Jennifer Coolidge, thanked “all the evil gays,” before being nudged off stage.
REd Carpet:
Who were the best-dressed men last night? The GQ team picked who they thought looked particularly sharp.
In Other News
And it's not done yet. There is more coming.
Have you heard about ...
How to Keep Your Promises
ensure you’re a man of integrity
Each new year is a chance to reinvent ourselves. We vow to eat healthier, spend more time with loved ones, be grateful, and a million other iterations of self-improvement. The refreshed calendar is a blank slate and the peer pressure of New Year's Resolutions has won out yet again.Of course, it's easy to half-heartedly promise ourselves this is the year we sign up for a marathon, go after that new job, or something similarly life-changing. But, what if we focused on ourselves? And not just ourselves and one large accomplishment, but a series of smaller ones that will create positive ripples in every aspect of our lives?
Read:
Shopping
What We’re Buying
A modern Western belt
Want a Western belt that doesn't scream “cowboy”? California Arts has the one for you. The brand's slim leather belt ($93) features simple, unadorned Western-inspired silver hardware—from a polished silver horseshoe buckle and double solid silver belt loops, to that requisite pointed silver tip. They call it “a minimalist edge for the California cowboy.”
Want more?
The five stylish items you should be buying this week.
Morning Motto
Whatever you are trying to accomplish, just begin.
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