The Daily Valet. - 7/15/22, Friday

✔️ Slack-Splaining

Friday, July 15th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Who’s ready for the weekend? *Raises both hands.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s Big Story

Slack-Splaining?

WFH means a lot of messaging and a lot of messaging means overthinking, over-explaining and wasted time

We were already on Slack plenty before the pandemic (remember the ‘Before Times’?), but WFH has only expanded the amount of written communication we have every day. Those quick check-in conversations that were once face-to-face are now being done through quick messages or emails.

And one in five office workers say they have been reprimanded, demoted, or even fired over misinterpreted messages. That sounds harsh, but if you think back to all the times you’ve felt hostility in a text, you know how it can happen. The written word can easily be misinterpreted. Our brains are hardwired to assume the negative, which means we can often assume a tone or underlying meaning that’s just not there.

This is why the majority of workers are over-communicating through digital messages to clarify their tone, communication software Loom found in a survey of more than 3,000 U.S. and U.K. workers [PDF]. A whopping 97% of respondents said they feel that they must add something extra to a digital message in an extra effort that Loom refers to as “Slack-splaining.”

The report delves into how workers communicate everyday and analyzed their responses on what works and what doesn’t. For example, the report said that nearly a third of workers felt that majority of digital work meetings could be replaced by recorded video. In fact, 72% of office workers said they are frustrated with their digital communication tools. Employees are “wasting one hour and 42 minutes on average scheduling and rescheduling calls” in the workplace—costing businesses in the U.S. $1.85 billion dollars every week.

Dr. Betsy Dalton, a communications professor, told Fast Company that email, text, and Slack platforms are “lean” communication channels. “[They are] low on the types of nonverbal cues we use during in-person communication to convey meaning,” she says. “These cues include gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, pitch, posture, eye contact, even timing.”

Anyone who’s ever wondered if that quick response of “sure” was sarcastic knows this. That's why, emojis—when used sparingly and thoughtfully—can come in handy. Sure, they can seem a little silly. But when you can’t see someone’s face IRL, popping a thumbs-up or smiley face can instantly get a point across without it getting lost in translation. This is actually scientifically proven, since the same part of the brain that processes human facial expressions is what interprets emojis.

↦ FYI: Avoid these most annoying business jargon words at all costs—CNBC offers up tips on how to speak more clearly and concisely.

It’s Not Over Yet

U.S. COVID hospitalizations have begun to rise again

The World Health Organization this week warned that sub-variants of the omicron strain of COVID-19 are causing trouble for those of us optimistically look towards the end of this pandemic. New hospital admissions are on the rise in the U.S., topping 31,000 over a seven-day average ending July 11, CDC data shows.

We don't know how many cases are individuals admitted for COVID versus those hospitalized for other conditions who happen to have COVID. But with many cases being detected through home testing, experts have increasingly pointed to hospitalizations as an important metric for understanding what's happening at a community level, Insider reports.

Because of this, the message from federal health officials is clear: If you're eligible for a booster, get the shot immediately. Of course, new versions of the vaccines are in the works that aim to specifically target the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. But those shots aren't expected until this fall, and doctors say the current boosters will still provide some protection while reducing the risk an infected person will develop complications of the virus.

But still, if you can avoid it, you don't want to catch BA.5. Because, apparently, the loss of smell—one of the original and most annoying COVID symptoms—is back with this variant.

↦ Dig Deeper: As most of us try to return to normal from COVID, disabled and immunocompromised people face a different reality.

Americans Are Worried About the Government

Desire for structural changes cuts across both parties, but for different reasons

In our ever-divided country, we do seem to agree that we're worried about the future of our government. Only a third of Americans have faith the government is ‘basically sound.’

According to a new New York Times/Siena College poll, 58% of citizens said that the world's oldest independent constitutional democracy needs major reforms or a complete overhaul. Republicans distrust elections now and Democrats worry that even with control of Congress, they can't get their goals met.

Things have degraded quickly too. Today, just 36% of Americans report faith in the system, down from 55% in 2020 and 62% in 1980. In 1980, just 10% considered the American system of government unsound, a number that jumped to 22% in 2021 and to 36% now, according to a Monmouth University poll released last week.

Americans aren't just cynical about their politics. In Gallup's trends, you can see more and more disillusionment with pretty much every major institution. Some shifts are hard to blame on politics—confidence in banks, for instance, fell dramatically during the Great Recession. But experts told Five Thirty Eight that they're also “the result of increasing partisan polarization and a decades-long effort by the Republican Party to sow distrust in a wide range of government institutions.” And the unfortunate part is that when you're pessimistic about the future, it's hard to work to change it.

Weekend Warriors Are Onto Something

Research says they reap the same benefits as daily exercisers

If you missed a few morning workouts this week (like I did) and plan to make it up this weekend (like I do), here's some good news. Being a ‘weekend warrior’ boosts health almost as much as working out every day, according to new research.

People who cram exercise into one or two sessions on the weekend lower their risk of premature death as much as peers who spread exercise through the week. Both groups are less likely to succumb to cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and other killer diseases than couch potatoes, say scientists.

The findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine are based on more than 350,000 adults in the U.S. followed for just over a decade, on average. An earlier analysis from more than 63,000 Britons by another team came to the same conclusion.

Health experts agree that this study solidifies the idea that following weekly exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate activity—or 75 minutes of vigorous activity—can be accomplished in a number of ways. Not just with daily exercise. And that's something of a gift—it means there's less pressure to carve out time every day to work out. If you miss a couple, you can always make it up.

↦ Recovery: You pushed yourself. Here's how to treat the aches and pains that might follow you into next week.

In Other News

↦ Ye (Formerly Kanye West) Focuses on Rebuilding His Relationship With… The GAP

↦ From Industrial-Scale Scam Centers, Trafficking Victims Are Being Forced to Steal Billions

↦ Man Survives 18 Hours at Sea by Clinging on to Football Lost by Boys on Beach

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Smart shopping strategies

Japanese iced coffee

Cities with the most expensive Ubers

A Weekend Pairing

‘The Gray Man’ + a Pilsner Urquell

In a world seemingly naked with James Bonds, Jason Bournes and Ethan Hunts, there's still room for another globe-trotting hero, right? The Gray Man, Netflix's long-awaited action epic, finally starts streaming today. Helmed by the creative team behind the Avengers movies (both the writing duo and the directing duo), it's also got a cast chock full of the most sought-after stars of our time. Need more? It cost Netflix upwards of $200 million, making it one of the streamer's most expensive productions to date.

The film is based on the book series by Mark Greaney. Gosling plays CIA hitman Court Gentry (top-tier movie name), who finds himself the target of a psychotic former colleague, CIA defector Lloyd Hansen (played by Chris Evans). On paper, it seems to have everything you'd want from this kind of movie: exciting chases and rooftop helipads, state secrets on a thumb drive and a kidnapped kid thrown into the mix. But while some have called this Netflix's best action movie yet, others are saying it's the blandest. Others critiqued the movie's story as obvious, arguing it's simply a vehicle for star-studded money making. Film critic David Ehrlich criticized the action scenes for being bland, while the New York Times' Kyle Buchanan even compared the film to an AI-simulated movie. But hey, that doesn't mean it's not fun, right?

↦ Your Pairing:Since so much of the film takes place in Prague, how about a refreshing Pilsner beer to go with it? Pilsner Urquell, the golden Czech lager that coined the name is still a gold standard. Crisp and slightly more bitter than American lagers, it balances the herbaceous hops with a malty sweetness. It's easy to drink and affordable too.

What We’re Buying

Don't let the fun stop just because the sun went down. Summer evenings are great, you just need a little illumination. Zara is an underrated source for home goods, but this lantern is incredibly high quality for the price. The top is made from blacked metal and the bottom is a durable polyethylene plastic (meaning no breakage). You charge the battery via USB and one charge will offer hours of illumination.

↦ Get It: $89.99 / $59.90 by Zara Home