Work

New employer satisfaction data hints at techlash’s impact and Microsoft’s exception

by Monica Nickelsburg on December 11, 2019December 11, 2019 at 10:53 amComment

It’s been a tough year for tech, and the barrage of negative headlines dogging the industry may be hitting companies in one of their most sensitive spots: recruiting. Glassdoor’s new… Read More

Report spotlights high injury rates at Amazon warehouses ahead of holiday shopping season

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 25, 2019November 25, 2019 at 4:57 pmComment

Amazon’s warehouse culture is making headlines again this week after a nonprofit news organization obtained injury records from 23 of the company’s fulfillment centers. Reveal, a project of the Center… Read More

Warren slams Bezos over Amazon’s decision to cut medical benefits for part-time Whole Foods workers

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 14, 2019September 14, 2019 at 9:25 am 8 Comments

Amazon is once again in Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s crosshairs, this time for its decision to cut medical benefits for part-time employees at Whole Foods, the company’s grocery chain. Warren tweeted… Read More

PTO Exchange raises $3M to grow platform that helps employees cash out unused vacation time

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 20, 2019August 20, 2019 at 7:47 amComment

More than half of Americans do not use all of the paid time off granted by their employers, leaving 768 million unused vacation days in 2018, according to a study… Read More

Why everyone is talking again about the Amazon ‘ambassadors’ who talk up warehouse conditions

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 16, 2019August 16, 2019 at 10:24 amComment

For more than a year, Amazon has been marshaling an army of ambassadors to defend conditions inside its warehouses, but the program is in the spotlight again, and not in… Read More

Amazon warehouse workers plan Prime Day strike as company’s scale comes under scrutiny

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 8, 2019July 8, 2019 at 12:32 pm1 Comment

Amazon workers are planning to strike during a major shopping holiday in the latest headache for a company that has become a target in today’s political climate. The news: Employees… Read More

Uber and Lyft CEOs team up to respond to driver concerns in rare op-ed

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 at 9:14 amComment

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi and Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer lead companies that have been locked in fierce competition for years. But more and more, these executives find… Read More

Smartsheet targets government agencies with new workplace software powered by AWS

by Monica Nickelsburg on June 10, 2019June 10, 2019 at 9:35 amComment

With hundreds of federal agencies eager to modernize their processes, competition in government tech is hot. Take the Department of Defense’s JEDI contract, a $10 billion cloud migration project that… Read More

Podcast

Q&A: Melinda Gates opens up about tech industry, equality and 3 women who changed her life

by Monica Nickelsburg & Todd Bishop on May 14, 2019May 18, 2019 at 7:52 amComment

Melinda Gates once famously set a rule in her kitchen. Nobody leaves until mom does. It’s a story she tells often during interviews and it comes up in her new… Read More

Tech leaders sound off on Washington state’s new non-compete restrictions

by Monica Nickelsburg on April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 at 1:36 pm 6 Comments

Washington state’s legislature passed a bill imposing new restrictions on non-compete agreements late last week, which employers use to restrict workers with sensitive business information from taking jobs with similar… Read More

Washington state legislators pass law restricting non-compete agreements

by Monica Nickelsburg on April 19, 2019May 8, 2019 at 4:16 pm1 Comment

Update May 8: Gov. Inslee signed the non-compete bill into law, raising the bar employers will need to meet to enforce the controversial covenants. A bill imposing new restrictions on non-compete… Read More

US immigration policy has employers eyeing Canada for job growth

by Monica Nickelsburg on March 20, 2019March 20, 2019 at 9:02 am1 Comment

As the United States cracks down on employment-based immigration programs, Canada has been aggressively marketing itself as a friendly alternative for tech companies seeking international talent in the nation’s quest… Read More

Trump administration starts cracking down on H-1B visa approvals and work permits for spouses

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 25, 2019February 25, 2019 at 12:05 pm 6 Comments

It’s harder to get an H-1B visa than it used to be — and the spouses of those who do get approvals could soon lose permission to work in the… Read More

Seattle scrutinizes Amazon, gig economy companies for ‘misclassifying’ employees as independent contractors

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 20, 2019February 20, 2019 at 1:24 pmComment

Seattle lawmakers are taking a closer look at companies that hire big teams of independent contractors. The Seattle City Council passed a resolution Tuesday asking the city’s labor office to investigate… Read More

Amazon sued by family of deceased employee claiming wrongful death and discrimination

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 29, 2018November 29, 2018 at 3:15 pmComment

Relatives of a deceased Amazon employee are suing the Seattle company, claiming its negligence led to his wrongful death. The family of Ronald Ashley filed a lawsuit in New York… Read More

Video

Washington state to roll out broad new paid leave policy: What workers and employers should know

by Monica Nickelsburg on November 29, 2018November 30, 2018 at 8:12 am 6 Comments

On Jan. 1, Washington state will begin implementing one of the most generous paid family and medical leave programs in the nation, allowing employees to take up to 16 weeks… Read More

Whole Foods worker group urges employees to unionize to fight changes under Amazon

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 6, 2018September 7, 2018 at 10:32 am1 Comment

Some workers at Whole Foods Market are making the case to unionize, expressing frustration over changes that Amazon has made since acquiring the grocery chain. Whole Foods employees identifying themselves… Read More

Jeff Bezos hints at how Amazon’s two HQs could work together across time zones

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 4, 2018September 4, 2018 at 10:17 am1 Comment

It has been almost a year since Amazon surprised the world with plans for a second North American headquarters, with no word yet about where it will end up. But… Read More

There’s a big difference between how men and women see employer salary policies

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 14, 2018August 14, 2018 at 10:23 amComment

Given the breadth of data about unequal pay and other obstacles for women in tech, it should come as no surprise that many women believe their companies are not compensating… Read More

‘I wouldn’t have been homeless if I had benefits.’ Gig economy workers demand better protections

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 28, 2018July 28, 2018 at 8:11 am 7 Comments

Of the six workers who gathered to share their experiences in the gig economy at a Seattle event last week, two had experienced homelessness in the past few years. They agreed it… Read More

Without more women, tech is facing a serious problem. Here’s how men can be part of the solution

by Michael Schutzler on June 15, 2018June 14, 2018 at 4:08 pm 4 Comments

As tactile social beings, we know instinctively there is safety in numbers. By adulthood, this concept has been reinforced by parenting and life experience. Finding our tribe, our herd, our… Read More

Commentary: Wake up, white men, it’s time to stop talking and start acting on diversity

by Michael Schutzler on April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 at 7:40 am 8 Comments

[Editor’s note: This guest commentary comes from Michael Schutzler, CEO of the Washington Technology Industry Association] In the technology industry, we pride ourselves on being data-driven, rapidly making sound business… Read More

Washington state passes gender pay equity bill with support from tech industry … for the most part

by Monica Nickelsburg on March 7, 2018March 7, 2018 at 5:55 pm 4 Comments

Seizing on a historic moment for women challenging discrimination in the workplace, Washington state’s legislature passed the Equal Pay Opportunity Act on Wednesday. The bill passed both chambers on the eve… Read More

Effort to kill non-competes in Washington state fails again, leaving controversial contracts intact

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 16, 2018February 18, 2018 at 8:49 am1 Comment

Washington lawmakers’ efforts to crack down on non-compete agreements died in the state legislature this week. Two bills that would have made it nearly impossible to enforce the controversial contracts,… Read More

Employment lawyers puzzled over IBM’s non-compete suit against Microsoft’s new diversity chief

by Monica Nickelsburg on February 15, 2018February 15, 2018 at 2:58 pm 4 Comments

IBM’s decision to sue a longtime human resources executive for taking a new job at Microsoft is raising questions among lawyers who specialize in employment agreements and non-compete clauses. Earlier… Read More

Uber CEO, Seattle investor and labor leader call for portable benefits in Washington state

by Monica Nickelsburg on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018 at 1:41 pm 2 Comments

Uber has long maintained that its drivers are independent contractors, not employees, and therefore not eligible for the benefits employees receive. Like many sharing economy companies, Uber says it simply… Read More

Most women in Seattle tech industry experience harassment but few report it, new study finds

by Monica Nickelsburg on January 19, 2018January 22, 2018 at 8:03 am 8 Comments

Some were pushed toward non-technical careers despite their technical skills. Others reported unwanted touching or kissing. Many saw less qualified men promoted over them. One witnessed male coworkers rating female… Read More

Complaints from bike-share workers reflect new reality for labor force that powers sharing economy

by Monica Nickelsburg on January 11, 2018January 11, 2018 at 10:47 am 2 Comments

After four months working with Ofo, Sean Healy reached a breaking point. He started driving vans and trucks for the bike sharing company’s new Seattle operation. He was helping Ofo… Read More

Working Geek: 9 technology execs share their favorite apps and software tools

by Monica Nickelsburg on September 30, 2017September 30, 2017 at 7:36 amComment

Slack, Evernote, Microsoft Office, Google Suite. Those are a few of the most popular apps that the busy executives featured in our Working Geek series use to stay organized. With… Read More

Where these 10 tech managers get their best ideas

by Monica Nickelsburg on July 15, 2017July 15, 2017 at 3:14 pmComment

Inspiration can strike at unexpected times but in the working world, we don’t always have the luxury of waiting around for that million dollar idea. That’s why we’ve compiled a… Read More