Tag: office

  • Microsoft set to reveal three new Surface laptops and advanced AI features

    Microsoft set to reveal three new Surface laptops and advanced AI features

    Microsoft is gearing up for a “special event” in New York City, set to debut new Surface devices and AI-powered features across its ecosystem. This event comes right after the unexpected resignation of Panos Panay, the former head of Windows and Surface.  

    Here’s what you need to know about this event: 

    Event details 

    The event is scheduled for Thursday, September 21st, marking the first in-person Surface event since the pandemic. 

    While Panos Panay won’t be presenting, we can expect to hear from Yusuf Mehdi, head of consumer marketing, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. 

    New Surface devices 

    Microsoft is rumoured to unveil three new Surface devices. The Surface Laptop Studio 2 is among them, featuring Intel’s 13th Gen processors, Nvidia’s RTX 4060, a microSD card slot, and a USB-A port. It retains the familiar design with a versatile display that transforms from a laptop to a tablet. 

    Notably, it’s rumoured to ship with 64GB of RAM and is expected to be available starting October 3rd. 

    The Surface Go 4 and Surface Laptop Go 3 are also anticipated, likely maintaining the design of their predecessors but with upgraded internals and Intel’s 12th Gen CPUs. 

    Windows AI features 

    Microsoft will unveil AI-powered features for Windows, including Windows Copilot, an AI “personal assistant.” This update is set to ship by the end of September, enhancing Windows 11 with various improvements. 

    Expect more AI integration in Windows apps, such as the Snipping Tool and Photos app, offering new functionalities like text copying from screenshots and background blur for photos. 

    Apps like Paint and Photos are rumoured to get AI enhancements for generating images from text prompts and identifying objects or people in photos. 

    Surface AI features

    Microsoft has been integrating AI into its Surface lineup with features like Windows Studio Effects, which debuted on the Arm-powered Surface Pro X. 

    These features rely on dedicated neural processing units (NPUs), which may be included in the upcoming Surface Laptop Studio 2. 

    AMD’s Ryzen 7000 mobile processors and Intel’s Meteor Lake chips are expected to support AI capabilities, potentially shaping future AI experiences on Windows. 

    Office and Bing AI features

    The event won’t be limited to Surface and Windows, as Microsoft is likely to share more about Copilot plans for Microsoft 365 and Office apps. 

    Copilot in Office apps aims to streamline document summarization, email generation, and Excel analysis using AI, competing with Google Workspace, Zoom, and Slack’s AI-powered features. 

    There may also be updates regarding Bing Chat Enterprise, including its exit from preview and additional features for both consumer and enterprise versions. 

    Microsoft’s “special event” promises exciting new Surface devices and a deep dive into AI-powered features across Windows, Office, Bing, and more, setting the stage for a future where AI revolutionises how we interact with Microsoft’s products and services. 

  • Man fined $11,000 for taking 4,500 smoke breaks during 14 years of employment

    A Japanese government employee has been fined approximately $11,000 for smoking more than 4,500 times during the course of his 14-year employment.

    The human resource department discovered a secret stash of tobacco owned by the man and two other employees in the organisation.

    The 61-year-old director-level employee was deemed to have violated the “duty of devotion” under the Local Public Service Act.

    Osaka has stringent smoking regulations that are mandated by law. Since 2008, smoking has been prohibited on government property, including offices and public institutions. 2019 saw the addition of smoking prohibitions at work.

  • Twitter bird statue sells for $100,000 as Musk auctions off old office mementos

    Twitter bird statue sells for $100,000 as Musk auctions off old office mementos

    A Twitter bird statue fetched $100,000 on Wednesday as owner Elon Musk auctioned off furniture, decorations, kitchen equipment, and more from the tech firm’s San Francisco headquarters.

    A 10-foot neon light in the form of Twitter’s bird logo was included in an online auction of “surplus corporate office assets of Twitter” that lasted just over 24 hours and received a winning price of $40,000, the Heritage Global Partners auction service reported.

    Espresso machines, ergonomically sound desks, televisions, bicycle-powered charging stations, pizza ovens, and a colourful planter in the form of a “@” sign were some of the 631 lots.

    As he set out to hire a new CEO for his struggling social media network, Musk claimed in December that drastic cost cutbacks at Twitter had fixed the company’s poor financial situation.

    At the time, the erratic billionaire claimed in a live chat room that Twitter would have lost $3 billion annually without the reforms, which included sacking more than half of its staff.

    At the platform he paid $44 billion for, Musk claimed to have been “reducing expenses like crazy.”

    Shortly after taking over Twitter, Musk let go roughly half of its 7,500 employees, raising concerns that the firm lacked the manpower to handle content moderation and alarmed regulators, advertisers, and governments.

    According to Musk, his strategy is to drastically cut expenses while increasing revenue and a new $8 monthly membership service dubbed Twitter Blue will aid in achieving this objective.

    Mass layoffs, the reinstatement of blocked accounts, and the suspension of journalists who criticise the wealthy South African-born Elon Musk have all contributed to the instability that has gripped Musk’s Twitter.

    Racist or offensive tweets also increased after Musk’s takeover, which attracted regulatory attention and drove away major advertisers, Twitter’s primary source of income.

  • Amazon plans to lay off 10,000 employees due to declining sales

    Amazon plans to lay off 10,000 employees due to declining sales

    Amazon is reportedly getting ready to lay off thousands of office workers due to decreasing sales and worries about an impending recession.

    The e-commerce giant’s office personnel could lose about 10,000 of their employees, according to US media sources who requested anonymity.

    Cuts are anticipated to have an impact on departments like e-commerce and personal devices.

    The business warned it had overhired during the pandemic and had previously implemented a hiring freeze and stopped some of its warehouse expansions. Additionally, it has taken steps to close off some areas of its operations by shelving plans for things like a personal delivery robot.

    The business announced last week that cutting costs would be a priority in its annual review of business operations. “As part of this year’s review, we’re of course taking into account the current macro-environment and considering opportunities to optimize costs,” the e-commerce company said in a statement.

    According to media sources, the precise number of positions that will be eliminated is still uncertain.

    Amazon is battling a dip in online sales after the epidemic saw a surge in its revenue. Despite a 15 per cent increase in overall revenue in the most recent quarter, the company has remained concerned about the forecast as the slowdown spreads to other industries, including its long-profit-boosting cloud computing division, Amazon Web Services.

    On social media, the company’s founder Jeff Bezos, who is no longer serving as CEO but is still chairman of the board, declared that it was time to “batten down the hatches.”

    Amazon joins a long list of other tech firms that have announced layoffs in an effort to signal an impending economic collapse. Included in the list is Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which recently announced plans to eliminate 11,000 jobs, the largest reduction in staff in company history.

    According to a survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, which analyses such announcements, US-based tech companies have cut more than 28,000 jobs overall this year, more than double the number from a year ago.

  • Sindh govt declares Monday public holiday in Karachi and Hyderabad due to heavy rain

    Sindh govt declares Monday public holiday in Karachi and Hyderabad due to heavy rain

    Following relentless rain, the Government of Sindh has declared a public holiday for tomorrow (Monday) in Hyderabad and Karachi.

    The spokesman for the Sindh government, Murtaza Wahab, announced that the 25th of July will be a public holiday in the Karachi and Hyderabad Divisions after Sunday’s relentless rain continued to cause urban flooding and the suspension of power in many places. The private sector was also given the warning to keep its doors closed in a notification.

    Sharjeel Inam Memon, the Sindh minister of information, also urged the private sector to close on Monday.

    The highest amount of rainfall during the previous 24 hours, according to local rainfall data released by the regional office of the PMD, was received in Quaidabad (4.5mm), followed by Saddar (4mm), Korangi (3mm), Gulshan-i-Hadeed (3mm), PAF Masroor base (2.4mm), Orangi Town (2mm), University Road (1.5mm), PAF Faisal base (1.5mm), Keamari (1.4mm), Jinnah Terminal (0.8mm), DHA (0.6mm).

  • Man disappears after company pays 286 times his salary accidentally

    Man disappears after company pays 286 times his salary accidentally

    A company in Chile accidentally paid one of its employees 286 times his salary in May, after which the employee resigned from the company and disappeared.

    The man worked at Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos (Cial), one of the largest producers of cold cuts in Chile. The company paid nearly Rs37 million to the man although his salary was Rs111,760.

    Soon after the incident, the company realised its mistake. The management reached out to the employee who at the time agreed to get the money refunded.

    However, when the company did not get the amount back, they tried to contact the employee again but their messages were not answered.

    Later, the man got in touch with the management and promised that he would visit the bank.

    However, on June 2, he handed over his resignation and disappeared without any trace.

    Subsequently, the company was forced to take legal action against the man to recover their money.

  • What workplaces will look like after lockdowns

    Around the world countries are hitting their coronavirus peaks and starting to grapple with questions about when and how to reopen their economies.

    But those people fortunate enough to have not lost their jobs should be prepared for a “new normal” when they finally go back to work, say experts.

    Here is a preview of what to expect.

    No handshakes, fewer meetings

    Handshakes are out “indefinitely,” said Tom Frieden, the former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Next, offices will need to start thinking about practical measures.

    “Can we have doors that don’t have to be opened by people? Should we be taking the temperatures of all people who enter?” he said in a call with reporters.

    No-touch hand sanitizer dispensers will become common. Steps may be taken to reduce overcrowding in common spaces, and computers and phones may no longer be shared.

    Mask use will be encouraged, and some workplaces may provide them.

    Businesses like supermarkets are already keeping down the number of people who can enter, placing clear plastic barriers between employees and customers and enforcing physical distancing — this could be extended to all shops, cafes and face-to-face engagements.

    Offices may also stagger employee hours and have workers come in on different days so that fewer people are present at a given time — and cut meetings.

    “One of the positive impacts of COVID I hope will be fewer meetings, because there are just too many meetings,” added Frieden.

    More sick days

    “Staying at home if you are sick may be encouraged vs discouraged,” said Brandon Brown, a University of California Riverside epidemiologist.

    The US has a famously brutal work culture driven in part by the fact there is no federally mandatory sick leave.

    As a result, people tend to power through despite illness: an October 2019 nationwide survey of 2,800 workers by the accounting firm Robert Half found that 33 percent always go in when sick. That may change.

    Telework may become more common for many, especially as people have learned during enforced lockdowns that it is possible.

    “One thing that we found out from this pandemic and sheltering in place at home, is that in-person meetings are not always necessary. Virtual meetings should be an ongoing option from here on out,” added Brown.

    Counseling provided? –

    The pandemic has already extracted a devastating death toll, particularly in the hardest-hit region New York, and the onus for providing counselling may fall to a great extent on employers.

    “Don’t forget a lot of people are gonna go back to work having lost family members,” said Marc Wilkenfeld, a doctor who specializes in occupational medicine at NYU Langone Health.

    “I think the bigger companies or even the smaller companies are going to need to address these issues, because you do want a workforce coming back healthy, physically and mentally.”

    Toilet lids and better plumbing

    Workplaces will continue to hammer home the message to wash hands regularly and thoroughly, said Brown.

    Often touched surfaces will be cleaned more frequently, but greater attention will need to be placed on keeping bathrooms clean and improving plumbing, since there is some evidence that the coronavirus can be spread via feces.

    A recent Lancet paper recommended “do not ignore unexplained foul smells in bathrooms, kitchens, or wash areas” and included tips for improving plumbing like having functioning U-bends that prevent the outflow of sewage gases.

    One step toward mitigating the risk is flushing the toilet with the lid down, since a flush can release up to 80,000 contaminated droplets and leave them suspended in the air for hours if it’s not covered, according to a recent Hong Kong study.

    But many toilets in modern workspaces lack lids — a trend that may be reversed.

    Who returns first

    People over the age of 65 or who have underlying conditions like heart disease or diabetes are at higher risk for complications arising from COVID-19 — and their return to offices will come later.

    “When people start to go back to work, I think that it’s going to be that not everyone goes back at the same time,” Wilkenfeld said.