The Wordcraft Blog Letter #5

Andreia Viegas

May 1

Welcome People

"... we cannot rely on AI to do anything for us in any tasks that require common sense, judgement and creativity."

Mind promenade

Comparison, comparison and more comparison. It is ongoing. It doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing, every individual insists on gauging his successes by other people's. We tend to forget that we all have totally different experiences and paths. We will all have different outcomes.

Again, the busier our surroundings get - whether it's in traffic, at work or on social media - the more of that white noise we allow in, the more it will affect us. We know it's easier said than done. It's easy to say it aloud, not so easy to interiorize it.

It's important to have a positive supporting network of people that nurture our potential, and that identify and welcome our skills.

The way I see it being a successful (copy) writer is about hitting the nerve. It's about being brave and knowing how to use words the right way to state the obvious, to be bold and clear to say what everybody thinks. This creates resonation. And from resonation comes attachment: "Well, here's someone that calls things by their names." Common attracts. All working niches must be common. They must be an intersection of things people relate to, common things but not in the sense of the regular common, common for a particular group of people.

Remote work - In case you missed it...

Remote/hybrid work is increasingly gaining more and more support from both employers and employees. As time passes, we are starting to see a wider acceptance and stronger trust in the systems in place. We have to come to terms that it is a more affordable way of working for everyone and it should be promoted as a company perk, for computer-based roles. Especially if an employer wants to avoid/postpone salary increases for a couple of years. The fact that an employer is willing to acknowledge the importance of the work-life balance AND promote mental well-being alongside it can be recruiting game-changing.

I had an interesting experience last week when I was "forced" to choose a video banking appointment as opposed to an in-person one. Let's face it, when it comes to our money, we prefer to speak to someone physically. But it's all part of adapting to this new remote working world, and to be fair, in an era where we are using contactless cards and phones to pay for things (either by storing our bank details or by scanning) having a physical appointment at our local branch is no longer a need.

Considering that the next available appointment was only in two months' time, it made practical sense to just sit in a video banking queue, where I get an appointment on the same day. And it was quite a positive experience, I must add. Nowadays, we have the technology to make it work. There are platforms to allow people to be verified and even sign electronic contracts. It should be the same to be seen by a doctor. Not only do we save time and fuel, but the entity is also more productive. We already "sign" contracts, we just see it as a means to an end, and we normally don't read it all the way through. We just tick that we did.

There are still industries where this type of work will never be applicable, at least until such point when AI takes over. Construction, manufacturing, maintenance and reactive type of jobs still require working in the field. And more than ever those jobs should level up in pay rates and working conditions so that we still see a good part of the population sees them as jobs worth applying for. It will probably be important to review the current academic system to convert it into one that makes choosing these roles both personally and financially rewarding, rather than incentivizing the coming generations to study for a more "cushy" job.

Here's my selection of articles on remote work from the past few weeks. How is remote work evolving and what are the most pressing concerns. As remote work spreads across the globe, so does the risk of security of the personal information companies manage. It is important to review policies and adapt and put measures in place that are compliant with individual privacy. Should rates vary or not depending on the worker's geographical location? The way I see it, the workers' location shouldn't even be part of this equation. Another article on the subtle mistrust in remote work. Again, do we not know what we are all doing, when working from home? Companies set SLAs and KPIs. It should be easy to measure if the work we're doing is of benefit to the company. Nothing a spreadsheet won't resolve.

Minding my business

(Click the images to learn more)

If I mind yours

and you have a Recruitment Service...

It can be scary to look for a job. It can be even scarier if you're looking for your first job. Do you remember when you had to put together your first CV? Read more

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