How employers can manipulate your paycheck

Edition: US - Today's top story: How timekeeping software helps companies nickel and dime their workers [Click here to view this message in your browser]. Edition: US 11 January 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair] Editor's note Most Americans work jobs that pay an hourly wage, clocking in at the start of their shift and out when it ends. You’d think calculating pay would be pretty simple: number of hours and minutes worked times the wage. But modern timekeeping software makes the math less straightforward because it allows an employer to easily manipulate those hours in ways that rob workers of their wages, writes Elizabeth Tippett, a law professor at the University of Oregon. She and two colleagues [examined these methods] and found many of them highly questionable. How often, when you’re out and about, do you get local directions or information from your smartphone, as opposed to asking a passerby? Relying on that particular type of technology causes us to miss out on opportunities for human interaction. Behavioral scientist Kostadin Kushlev discusses how that may be [affecting our society] – and not for the better. And finally, we have removed an article we published last year on gifted children and screen violence. The reason is that the authors retracted the study on which the article was based. For more detail see our editor’s note [here]. Bryan Keogh Editor, Economics and Business Top story Timekeeping laws still refer to the forgone days of punch cards and time clocks. Time clock via www.shutterstock.com [How timekeeping software helps companies nickel and dime their workers] Elizabeth C. Tippett, University of Oregon If you think the hours you work are all converted directly into dollars, think again. There are a lot of ways employers can manipulate your time – some of which are legal, others highly questionable. Science + Technology - [Does your smartphone make you less likely to trust others?] Kostadin Kushlev, University of Virginia The more often Americans used their phones to obtain information, the less they trusted strangers. How can this be, and what does it mean? - [Influenza: The search for a universal vaccine] Ian Setliff, Vanderbilt University; Amyn Murji, Vanderbilt University Flu virus mutates so quickly that one year's vaccine won't work on the next year's common strains. But a new way to create vaccines, called 'rational design,' might pave the way for more lasting solutions. Politics + Society - [In racially divided times, Obama's farewell address swings for the middle] Cynthia Young, Pennsylvania State University The nation needed a full-throated rebuttal to the nativism, racism and misogyny that characterized the president-elect’s campaign. Obama failed to deliver. Health + Medicine - [Faster approval for drugs and medical devices under the 21st Century Cures Act raises concerns for patient safety] Ana Santos Rutschman, DePaul University Lowering the threshold for FDA approval and feeding the agency less rigorous information will increase the likelihood of approvals of unsafe or ineffective drugs and devices. Arts + Culture - [Playing it safe: A brief history of lip-syncing] Alex Lubet, University of Minnesota From The Monkees to Mariah Carey, lip-syncers have been getting mocked for decades. Education - [Free college explained in a global context] Jason Lane, University at Albany, State University of New York What does tuition-free college mean in other parts of the world? And what would it mean for international students? Economy + Business - [It’s official: inequality, climate change and social polarisation are bad for you] Jonathan Michie, University of Oxford The World Economic Forum draws a straight line from social injustice to many of the risks facing the world in 2017. Rest of the World - United Kingdom [It's time to wake up to the devastating impact flying has on the environment] Roger Tyers, University of Southampton Most passengers have no idea how bad air travel is for the environment. - United Kingdom [Syria is on the brink of partition – here’s how it got there] Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham More than five years into a catastrophic, multi-sided war of attrition, a new order for Syria is coming into view. - Africa [China’s ban on domestic ivory trade is huge, but the battle isn’t won] Ross Harvey, South African Institute of International Affairs China has decided to end all domestic trade in ivory, an act that could help elephant numbers all over Africa. [The Conversation on Twitter] [The Conversation on Facebook] You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly]. We’ll miss you. 745 Atlantic Ave. 8th Floor Boston, MA 02111