🏢 Back to the office

Plus: Summer jobs, weekend reads, and shower thoughts. [The Hustle] The next stop for brand awareness? Your playlist. Mastercard, the payments pioneer, released its debut album, “Priceless,” this week, featuring 10 songs that all incorporate the company’s “sonic brand.” In today’s email: - WFH: Would a recession get people back in offices? - Chart: More teens are working this summer. - Reads to carry you into the weekend. - Around the web: A strange art project, an ode to Costco, and more cool internet finds. 🎧 On the go? [Listen to today’s podcast]( to hear Jacob and Juliet discuss AI age verification, creepy Alexa, and the pros and cons of remote work. The big idea [going back to work]( Will a recession get people back in the office? In October 2020, a Pew Research Center survey [found]( that 64% of respondents were working from home because their office closed amid the pandemic. By January 2022, 61% were doing it because they wanted to. Many have [embraced]( WFH’s benefits, but could a recession change all that? It’s a question The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson, author of the Work in Progress newsletter, [recently pondered](. What’s the logic? Lately, it’s been a job seeker’s market, with companies offering higher wages and better perks to lure talent. But if “the Great Resignation becomes the Great Labor Slackening,” Thompson writes, it could put power back in bosses’ hands — half of whom think in-office workers are more productive. Meanwhile, real estate developer Stephen Ross [suggests]( that employees might voluntarily go back because they’re afraid of being laid off. - In that same Pew Research Center survey, 14% of those who returned to the office did so because they feared missing work opportunities while at home. Gen Z may also be a factor; the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) [found]( 63% of them want in-person training, and only 23% consider a WFH option important. But a recession could also mean… … cutting costs. Sure, that could mean layoffs, but you know what else costs money? Offices — plus, electricity, internet, janitorial services, coffee, snacks, etc. - Global Workplace Analytics [found]( that companies could save an average of $11k/yr. per half-time remote employee — a figure that would naturally increase for each full-time worker. - FlexJobs [found]( the average employee saved $4k/yr. if working remotely, factoring in lunch, commuting, and wardrobe. It’s also expensive to recruit and hire new employees, especially if talent would rather quit than return to the office. So it’s also possible that WFH could expand as it becomes a perk used to recruit talent, while simultaneously saving money on office space and other benefits. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Will+a+recession+get+people+back+in+the+office%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F06242022-recession-WFH%3Futm_campaign%3DWFH%26utm_content%3D06242022-recession-WFH%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS Big bet: Fanatics, the sports merchandise giant, is reportedly in [talks to buy]( Tipico, a sports gambling company. In preparation for the move, Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin sold his stake in the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils. Flight cuts: United Airlines [will cut]( 12% of flights — ~50 flights per day — from its Newark, New Jersey, hub in an effort to reduce delays. No more threads: Twitter is working on a [new feature]( called Notes that will allow users to post long-form content on the app. Kinda creepy: Amazon plans to [build a system]( that will let Alexa mimic any voice after only listening to a minute of audio. Futuristic farming: One engineer set out to solve labor shortages on California farms. His solution: [a startup that pairs AI with robotics]( to complete tedious tasks like pruning grapevines. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey — enjoy getting quick updates on what you care about? Take [20 seconds]( to personalize your Snippets. Pick your preferences👇 and we’ll send you more of what you love. Boom. [Personalize my Email →]( Chart [percentage of US teens with a summer job]( Selina Lee Teens are going back to work Whether lifeguarding, babysitting, or slinging sandwiches from behind a deli counter, the summer job is a teenage rite of passage. At least, it was. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of 16- to 19-year-olds in the US with a summer job fell off a cliff. But recent data from Pew Research Center suggests summer employment is [back on the upswing]( after dropping early in the pandemic. From 1948 to 2000… … over half of US teens ages 16-19 held summer jobs. But that number fell hard in the following decade: - By 2010, less than 30% had summer jobs - After rising steadily for the next decade, that percentage dropped to 30.8% in 2020 But in 2021, teens bounced back, with 36.6% of 16- to 19-year-olds joining the workforce. Early data suggests the trend will continue this summer. So, where are teens working? Until 2001, the largest sector for teen workers was retail, but for the last two decades, that title goes to accomodation and food services. The category includes hotels, restaurants, snack shacks, and similar roles. If you’re looking for the big money, you may want to practice your sidestroke. A recent report shows ~100 lifeguards in California [made $200k+ last year]( amid a nationwide shortage. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=Teens+are+going+back+to+work%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F06242022-teens-summer-jobs%3Futm_campaign%3DWFH%26utm_content%3D06242022-teens-summer-jobs%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Recs [Weekend Reads] Welcome to Weekend Reads. Here are five recs to pair with your Saturday morning coffee. ICYMI: - “Just stop buying lattes.” Financial gurus have long preached cutting back on small luxuries like avocado toast — [and margs]( — to afford a house. What are the origins of this [personal finance myth](? - Discord is dominating as the preferred communication platform for Web3. But WTF is actually going on over there? We sent a Hustle writer [into the depths]( of five crypto servers to find out. Spot the fake: - Labor exploitation, [explained by the Minions]( from Despicable Me - Amazon’s Alexa is [mimicking the voice]( of your dead grandma. - Mark Zuckerberg’s [vision for the metaverse]( includes sex. TRENDS How two Trendsters crushed a $170k affiliate program Pretty impressive, right? Doing it [under 20 days]( is a different game, though. Kelsey and Lori are community-building specialists who recently synergized to execute an affiliate program and product launch for a cannabis company. Two of their key tips for community-building success: - Create exclusivity: Your influencers are your low-key VIPs. Try a tiered commission system that incentivizes long-term relationships. - Leverage relatability: Grassroots growth is incredible. Small-time influencers are absolute beasts for qualified leads across niches. Learn how to leverage micro-influencers and make your affiliate program something special. Read the whole [Trends article]( in depth. And for weekly research reports, trends spotting, and access to our community of 17k+ professionals… [Join Trends for $1 →]( AROUND THE WEB 🤡 On this day: In 1997, Disney ordered subsidiary record label Hollywood Records to [recall]( Insane Clown Posse’s “The Great Milenko.” The rap duo’s album was definitely not family-friendly, but the label had already shipped 100k copies. 🐍 Cure boredom: Remember “Snake?” “[Slither](” is a modern version of the classic game. Eat glowing pebbles to grow bigger while avoiding other players. 🏬 Essay: Yuxi Lin [writes]( about how Costco fit into her life as an immigrant, from childhood to now. 😕 Haha: Here’s a weird, uh, art project, maybe. A [series of signs]( in Boston beg a woman named Stacey to take the writer back. They lead to a [website]( where you can leave and listen to voicemails. 🐾 Aww: And now, [patty-cake, patty-cake](. Shower Thoughts - “Really old rock stars are a fairly new thing.” [SOURCE SOURCE]( - “If you boil drinking water to kill germs, you're still drinking them, they're just dead.” [SOURCE SOURCE]( - “It's your parent's job to raise you. Your adult relationship with them is their performance review.” [SOURCE SOURCE]( - “While you take a picture for a group of people, you can tell them to do random things and they probably will.” [SOURCE SOURCE]( - “Only the poorest rich people fly in first class.” [SOURCE SOURCE](  [via Reddit]( SHARE THE HUSTLE Hey. Stop keeping us a secret. Refer just 3 people and we’ll start to send some goodies as a thank you. [all prizes]( Spread the news. Help us grow 🌱 [Share The Hustle 🤠→]( Or copy this custom referral link: [ Your referral count: 0 How did you like today’s email? 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