The Conversation

Home vs office working: why it doesn’t have to be a battle

William Perugini/ShutterstockMore than five years into the homeworking revolution, a narrative seems to have emerged – of employees being hauled back to the office against their will. This contrasts with what COVID taught us: that people can work flexibly, benefit from not commuting, and even work for employers based far from their home – expanding the labour pool for employers.

In fact, both of these arguments are oversimplifications.

It’s always been hard to make it as an artist in America – and it’s becoming only harder

About 2.4 million Americans are artists, or 1% of the workforce. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images“Being an artist is not viewed as a real job.”

It’s a sentiment I’ve heard time and again, one that echoes across studios, rehearsal halls and kitchen tables – a quiet frustration that the labor of making art rarely earns the legitimacy or security afforded to other kinds of work.

Why ‘green’ finance isn’t always as sustainable as it seems

VectorMine/ShutterstockIn the wake of the 2007-08 global financial crisis, green finance has been increasingly celebrated as a way to tackle environmental challenges. Banks, investment funds and insurers have rolled out a growing range of green products, from green bonds to sustainability-linked loans. This momentum is encouraged by international environmental efforts such as the Paris climate agreement.

When you click on an ad in sales season, retailers get to harvest your data

Earlier this year, the consumer watchdog fined three retailers, Michael Hill, MyHouse and Hairhouse Online, almost A$20,000 each for advertising “site-wide discounts” that allegedly never applied to all items on the website.

At first glance, this might look like a straightforward case of using allegedly misleading advertising for an economic benefit. Yet the implications go further.

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