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Tis the season for carved pumpkins, god-awful candy corn, and an inevitable workplace costume that lands someone a well-earned talking-to from HR. Halloween is near, which means its the perfect time to reflect on a tale from the cubicle thats even spookier than Tales From the Crypt. It starts with three words that would strike fear in the heart of anyone who’s ever worked in corporate America. Performance. Improvement. Plan. Taken at face value, the phrase sounds gentle, maybe even helpful, like the start of a company-sponsored self-care journey. In reality, a PIP is usually the workplace equivalent of a death sentence, a corporate guillotine that gives being on the clock a whole new meaning. At least thats how it felt early in my career when it happened to me. The news hit like a cold email from HR with no greeting. I remember sitting across from my manager (lets call her Lisa) at a long-ass boardroom table, fluorescent lights humming, my coffee going cold as she explained the expectations moving forward. She had that tone people use when theyre rehearsing empathy. And while I tried to keep my composure, all I could hear as Lisa spoke was, Your days here are numbered. I was working at a startupone of those scrappy, ever-changing companies where job descriptions are more like suggestions. Every few months, my priorities shifted, as did my boss, team, and sometimes the department I worked in. Still, I kept my head down, remained adaptable, and did solid work. But at some point after my third job title change, I started to lose steam. Projects dragged. Deadlines slipped. Some of it was on meconstant change can burn out even the most proactive employee. But a lot of it came down to the chaos: unclear direction, competing priorities, constant pivots. Id go from one urgent request to another, without anyone assessing my workload or considering whether I was merely spinning my wheels. So it was a wake-up call when Lisa summoned me into that 1:1 meeting and told me I was being put on a PIP (no Gladys Knight). I didnt just need to tighten up; I needed to learn how to move in a room full of vultures. Theres something humbling about having your performance questioned in black and white. I felt embarrassed, frustrated, and, honestly, a little angry. Id been juggling a revolving door of responsibilities while management kept changing the rules mid-game. But once the sting wore off, I realized this was a turning point. I could either take it as a big L like the late Harlem rapper or treat it as feedback. I decided to lock in. The thing is, I had a publicity problem. So many of my contributions were going unseen, unrecognized, or worse, attributed to someone else. I set out to change that. Asana became my amigo. Weekly emailed status updates to Lisa became the norm. Long division had nothing on the way I was showing my work. I also stopped waiting for clarity. If directions were vague, I asked all of the questions until I got specifics. If priorities clashed, I pushed for alignment. It wasnt easy; when youre a young professional, advocating for yourself can feel like being confrontational. But I also understood how silence had been making me complicit in my own confusion. Believe it or not, things improved. My work got sharper. My time management leveled up. Even Lisa softened a bit, noticing that I was handling the pressure with a new kind of steadiness. I started to believe I might survive the PIP and come out on the other side even strongernot unlike how 50 Cent emerged from the gunsmoke of nine bullet wounds before becoming a household name. Then the layoffs hit. Lisa sat there silent while her boss broke the news: My role was being eliminated as part of a restructuring. I raised an eyebrow when she assured me it had nothing to do with the PIP. It didnt really matter, though. All that growth, all that effortand I was still out of a job. But I didnt walk out defeated. I knew Id done my best work during that PIP. I learned the annoying art of workplace communication and receipt-taking. I stood up for myself. And I left that job with more confidence than I had going in. That was the real win. (Not to mention the years-later apology from Lisa, who admitted that she undervalued me. Better late than never, I guess.) My Scottie PIPpen days taught me a difficult but necessary truth: Sometimes you can do everything right and still get caught in the wrong storm. But if you use that pressure to sharpen your processes, youll come out stronger, no matter how it ends. So if you ever find yourself cast as the main character in your own workplace horror story, dont panic. Get organized. Get visible. Get curious. (And get your résumé updated, just in case.) Because its not about proving anyone else wrong. Its about proving to yourself that even when things get scary, youre built to survive. The Only Black Guy in the Office is copublished with LEVELman.com.
Category:
E-Commerce
OpenAI never wanted to build a chatbot. As an early beta tester for OpenAIs GPT-3 model, I can vouch for the fact that the company was caught totally off guard by ChatGPTs runaway success. An email that OpenAI sent me on November 28, 2022just two days before ChatGPT came to market and kicked off a trillion-dollar, multiyear, economy-distending AI scrambledidnt even mention the new interface. Rather, it bragged about the companys then-revolutionary DaVinci model and how it could deliver clearer, more engaging, and more compelling content and allow developers to take on tasks that would have previously been too difficult to achieve. From the breathless tone of the email, it was clear that OpenAI had bigger ambitions than creating a text-based tool to help you argue with your insurance company or write KPop Demon Hunters fanfics. As Nick Turley, OpenAIs head of product, admitted this week, the company got a little sidetracked by ChatGPT. Now OpenAIs true ambitions are becoming increasingly clear. In Turleys words, OpenAI never meant to build a chatbot. Instead, the company always planned to build a super assistant. And thats exactly what its now doing. The super app In America, our app landscape is highly fragmented. Yes, if you want to know how fast bamboo grows or figure out the chords for R.E.M.s 1985 classic Wendell Gee, you might fire up the ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini app and ask the bots. If you want to post to social media, though, youre likely to reach for Instagram, TikTok, orperhaps steeling yourself for the possibility of encountering MechaHitlerX. Need to bank? Open up the crappy app for your local bank branch with the UI from 2012, and hope for the best. Buying something? Theres Amazon, Instacart, and DoorDash for that. Want to secretly determine how much wealth your friends have accumulated? Zillow to the rescue! In other parts of the world, apps arent like that at all. Many countries, especially in Asia, have super apps that integrate all those functions and more into one tool, often controlled by a single, über-influential company. In China, WeChat provides messaging and gaming, but also mobile payments, social media, and mini apps for things like ride-hailing, paying bills, and even getting city services. In many Southwest Asian countries, Grab provides financial services, rides, food delivery, and much else. In the Middle East, Careem provides similar functions. Africa, Latin America, and many other geographies have similar super apps. America doesnt. And to American technology companies, thats a big problem. Because the apps are so all-encompassing, their creators control incredible amounts of capital and power. Tencent, the company behind WeChat, had revenues of more than $90 billion and profits approaching $30 billion in 2024much of it driven by WeChatand is growing fast. Thats an especially colossal sum in China, making Tencent one of the country’s most profitable companies, behind only a handful of largely state-controlled banks and conglomerates. Here in America, Elon Musk had ambitions to turn X into a super app, but his politics and penchant for second grade humor got in the way. No one else has really taken up the gauntlet. Until now. OpenAI Eats Everything At its October 2025 Developer Day, OpenAI made clear that it intends to create a super app, and will spend an almost limitless amount of money to make that happen. During the event, the company announced the ability to run apps directly within the ChatGPT interface. These are very similar to the mini apps that have made WeChat so powerful. Initial partners include Spotify and Zillow, but the list will inevitably grow. Simultaneously, the company has rolled out multiple functions that make it look less like a chatbot maker and more like a super-app company. Last week, OpenAI launched new features that let the bot spend your money for you, as well as a protocol to allow direct purchasing from any merchant who opts in. OpenAIs Sora social networkwhere all the content is joyfully faketakes on TikTok and has immediately leapt to the No. 1 spot in Apples App Store. And earlier this year, OpenAI shared that it plans to launch a browser to rival the ubiquitous Google Chrome. OpenAI seems to suddenly be everywhere, doing everything. That broad-ranging ambition is the hallmark of a super-app maker. And again, if all the signals werent clear enough, Turley essentially confirmed the companys new direcion with his super assistant comments. So, will it work? If any company can create a super app, its OpenAI. With its wild consumer success, the company has access to bottomless pits of capital. ChatGPT has 800 million weekly active users, and that number continues to grow. OpenAI is the first company in a generation to create an entirely new way of interacting with computers. Its intelligent chat interface lends itself to the integration of other apps and services. My own experience using Instant Checkout confirms that buying things within the ChatGPT interface really is seamless. Still, Americas existing tech titans wont go quietly. Google is reportedly expanding its own Gemini app, and its Nano Banana system proves it can still grab the publics attention. Meta already has its own Sora doppelgänger. And while OpenAI is growing quickly, its revenue is only around $10 billiona drop in the bucket compared to Googles $350 billion, and still a fraction of the revenue of its Chinese super-app rivals. OpenAI would love to take over every aspect of your digital life. And it may. But despite the hype, the company still has a very long way to go.
Category:
E-Commerce
While most employers offer mental health care coverage as part of their health insurance packages, major gaps in care exist. According to new research, many employers aren’t sure how mental health care services are being used by employees. The 2025 Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) Employer Survey, released Friday, polled professionals at 400 companies with 500 or more employees who made benefits decisions. Mental health coverage was a given almost across the board (97% of respondents said their company offered it), and several companies covered nontraditional programs, like financial therapists (62%) and mindfulness apps (74%). However, there were also several gaps in coverage. Only two-thirds of companies covered substance use treatment. Only one-third of companies covered ongoing treatment for chronic conditions, and only a quarter covered care for those with “diverse cultural backgrounds and unique employee needs.” Even lower on the spectrum was stigma reduction campaigns that help create an environment that encourages employees to seek mental health care. Interestingly, the gaps in coverage could be explained, at least in part, by the fact that companies largely aren’t tracking whether their employees are using mental health services. Only 22% analyzed claims data to ascertain how benefits were being used. Likewise, only 37% of employers measured how satisfied employees were with their health care plans overall. “Complete and transparent access to claims data enables employers to design benefit programs that truly meet the needs of their employees and their families, said Margaret Faso, policy director with the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, in a press release. This study reinforces the importance for employers to continue efforts to achieve transparency to better support the health and wellbeing needs of their workforce. However, the survey also found that employers don’t feel that the breadth of mental health care services, pricing, or quality should be their responsibility. Only 10% said that the employer should be responsible for those aspects of care plans, and instead, that responsibility is on insurance companies (28%), federal (30%), and state governments (24%).
Category:
E-Commerce
Thirteen months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Metro Mattress Corp. is set to become the latest brick-and-mortar chain to wind down operations in 2025. The New York-based bedding retailer has disclosed in a court filing that it plans to shutter its remaining stores after some 21 attempts to find a buyer or strategic partner that would have allowed it to continue. Headquartered in Syracuse, Metro Mattress had 70 locations across New York and four New England states when it sought Chapter 11 protection in September 2024. At the time, the company said it planned to close roughly two dozen of those stores and refocus its efforts specifically on its New York locations. It eventually closed 30 stores, including all of its locations in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, in addition to some underperforming stores in New York. CEO Dino Cifelli, a furniture retail veteran who had been hired only six months earlier to execute a growth strategy at Metro Mattress, noted in his initial court declaration that the New England stores faced various existential headwinds, including higher operating costs and inefficiencies of scale. Shedding the New England locations, Cifelli added, would help Metro Mattress return to profitability and result in a sustainable business. But things havent turned out that way, in part due to low foot traffic, and now the retailer says it will close all of its remaining stores. In a court filing in early October, Metro Mattress said it will transfer most of its inventory to five or six locations and conduct going-out-of-business sales, with the spaces being returned to landlords after a roughly five-week liquidation period. Which Metro Mattress locations are closing? All remaining Metro Mattress locations are expected to close, and in fact, many already have. The company has not confirmed which stores will remain open to conduct the liquidation sales. Emails to Metro Mattress went unreturned, and a representative declined to comment to Fast Company when reached by phone. According to its store locator tool, the following seven locations appear to still be open as of Monday, October 13: Metro Mattress Albany Metro Mattress John Glenn Blvd.: Syracuse, NY Metro Mattress Syracuse: Dewitt, NY Metro Mattress Irondequoit: Rochester, NY Metro Mattress Greece: Rochester, NY Metro Mattress Amherst Metro Mattress Glenmont In court documents, Metro Mattress has identified the following 40 stores across New York state that will shutter as part of its wind-down process: Metro Mattress Amherst: Tonawanda, NY Metro Mattress Horseheads: Horseheads, NY Metro Mattress Irondequoit: Irondequoit, NY Metro Mattress Greece: Rochester, NY Metro Mattress Olean: Olean, NY Metro Mattress Glenmont: Glenmont, NY Metro Mattress John Glenn: Syracuse, NY Metro Mattress Wolf Road: Albany, NY 12205 Metro Mattress Hamburg: Hamburg, NY Metro Mattress Utica: Yorkville, NY Metro Mattress Batavia: Batavia, NY Metro Mattress Lansing: Ithaca, NY Metro Mattress Lockport: Lockport, NY Metro Mattress Geneseo: Geneseo, NY Metro Mattress Auburn: Auburn, NY Metro Mattress Liverpool: Liverpool, NY Metro Mattress Watertown: Watertown, NY Metro Mattress Union Road: Cheektowaga, NY Metro Mattress Clifton Park: Clifton Park, NY Metro Mattress Delaware: Buffalo, NY Metro Mattress New Hartford: New Hartford, NY Metro Mattress Niagara Falls: Niagara Falls, NY Metro Mattress East Dewitt: Syracuse, NY Metro Mattress Geneva: Geneva, NY Metro Mattress Niskayuna: Niskayuna, NY Metro Mattress Johnson City: Johnson City, NY Metro Mattress Johnstown: Johnstown, NY Metro Mattress Oswego: Oswego, NY Metro Mattress Norwich: Norwich, NY Metro Mattress Wilton: Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 Metro Mattress Cortland: Cortland, NY Metro Mattress Oneonta: Oneonta, NY Metro Mattress Vestal: Vestal, NY Metro Mattress West Fairmount: Syracuse, NY Metro Mattress Henrietta: Rochester, NY Metro Mattress Ithaca: Ithaca, NY Metro Mattress Canandaigua: Canandaigua, NY Metro Mattress North Cicero: Cicero, NY Metro Mattress Rome: Rome, NY Metro Mattress Webster: Webster, NY Retail closures pile up in 2025 Metro Mattress joins a number of well-known retail chains that have ceased operations after seeking bankruptcy protection over the last 18 months. The list includes much larger operations such as Party City, fast-fashion brand Forever 21, and the arts-and-crafts and fabric retailer Joann. But smaller and mid-size chains are obviously not immune to the same unfavorable forces that have plagued so many retail businesses in recent yearsincluding soaring operating costs, consumers with less money to spend, and the broader shift to online shopping.
Category:
E-Commerce
Amazon will once again beef up its workforce in the fourth quarter to handle the expected shopping surge that comes with the holidays. This year, though, it could be responsible for nearly half of all seasonal hiring in the retail sector. The retail giant says it plans to create 250,000 jobs in the U.S. That’s on par with the number of people it hired last yearand in 2023. That not only underscores Amazon’s standing among shoppers, but it also puts a spotlight on expected slower sales at some competitors. Seasonal hiring is nothing new. Every year as temperatures get brisker, retailers put the call out for workers looking to make some extra cash and help handle the expected stampede of shoppers. This year, though, outplacement services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimates retailers will add fewer than 500,000 positions overall, the smallest level of seasonal hiring in 16 years. For comparison’s sake, retailers added 543,100 jobs in the fourth quarter of 2024. Amazon says it will be hiring for full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions in its search. Regular full- and part-time employees will earn an average of $23 per hour with benefits. Seasonal workers could earn more than $19 per hour. People interested in applying can peruse openings at amazon.com/localjobs, or text NEWJOB to 31432 to sign up for job alerts. Amazon suggests you apply quickly if you see a job that raises your curiosity. “We find that our seasonal roles are really popularoften filling up within minutes of being postedbecause they meet different needs for so many different people,” the company wrote. “For some, its a few months of extra income to support their families during the holidays. For others, its the first step in building a new career path.” While the numbers from Amazon are largely in line with expectations, the fact that the company is announcing how many seasonal hires it is planning is somewhat unusual in the retail space this year. Large competitors, such as Target, have opted not to disclose their total number of seasonal openings for 2025. (Last year, Target announced it would be bringing 100,000 people on board.) Kohl’s, too, has declined to give its hiring target number. Some smaller retail chains have given numbers, though. Bath & Body Works plans to bring on 32,000 workers, including 2,000 workers in distribution centers. And Spirit Halloween will hire 50,000 seasonal employees. The lack of big hiring announcements from retailers could indicate that they’re expecting consumers to be less eager to spend this holiday season. Tariffs have resulted in higher prices for everything from toys to decorations. Inflation is looming, and a weakening job market (beyond retail) could mute spending as well. While we could see a late hiring push if holiday sales surprise to the upside, the cautious pace of announcements so far suggests that companies are not betting on a big seasonal surge. This year may be more about doing more with less, said Andy Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The National Retail Federation (NRF) predicts U.S. holiday retail sales will grow between 2.9% and 3.4%. That’s slightly lower than last year’s gain. All totaled, the group expects consumers to spend between $5.42 trillion and $5.48 trillion this year. “Significant policy uncertainty is weighing on consumer and business confidence, NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay said. Analyst surveys back that thinking up. A survey of 367 U.S. consumers by Gartner found that 40% of shoppers expect to see fewer discounts this year and 75% expect to have to spend more to get presents for friends and loved ones due to higher prices at retailers. PricewaterhouseCoopers, meanwhile, said over 80% of consumers plan to cut back on seasonal spending over the next six months.
Category:
E-Commerce
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