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As President Donald Trump’s administration takes a sledgehammer to government agencies, Senate Democrats are opening their inboxes to whistleblowers. On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York announced a portal for people to send in their complaints. The cleanly designed website shows just a few boxes to enter details including name, organization, and contact information; there’s a submit button at the bottom of the page, and a short description at the top: Whistleblowers are a vital part of Congressional oversight to hold the administration accountable. If you would like to submit a whistleblower complaint, you can submit it here. It’s frictionless design applied to government oversight. The portal lets users lodge complaints about issues including retaliation, wasteful spending, fraud, and criminal activity, and Schumer said those who submit complaints will receive the legal protections afforded to whistleblowers. According to the Department of Justice, it is unlawful for any personnel action to be taken against you because of your whistleblowing, and other federal agencies have similar language about whistleblower protections. [Screenshot: Senate Democrats] Senate Democrats have a responsibility to fight back on behalf of American families as Republicans look the other way in obedience to Donald Trump, Schumer said in a letter Monday to his Senate colleagues. We are committed to working with these brave whistleblowers across America to fight back against the Trump administrations cruel and illegal actions. The website is a first step by the party out of power seeking to exercise oversight, and an alternate route for whistleblowers to air their complaints as Trump nominees take over federal agencies. Since Trump’s taken office and tapped Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, to lead a rebranded government agency to cut government spending without transparency, Democrats have criticized these efforts as overreach. I think this is the most serious constitutional crisis the country has faced, certainly since Watergate, Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, told ABC News’s This Week on Sunday. The president is attempting to seize control of power, and for corrupt purposes. The president wants to be able decide how and where money is spent so that he can reward his political friends. He can punish his political enemies. That is the evisceration of democracy. The judicial branch has exercised its checks and balances over the executive branch, with judges blocking Musk’s team from accessing Treasury Department records, staying a deferred resignation offer to federal workers, and ordering an unfreezing of federal spending, among other rulings. In the minority in both chambers of Congress, though, there are limits to how Democrats can now respond. A viral moment in which Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Florida Democrat, asked fellow lawmakers what do we need? only to be met with a jumble of indecipherable answers seemed to sum up the opposition party’s flat-footed response. With their new whistleblowers site, though, Senate Democrats have landed on something coherent. What do we need? Your information about corruption, abuses of power, and threats to public safety. When do we need it? Now.
Category:
E-Commerce
Youve signed up to attend a conference or industry event, and when the day finally arrives, you probably experience some regret. Thoughts run through your head, such as Why do I have to go? I have too much work to do. I wont know anyone. I can make connections online. Sound familiar? Entering a room full of strangers or, worse yet, people in your field that you admire can make you feel like youre a kid again, walking into your first day of kindergarten. Its intimidating, but worth it because nothing replaces live connections, says Rebecca Grinnals, cofounder of the luxury wedding and event business conference Engage! Summits. You can’t put a price on the value of connecting with people meaningfully in personwe certainly saw that over the last five years, she says. Its a cliché, but your net worth is your network. In-person networking is more vital than it’s ever been in this age of AI and social media. While online connections are important and a good first step, theyre also limiting, says Kathryn Arce, Engage! Summits cofounder. You can miss out on the benefit of being connected to people, finding your group, and being inspired, she says. Everyone needs to be a part of something a little bit bigger. In-person events get you away from your office and computer. Theyre like fresh air for your soul. Your success will depend on attitude and planning. Here are five networking tips that will help put your nerves aside and open the door for meaningful connections with others: 1. Set An Intention Before the day arrives, decide what you want to get out of the event. In other words, dont come without a plan, says Grinnals. Some conferences will provide you with a list of attendees. Other times, there will be a Facebook page set up for the conference and you may be able to see the names of people in the group. If the event hasnt provided access to attendees, you can still review the speakers, workshop facilitators, and organizers. Then, identify three to five people you would like to meet and have a good conversation with over the course of the event. 2. Find a Warm Connection Once you have a list of people you hope to meet, research them on LinkedIn, social media, and news sites to see if you have anything in common that could serve as a way to connect. Maybe you both attended the same school. Or perhaps you share a friend or colleague. If you dont find a commonality, you can still use what you learn as a conversation starter. For example, if theyre from Philadelphia, you can ask how they felt about the Super Bowl. It helps to be more personal and genuine before you go into any type of business conversation, says Arce. 3. Be Genuine Theres a fine line between introducing yourself and promoting yourself and leading with an elevator pitch can be off-putting, says Grinnals. People often go to networking events with their chest puffed out, like a peacock, she says. They want to tell everybody, I’m a big deal in my market, or You should know me. That’s the wrong way to go about it. Nobody wants to feel sold to. Instead, be authentic and vulnerable. It’s better to come in and say, How’s business been? I’ve had a couple of challenges this year and don’t know if you’ve experienced it as well, says Grinnals. That immediately takes people a little off their guard and allows for a much more meaningful conversation and connection. You can also ask for advice. Instead of being another person trying to pitch their business, its refreshing and unexpected when someone says, I’m a big fan of your work. This is something I’m struggling with and wondered if you’ve got any advice? adds Grinnals. Everyone loves to be asked for advice. They don’t love to be asked for their business right off the bat. Offering help can also be a powerful way to connect. Sometimes people feel like, I’ve made an investment, and so I am just here to receive, says Grinnals. An easy icebreaker is, Is there anything I can help you with? Is there anybody I could introduce you to? The more you help other people achieve their goals, the more you’re going to feel good and have your goals achieved as well. 4. Be Open Its common to go into a conference focusing on what your return on investment needs to be, but this opens the door to leaving disappointed. Have a plan and a target list of connections but stay open to the organic meetings that can happen, too. People too often focus on the power players or the movers and shakers in an industry, hoping they will crack open a new opportunity or change you and your business forever, but thats not always true, says Grinnals. More often than not, it is the people that you least expect that you may be sitting next to on a shuttle ride or being seated next to in a session that actually turn out to be the most valuable people. Strike up conversations without expectation of what anyone can do for you, says Arce. There needs to be a nice balance of being open and letting things happen in the moment, she says. 5. Follow Up Its easy to leave a conference and move on with your life. However, intentional and thoughtful follow-up is the key to building your network. After the event, carve out time to reach out to interesting connections but be mindful of not spamming people. Take careful notes each day about who you met, says Grinnals. If you want to connect with the speaker, for example, you could send a follow up email specifically calling out something they said that was meaningful to you. If its someone you spoke with, recall a part of the conversation you remembered. Be specific, personal, and thoughtful, as opposed to just saying, It was great meeting you. Dont expect to go to one event and walk away with a lot of connections, answers, or business. Thats not the purpose, says Grinnals. The purpose is to start conversations with people and make initial connections, she says. Like anything in life, consistency is key. Plant the seeds and water them. Networking is a long game.
Category:
E-Commerce
There are certain social media rules we can all agree on: Ghosting a conversation is impolite, and replying k to a text is the equivalent of a backhand slap (violent, wrong, and rude). But what about the rest of the rules? When can we really remind someone of our old Venmo request? What happens when someone tries to flirt with you on LinkedIn? Fortunately, terminally online writers Delia Cai and Steffi Cao are here to answer all your digital quandaries, big or small. For Fast Companys final installment of our advice column, Posting Playbook, Steffi Cao and Delia Cai tackle your biggest questions about online careerism and Venmo etiquette. I feel like I should be posting more on social media to further my career as an artist. Am I going to fall behind if I don’t? Steffi: I see it as a kind of add-on situation: Posting on social media can be a great tool to promote your work and get different eyeballs on your art, but its not crucial to your development as an artist. What matters the most is honing your skill and actually making stuff, after allonce you start caring more about your Instagram posts than your product, then its time to sit back and reevaluate your life. But its silly to say that you can totally eschew social media to further any public-facing career now. Everyone, regardless of their industry, has some kind of pressure to advertise their lives, and romanticize their high-powered careers through the bells and whistles of mirror selfies, party photos, a medley of vague, brooding slice-of-life shots featuring glasses of white wine and overlays of books. But you cant believe everything you see on social media. Thats always the rule. This includes the smoke-and-mirrors of glamorous industry parties where everyone seems to be dressed well and rubbing shoulders with the right circles of people, who seem to be getting further in their artistic endeavors because theyre drinking champagne with the right people. Connections are deeply important to any creative industry, this is always true, but its not worth it to stress about if youre falling behind because you saw someone post their Getty Images from last nights downtown indie soiree. That way lies madness. I say, put aside time to post on the platform that feels least annoying to you, then youre free to ignore it for the rest of the week. Nothing about it should be super high-investment, since this is free content, but just throw a bone out there to say, who want me? Then you can spend the rest of your precious time actually making something that feels good to you. This shouldnt be your number-one priority anyway, and it really shouldnt take up the most valuable real estate in your brain. Delia: Not necessarily. Social media is certainly useful both as a de facto business card and a method of updating people about your work. But the real secret to using it to advance ones career, I think, is that it humanizes you to prospective clients, collaborators, etc. and essentially helps people feel like they already know you. And of course, everyone prefers working with people they know. Thats a bit of a cynical read on the state of parasocialism, but perhaps it might be helpful for you to consider the strategy of your posting in that way, outside of simply having to post more. Still, if the idea of tending to your social media as an artist just totally deadens your heart, theres no rule that says you post, or be left behind. I do think that if you choose to opt out of posting, I would still take the time to set up your page with a few highlights and basic info (like how to get in touch or where to see your work), and then you can leave it be. Otherwise, youre likely will miss out on opportunities any time someone decides to look you up on social media first. If youre worried about falling behindor at least, being less top-of-mind than your more post-happy peersyou may have to commit a little more energy into IRL networking and promoting your work. Whether its giving yourself a goal of going on a couple of coffee meetings per month or looking into other forms of online self-promotion (newsletters, a traditional website), go with the method that feels most in alignment with you. What’s the correct Venmo request/reminder/payment etiquette? Delia: As a personal rule, I try to never put the lender (the person who is owed the money on Venmo) in a position where they have to raise the topic with me first. If a friend offers to cover drinks at the bar, Ill make a point of asking them to Venmo request me, though I think its classier to simply take a look at the bill at the end of the night and proactively send the money through immediately. On the other end, of course, its trickier. I tend to always use emojis in the description of a Venmo request to soften the feeling of like, itemizing my relationships, and I will never use the actual Venmo remind button, because that seems passive-aggressive. If more than a week goes by and the request hasnt been paid, Ill shoot a text to that person and feign a bit of relatable urgency: Hi! So sorry, but do you mind Venmoing me for last weeks movie? Have to pay my landlord today! That subtly shifts the issue to be a matter of payment timing, and not my (real) annoyance about not getting paid back. If that text gets ignored (or lost in the shuffle), I might bring it up with this person the next time I see them in person, but otherwise, I might cut my losses and begin reevaluating the friendship itself. Because then its just rude! Steffi: For everyones peace of mind, its incredibly important to have a common understanding with your loved ones about how you prefer to Venmo each other. A lack of communication around money has been the impetus for many ends of friendships, relationships, marriages and moreso when youre out with your friends, its always important to ask if youd prefer to split the bill evenly or put it on one card and Venmo request. Also, like Delia said, be proactive about paying people back when they cover for you. As for those bigger days out where multiple cards are getting put down on the table (long nights out, weeklong trips, bachelorette parties), I think its very important to set an expectation with people before the bill gets paid about how these Venmo requests are about to work. It doesnt need to be a long conversation, but its important to get on the same page about it. Whether its one card operating as a tab that charges everyone back or splitting evenly each time, as long as youre all comfortable with it ahead of time, thats all that matters. To be honest, my best friends and I Venmo request each other line-by-line, even if weve all effectively paid the same amount, because we all do not play about our budget spreadsheets. Perhaps it might be considered overkill, but Ive never worried about covering for them as a result, because weve had a quiet agreement on how we respect each others money for a decade. Ive never used the remind button as a result. Frankly, I think people need to be more annoyingly candid about money. Look around us! Eggs are ten dollars, tariffs are sending prices to the moon, the cost of living is outpacing income by a mile. Get real and stop putting your card down for people you dont know just because youre worried about being impolite. Venmo request everyone immediately if they havent already paid you back. It all boils down to the time-worn adagetreat people how you would want to be treated. Wouldnt that also apply to your own hard-earned money?
Category:
E-Commerce
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