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In the Workplace

We all hated busy work. Now that it's disappearing, we kind of miss it. Restructurings and AI are making entry-level work more efficient. But managers realize a lot gets lost when people don't get practice.

Autonomous vehicles are burying your garbage. Caterpillar's newest landfill machinery doesn't need a human in the operator's cab. That could help ease a shortage of equipment operators at landfills and other job sites struggling to fill positions.

Companies are using AI to set salaries. These tools comb job boards for competitors' salary ranges to pinpoint market rates. It's an exercise made easier by pay-transparency laws.

Management & Leadership

Twenty-somethings can handle the feedback. You're just giving it wrong. Bosses are turning to bots and consultants to give younger workers the more helpful, frequent direction that many say they crave in their jobs.

A Nike lifer is leading China turnaround. Cathy Sparks' first job at the company was selling sneakers in one of its Oregon stores. Thirty years later, she has a career-defining assignment: Convincing China's millions of sneaker fans to give Nike a second chance.

He was rejected by Goldman out of college. Now he's poised to run the bank. Goldman's board has discussed a plan for John Waldron, the firm's president, to succeed CEO David Solomon as soon as late 2027, The Wall Street Journal reported this week.

State of the Workforce

She brought an iced coffee to a job interview. It almost broke the internet. A simple question about the drink has highlighted shifting expectations of professionalism. Recruiters and career coaches have some advice.

There's surprise Social Security benefit for working parents who have kids later. Older recipients can get an additional benefit for dependent children who aren't yet 18, or in some cases 19. That alters the calculation about when to draw benefits.

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This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.