"Quiet vacationing," "coffee badging," and "ghost jobs" were part of the corporate lexicon in 2024.These are just some of the trends that came to dominate our conversations around work.Here's a look back at work in 2024.Ghost jobs. Coffee badging. Quiet firing. Quiet vacationing.The buzziest workplace trends this year didn't just become well-known tropes but also highlighted an ongoing power struggle between workers and bosses after the pandemic shook up the way people do their jobs.The year's biggest movements reflect "shifts in work models, technological integration, and employee expectations," says Lauren Winans, CEO and HR consultant at Next Level Benefits.While some of these are by no means new fads, they all featured prominently in the discourse around work this year. Here are the trends that dominated the cultural conversation in 2024:Ghost jobsGhost jobs are nothing new but got a lot of attention this year.These are roles which employers claim to be looking to fill even though they may not actually be hiring for such positions.Employers may list ghost jobs for a few reasons. They might want to suggest they're doing well and growing; they could be trying to ready a talent pool for actual positions opening in the future; or they may want to imply to overworked employees that they'll get some additional help soon.Quiet vacationingThis one pretty much explains itself, but just in case: When employees go on vacation without using any time off or telling their bosses, they're said to be quiet vacationing. Some remote workers might take quiet vacations without letting their bosses know. Vasil Dimitrov/Getty Images RTOReturn-to-office mandates continued rolling out at big firms this year. Amazon, one of the country's biggest employers, became one of the highest-profile companies to announce a full 5-day-a-week return to the office. (Its implementation has been delayed for some employees though, due to a lack of space.)Hushed hybridAs employers tightened the reins on remote work, some employees started carving out a new working arrangement under the table.Enter the hushed hybrid schedule, in which employees skirt RTO mandates by getting their manager's approval to continue working from home on days they're technically required to be in the office.Managers, for their part, might agree to do this to keep their employees happy (or to keep them, period). They also probably have a more personal connection with the workers affected by a mandate than the executives enforcing it. And of course, managers who are themselves opposed to RTO plans might also cut employees some slack out of sympathy.Coffee badgingAnother method of evading RTO is coffee badging though it still technically requires that an employee return to the office.The practice involves going to work to swipe your badge so your attendance is logged. But instead of spending the rest of the workday there, you kill some time by grabbing a coffee, or showing face with a quick lap around the office, before returning home to do most of your actual work there. Coffee badging refers to workers who swipe in at the office to meet return-to-office requirements before leaving quickly to finish their work elsewhere. kotijelly / Getty Images PIPsPerformance improvement plans, or PIPs, usually consist of a series of goals set for an employee to improve in areas where a boss says they're underperforming. If they're not completed in the allotted time, usually a few months or less, the employee will face termination.PIPs are certainly not unique this year but statistically have been more frequently issued in recent years. They got renewed attention in 2024 as part of the discussion around ways employers trim headcount unannounced.Quiet firing, silent layoffs, and stealth sackingsYes, these are all somehow different things.Between RTO mandates and PIPs, "quiet firing," which gained a lot of buzz in recent years, stayed in the spotlight in 2024. It refers to a boss or employer's unspoken attempt to encourage employees to quit by making the role more uncomfortable, as opposed to facing the monetary and reputational costs associated with explicitly laying them off.Related phrases include "silent layoffs," which refers to giving employees severance packages but asking them to be discreet about their exiting the firm.There's also "stealth sackings," coined by the Financial Times to describe firing employees over minor offenses. The newspaper cited Meta's dismissal of two dozen staff for using $25 GrubHub meal credits to buy non-food items as an example, and EY's firing of dozens of staffers for watching multiple online training courses simultaneously.Other key trendsThere were also other trends that, though they lack flashy names, also shaped how we worked in 2024.The main one, of course, was the growing adoption of AI in the workplace, the "standout trend" of the year, according to Amy Schabacker Dufrane, CEO of the Human Resource Certification Institute and the Human Resource Standards Institute. The continued integration of AI into the workplace is this year's "standout trend," says Dufrane. Chen Winans says other trends included an emphasis on upskilling and reskilling to keep up with technological advancements and changing job requirements, as well asincreased labor organizing efforts.What can we expect in 2025?Next year, the integration of AI at work will no doubt continue."Employees expect training and transparency about AI's role, while employers navigate concerns about job security and ethics," says Dufrane.Other themes to watch include an emphasis on skills-based hiring and employee wellness programs, as well as ongoing changes to companies' ESG and DEI strategies.Employee engagement in the US hitting an 11-year low in 2024, coupled with the possibility it may be easier to change jobs in 2025 mean that revenge quitting may also be the next big thing in workplace trends come next year, according to a Glassdoor report.The phrase refers to dissatisfied employees being vocal with their discontent and resigning, often with little or no notice, knowing it could negatively impact their employer.Heading into 2025, "monitoring employee satisfaction will be more important than ever," says Dufrane."We may see an increase in trends like bare-minimum attendance or revenge quitting as return-to-work mandates require employees to be on-site more than the post-COVID norm," she adds. "Prioritizing open communication, as well as autonomy, fairness, and a high-trust environment, will be critical for organizations to succeed."

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Colleen OShaughnessey plays Sonics right-hand fox, the kid with the plan, the bestie we wish we had: Tails. io9 recently got the chance to catch up with the voice actress to discuss Tails evolution from small screen to the big screenand we do mean big, as in current box-office champ Sonic the Hedgehog 3. In our chat with OShaughnessey, we discussed the process of finding your voice in VO, as well as how fandom is where it all starts, and how that leads to becoming a beloved figure in pop culture. Sabina Graves, io9: Lets talk about your journey with Sonic as Tails. What did Sonic mean to you growing up and what it was like to jump on board to voice the character? Colleen OShaughnessey: My Sonic journey is long, which is so great. My very first entrance into the Sonic universe was I played Charmy Bee in [Sonic] Colors[that] was the first one, the first game that I voiced Charmy. And that was about four years before I voiced Tails. I was auditioning for the show Sonic Boom and I booked Tails, and then it came along with the video games. And here we are 10 years later, and hes on the big screen, which is just unbelievable. So amazing. This franchise is so exciting. The fans absolutely are so passionate about this franchise, which is such a beautiful thing. And Im so honored to be a part of it, and for so longits been wonderful. io9: In this film, we get more of Tails jumping into his role and being on the field. I know he was nervous about it in the last film. Can you talk about what it was like for you to see that journey and evolution with the character for the film franchise? OShaughnessey: Yeah, I love it. Because for the second movie, its the very beginning of his and Sonics journey together. This is where they meet each other so its like the beginning of their story. He was super nervous. Its like meeting one of your heroes and, you know, hes hoping hes going to live up to expectations. And now hes really coming into his own in this movie. Hes more confident, he feels part of the team, and part of a family.And theyre all just such great friends and buddies and teammates. io9: Yes, and I love the films themes. I think thats one of the biggest things that really makes this film franchise resonate with audiences. I grew up with the games and Im sure you grew up with Sonic in various forms before joining the cast. What is it to you about this particular story that really resonated with you, and that you love that is being presented to audiences now? OShaughnessey: I love that theres something for everybody. Theyve taken this to such an epic level. You know, theres adventure, theres action, but theres still humor and heart and family. It covers all the bases, which is just so fun and so great to see. And truly, theres something for everyone. You can see it with your your kids, with your parents, and everything in between. Paramount Pictures io9: What was the process like to find this version of Tails voice? OShaughnessey: When I approached Tails, I approached him the same way, whether its a game or the show or the films, but this is such a grander scale. And we just talked about it being on a differenthe finds himself in different circumstances. So I guess coming from more of a serious standpoint with him because the stakes are higher there, its not like, Oh, its a racing game. We gotta go. Come on, lets go. All of that is like, its heightened and energetic and all that, but its still, its fun. And not that this isnt fun, but there are dangerous situations happening. So its more grounded. Its more serious. Its more cinematic, for sure. But what I think was so beautiful [about] this transition was that we had just done Sonic Frontiers right before I started recording for the second movie. And Sonic Frontiers is a much more serious game, and theres a lot more dialogue and theres a lot higher stakes; [its the] same kind of thing. So I [was] prepped and ready, truly, because I had just done Sonic Frontiers that was just such a departure from any of the previous games. io9: Speaking of going from silly to sort of more darker, I was really happy that they did keep some of the darker elements from Sonic Adventure 2 in the film and really put Team Sonic under a lot of more stressful situations. The movie starts and theyre like a band of brothers and theyre having fun and then, things get very serious very fast. What was it like stepping into that with Tails? I love how each brother represents a different type of kid. OShaughnessey: Yeah, everybody has their role. And he was so cool under pressure. Theres a lot of pressure and a couple of points its down to him because hes got the schematics, hes got the plan, and hes sort of trying to keep the plan together. And I feel like his cool under pressure has really stepped up for sure. Hes got some important stuff to do and he jumps in and saves the day a number of times, which is just awesome. io9: Yes, I loved it. He gets so brave, which is so great. To turn in a bit more on your career, at io9 we love talking about first fandoms. What games, movies, or books in genre really inspired your career path, and how did that lead to where you are today? OShaughnessey: Anything animated as a kid, I watched as much as my mom would allow me to watchbecause [you] cant watch TV all day, but if I could have, I would have. When I was a kid, we didnt have access to all of it at all times. I was an avid watcher of cartoons and the Wonderful World of Disney and The Muppets and all of those things. I literally would run around my house being all of these characters.I would be Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, to Miss Piggy and Kermit, to all of the Super Friends.Oh my gosh,I loved all the Super Friends. Pretty much, pick a genre and I probably was a fan of it and ran around my house doing all of those characters. Paramount Pictures io9: What was the first voice you realized or like that your family realized that you could do very well? OShaughnessey: I did Fozzie Bear and, for some reason, Tigger from [Winnie the Pooh].I just did it and I dont know where it came from, but I would look at a baby or an animal and just give them a voice. Whatever expression they had on their face, I would just give them like a whole monologue of things that I thought that they were saying. I so wanted animals to be able to talk. So I gave them voices. But I feel like the Muppets were profound in my developing of this very silly skill that I have. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is in theaters now. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Charlotte & William Bloomberg Medford Public Library / Schwartz/Silver ArchitectsSave this picture! Paul Burk PhotographyLibrary, Community, DetailMedford, United StatesArchitects: Schwartz/Silver ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:44825 ftYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2022 PhotographsPhotographs:Paul Burk PhotographyManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Fundermax, USG, Armstrong Ceilings, Aurora / MJ Industries, Axis Lighting, Beta-Calco Inc., Englert, Kawneer, Koroseal, McAvoy Brick Company, Milliken, Oldcastle APG, Patcraft, Secto, Sunpower, VT Industries Architectural Wood Doors Lead Architects: Angela Ward Hyatt More SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Text description provided by the architects. Backing into a steep slope, the library presents a civic-scaled facade on commercial High Street and a less prominent single story facing the single-family homes uphill. The front and rear entries, both fully accessible, feed into a stacked lobby that connects the primary program elements: Acoustically separated spaces for adults, teens, and children; as well as a suite of flexible spaces including a Multipurpose Room, Maker Room, Tech Lab, and Gallery.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Much more than a repository of books, the community-centered library features dedicated areas for programs and events for each age group, complemented by an array of spaces for the public to meet and collaborate. Musicians reserve group study rooms to practice together; local business owners use quiet alcoves to focus, adult learners use the computing resources; teens participate in cupcake decorating contests and poetry slams; children flock to story time, and seniors learn how to record a podcast.Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!The building's wave-like roof forms and plank-lined ceilings are inspired by Medford's rich history as a clipper ship manufacturing hub on the Mystic River. Exterior materials were selected to be responsive to their immediate context: The street faade is clad in red Norman brick while the rear, neighborhood-facing faade is created with horizontal planks of HPL rain-screen cladding. The curved roofs are standing seam metal, with aluminum composite material forming the trim. Inside, the curved ceilings are lined in perforated acoustical planks, giving interior spaces a hull-like character. Pixelated historic maps of Medford adorn the main reading room, and a large cross-section of a clipper ship is featured in the Maker Room.Save this picture!Save this picture!To keep the overall massing of the building within the zoning envelope, the half-acre building footprint was organized into a series of long, repetitive structural bays, each with a wave-shaped roof a nod to the city's shipbuilding past. Although the site's topography and size were significant constraints, a large century-old copper beech tree was carefully preserved so that it could become a feature seen from within the children's room. This tree served as the inspiration for the nature-themed children's spaces, where a row of trees can be lowered by a winch so that the library staff can decorate the limbs for each season.Save this picture!Save this picture!The roof was designed to screen all rooftop mechanical equipment from abutters. Over 600 solar panels cover its curved surfaces, making the all-electric building Massachusetts's first Net-Zero Energy public library, generating enough power on-site to offset its anticipated energy consumption.Save this picture!Library, Community, DetailMedford, United StatesArchitects: Schwartz/Silver ArchitectsAreaArea of this architecture projectArea:44825 ftYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2022 PhotographsPhotographs:Paul Burk PhotographyManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Fundermax, USG, Armstrong Ceilings, Aurora / MJ Industries, Axis Lighting, Beta-Calco Inc., Englert, Kawneer, Koroseal, McAvoy Brick Company, Milliken, Oldcastle APG, Patcraft, Secto, Sunpower, VT Industries Architectural Wood DoorsProject gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officeMaterialBrickMaterials and TagsPublished on December 24, 2024Cite: "Charlotte & William Bloomberg Medford Public Library / Schwartz/Silver Architects" 24 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/987376/charlotte-and-william-bloomberg-medford-public-library-schwartz-silver-architects&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save? / Schwartz/Silver ArchitectsYou've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Most mornings, I stumble out of bed, grab my phone, and crack open some Pokemon packs. Over the last month, I've been consumed by the routine of booting up Pokemon TCG Pocket, a mobile adaptation of the popular card game, and--much like the video games and show encourage--catching 'em all. I've blown through dozens of booster packs by now chasing the thrill of filling my digital library with rare holographic and full-art cards. I know for a fact I'm not alone in this craze, either. Group chats of mine are filled with friends sharing the rewards of their booster packs, and my social media feeds often consist of a handful of screenshots of someone's haul. That's not all that I've seen.Everywhere I looked this year, some kind of card game was killing it and dominating conversations and minds. Balatro grabbed a hold of gamers early into the year and never particularly let go. My favorite part of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth wasn't taking Tifa on a date or watching Nomura and company continue to reinterpret FF7's mythos; it was taking a break from the bloated open world and throwing down the gauntlet in games of Queen's Blood, a territory-based card game within the expansive RPG, and I wasn't the only one who fell in love with it. Everyone I know now plays Magic: The Gathering, and after numerous alluring crossovers and bids from friends, I do too. And by the very end of the year, Pokemon TCG Pocket became a part of all of our day-to-day lives, allowing us to chase the thrilling feeling of filling a digital library with some of our favorite creatures.The point is: In 2024, we proverbially bet big on card games. We went all in, so to speak, and it's fascinating to wonder why this trend has picked up so much steam in recent years. These games vary in complexity and mechanics, but are there some underlying qualities that unify all these examples and make sense of the incredible year that they've enjoyed?Continue Reading at GameSpot

A player scores an accidental double elimination in Halo and more.

The quest for immersive experiences in video games is never-ending, and when it comes to racing games, oftentimes that quest leads players to put down the controller in exchange for a wheel.

Beyond Undermine, World of Warcraft is adding several subzones in Patch 11.1, including a corrupted area in the Ringing Deeps called Gutterville and a new Goblin camp in Zuldazar called the KajaCoast. These locations will be added to World of Warcraft in Patch 11.1 when it releases, likely sometime in February, but fans will be able to explore them on the Public Test Realm shortly after the new year.

Merry Christmas everyone, or whatever winter holidays you celebrate. It is fun to see the site with the winter snow decorations. I hope all is well wherever you are. I know for some people and places this is a difficult time of year, so extra wellwishes to you folks especially.

Spurred on by a New York Post story about Pope Francis opening "five sacred portals" this Christmas, the goofier corners of the social media world are breathlessly sharing warnings that the Pope is planning to open the "Tomb of Lucifer," or the Devil's Tomb this holiday season. The TikTok video below, from GraceXDigital, has been viewed more than 2 million times and explains the whole conspiracy theory. Grace is asking the Pope important questions, like "Why are you doing this this year, in this economy?" While The Pope is opening five portals to close out 2024, I regret to inform you that His Holiness is not planning to open the Tomb of Lucifernothing that awesome ever happens. There is a tomb of Lucifer under the Vatican, but it's not as cool as you'd hope. Nothing in this story is not as cool as you'd hope.What are these portals the Pope is opening?The Pope is actually going to be opening five sacred portals as part of a ritual this year, but "portal" just means "door," and four of the five doors lead to well known basilicas. Despite what some internet cranks are saying, it's not the first time this has happened either: The ritual happens every 25 years, and is meant to usher in a year renewed in hope for Catholics. So basically, it's the Pope doing Pope junk. The only never-happened-before part of the story is Pope Francis putting his own spin on the ritual by opening a fifth door inside the Roman prison Rebibbia on Dec. 26. It's meant to offer prisoners a sign to "look to the future with hope and a renewed sense of confidence." The door opening is symbolic, so the prisoners will not be freed to run rampant in Rome. The Tomb of Lucifer and the Vatican NecropolisThe one slightly cool part of the story: There is a city of the dead under the Vatican that has a tomb of Lucifer, and you can visit it. The Vatican Necropolis lies 15 to 24 feet below Saint Peter's Basilica, near the site of the Circus of Caligula. Originally an open-air cemetery, the necropolis dates back to the Roman Empire and supposedly contains the remains of the Apostle Peter along with the skeletons of various Popes and other prominent early Catholics. Also found here: the Tomb of Lucifer.But it's not the Lucifer, the Morning Star, the fallen angel who became the head of the demons. That Lucifer's ultimate fate is murky. Maybe he's still alive, subtly convincing people to cheat at Monopoly, or maybe he's in Heaven because he found redemption, or maybe he's in Newark. (According to Dante, Lucifer is in the deepest circle of the abyss, frozen in ice and forced to beat his wings for eternity to power Hell, so I'll go with that.) In any case, the angelic Lucifer isn't a person, so he doesn't have a tomb.According to the Vatican's own Necropolis map, Tomb U is labeled "Lucifer." The Vatican says: "The entrance to the tomb has been reduced because of a fault in the architrave. It is possible, however, to glimpse some of the niches with their characteristic red background and several arcosoli." Red backgrounds? It's gotta be Satan. But nah: The construction of this tomb pre-dates the association of the name "Lucifer" with the devil. We don't actually know why it's called the Lucifer tomb. It might be a reference to some graffiti found around there, or a reference to an important Catholic with that name. It's not referring to the devil, though. Why are there so many Catholic conspiracy theories anyway?Why the Pope opening some doors in Vatican City became a conspiracy theory on TikTok is a complex question. America's history of anti-Catholicism dates back to before the United States was even a thing. While those deep cultural and historical biases are probably part of it, I think the main reason people traffic in this sort of conspiratorial thinking is more innocent: the Catholic Church is really old and really weird, and people like a little spice in their Christmas eggnog. People also like putting together puzzles, and the Catholic Church gives you a lot of pieces to play with. The Vatican is an ancient city full of tunnels, crumbling Roman ruins, and a Necropolis under a basilica. The Pope controls a city-state, can speak with God's voice, and wears some very impressive hats. It's the kind of set-up where anything seems like it could be happening at any time, including the Pope digging up Satan's grave, maybe so they can fight. Like many conspiracy theorists, the author Dan Brown, and the developers of the Assassin's Creed video games, I want the awesome things to be real too. I want a flashy showdown in Vatican City between angels and demons (and aliens). But good and evil don't work that way in real life. Even if you dress up the "good guys" in elaborate headgear, they're still fallible old men51% good on a good day. Evil doesn't reside in a tomb and come at you with flaming swords. It would be cool if the Pope could call on the power of his big buddy God to smite those who need smiting, but despite the hats, scepters, and symbolic authority, the best the Pope can do is throw open some old doors in the papal palace and maybe try to get people to maybe think about the plight of prisoners.