Regardless of what kind of exercise youre into, if youre working out, youll want a pair of wireless workout headphones. They allow you to be free and untethered during a serious weight-lifting session, a 5K run, an hour at the skate park and everywhere in between where youre moving and sweating a ton. There are dozens of great wireless headphones and wireless earbud options out there, but for exercise in particular, there are additional factors to consider before picking one up like water resistance, battery life and overall comfort.At Engadget, weve tested a bunch of fitness-ready headphones and earbuds to come up with our top picks, plus some advice to consider before you pick up a pair. All of our top picks below will work in and out of the gym, so you can invest in just one pair and make those your daily driver. If youre primarily a runner, check out our list of best headphones for running. What to look for in workout headphones Design Before diving in, its worth mentioning that this guide focuses on wireless earbuds. While you could wear over-ear or on-ear headphones during a workout, most of the best headphones available now do not have the same level of durability. Water and dust resistance, particularly the former, is important for any audio gear you plan on sweating with or taking outdoors, and thats more prevalent in the wireless earbuds world. Most earbuds have one of three designs: in-ear, in-ear with hook or open-ear. The first two are the most popular. In-ears are arguably the most common, while those with hooks promise better security and fit since they have an appendage that curls around the top of your ear. Open-ear designs dont stick into your ear canal, but rather sit just outside of it. This makes it easier to hear the world around you while also listening to audio, and could be more comfortable for those who dont like the intrusiveness of in-ear buds. Water resistance and dust protection Even if a pair of headphones for working out arent marketed specifically as exercise headphones, a sturdy, water-resistant design will, by default, make them suitable for exercise. To avoid repetition, heres a quick primer on durability, or ingression protection (IP) ratings. The first digit youll see after the IP refers to protection from dust and other potential intrusions, measured on a scale from 1 to 6. The second refers to water resistance or even waterproofing, in the best cases. The ratings for water resistance are ranked on a scale of 1 to 9; higher numbers mean more protection, while the letter X means the device is not rated for protection in that regard. All of the earbuds we tested for this guide have at least an IPX4 rating, which means theres no dust protection, but the buds can withstand splashes from any direction and are sweat resistant, but probably shouldn't be submerged. For a detailed breakdown of all the possible permutations, check out this guide published by a supplier called The Enclosure Company. Active noise cancellation and transparency mode Active noise cancellation (ANC) is becoming standard on wireless earbuds, at least those above a certain price point. If youre looking for a pair of buds that can be your workout companion and serve you outside of the gym, too, noise cancelation is a good feature to have. It makes the buds more versatile, allowing you to block out the dull roar of your home or office so you can focus, or give you some solitude during a busy commute. But an earbuds ability to block out the world goes hand-in-hand with its ability to open things back up should you need it. Many ANC earbuds also support some sort of transparency mode, or various levels of noise reduction. This is important for running headphones because exercising outdoors, alongside busy streets, can be dangerous. You probably dont want to be totally oblivious to whats going on around you when youre running outside; adjusting noise cancelation levels to increase your awareness will help with that. Stronger noise cancelation might be more appealing to those doing more indoor training if they want to block out the dull roar of a gym or the guy exaggeratingly lifting weights next to you. Battery life All of the Bluetooth earbuds we tested have a battery life of six to eight hours. In general, thats what you can expect from this space, with a few outliers that can get up to 15 hours of life on a charge. Even the low end of the spectrum should be good enough for most athletes and gym junkies, but itll be handy to keep the buds charging case on you if you think youll get close to using up all their juice during a single session. Youll get an average of 20 to 28 extra hours of battery out of most charging cases and all of the earbuds we tested had holders that provided at least an extra 15 hours. This will dictate how often you actually have to charge the device as in physically connect the case with earbuds inside to a charging cable, or set it on a wireless charger to power up. How we test workout headphones In testing wireless workout headphones, I wear them during every bit of exercise I do be it a casual walk around the block, a brisk morning run or a challenging weight-lifting session. Im looking for comfort arguably most of all, because you should never be fussing with your earbuds when you should be focusing on working out. In the same vein, Im cognizant of if they get loose during fast movements or slippery when Im sweating. I also use the earbuds when not exercising to take calls and listen to music throughout the day. Many people will want just one pair of earbuds that they can use while exercising and just doing everyday things, so I evaluate each pair on their ability to be comfortable and provide a good listening experience in multiple different activities. While I am also evaluating sound quality, Im admittedly not an audio expert. My colleague Billy Steele holds that title at Engadget, and youll find much more detailed information about audio quality for some of our top picks in his reviews and buying guides. With these headphones for working out, however, I will make note of related issues if they stood out (i.e. if a pair of earbuds had noticeably strong bass out of the box, weak highs, etc). Most of the wireless workout headphones we tested work with companion apps that have adjustable EQ settings, so youll be able to tweak sound profiles to your liking in most cases. A note about Jabra headphones Jabra announced it will exit the consumer earbuds business, which is disappointing considering the company has made excellent headphones for working out. Our top picks include two Jabra models and we feel comfortable recommending them still because Jabra plans to support its current earbuds for "several years." However, we're constantly testing new buds and reassessing our top picks, so we'll update this list accordingly in the future. Best workout headphones for 2025 Others wireless workout headphones we tested Apple AirPods Pro The Apple AirPods Pro have an IP54 rating, which protects them from brief encounters with dust and splashes. While thats more dust protection than many other earbuds we tested, its the same level of water resistance that most exercise-specific competitors have. We generally like the AirPods Pro, but the Beats Fit Pro offer many of the same features and conveniences (namely good transparency mode and the H1 chip), with a design thats more appropriate for working out. Beats Powerbeats Pro The Powerbeats Pro are a good alternative to the Beats Fit Pro if youre a stickler for a hook design. However, they cost $50 more than the Fit Pro (although they often hover around $180) and dont offer any significant upgrades or additional features aside from their design. Theyre also quite old at this point (launched in 2019) and it appears Beats is putting more effort into upgrading and updating its newer models rather than this model. Anker Soundcore AeroFit Pro The Soundcore AeroFit Pro is Ankers version of the Shokz OpenFit, but I found it to be less secure and not as comfortable as the latter. The actual earbuds on the AeroFit Pro are noticeably bulkier than those on the OpenFit, which caused them to shift and move much more when I was wearing them during exercise. They never fell off my ears completely, but I spent more time adjusting them than I did enjoying them. JBL Endurance Peak 3 The most noteworthy thing about the Endurance Peak 3 is that they have the same IP68-rating that the Jabra Elite 8 Active do, but they only cost $100. But, while you get the same protection here, youll have to sacrifice in other areas. The Endurance Peak 3 didnt blow me away when it came to sound quality or comfort (the hook is more rigid than those on my favorite buds of a similar style) and their charging case is massive compared to most competitors.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/audio/headphones/best-wireless-workout-headphones-191517835.html?src=rss

If you've ever been confused about the vast array of skincare products on the market and exactly which ones are right for you, LOral claims to have the answer. For CES 2025, the company introduced a gadget called the Cell BioPrint that can biochemically analyze your skin and provide advice on how to make it look younger.The company partnered with a startup called NanoEntek, a Korean manufacturer that develops microfluidic lab-on-a-chip technology. To use the system, you place a facial strip on your cheek, then transfer it over to a buffer solution. That is then loaded into a Cell BioPrint cartridge, which is in turn inserted into the machine for analysis. While that's being processed, the device also takes images of your face and has you fill out a short questionnaire around skin concerns and aging. All of that takes just five minutes, the company says.In an interview with Engadget, Loreal's Guive Balooch said that the skin strip can be applied near the jawline, and that even if someone has sunscreen on, it won't affect the results.Once the data is crunched using something LOral calls proteomics, Cell BioPrint can provide advice on how to improve your skin's appearance. It can suggest how well you may respond to certain ingredients like retinol, and predict potential cosmetic issues like dark spots or enlarged pores before they become visible.It all sounds good and reasonably science-based, but LOral didn't cite any peer-reviewed studies that may prove the machine's efficacy. Still, it seems like a good time for such a product as skincare awareness has blown up of late thanks in part to Covid, influencers and Sephora. That has generated in a lot of new information (and misinformation), allowing LOral to come in and save the day using science to hypothetically fix your issues.In any case, the BioPrint machine won't be available for consumers just yet, and to be clear, the first iteration of the device isn't meant for at-home use. It's slated to start pilot tests in stores in Asia sometime in 2025, but so far, there's no firm launch date or price. Balooch indicated it would follow a similar rollout pattern to the company's other tech launches in the past, by appearing first at the counters in flagship stores for one of LOral's luxury brands. Over time, it may make its way to more mainstream segments.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/loreals-latest-device-promises-to-help-find-out-how-well-your-skin-responds-to-ingredients-like-retinol-090300942.html?src=rss

We're here! The Engadget CES 2025 team has mostly arrived in Las Vegas, where well be covering techs biggest annual conference. Our war room is open, the team has been seeing products and the coverage will ramp up in just a few short hours. Still, the show doesn't officially kick off for a couple of days, since the convention center is only truly open on January 7. But we'll have plenty of press conferences to cover tomorrow, and companies are already holding somewhat secretive briefings to preview their news.Based on our experience, as well as observation of recent industry trends, its fairly easy to make educated predictions about what we might see here. Over the years, the focus of the conference has spanned areas like TVs, cars, smart home products and personal health, with a smattering of laptops and accessories thrown in. At CES 2025, we expect to see AI get even more pervasive in all areas of the show floor. But we are also likely to get the usual slew of new processors and subsequent laptops, as well as all manner of wearables, trackers, bathroom appliances and massage chairs. Oh, the massage chairs.What we already know aboutThere's already a lot we know is coming, just by a cursory glance at the lineup published by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). In addition to numerous panels and talks, there will be keynotes by NVIDIA's founder and CEO Jensen Huang, Delta CEO Ed Bastian as well as C-suite executives from companies like Panasonic, SiriusXM, Waymo and Volvo group. We've also seen that Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X (Twitter), will be interviewed by journalist Catherine Herridge at a keynote on January 7, while Snap CEO Evan Spiegel will be speaking about the "future goals of the platform" on January 8.Press conferences of note at CES 2025Engadget will be running a liveblog all through the show, starting on Monday January 6th. That's the day many press conferences by companies like NVIDIA, LG, Samsung and AMD will be taking place, and we'll be covering them live. We'll be paying particular attention to NVIDIA, LG, Samsung and Sony, but are keeping tabs on the dozens of other press conferences that will be happening, as well as the talks with Yaccarino and Spiegel. Here's how to watch those noteworthy press conferences if you want to tune in yourself:Samsung CES 2025 press conference: Watch it here Monday at 5PM ETSony CES 2025 press conference: Watch it here Monday at 8pm ETWatch the NVIDIA CES 2025 press conference live: Monday, 9:30PM ETCES 2025 news that's already announcedSome companies didn't even wait till January to make their news known. LG, for example, continues its annual tradition of sharing its upcoming CES launches weeks ahead of the show by unveiling the 2025 refresh for its QNED evo line of LCD TVs. The company has continued to release more information, including announcing its 45-inch UltraGear bendable OLED gaming monitor alongside a line of curved OLED screens.In fact, here's a little list of all the other CES 2025 things LG has already shared so far:LGs new projector looks like a stand fanLG updates its Gram laptop line ahead of CES 2025LG slapped a 27-inch touchscreen on its latest microwaveLG's OLED evo TVs for 2025 come with AI and a 165Hz refresh rateLG previews the compact S20A soundbar at CES 2025Hyundai Mobis, meanwhile, has said it will be giving us a look at its "Holographic Windshield Display," something it's claiming is a world's first. Hyundai Mobis even shared a picture of what its booth at CES 2025 will look like, in case pictures of convention center booths get you excited.Hyundai MobisPlenty of other news has already been made public, including Roborock's vacuum with an arm to help it pick up small objects, Belkin's creator bundle of accessories including a tripod that makes taking hands-free video on your phone much easier. There's a whole lot more news already announced, and for now you can head over to our CES 2025 page to keep up!In addition to what's already been announced, we still have our guesses on big news and trends that might make waves at CES 2025. Heres a taste of what our team expects to see at the show.New video cards from AMD and NVIDIATheres no doubt 2025 is going to be a momentous year for PC gamers. NVIDIA is expected to debut its long-awaited RTX 5000 video cards at CES, while AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed well see next-generation RDNA 4 GPUs early next year. Of the two companies, AMD could use the upgrade more. Its last batch of Radeon 7000 cards were decent mid-range performers, but they lagged far behind NVIDIAs hardware when it came to ray tracing, and AMDs FSR 3 upscaling also couldnt compete with NVIDIAs AI-powered DLSS 3."In addition to a strong increase in gaming performance, RDNA 4 delivers significantly higher ray-tracing performance and adds new AI capabilities, AMD CEO Lisa Su said in an October earnings call.As for NVIDIAs new hardware, a rumor from the leaker OneRaichu (via DigitalTrends) suggested that the RTX 5090 could be up to 70 percent faster than the RTX 4090. (Thats a GPU that I previously described as having unholy power.) They also note that other high level cards could see 30 to 40 percent performance bumps. Those gains might be enough to tempt wealthy RTX 4090 owners to upgrade, but RTX 4070 and 4080 owners might want to skip this generation. For NVIDIA holdouts with RTX 3000 and earlier GPUs, though, next year may be the perfect time to upgrade. Devindra Hardawar, senior reporterAI PCs round 2Last year, I predicted that AI PCs would dominate CES, and that mostly turned out to be true. As 2024 rolled on, we saw even more powerful NPUs in chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm. Microsoft also doubled down on AI PCs with its Copilot+ initiative, which gave a big marketing push for artificial intelligence features and premium specifications (like having at least 16GB of RAM).Expect more of the same going into CES 2025, alongside even more AI being stuffed into every category of product imaginable. This year, in particular, PC makers are likely to gear up to take advantage of Windows 10 support ending next year. Instead of just upgrading your old computer to Windows 11, the likes of Dell and HP would rather you buy a whole new AI PC with the new OS pre-installed.While 2024 was a year of endless AI PC hype, 2025 might end up being a year of reckoning. Microsofts long-delayed Recall feature is slowly trickling out to more users, but its already showing some glaring security holes, like failing to scrub social security and credit card numbers from screenshots. Weve also been mostly underwhelmed with Apple Intelligences image generation capabilities. PC makers have been eager to talk up the potential of AI-powered features until now, but in 2025 theyll have to actually prove they can live up to their fantastical claims. D.H.Earbuds that follow Apples lead on hearing healthIm fully aware not every audio company has the ability to build out a clinical-grade hearing test and hearing aid features in their apps. However, Apples recent update for the AirPods Pro 2 should inspire the competition to offer some form of hearing health tools on their flagship products. Jabra was probably the best equipped to do this since parent company GN has extensive hearing aid experience. Sadly, the company announced earlier this year that it wouldnt make earbuds anymore.Samsung and Google could probably integrate something like what Apple made for the AirPods, given both companies existing health platforms. If they did, those announcements are unlikely to be made at CES, as both companies prefer to host their own standalone hardware events throughout the year.That leaves Sennheiser as the biggest audio company that consistently launches earbuds and headphones at CES. Last year, it showcased multiple new models, including one with heart-rate tracking for workouts. Plus, it already offers hearing assistance with dedicated devices like the true wireless Conversation Clear Plus. Those earbuds are more hearing focused than for general content consumption, so it would be great to see Sennheiser bring some features from that product to its flagship Momentum line of earbuds. Perhaps a Momentum True Wireless 4 Pro or Plus is in the cards, but the current model is just nine months old.Of course, theres plenty of room for other companies to innovate here, and there will be no shortage of new earbuds in Vegas next month. We also tend to see a ton of assistive devices and technology launch at CES, from major accessibility companies like OrCam and all manner of smaller brands. I just hope some of the new tech includes more general hearing tools on the models most people will want to use. Billy Steele, senior editorVehicle electrification goes sky highAs the growth of electric cars nears 10 percent of new models sold in the US, its easy to forget that wheeled vehicles arent the only kind of transportation seeing the shift to battery-powered propulsion. Flying taxis have been a mainstay of CES for the past few years, with concept vehicles from brands as large as Hyundai dotting the show floor in Vegas.Granted, these contraptions look more like giant drones with cockpits than anything the Jetsons ever dreamed up. But with companies like Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation pledging to actually launch eVTOL services (electric vertical take-off and landing) in 2025, the era of air taxis may have landed for real this time. Sam Rutherford, senior reporterTurning more phones into satellite phonesSince Apple introduced Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhone 14 in 2022, we've seen a serious uptick in development in satellite communications. Not only did Apple expand its feature to allow for non-emergency communications, component makers like Qualcomm, too, tried to bring similar capabilities to Android devices. Snapdragon Satellite was announced at CES 2023, as a project between Qualcomm and Iridium, but the initiative did not gain popularity with smartphone companies, and was ultimately ended in November that same year.Since then, Google launched satellite calling in Pixel 9 phones, while SpaceX's Starlink satellite texting service has gone live in New Zealand via telco One NZ. In the US, T-Mobile opened up beta signups for its Starlink-powered satellite cell service this year. The skies are getting more crowded, too, with AT&T and partner AST SpaceMobile launching five satellites in September, as well as Amazon's Project Kuiper looking to boost its satellite internet network with space lasers.This year, Garmin launched the inReach Messenger Plus, which it describes as an "SOS Satellite Communicator with Photo and Voice messaging." Though satellite hotspots like that have been around for years from companies like Iridium and GlobalSat, they've historically cost $800 to $1,000, and haven't had the ability to send much more than a few lines of text. Garmin's product may be an indicator of things to come not only are we likely to see major phone makers embed satellite communication capability into future handsets, but in the interim we're probably going to get a bunch of hotspots so we'll never lose connectivity, not matter how far off the grid we get. And I wouldn't be surprised if CES 2025 is rife with devices that let us tap into satellites to get help and talk to others. Cherlynn Low, deputy editorExpanded dialog improvement features on soundbarsWhen it comes to the main aspects of soundbars, there really isnt a ton of innovation from year to year. Heck, Samsungs biggest update last year was the addition of HDMI 2.1 support to its flagship model, which shouldve been there already. Companies have also been focused on the transition to cable-free everything, whether thats wireless Dolby Atmos or wireless transmission boxes. Audio enhancement features are a place where companies can really rise above the fray, and tools like Sonos TV Audio Swap and Boses Personal Surround Sound are great examples of this. A key area nearly every company can improve is dialog boost, a feature that raises the volume or separates spoken word from background noise and music for better clarity.Sonos made a huge leap in this regard on the Arc Ultra, offering two additional settings for its so-called Speech Enhancement. Previously, this was just an all-or-nothing toggle, which is how most companies handle their versions of this tool. Not only is the Sonos update customizable to a degree, its also just better, thanks in part to the redesigned architecture of its new premium soundbar. This is an obvious area where other companies can improve.LG and Samsung typically announce new soundbars at CES, and there are plenty of smaller companies that will debut some too. Id love to see all of them take dialog enhancements a step further and at the very least give multiple options for how its applied. LG has been using AI Sound Pro from its TVs since 2021 and Samsung offers something called Adaptive Sound on its home theater speakers. I would expect them both to generally improve the quality of their features, but Im hoping theyll expand the capabilities too. B.S.Update, December 17 2024, 12:40PM ET: This story has been updated to include the companies and CEOs that will be making keynotes at the show.Update, December 20 2024, 11:55AM ET: This story has been updated to include LG and Hyundai Mobis' announcements ahead of CES 2025.Update, December 25 2024, 10:00AM ET: This story has been updated to include a prediction about satellite communication devices being everywhere at CES 2025.Update, December 30 2024, 12:00PM ET: This story has been updated to include a section titled "What we already know is coming," that contains newer information about appearances by X CEO Linda Yaccarino and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, as well as updates on LG's UltraGear line. The intro was also updated to be more accurate about the time of year since we first published this piece.Update, January 3 2025, 3:20PM ET: This story has been updated to include a list of announcements by LG, as well as to edit the intro so it is not outdated and reflects that we have, indeed, entered a new year.Update, January 5 2025, 3:30PM ET: This story has been updated to include more news from LG, Belkin and Roborock. The intro was also edited as the Engadget team has now arrived in Las Vegas and begun working.Update, January 5 2025, 7:53PM ET: This story has been updated to include a list of press conferences to watch, as well as some new details and links about Engadget's coverage.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ces-2025-the-press-conferences-and-new-tech-were-expecting-to-see-from-samsung-nvidia-lg-and-more-200052126.html?src=rss

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Working with a mentor is an excellent way to accelerate your career.The relationship can help you gain new skills and prepare you to take on that next big assignment. Finding a mentor and working productively with that person is a key to career success.I had some extraordinary mentors early in my career, and they accelerated my success in ways I couldnt have imagined. Now I enjoy helping up-and-coming professionals build their careers. Still, not every mentor-mentee relationship works.A mentor may not be right for the role, or a mentee may not pursue the relationship successfully.There are ground rules every mentee should practice if the relationship is to succeed. Here are five of the most important ones:1. CHOOSE AN APPROPRIATE MENTORObviously, the first step is choosing an appropriate mentor. To do this, youll need to decide on the skills or area where you want to progress and find someone who can give you that specific support.If you want to progress in a technical area, select a mentor who is known for their skills in that field. Or if you want to be a better communicator, choose someone with those skills. If you want to progress into a leadership role, find a mentor who is a recognized leader.Just make sure your desired skills are aligned with what the mentor can teach you. And choose someone whose track record impresses you. That way you can be sure youll want to learn from this person.2. MAKE YOUR GOALS CLEARSecond, when you approach a possible mentor, explain clearly why youve chosen that person and what your goals are. Prepare that pitch carefullyit will help define the relationship.I once heard about a young woman who was in her company cafeteria and saw a senior executive she wanted to have as her mentor. So, she walked up to that person and said, I want you to be my mentor. She hadnt prepared her script so when the senior woman asked why, the younger woman was speechless. That was the end of that.Always go prepared with a compelling script, one that shows exactly what you would like to learn and why you believe that senior person can teach you those skills. (For a deeper understanding of how to create a networking script, see my book, The Job Seekers Script.)3. FOLLOW THE MENTORS ADVICEI know that may seem obvious but from my experience, mentees dont always do this. Ignoring this guidance is a good way to discourage your mentor from helping you further.Your mentor may ask you to draw up a spreadsheet, develop an outline for a pitch, or rehearse your next presentation. View these assignments not as extra work, but as important steps in building your skills.I have always valued the advice Ive gotten from my bosses, and I did my best to follow it. A mentee should see a mentor as a guiding light, in the same way they might see a seasoned boss or manager.4. MEET YOUR MENTORS DEADLINESRemember, the person assisting you is going out of their way to provide this guidancerespect every deadline your mentor establishes. Its usually not part of their job description, and they receive no extra pay for the time theyre spending. Show that you take the relationship seriously and are respectful of their time by abiding the guidelines they specify.I know a mentor who set time frames for his mentee and she repeatedly missed deadlines, saying, Oh, I had outside commitments, or Sorry, I couldnt get to it. These missed deadlines led to the end of the relationship.Its important for a mentor to provide time frames, and its critical that the mentee follow these. As a mentor, Ive learned the importance of schedules. If you dont get such clarity about a due date, ask your mentor when theyd like it to be done. Or together decide on a due date. Assuming the deadline is realistic, meet it.5. SHOW GRATITUDEFinally, show gratitude to your mentor for the time and caring theyre putting into the relationship and the skills theyve helped you gain.Demonstrating your appreciation means saying thank you after each session. You might say, Thank you for taking the time to work with me today, or Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me. However you express it, gratitude is something every mentor will appreciate hearing.Remember that mentoring is an act of generosity. If you thank them warmly, they will be more apt to develop a lasting relationship with you and help you in the years ahead to build your career.

Servers say the chain forces them to do janitorial work and dishwashing for lower tipped wages, robbing them of up to $46.8 million.Melissa Kat Steach,a Waffle House server in Marietta, Georgia, keeps odd hours. She spends much of her day in her motel room off Interstate 75. Around 9 p.m, she walks 500 feet across a gas station parking lot and clocks into her shift. Working as a tipped cashier and server, Steach said she also does untipped work before her shift ends at 7 a.m: mopping floors, cleaning toilets, scrubbing pots and pans.The latter tasks, which Steach said take up to three hours per shift, are now the subject of a federal wage theft complaint. This fall, the Union of Southern Service Workers, a cross-sector affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor claiming that all those hours of untipped work constituted wage theft. Federal law allows employers to pay tipped workers less than regular minimum wage. (Disclosure: SEIU is a financial supporter of Capital & Main.)The complaint, still pending a decision from the Department of Labor, alleged that Waffle House restaurants save from $15.6 million to $46.8 million a year by having tipped workers perform untipped tasks without appropriate compensation.If successful, the complaint could signal to the many restaurants beyond Waffle Houses nearly 2,000 outlets that wage theft has consequences. The company runs roughly 0.27% of the countrys more than720,000restaurants.* * *Wage theftnot paying workers what theyre legally owedis a common practice. As of 2017, the most recent year for which data was readily available, workers lose $15 billion annually in minimum wage violations alone. From 2021 to 2024, the Department of Labor recovered more than $1 billion in back wages and damages for 615,000 employees in the U.S.Wage theft can happen to anyone. Its any time a worker is not paid the money for the labor that they do, said Margaret Poydock, a senior policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute.Researchers have found that tipped workers, such as servers, are particularly vulnerable to wage theft. Federal data from the U.S. Department of Labor also showed that food service workers, whom industry research shows are disproportionately female and nonwhite, experience more wage violations than workers in other low-wage industries. The problem is particularly acute for Waffle House workers, according to a2024 reportfrom the Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of labor unions. Of 488 Waffle House workers surveyed, 90% reported experiencing at least one form of wage theft in the last year. Three-quarters said theyd been required to perform job tasks before clocking in or after clocking out within the last year. (Workers surveyed were self-selecting, responding to a social media advertisement to participate in the survey.)The Union of Southern Service Workers complaint to the Department of Labor also challenged a mandatory meal deduction of $3.15 per shift, even when servers dont eat.Waffle House declined repeated requests for comment.USSW members point, however, to one form of wage theft in particular: performing janitorial or kitchen work while being paid a tipped wage, which 58% of surveyed tipped workers reported to the Strategic Organizing Center. Waffle House stores typically operate with a skeleton crew of cooks, servers, and door greeters, said Dorothy Singletary, assistant general counsel at the SEIU. Stores dont even hire janitors or dishwashers, she said, and largely use servers to pick up the slack. Its a systemic issue, Singletary said.The wage difference is significant. While many states require higher wages than the federal minimum, Georgia, where Steach lives, does not. Tipped wages start at the federal minimum cash wage of$2.13 an hour. By comparison, the federal minimum wage is$7.25an hour; Georgias minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, with limited exceptions in which the federal wage applies. Across the entire company, the complaint argued, using tipped servers to do the standard-wage work of janitors and dishwashers saves Waffle House between $15.6 million and $46.8 million a year.A successful USSW complaint against Waffle House could have a ripple effect, the EPIs Poydock said. Research shows that when you impose penalties and you also name the employer, that kind of deters employers from committing violations of the law, she said.At the time of publication, neither the Department of Labor nor Waffle House had responded to the complaint.* * *The complaint camealmost 18 months into a USSWcampaignto pressure Waffle House to improve conditions ranging from workplace security to higher wages.The campaign has seen some success.In May, after a year of walkouts led by USSW supporters, Waffle House CEO Joe Rogers IIIannouncedcompanywide raises for the first time in more than 30 years. Even with Rogers promised boost of the tipped wage to a minimum of $3 an hour in effect, though, not much is easier for Steach.For a 69-hour workweek in September, Steachs pay stub showed 64 hours of tipped work ranging from $5.07 to $5.27 an hour, plus tips. In a five-day week, by Steachs estimates, that meant she spent up to 15 hours working without tips. (The same check also appeared to list five hours pay at $14.75/hour, presumably for cooking.) Data shows that the living wage for a single-person household in Cobb County, where Steach lives, is$26.55 an hour.For now, Steachs wages cover the $315 a week rent for her motel room, into which she moved after a stint of living on the street. The take-home pay for that September check was $328.01. Theres little left over. The trade off? I dont eat, she said.Steach said that she has asked to train formally as a cook several times, hoping to move into a better-paid job, but said that managers have told her they dont have the time to train her. Her next best option is to work double shifts when she can, doing more untipped work for tipped wages.Meanwhile, Steach is pushing for a change.Corporations cant keep throwing us around because we make all this money for them, she said. And what are they really doing with it? They are not supporting their workers. They cant keep screwing us around. Were here. Were worth it. Victoria Bouloubasis, Capital & MainThis piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.

A sofa, a coffin and a stackable multipurpose cube are among the items that were displayed in Add Wood, an exhibition exploring the potential of recyclable and biodegradable 3D-printed timber.Designers Esme Willemsen, Janek Beau, Friedrich Gerlach and Julia Huhnholz created four separate projects using EconitWood, which is produced by German company Additive Tectonics.The material is made by combining leftover wood from sawmills and timber harvesting with a natural, non-toxic and flame-retardant magnesium carbonate binder, and its extrusion through 3D-printing allows for the creation of complex shapes without generating any waste.A coffin is among four prototypes created with EconitWoodWillemsen wanted to take advantage of the made-to-order nature of 3D printing with her design, a coffin called Finalform.stl. Her vision is that the design could be printed with adaptations for different bodies, while also incorporating personalised decoration at minimal extra cost.She also wanted to reduce the environmental impact of burials by eliminating the metal grips, screws and other non-timber elements that would be found in a typical coffin, and potentially by adapting the design to optimise decomposition within soils at different locations."Using 3D printing as the manufacturing method felt like a natural fit for this project," said Willemsen. "The flexibility of this process allows for adaptation to different body types and sizes, which is becoming increasingly important as larger-scale coffins grow in popularity."The 3D-printing process would allow for bespoke decoration"Traditional coffins the ones covered with paint or added metals or plastics can negatively impact the soil over time, so using a material that supports better decomposition and filtration felt like an important step forward," she continued."EconitWood also opens up possibilities for adapting the coffin's density and filtration properties to specific soil conditions, making the design even more responsive to environmental needs."Gerlach orientated towards making the most efficient use of the 3D-printing process in his design, the Lumo sofa. The sofa has an EconitWood shell that is stackable in production to maximise printer bed space.The Lumo sofa is entirely disassemblable and biodegradable, unlike typical sofas"I focused on one key characteristic of this 3D printer: it doesn't really matter if it's printing a single small object or an entire large block in one job both take roughly the same amount of time," said Gerlach. "Because of this, I decided to design an object that could be efficiently stacked within the printer's build volume, thereby increasing its overall printing efficiency.""This approach could make the process more attractive to companies, as improved efficiency helps lower production costs. I also wanted to demonstrate the printer's capacity, showing that it's possible to print large-scale furniture pieces without any issues."Read: Material Cultures transforms woodland waste into sustainable sheet materialsThe Lumo sofa is completed with a removable fabric suspended seat that attaches to a groove along the shell's edge, and since both the upholstery and filling are 100 per cent wool, the sofa in its entirety would eventually biodegrade if returned to the earth.Whereas many wood composite materials are made with a plastic binder, EconitWood's is a natural and non-toxic mineral binder that it says would dissolve in water after some years in the natural environment, and the untreated wood would rot away. However, the company's hope is that the products have a long life or be returned to the company for recycling.The Offset shelving unit makes a sculptural feature out of a shape that is efficient to 3D printHuhnholz also designed for optimum efficiency with her piece, a shelving unit titled Offset. The unit is made up of three smooth and sculptural EconitWood posts, which have a conical shape designed so that the segments can be nested within each other during production and more can be made in less time.To assemble the shelf the segments are simply stacked and completed with laser-cut aluminium plates."The Offset shelf was inspired by the idea of reinterpreting a traditionally wooden object using the unique properties of printed wood," said Huhnholz. "The assembly of wooden poles and aluminium boards relies solely on precise geometric interlocking. The material's textured surface required a few iterations to achieve the perfect fit."Sandbox is a multifunctional furniture systemBeau looked at effiency from a different angle with his Sandbox stool, which becomes a multifunctional and modular furniture solution if used in multiples, with two modules creating the height of a chair and three the height of a table.The modules can also be shipped without packaging as the dimensions have been optimised to comply with most shipping restrictions, with six modules fitting side by side on a pallet."I was particularly interested in exploring shapes that are typically avoided in wood production due to their complexity or inefficiency," said Beau. "My goal was to create a furniture piece that is easy to handle and can be shipped efficiently. This led me to research outdoor cases, which inspired the design of my object."The design is based on the look of outdoor casesWillemsen, Beau, Gerlach and Huhnholz exhibited their EconitWood designs at Designblok in Prague, Czech Republic in October 2024. The four designers had been Designblok Diploma Selection winners in 2023, giving them the opportunity to exhibit at the 2024 event.Instead of doing solo exhibits, the quartet banded together and approached Additive Tectonics about a collaboration using EconitWood. Their exhibition, Add Wood: Perspectives on Printable Timber, won the 2024 Designblok Award for Best Designer Presentation.Other experiments with 3D-printed wood have included the Warp teahouse pavilion, which was made from shaped tiles by architects Kei Atsumi and Motoya Iizawa.Designblok took place from 2 to 6 October 2024. See Dezeen Events Guidefor an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.The post Product designs explore sustainable potential of 3D-printable wood appeared first on Dezeen.