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  By Thierry Malleret, economist  Experts now predict that in wealthier nations, the future is at least partial working from home. “Remote-first” is fast gaining the upper hand because a) workers want it (people reject the wellbeing toll of commuting and want more agency over their work)–and b) research shows that it boosts productivity. But the work-from-home shift brings a new threat: always-on work and a further erosion of any line between “life” and work.    A new study from the World Health Organization shows that among the 2 million people that die from work-related causes a year, the…

Employees—whether hotel workers or investment bankers—are quitting, and superficial “wellness programs” aren’t going to reverse it By Thierry Malleret, economist  A recent report from McKinsey that surveyed employers and employees in Australia, Canada, Singapore, the UK, and the US to investigate the “Great Resignation” (or “Great Attrition”) phenomenon found out that 40% of the employee respondents are “at least somewhat likely to quit in the next…

How the pandemic has increased the importance of all kinds of wellness for consumers has been much discussed. For the sake of proving the case of “wellness expansion,” let’s just take fitness—one of the sectors hit the hardest by the pandemic. The major fitness researcher IHRSA reported this summer that during the pandemic, 22% of all fitness facilities globally closed permanently–(and they document the market declines for every global region).   But in large…