Skip to main content
Paul Welty, PhD AI, WORK, AND STAYING HUMAN

· found · professional-skills

Bookmark: Do recent college grads need workplace etiquette training?

Explore why 81% of managers advocate for workplace etiquette training for recent grads, focusing on skills like conflict resolution and teamwork.

I recently came across an interesting article from Intelligent.com revealing how 81% of managers see the need for workplace etiquette training for recent grads. They highlight weaknesses in areas like feedback and cellphone etiquette. It’s fascinating to see companies focusing on professionalism through training that covers conflict resolution and teamwork. As someone who values skill-building, these insights resonate deeply with me.

“The top topics and skills covered in workplace etiquette training programs are conflict resolution, diversity and inclusion, and collaboration and teamwork.”

Do Recent College Grads Need Workplace Etiquette Training?

The agent-shaped org chart

Every real org has the same topology: principal, role-holder, specialists. Staff AI maps onto it, node for node, and the cost collapse shows up in the deliverables that were always just human-handoff overhead.

AI as staff, not software

Two frames for what AI is doing to work. The tool frame makes tools smarter. The staff frame makes roles unnecessary. Those aren't the same product, the same company, or the same industry.

Knowledge work was never work

Knowledge work was always coordination between humans who couldn't share state directly. The artifacts were never the work. They were the overhead — and AI just made the overhead optional.

The work of being available now

A book on AI, judgment, and staying human at work.

The practice of work in progress

Practical essays on how work actually gets done.

The file I almost made twice

A small operational footgun that runs everywhere — building a parallel system when the one you have is fine.

The actor doesn't get to be the verifier

The worker isn't lying. The worker is reporting what it thought it did, which is always one step removed from what the world actually shows. The fix isn't more self-honesty. The fix is a different pair of eyes.

Shopping is the last mile

Every meal planning app treats cooking as the hard problem and shopping as a logistics detail. They have it backwards. Cooking is mostly solved. Shopping is the last mile.

Article analysis: We need to talk about the emotional weight of work

Explore the emotional weight of work and discover strategies to manage procrastination, boost productivity, and foster personal fulfillment.

Bookmark: Gen z workers think showing up 10 minutes late to work is as good as being on time

Explore the clash between Baby Boomers and Gen Z over punctuality in the workplace, revealing how attitudes towards time impact productivity and collaboration.

Article analysis: 9 surprisingly simple ways to get people to respond to your email

Boost your email response rates with 9 simple strategies, including effective subject lines and concise messaging, to engage your audience effectively.