The Rise of Return-to-Office Policies: TOP 5 Trends from The World of Work 

How to job hunt later in your career.

Apple employees push back against the return-to-office order.

Google schools bots in human speech.

We’ve got a full breakdown of all the top headlines you can’t miss this week.

Most tech companies have opted to remain at least partially remote…but a select few are mandating a full five days back in the office. Merge, an enterprise platform that integrated human resources, payroll, recruiting, and accounting, is one of several other outliers that has chosen to go all-in on in-person work. Some employees have met the forced return to the office with open arms. And others have not. Read the full story on The Information.

Food poverty is expected to increase this winter as rising energy and production costs. Manufacturers, retailers and hauliers are passing some of these costs onto the consumer as a result. Across Europe, retailers are responding with initiatives aimed to help customers. In the UK, referrals to food banks by charities have increased; customers of Iceland, a frozen goods chain, can borrow money to help pay for groceries; French retailer Carrefour has halted price increases on 100 items for 100 days.

In the past year, Meta’s stock has dropped more than 50%. The company – which has faced numerous hits to its reputation – long seemed invincible…Until now. It’s not just the economic downturn to blame. The organization is facing a perfect storm: younger users are fleeing the app, innovation has been cratering, antitrust legislation is picking up, and the metaverse remains in flux. Another blow :Apple’s privacy update.

European cities have long been working on high-tech solutions to fight rising temperatures. Seville, Spain is one of the hottest cities in Europe, and one of their solutions to the heat? An underground canal system that runs on recycled water. The canal system will help cool large areas of the city.

Recycling water isn’t a new concept: the Jourdain project on France’s Atlantic coast will be the first time in Europe that water from a wastewater treatment plant will be put back into the system. Other places, like Corsica and the island of Groix, are experimenting with desalinating seawater to tackle drought. Read more here.

Many commodities remain depressed amid concerns about the impact of a recession on demand. Major European metal plants are closing down because of high energy costs and smaller margins. A zinc facility in the Netherlands and a Norwegian-owned aluminum smelter in Slovakia are both among the recent victims of rising costs. Zinc is used to galvanize steel, meaning that down the line, auto, construction and infrastructure industries will all face price hikes – that affect consumers. Read more here.