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Bob Merberg

@heighho.bsky.social
501 followers 344 following 513 posts

Work, labor, organizational psychology, evidence-based health & wellbeing. Open to ukulele and cat content, too.

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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Free lunches could get more employees into the office…” And possibly impede their opportunity for a much needed midday break.
cnbc.com
Over half of workers regularly skip lunch on the job due to high food costs, increasing job pressure
Over half of US workers say they skip lunch to cut costs, according to a survey from ezCater.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I mean, I would like a Daily Brief… but enough to pay.
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Lauren McCarthy @gendercsr.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The best thing I've read on the shocking, but not surprising, Cornell case: www.thecut.com/article/what...
thecut.com
What It Feels Like at Cornell Right Now
As a professor at the Ivy League school, Kate Manne has known many, many victims. There’s a palpable feeling on campus, she writes, that this is big.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I know this is a month old, but I just came across it. I like Lost Weekend, too. I always enjoy (not fanatically) Phoebe’s music, despite the fact that it’s not my favorite genre. I understand she has an acting role in the new film, PrimeTime.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I rarely post political stuff, especially when it’s already going viral. But this warrants widespread circulation. The level of hubris rooted in ignorance and deceit is emblematic of the entire Republican experience. youtu.be/7BwxhZpec4M
youtu.be
WATCH: Schmitt suggested Jack Smith perjured himself about a basketball game, but mixed up 2 teams
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
“For workers, sluggish pay has been compounded by the fact that health insurance and retirement coverage have declined significantly over time. Health insurance fell from 69.0% to 52.2% between 1979 and 2024. At the same time, retiree coverage nearly fell by half from 50.6% down to 29.0%.”
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
That’s fair. There were probably other things in the video I didn’t necessarily buy into. But I found it to be a compelling narrative and analysis. I hadn’t thought about Cassatt in a long time and appreciated being reminded of her art.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
That rare occasion when something on social media is enlightening.
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Dr. Rachel Boehm, PhD @rbstrategies.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Hey #iopsych ppl and #leadership #business ppl. We launched a Beyond the Research podcast: lnkd.in/eGSbtUFY And if you are short on time, we do have shorts! #consultingpsychology #leadershipdevelopment #teamdevelopment #organizationaldevelopment
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Effectively dramatized by @desilydic.bsky.social @thedailyshow.com
youtube.com
Supermom Desi Lydic makes packing a lunch fun, easy, and hopefully not explosive #DailyShow
YouTube video by The Daily Show
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Gonna hafta dig into this data further. I’m wondering what % of workers are represented by a union *with a contract*. That would seem to be a key data point. Last I heard, unionized workers at Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, and Amazon still done have a contract.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I left LinkedIn a couple of years ago. I felt like it mostly seemed like AI slop years before AI slop was a thing.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I live near the lake. I’ll stick to Lake Ontario. Though I would like to see a future prez issue an executive order saying that anything named after Tr*mp is now named after Obama instead. Just for yuks.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Ppl will dismiss Gates for various reasons. But his (long) essay is one of the few insightful analyses I’ve read about AI. “We need both: deep concern about the AI harms we need to minimize, and grounded optimism about the positives if we maximize them for everyone.“
gatesnotes.com
The choices we make about AI now are critical | Bill Gates
AI will either be the greatest equalizer ever invented, or the worst source of injustice. We need to start planning now so it makes the world a fairer place.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Interesting. Thx! I need to find a new bubble.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Do you think Bluesky instructors who have updated their expectations have mostly *raised* them? Seems to me that most have lowered them. Maybe it’s my bubble, but my sense is that almost everyone, esp on Bluesky (and Mastodon), loathes AI. Based on their criticisms, many do seem to be stuck in 2023.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Interesting analysis; thanks for sharing. It motivated me to finally get started reading Sanders’ bill. I 💯 support the concept. But I’m leery of oversimplified financial analyses.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Honestly, I don’t fancy any social/content platforms. I’ll use Reddit and YouTube mostly for how/tos (and some entertainment on YouTube). I’m delighted to visit your Substack from time to time, but I don’t subscribe to newsletters. Sorry… It’s just part of how I manage media consumption these days.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
My pleasure. I’ve largely abandoned Bluesky and Substack, but finding your essay reminds me of what’s good about them. Well done, sir!
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
A compelling, informative, thought-provoking read. “…the core philosophical idea of elevating well-being and societies is almost always forgotten and gets lost in the discussion when those ‘brave new methods’ of process management are applied.“
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I recently purchased the same author/artist’s Odyssey graphic novel. Confession: I got it for me, not for a kid. 😳J ust waiting to finish the (grownup) novel I’m in the middle of.
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics @usbls.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
35% of employed people do some work at home on days they work in 2025 #BLSData www.bls.gov/news.release...
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The Hamilton Project @hamiltonproject.org · 25/06/2026
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) was signed into law #OTD in 1938, setting groundbreaking standards for American workers. U.S. workforce standards have changed little since then—but U.S. workforce needs have changed a lot.
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Princeton Audio @princetonaudio.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Allison Daminger's What’s on Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life offers an engaging look at the mental labor that keeps families afloat—and why women do most of it.⁠ ⁠ This #audiobook, read by @theerinbennett.bsky.social, is out now! 🎧📘 Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/audio/...
Audiobook cover of What’s on Her Mind: The Mental Workload of Family Life by Allison Daminger, read by Erin Bennett
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
<— Same as this. Normal eyeglass lens refraction.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
“Study finds” no such thing. Headline readers find headline writers unclear about correlation and causation.
Screenshot of headline reading “Study finds voting can help you live longer.” From Texas Public Radio website.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Interesting. I recall my father saying that the lions bowed down when a virgin walked past.
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Antoine Vernet @antoinevernet.com · 24/05/2026
Good to see @philipncohen.com mentioned in this column on why generational labels are useless. Too bad it still uses the labels throughout undermining the point it makes that they are not meaningful categories Please stop talking about Gen Z in the office - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Please stop talking about Gen Z in the office
Mindless generational labels don’t help at a time when the workplace is one of the few places where young and old mix
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Excellent piece. I’m trying to sort out the difference between the freelancer policy and the in-house policy. The freelance policy seems more restrictive. Am I understanding correctly?
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
That’s an excellent insight, @antoinevernet.com . Your comment about flattery is well reasoned, while your concerns about human feedback exemplify your sharp critical thinking skills. Would you like me to create a table outlining the pros and cons of humans? 😂
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
It’s such a weird feature. I admit that the positive feedback sometimes makes me feel good (I’m not gonna get it anywhere else — haha), but I recognize it as potentially counterproductive. I’ve sometimes asked bots to give me feedback without blowing smoke up my *ss. Futile, I know.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
⬆️ Exactamundo. (I’ll propose an uncharacteristically optimistic POV: In rare cases when it’s not true, perhaps the creator isn’t putting in enough effort?)
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
2/2 I'm often reminded of an entrepreneur I know following her dad's advice, "The business you should start is the one you can't not start." That's how I feel about a book. Write the book you can't not write. (But if I were driven by fame or fortune, it would 100% be a waste of time.)
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
1/2 Legacy resonates. My impression is that people still buy nonfiction books, but few actually read them. I myself am hardpressed to do anything more than skim or read a couple of chapters. Yet, I have trouble letting go of the idea of writing a book—despite my expectation that it would go unread.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I can’t argue that you’re wrong. I am curious whether you think there’s *any* good reason to write a book?
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Reminds me that we need to differentiate between “jobless” and “job-free.”
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Cornell ILR School @cornellilr.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Virginia Doellgast (@vdoellgast.bsky.social), the Anne Evans Estabrook Professor of Employment Relations and Dispute Resolution at #CornellILR, raises legal concerns about workers' data being used without compensation or consent to train AI systems for job automation. (via @the-independent.com)
the-independent.com
Workers are training AI and robots to replace them. It could end badly
Humans have been working themselves out of a job for millennia, writes Anthony Cuthbertson. But new tactics from tech firms have experts warning that we are ‘sleepwalking' into a labour market overrun...
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Not sure I’m doing this right… 😕
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Extension chord — for those rare cases when there’s not an outlet near the bed or not enough outlets (the chord turns one outlet into three).
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Interesting. But the link didn’t work.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Always ask for evidence, or always seek it? Asking for evidence in casual disagreements is becoming a pretentious nuisance (& unproductive as arguers often aren’t persuaded by evidence, just demand it as a tactic). Ex: You want evidence nicotine is addictive? Google it. Don’t make me do your work.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Valid and important finding justifying caution with AI. Ultimately, I’d like to see more studies comparing risks/benefits of AI-generated advice to advice from human providers. Considering, for example, medical error rates and other issues, I fear we overstate quality of the norm. For context:
nytimes.com
Harvard Calls for Retraction of Dozens of Studies by Noted Cardiac Researcher (Published 2018)
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Also, I don’t want* to be “that guy,” but that receipt paper is toxic. *(I am that guy. I just don’t want to be.)
nytimes.com
I’ve Heard Receipts Are Toxic. Is It Safe to Touch Them?
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Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
If you want to hear more about this pivotal event in labor history, I did a pretty deep dive into the fire and what happened next for the Working People podcast last year. You can listen here:
inthesetimes.com
Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and Uprising of the 20,000
Building worker power has always been an uphill battle. Revisiting history can guide us forward. An interview with Erik Loomis.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Ah. I hadn’t heard of it. I’ll check it out if I can find it in the web.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Exactly. Let’s replace one bullshit set of expectations with another bullshit set of expectations. Hey, that lumberjack in your meme should hoist that log on his back and carry it around, too. You know … For the kids! 🙄
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Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
🚨 With medical testing, MORE ≠ BETTER! "...social media posts on medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse may be overwhelmingly misleading and fail to mention potential harms..." Social Media Posts About Medical Tests jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com
Social Media Posts About Medical Tests With Potential for Overdiagnosis
This cross-sectional study examines the tone and content of social media posts that discuss popular medical tests with potential for overdiagnosis or overuse.
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AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · 25/03/2026
On the 115th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, America’s unions mourn the 146 lives lost on that tragic day, many of whom were immigrant women. More than a century later, the labor movement is continuing the fight to protect all workers’ safety on the job.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
On the 114th anniversary of the Triangle Factory Fire, I'm sharing this article I wrote years ago. It's my most-read post ever. "We once gave our word that we would remember the sacrifice represented by the charred remains of 146 Triangle factory workers." #labor #unions #labour #history #work
heighho.substack.com
"A Nation that Catches Workers Before They Fall"
The Triangle factory fire, in which 146 workers (mostly young immigrant women) perished, marked a turning point for organized labor and worker wellbeing.
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Bob Merberg @heighho.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
This headline is what you hear if you play Bread and Roses backwards. 😏
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