MarketCall Inc.’s Post

Want to learn a Chinese word which you probably don't know but is REALLY useful... Especially if you use it today!? It's a word I learned last week. A neologism, and a play on words. It's easy to "get". I knew both of the characters in the word. But I'd never seen them together before. The English is: "take a fake holiday" The Chinese: 假放 jiǎ fàng Easy to understand, right? "fake" (假) + "take a holiday" (放 of 放假) The context is around the Labour Day holiday this year. The Labour Day holiday starts on May 1, which was a Wednesday this year, and ends on May 5, a Sunday this time around. That’s five rest days in total. But then there are "adjustment days" on either side of the holiday, which are Sunday April 28, and Saturday May 11. People are required to work on these days, meaning two six-day weeks either side of the holiday, to "adjust" for the time-off.  So the five-day holiday for many people has been ruined by one of the most annoying things about working in China: "holiday adjustment days" (调休 tiáoxiū). Today is Saturday 11 May. So anyone you know in China is probably working right now, and a bit grumpy because of it. They couldn't even enjoy their time off during the five-day Labour Day holiday. Because, well, it was a fake! What are you doing today? Working hard?

“IF YOU’RE SICK, STAY HOME! Truly, our resistance to logic, as adults who function inside a capitalist economy has really been something special. Our egos demand of us that we pretend to be impervious to the human condition. Rather than embrace our body’s wisdom, we try to override it with our big brains and “push through” as though that is ever gonna have positive consequences on the other side. In 2024 and beyond, your benefits package, including your approach to Paid Time Off can make or break whether or not top talent is willing to work for you. Workers are scouring through benefits packages like never before. Flexibility, trust, sharing values and more – all these things are important to workers that are not at all interested in being treated like cogs in a wheel…” Click Here to Read Essay 16 - Spring Break Series: A Better Approach to Sick Time - https://lnkd.in/dBC27zht

As we celebrate Labor Day, let's take a moment to honor the hard work that drives our economy forward. This holiday is not just a day off; it's a reminder of the value of your labor and the importance of financial security. Happy Labor Day to all! Our office and the market will be closed in observance of the holiday. #LaborDay #FinancialPlanning #SmartInvesting #FinancialSecurity

An observation from my wife while we were abroad.💡 “When we’re at a restaurant they never offer to bring you the check even if it looks like you’re done.”🤷🏻♂️ In other words, nobody automatically assumes you’re in a hurry to get out the door.🏃♂️💨 It comes back to a deeper cultural difference. 👉Here we live to work and not work to live.👈 Data and even public policy support this. Just look at the difference in time off work entitled to employees.👇 You get to have your own opinion if that’s a good or bad thing and what the right balance is. But…it’s one reason I’ve always maintained a home country bias 🇺🇸 with my investment portfolio. If the average worker is working almost an entire extra month each year, it would only seem logical to me that our economy is going to grind out more profit. 💵 What are your thoughts on this? Feel free to drop a comment below. #investing #financialplanning #worklifebalance

Government announced a sudden public holiday. But what's more sudden than that? Tech CEOs and senior leaders suddenly, certainly became Sufis and Pandits, calculating how much does a public holiday cost, how we need to work hard to make Pakistan strong, and how hard it is to communicate to the foreign clients that we are observing a surprise public holiday. So most of them didn't observe the holiday and made it a working day. So the concerns are genuine, fully onboarded on that. But the same people in leadership should think on similar lines when; - People are forced to work on a public holiday, do they get a good compensation in return? - Late sittings, working weekends, are these paid and well compensated? - They knowingly underpay the quality resources, exploiting their situations. - Lay off quality resources, maintain a toxic culture, fail to win quality work, that results in talent fleeing and brain drain. Don't these factors hurt Pakistan? The broken business models, reliance on jackpots, no investments in talent development, shadowing, wrong means to win business, etc. As you earn privileged positions, you have a responsibility. It's easier to preach, it's hard to act! #Leadership

"Give them unlimited holidays. Treat employees like adults and they behave like adults." Sounds great but it will only truly benefit employees if there are absolutely no repercussions for taking more time off than before, e.g. regarding career perspective. In theory this approach does strengthen employees' internal locus of control creating a win-win as the video illustrates. But if there are any implicit expectations present or if there is unclarity about possible consequences, this policy will only make the organizational climate more unsecure. Also, this might lead to unwanted group dynamics thanks to mutual comparisons. So what do you think: good idea or bad from an employee perspective? #leadership #psychology #influence #organization #organizationalclimate #organizationalhealth #positivepsychology #tradeunion CESI - Independent Trade Unions https://lnkd.in/eFDn5Vnx

Labour Day reflections 💭 I took a walk on the beach this morning, thinking about what this holiday really means for us as business owners. It's ironic, isn't it? A day that celebrates workers' rights and the 8-hour workday ... while most of us are still tied to our laptops at 9pm 😅 But here's what hit me: → The original Labour Day advocates fought for better working conditions → They wanted sustainable work practices → They believed in work-life boundaries Yet here we are, years later, and I see so many brilliant business owners who: → Can't take a real holiday → Miss family dinners → Wake up at 2am worried about their business The truth? Your business should work FOR you, not the other way around. This Labour Day, I challenge you to think about: ⁓ What systems could automate your repeated tasks? ⁓ Which responsibilities could you delegate? ⁓ Where are you the bottleneck in your own business? Because the real celebration of Labour Day isn't about working harder - it's about working smarter. Here's to building businesses that give us freedom, not just more work 🌅 What's one change you're planning to make to reclaim your time? Share below 👇 PS our holiday in Fiji resulted in Rick and I bringing back more than a tan, we both got Covid ... first day testing negative 🎈

Big shoutout to our friends at Stride Health for their hot-off-the-press feature in Inc. Magazine! In their ongoing effort to illuminate the realities of independent workers, Stride’s latest study revealed that a majority of 1099ers are not planning to take summer time off due to increasing economic pressures. Faced with the trade-off between earning and relaxing, justifying vacation can be a tough call, even with the known mental and physical benefits it brings. That's where Stride comes into play—by providing cost savings on insurance and taxes, these workers can potentially fund a much-needed break. Check out our case study to dive deeper into the work we did together: https://lnkd.in/g2kmbCuk

Why you don't labour on Labour Day. ✋ This holiday is more than just a break - it's a statement! 👷♂️ 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻. Back in the late 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution saw workers struggling to make ends meet, despite laboring for 12-hour days, seven days a week. Workplaces were hazardous, without adequate sanitary facilities, fresh air or breaks. In 1886, widespread discontent sparked massive unrest, which resulted in what we now celebrate as Labour Day. 😪 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸/𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀. Thanks to our genetic blueprint, we all have different capacity for energy. Some people are energy generators and can work longer and harder, while others get tired faster and easier. But whether you're a die-hard workaholic or a laid-back individual, one thing is clear - we ALL need rest. Ignoring our body's need to recharge can lead to fatigue, a drop in productivity, and serious health issues. Let Labour Day be a reminder that 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. So what is your capacity for work? How productive can you be before you need rest? #LabourDay #Holiday #Biology #Genetics #UnlockPotential (Even the most hardworking guard dog needs a break on Labour Day! 🐶)

Some great tips for the Holidays. Be sure to submit the info requested at the bottom.