Despite the alerts and requests from health entities to take care of themselves and not go out en masse amid the outbreak of COVID-19 in various parts of the country and the world, Americans are planning to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday.

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the number of travelers is much lower than last year and it is estimated that more than two million people were screened on Friday and Saturday at US airports. However, in relation to the March figures, last Friday was the second time that the daily reviews passed one million people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have asked Americans not to travel on Thanksgiving Day, or spend the holiday with people who do not live with them.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading infectious disease expert in the United States, said he was concerned about the saturation of travelers at airports, due to the holiday, as it could generate an increase in COVID-19 cases.

“We will get into more trouble even those who already have now , ” he said in the program “Face the Nation” on CBS, in which he said that weeks later the consequences will be, in the midst of holiday season and a colder weather.

According to John Breyault of the National Consumers League, Americans “should feel comfortable changing their plans and canceling their flights if they need to do so for health reasons.”

In addition, due to the current situation, airlines will not pay cash to refund a flight, but they have implemented policies that make it easier to waive fees and offer coupons.

Breyault told the AP agency that passengers should “familiarize themselves with the policies.”

According to Johns Hopkins University, the United States leads the list of infections and deaths from COVID-19, with a total of 12, 249,575 cases and 256,798 deaths.

In Denmark, working late makes a bad impression on bosses and colleagues, due to the deep-seated work-life balance. Can you imagine something like this in your country?

Danes work an average of 33 hours a week despite the fact that the statutory working hours are 37 hours, according to the OECD. This is one of the factors that makes the Danes one of the happiest people in the world.

However, in many cultures, such as North American and Latino, it is still well seen to have long hours of 8 or more hours a day. In fact, it is estimated that during the home-office period or in teleworking format, if it is not properly regulated by companies, an average of two more hours per day is worked.

And that’s the point to talk about productivity, that’s what it’s all about: are we productive because we work longer hours, or could we do the same, and even better in less time?

This specific case serves to illustrate: in August 2019, almost 2,500 Microsoft employees in Japan participated in an experiment to reduce working hours.

They worked only four days a week, with Fridays off. The result measured was that productivity increased by 39.9% and a balance between personal and professional life was favored.

Working eight hours a day comes from dividing the day into three parts of 8/8/8: eight hours to sleep, eight to work and the same for free time.

This scheme was originated in 1856. Further back, around 1825 in industrialized countries they worked about 82 hours a week from Monday to Saturday: it was a great advance compared to the 12 hours from Monday to Sunday that they used to work in the fields. In few cases, as in the Spain of 1595 with King Felipe II, it was accepted to work eight hours throughout the week.

So , does productivity increase or decrease by reducing the working day? What remains in evidence is that the eight-hour shift from Monday to Friday produced centuries ago a gradual improvement in hourly production, although it would not have been effective without the industrial revolution of that time, for example, the case of the powered loom. steam-originated in the mid-1750, and evolved in 1850 and then 1890-as a contribution to industrialized tasks.

Today, current world conditions will imply a new transformation, perhaps with shorter days or hours, more flexibility and the possibility of teleworking as a permanent or hybrid instance, combined with face-to-face.

We are seeing the emergence of what many envision as a fifth era in humanity, where many jobs are going to be automated and others, directly eliminated.

The possibility of continuing to produce and carry out work practices under new parameters will depend on the preparation and adaptability for new environments, both for companies, governments, organizations and workers. The world is transformed, and it is unthinkable to continue under the same schemes of centuries ago.

A first step in many countries is the implementation of the 32-hour workday; This topic is extensively investigated in different latitudes, since each one has its peculiarities and it might not be feasible to apply it in a generalized way.

Although there is consensus in going towards fewer hours, teleworking, face-to-face in a reduced and minimal format, and new skills of leaders to lead teams in totally different environments until recently.

The results of the experiences indicate that productivity increases because the worker feels happier and a certain release of excessive workload, without seeing his salary compromised.

Even other investigations speak of diminishing inequality. From a health perspective, working fewer hours produces less stress, improves sleep, primary bonds such as family and friends are solidified, and people are more rested and better predisposed.

For those who have permanent employment it may be a good idea. The problem is represented by the self-employed , those who earn their wages every day with their hours: if they don’t work, they don’t get paid. Worldwide it is estimated that a self-employed person works more than 9 hours a day, including in many cases on weekends.

In the public sector there was an experience in 2007 in Utah (United States) where the working day was reduced, although already in 2011 after the measurements, citizens received worse services, which would imply hiring more officials and technicians to fill these shortcomings.

That is to say that in the public sphere there is much to be analyzed, because, in short, the support of public employment is paid by all the private ones out of our own pockets.

Analyze the contexts and culture of the company and adapt it to the new format.

Thoroughly study the pros and cons of these measures, including the economic-financial variable, which will be the one that ends up defining their viability so that companies can sustain themselves.

Create internal regulatory frameworks for how these measures will be implemented, in what terms – generally gradual -.

Do test groups for, for example, three months in a row, with clear indicators to evaluate the evolution of the reduced working day.

Promote task automation and skills development for telecommuting and productivity with fewer hours worked, responsibility, commitment, and consistency; communication, interaction and complementarity.

Redesign the operating schemes of the companies, adapting them to the new forms that they implement. This includes that tasks will be completed on short-time hours, and overtime may no longer exist as a common measure for everyone.

Open permanent channels of dialogue in the company where voices from the different sectors participate, through mediated processes, to agree on best practices, internal regulations, measurement of results and permanent monitoring of the effectiveness of the measures to reduce working hours.

Know that it is a progressive process that cannot simply be executed by decree; rather, the final implementation will take a few years.

Detect new talent suitable for this work format; in addition, to work intergenerationally to fill the gaps that will arise between the old and new models.

By implementing shorter hours, leaders need to learn to trust and delegate more to their teams, focus on effectiveness and not just the bottom line, and definitely support work-life balance.

How many emojis are many emojis? Which ones should I use? At what level of my campaign should I incorporate them? These questions might sound familiar to you if you want to communicate on social networks and is that emojis have become a key part of the digital ecosystem for giving what we write that “human” or emotional quality.

These expressions manage to humanize brands and that is why we already see them in the subject line of emails even on social networks and WhatsApp, where they are protagonists.

Before telling you the elements that you should keep in mind to know if your messages require their incorporation or not, I want to tell you that a Statista report explains that the emojis “crying with laughter” and “sending a kiss” are the most used, by 56% and 55% respectively.

This report also highlights the fact that 6% of respondents said they did not use any.

Which leads us to ask ourselves: Are these emoticons a core part of modern communication? Let’s see below four elements that you should consider before incorporating them

Apart from developing your avatars very well, you should investigate what types of emojis they use and how each of them is perceived. There are social intelligence tools such as Emojipedia with which you can identify the most used ones.

It is also important that the construction of your buyer persona is accompanied by an understanding of the generational behavior of your audience, since the emoticons used by baby boomers, millennials or generation Z, may not be the same or not have the same meaning.

Each social network has its own personality and understanding it is essential to use this resource assertively. For example, if all your communication takes place on LinkedIn, you can prioritize slightly more professional emojis, such as the green check sign, the idea light bulb or others that invite you to generate an action.

On the other hand, in more casual environments such as Tiktok or Instagram you can incorporate those that are widely understood, always taking care of the meaning of each one and the concordance with the message it transmits.

For example, if your brand communication is humorous or with a humorous approach, the number of emojis available is likely to be much greater than if your brand is a hospital, for example.

Not all emojis mean the same in all countries, in fact, in countries like the United States or the United Kingdom, the woman who dances is simply that, a dancer. While for us in Panama it represents a holiday.

If you still have doubts, ask yourself: What is the intention of the message? Are the emojis I plan to place understood by my audience? Is this social network the right one for that message?

Going back to the previous example, it is likely that on LinkedIn you decide not to incorporate the emoticon that winks an eye while sticking out its tongue, but it seems very good for Instagram. What if I told you that in some countries this gesture is a sign of coquetry?

If that’s not what you want to convey, then it’s time to give it a second look.

Certainly many emoticons will make your communication seem childish and far from increasing participation they will decrease it. Referring to the data, specifically the Statista report (2019), 38% of the participants explained using and feeling comfortable with content that had between 1 to 3.

To conclude, let me remind you of some good practices: Avoid substituting words for emojis, especially since they do not all mean the same to all people, be natural, if your message does not involve food, for example, avoid placing hamburgers or sushi, remember that they exist more than 3,000 emoticons, but also an audience that increasingly has a smaller range of attention, so keeping things simple becomes imperative.

social networks. It is there where an important part of the population – young and not so much – expresses their tastes, ideas, opinions or interests. Not only that, but we have learned to handle the image. Photography and video have become a form of everyday expression.

Even those who do not share regularly on social networks also participate in this visual culture, which has led to the massive explosion of video and photography. The main cause of this popularization is the smartphone. As mobile cameras improved, users sharpened their taste for visual creation.

To the point that a powerful camera has become an object of desire for young people, adults, photographers, non-professionals, amateurs of various degrees, content creators and streamers . A whole group of varied profiles.

José Antonio Consentino, an amateur photographer for more than 30 years, has been taking photos with his mobile for about ten years. He was among the first to join Instagram , a month after its launch, back in late 2010, and he uses his SLR camera less and less.

“The mobile goes more unnoticed”, stands out as one of its great advantages. ” Smartphones help you find that key point: the smile, the sadness, the serious gesture. They have made all of this much easier ”.

For Consentino, the improvement in the photographic quality of mobile phones is indisputable. “They are getting better at interpreting color in a sharp and realistic way.

There is less and less noise in the photo and we can control more the exposure time so that the photos turn out as we want, either with or without movement ”.

All this in a tool that fits in your pants pocket. The Samsung Galaxy are prepared with last generation cameras, capable of obtaining a high quality result. Not only at the photographic level but also video, so that they are positioned as an alternative to professional cameras for certain moments .

Powerful cameras like the ones on the Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy S20 are needed to get those professional-quality photos or spectacular video recordings . Both have a set of lenses designed to capture the maximum detail and adapt to any need of the creator.

A sample of how far these devices can go is the short film Heart Attack , by Korean Lee Chung Hyun, which he shot with a Galaxy S20 .

When it comes to taking pictures, the high-end models of the Galaxy series have a technology developed to obtain the maximum detail . One of its greatest assets is the set of lenses, which in the high-end models offer a wide angle and an ultra wide angle, a telephoto lens and an autofocus laser sensor.

Both wide angle and ultra wide angle are used to expand the field of view. The difference is that the focal length is shorter in the second. “All travel photography requires techniques that capture more landscape space,” says Philippe González, author of the book Instagram and all its secrets .

“But above all, the wide angle is useful in photographs where we want an entire building to appear or a group of people that are very close to you. In this aspect it has been very good for us ”.

González emphasizes that this lens is a weapon to get likes in the networks and gives the example of how to show the attractiveness of a beach. “Without a wide angle that allows you to show a boat up close, for example, and also what is behind it, such as palm trees or houses, the photo will not be so impressive.”

The telephoto lens is another of the elements that allow for better snapshots. “With the physical telephoto lens, a giant step has been taken. It helps us for that moment about which we usually say ‘I can’t show you everything that was seen,’ ”says Consentino.

It refers to landscapes where the distant elements are the ones that give true strength to the image. This lens is used to isolate elements or capture all the detail of an object. Sometimes it even serves to bring the sun or the moon closer, which without a TV appear tiny and lose prominence in the photograph. For more hints about landscape photography – iphotography.com.

Although a large part of the benefits that a smartphone offers when taking photos is the ease of the process. The laser autofocus sensor makes it even more automatic.

Allows the camera to focus on its own by sending and receiving a laser beam. This calculates the distance of objects and the focus needed to make the photo come out sharp.

“It brings photography closer to the masses,” says González. “Get us to have a high probability of taking a sharp photo in a minimum time.” Little preparation is needed.

Ablurred or distorted word that needs to be transcribed. A quadrant of photos indicates where you see license plates or traffic lights. A box that simply says: “I am not a robot”, and that you must check, without offering the option to confess that you are.

The Internet user is forced to go through this process, which is reminiscent of random police identifications in the streets, show me the human ID please.

Science fiction foresaw that in the 21st century we would coexist with humanoid robots, but at most we have the roomba . Where we do mix with robots is in the network, there they are called bots .

Expression full of negative connotations: they are the ones who replicate intoxicating messages, mobilize for lynchings, fill your mailbox with spam , try to steal your passwords or fleece your bank account.

To recognize bots, captcha ( Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart ) emerged , which refer to the test that Alan Turing devised in 1950 to distinguish humans from automata.

It is also called the Reverse Turing Test , because it is not a human who tests the robot, but the other way around. The British mathematician was a visionary, but he should not have foreseen that he would give a name to something so annoying.

The captcha – invention of the Guatemalan Luis von Ahn , who sold it to Google, and has already served two decades not the human brain recognizes best photos or confused texts is based only on that which artificial intelligence: in versions current also measured how you move the mouse, in a more imperfect way than a program (that is why you just have to click “I’m not a robot”).

But robots already do much more complex things than distinguish traffic lights. And so? Amazon has patented something more devilish: the Turing test via failure , which would ask such complex questions that the human would make mistakes and the robot would not.

This would be even more irritating, and it doesn’t seem like an insurmountable barrier either. An investigation by the University of California concluded ten years ago that these systems are not impregnable at all, but they raise the cost of hacking a system. They are not a technological impediment, but an economic one. A form of deterrence. And to ensure, incidentally, the impact of online advertising.

The captcha , then, exists for our sake, to protect us from danger. For how long? Aaron Malenfant, an engineer dedicated to this system at Google, acknowledges that in five or ten years it will be obsolete, but he is confident that by then there will be other ways to recognize robots running in the background.

Until that arrives, there are entire industry of saltadores of captchas , with stressed thousand workers solving day in a basement. I do not predict much future for that tough job. Machines will learn to cheat other machines as they already know how to cheat us.

Recently Aequales, an organization that promotes the labor empowerment of women, announced the results of the Raking PAR 2020, where Microserfin, the Panamanian entity of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (Fmbbva) has positioned itself as the only private company in Panama that participates in said gender measurement at the regional level.

According to the results of the 2020 ranking, the entity is above the Latin American average in the Human Talent management categories (Average Microserfin 57.20% vs. Average Latam 43.96%) and organization structure (Average Microserfin 55.20% vs. Latam Average 52.63%).

Gissele González de Domínguez, president of the Board of Directors of Microserfin, said that “in Microserfin, as part of the Fmbbva, we have a commitment to the economic empowerment of women that is why we are attached to all the effort we make in favor of An urban and rural microentrepreneur from each of the countries that make up the Foundation, we also share a business strategy in which we are committed to a culture of internal gender equality ”.

“Part of that internal strategy is reflected in concrete actions carried out by Microserfin, such as being signatories of the principles for the Empowerment of Women – WEPs for its acronym in English, adhering to the Gender Parity Initiative and our participation in the Raking PAR, a tool that has allowed us to be the only Panamanian entity to have this measurement to strengthen corporate policies on gender equality and improve opportunities for advancement for women in the workplace, ”added Domínguez.

Microserfin, the only entity in Panama within the PAR Latin America 2020 Ranking

The Latin American PAR Ranking is an instrument that allows a diagnosis of the progress of public, private and social organizations in the Latin American region to close gender gaps, its objective is to generate comparative data of Latin America in terms of equity of corporate gender and in turn provide data for decision-making in the workplace with a gender perspective.

This year the measurement was carried out on 779 organizations, entities and companies of the public and private sector in Latin America based on four pillars: Management of objectives, organizational culture, organizational structure and management of human talent.

Currently, in Microserfin’s senior management, women represent 44% and at the general level of its workforce, 42.38% is made up of them in positions of managers, supervisors, credit counselors, among others.

The entity, in addition to its internal equity strategy, pays special attention to women through an offer of value, which contributes to the economic empowerment of women microentrepreneurs in Panama, whose role is fundamental for the development of their families, their environment, sustainable and inclusive growth and poverty reduction in the country.

DiDi, the mobility platform, within the framework of its Corporate Social Responsibility program, enabled in Panama its economic aid plan aimed at driving partners who are diagnosed with COVID-19, according to terms and conditions.

This support is possible thanks to the global fund of $ 10 million, created by the company and that seeks to provide financial support to the driving partner in case of being affected by the virus. The objective is, firstly, prevention through isolation and, secondly, to mitigate the impact on family income caused by the obligation to respect the period of isolation required by the health authorities.

Likewise, and for the driving partners who voluntarily want to receive them, the platform started donating prevention kits consisting of masks and alcoholic gel, so that the driving partners can protect themselves and also the users.

At this stage, a total of 500 kits are being delivered. Drivers who wish to receive it can register through the application, specifically in the “Help” section and then in “DiDi’s Actions against Coronavirus”.

“The well-being of those who use the platform is our priority. We continually look for ways to support them and that is precisely the objective when enabling this economic aid plan in Panama. We understand that staying in quarantine has very significant socioeconomic effects. Likewise, we must not lose sight of prevention, which is why we are also donating these kits to promote compliance with biosafety measures, ”explained P ablo Mondragón , DiDi’s general director for Central America and the Caribbean.

As soon as a driving partner indicates that they have COVID-19, their account is temporarily suspended, to avoid infections. Once the diagnosis is corroborated, we proceed to the process to request the aid. For this, you must enter the “DiDi Conductor” application and in the “Help” section, upload an official medical certificate and other information that is requested to start the case study.

After the information has been reviewed and it complies with the requirements, the driving partner will receive, a single time, the approximate amount of one month of the income generated up to that moment, through DiDi.

Eligibility for the financial aid fund is subject to the terms and conditions established by the platform.

New customer service center for drivers

As part of DiDi’s long-term commitment to the country, the platform recently opened its customer service center in Panama City, from Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

To be attended, the requirement is to schedule appointments in advance. To do this, access the “DiDi Conductor” application, in the “Help” section, through the “Other Service Channels” subsection. The objective is to avoid crowds and maintain the indications of physical distancing.

DiDi, with just over two months of having reactivated its operation in Panama, reaffirms with these initiatives its presence in the country and commitment to the community that connects with the platform

Carolina Cuenca Armella, current Vice President of Insurance, was appointed as the new President of Seguros SURA Panama, taking office as of December 1.

It should be noted that the appointment of the new president will provide the respective process before the Superintendency of Insurance and Reinsurance of Panama.

Cuenca Armella has been linked to Suramericana for 18 years and has been serving since November 2018 as Vice President of Insurance, at Seguros SURA Panama .

Before that, he held positions such as Car and Business Business Management at Seguros SURA Colombia.

Born in Cartagena (Colombia), she is an industrial engineer from the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá) and has a master’s degree in Actuarial Sciences (Georgia State University) and Mathematical Engineering (Complutense University of Madrid). In addition, he studied ontological Coaching at the San Sebastián University (Chile).

“Carolina’s extensive experience, her leadership in different business lines and the knowledge that she has acquired since 2018 at Seguros SURA Panama, demonstrate her capabilities to take on this challenge and continue the transformations that the Company has undertaken to deliver capabilities and create more value. for Panamanian people and companies , ” said Juana Francisca Llano, president of Suramericana.

The new president will have the following priorities:

-Consolidate the subsidiary as a trend and risk manager, supported by a people-centered value system.

-Continue with the evolution and diversification of the Seguros SURA portfolio from comprehensive insurance solutions, based on knowledge in managing trends and risks.

-To strengthen the transformation of the Operational Model to be closer to Panamanian people and companies, which includes from the digitization of accesses and the evolution of attention at Meeting Points that deliver value in all their interactions.

-Promote the resignification of the corridor and the development of allies in the Country, in order to consolidate long-term relationships.

The designated president of Seguros SURA Panama expressed her gratitude “for the trust placed by the Board of Directors and Suramericana in the face of this new challenge.

Since 2018, Panama and a wonderful team at Seguros SURA have welcomed me and my family in the best way. They have been two years of great challenges and many learnings, that is why I am very excited to continue helping the Company evolve more every day, to be more relevant in the lives of people and companies in the country ”.

The current president of Seguros SURA Panamá, Jorge Andrés Mejía will begin to preside over the subsidiary of Seguros SURA Brasil as of December 1, after six years in the Panamanian subsidiary in which he led the evolution of the company and the development of new solutions, accesses and channels, as well as various initiatives for growth, loyalty and customer attraction, positioning SURA Panama as the fourth insurer in the Panamanian insurance market.