The latest work perk? Mental health chatbots. 💭

Hey there! Hannah here. 💚 I started STS around two years ago after I found out I was being underpaid (sound familiar?). Now, my husband James and I earn more through social media than we ever did in our corporate careers. 🤯

This 2023 was no exception. We more than doubled what we earned in 2022 and expanded our team by a half-dozen people! Because we practice what we preach, we’re sharing exactly how much STS made last year. 

But before we tell you…any guesses?

 1   Workplaces are…offering therapy chatbots? 🦾

Feeling blue? Sure, you could dig into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s while binge-watching ‘Friends,’ or…you could have a “therapy session” with a wellness chatbot, courtesy of your company’s healthcare benefits. 

This isn’t science fiction. AI-powered “counselor” chatbots and wellness apps that diagnose, track, and mitigate mental health concerns are the latest workplace perk, reports The Wall Street Journal. 

These tools are already in the wild: 

• PayrollPlans, creator of the (aptly-named) Woebot, expects 9,400 employers to use the software in 2024. The company claims its chatbot can “change thought patterns” and “boost confidence.” 

• Last year, Amazon employees accessed Twill, an app that uses AI to track users’ moods and provide personalized mental health plans. 

But not everyone is convinced. “Employers offering [the chatbots], in some ways it is tokenism, saying we’re offering something for mental health support,” said digital psychiatry expert Dr. John Torous. 

Until there’s more data, it’s tough to say whether these bots actually help workers struggling with mental illness. The data that is available is sparse and usually collected by the companies that created them. But until we see a major change in the nationwide shortage of therapists, these apps are a welcome offering.  

 2   RTO mandates could be a thing of the past 👋

Time to spruce up that home office (ergonomic chair, anyone?). An estimated ⅔ of US companies could offer work location flexibility by the end of this year, per Scoop’s 2024 Flex Report. 

• The Data is Team #WFH: From 2020 to 2022, companies that were fully flexible boosted their revenue rate by 21%, dramatically outperforming the 5% revenue bump seen by companies with an in-office mandate. 

To add fuel to the fire: In an Atlassian survey, Fortune 500 executives cited “low productivity” as their top organizational challenge. The kicker? 91% of those surveyed had some kind of in-office mandate. In short: RTO policies don’t solve productivity problems. 

Brian Elliott, co-founder of Future Forum, has a theory as to why flexible workplaces reign supreme: 

P.S. — Use this data as ammo in your WFH negotiations. When you can demonstrate that WFH = increased productivity and a revenue bump, your argument will be hard to refuse. 😉 

 3   Margaritaville is hiring…but do you have what it takes? 🍹

Who said Margaritaville was dead? The tropical restaurant chain is hiring a Director of Operations for its Times Square location, boasting a six-figure, $150,000 salary and benefits such as tuition reimbursement, 401K matching, and more. 

But before you fire up your résumé, you should know: This job isn’t for the faint of heart. Margaritaville’s job description is, in one word, intense. 

To name just a few requirements: 

• ➜ It has an entire section for “Essential Mental Alertness Requirements,” which includes being able to “work in a state of constant alertness” and “in an unfatigued state.” 

• ➜ Clumsy? You’re out. The candidate must maintain “body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching in narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces.” (Side Note: What is going on in Margaritaville that they have erratically moving surfaces?) 

If setting up your own business is one of your 2024 #goals, let us introduce you to your newest inspiration: Caroline Ta.

After she graduated from college, Caroline had two choices:

1) Jump into a 9–5. 💼

2) Commit to her baking business. 🧁

Caroline went for her dream and today, runs Sweets by Caroline in the DMV area. We’re throwing it back to our interview with Caroline, where she shares how she made the leap, the daily challenges of owning a bakery, and how much she earns from a typical weekend pop-up.

• Are you being underpaid? Attend our free 30-minute webinar to learn how much your role is worth on January 11 at 12 PM ET! 

• This DC-based program manager earns $180,000 a year. Here are his top career tips. 

• $150 an hour? Yes, please. Don’t miss this list of lucrative side hustles. 💰

• How to answer the dreaded “What’s your biggest weakness?” interview question. 

• The post-work holiday blues are real. These five science-backed tips will help you beat the slump.

Thanks for being here! So, how much did STS earn in 2023? $1 million. 🤯

But keep in mind: This is gross revenue of the page and not net income! To run STS, there are accountants, web designers, writers, virtual assistants, and more on payroll. 

All that being said, we’ve had the best year spreading transparency all across the world, meeting you on and off the web, and challenging ourselves with new content! 

Thank you all for your continued support. 💚

See you next week!