Have you played around with a lot of the AI tools? There are a lot of possible issues with the results from AI (such as entirely made up answers!!), so use these tools with a LOT of caution and only as one tool in your wheelhouse. Still, some that could be useful include the following — and I’d love to hear if you know of any other!

AI Tools That Could Be Useful at Work

Zoom Summary

Have you noticed that new little button on your Zoom dashboard, Summary? If you click that button from in-meeting controls at the beginning of your Zoom meeting, the meeting summary will begin to be generated, and participants will see a notification informing that the Meeting Summary is active. When the meeting has ended, the summary will be finalized and sent out.

(You do need a certain level of admin access to Zoom, but participants can request Summary… if an admin is not present on the call, an email will be sent.)

It can keep notes on what is said, consolidate ideas into different categories, and keep track of to-dos and follow up tasks, including who said they would do them.

At the moment it’s available for users as a free trial – here’s more info on the Zoom blog.

ChatPDF

Chat PDF promises to “extract information or answer questions from large PDF files like manuals, essays, books.” You can upload a PDF of ANY size and, apparently, in any language, and then ask the AI chatbot to answer questions based on that source PDF by citing and highlighting specific paragraphs.

For professionals, you could use this to do an initial assessment or help you pinpoint a section to look at of a manual, a book, a contract, a financial report, or more.

AudioPen

AudioPen “converts unstructured voice notes into text that’s easy to read and ready to share.” As they note, “if you like thinking out loud, you’ll love Audio Pen.”

You can draft articles, emails, messages, and more, just by talking. The program will consolidate ideas into categories or even an outline form — not necessarily in how you spoke about them, but how might make sense contextually.

On the free version, you get up to 3 minutes to talk, whereas on paid versions you can get more.

Readers, have you used any AI tools for work-related purposes? (Personal?) How are you using them, and what are your thoughts?

The post Three AI Tools That Could Be Useful at Work appeared first on Corporette.com.

We’ve been updating you on all the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals — and now it’s time to talk about Giving Tuesday! Are you giving to charity today? In general, do you prefer to focus your contributions locally, nationally, internationally, or a mix? Is your city doing a big Giving Tuesday campaign today — led by the United Way, for example?

{related: the 411 on how to help charities — how to start donating money, time, or something else}

Giving Tuesday Resources and Tips

1. Find your country’s Giving Tuesday hub with this map. GivingTuesday.org offers lots of info and ideas.

2. Consider using an online platform that evaluates charities, such as Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance (Give.org), and CharityWatch. (ProPublica has guidance on evaluating charities.)

3. On Giving Tuesday, lots of nonprofits will have a particular donor matching people’s donations up to a certain amount, so look for those opportunities on individual charities’ websites to double your contribution!

{related: under pressure: charitable giving at the office}

4. Check if your employer has an employee matching program — you can ask HR, use Charity Navigator’s search tool, or check the website of the organization you want to donate to.

5. Think about lending a hand more “casually” and/or in person. You can help local mutual aid groups, for example. To find them, use this search tool from Mutual Aid Hub or google “[Your City] Mutual Aid Network.” (The Cut offered tips in this 2020 story.)

GivingTuesday.org has lots more options, such as giving blood (here’s what it’s like), distributing necessities to unhoused people, and paying for the person behind you at the drive-through (just not like this (NSFW)).

6. Remember to deduct your charitable contributions on your taxes if you use Schedule A of Form 1040 to file. (Here are tips from Investopedia.)

Have you donated to charity today, or are you planning to? Does your company typically match donations?

Stock Photo via Pexels / RDNE Stock project.

Some of the top matching opportunities we’re seeing for Giving Tuesday 2023…

(Let us know if you find any! Here’s Charity Navigator’s article on how these “matching” opportunities might be working behind the scenes. Mentions are not endorsements of the charity.)

• American Red Cross – 2x match up to $100,000, ends 11/28
• Americares – 8x match
• Doctors Without Borders – 2x match through 11:59 p.m. EST on 11/28
• Donors Choose (specific classroom resources requested by local teachers) – 2X match, ends 11/28
• Greenpeace – 5x match, ends 11/28
• Heifer International – 4x match, ends 11/28
• Nature Conservancy – 2x match, ends 11/28
• NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) – 2x match up to $70,000, ends 11/28
• No Kid Hungry – 2x match by Citi up to $500,000, ends 11/28
• UNICEF – 5x match, ends 11/28

The post 6 Tips for Giving Tuesday 2023 appeared first on Corporette.com.

Happy short workweek (to most of our readers, at least)! We thought we’d start off Thanksgiving week with a chat about some movies you’re, well, thankful for. Let’s talk about holiday movies — and feel free to go beyond winter celebrations into any holiday themes!

Looking for non-holiday movies to watch during your time off this week, maybe even during Thanksgiving family get-togethers (to avoid political talk, perhaps?)? We’ve discussed office movies (including 9 to 5 and Working Girl), underrated movies, and fashion movies in the past…

When I think of my holiday faves, what immediately pops into my head is Love Actually, which somehow came out 20 YEARS AGO. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen that thing. (For a while, my husband and I watched it every year at Christmastime, but we fell out of the habit a few years ago.) Yes, a lot of the movie is definitely, er, problematic (even “for that time”), as Lindy West explained in 2013 when she ripped it to shreds in Jezebel.

My feelings about Love Actually are perfectly represented by one of my favorite Onion articles, “Woman Takes Short Half-Hour Break From Being Feminist To Enjoy TV Show.” Because it has Emma Thompson! Alan Rickman! Colin Firth! Laura Linney! Bill Nighy! THAT Mariah Carey Christmas song, which I unabashedly love! (Film trivia: Olivia Rose Olson, the young actress who sung it in the movie, performed so well that Richard Curtis told her to tone it down so that she’d sound more believable as a 10-year-old.) Love Actually will probably always be one of my comfort movies.

As for Kat’s picks, her votes for holiday family movies are Elf and Home Alone, and though she says she typically can’t stand Hallmark movies, she gives Vanessa Hudgens’ Netflix holiday movies a rating of “OK” — Movies to Wrap Presents To, as it were. (I’ve watched a couple of the Princess Switch movies myself when I wanted some brain candy, and I’d say they’re holiday-serviceable.) As The Cut declared a couple of years ago, “Nothing Says Happy Holidays Like Another Vanessa Hudgens Movie on Netflix.”

So, do tell, readers: What are your favorite holiday movies? Does your family always watch It’s a Wonderful Life (speaking of The Onion, here’s their NSFW “review”), Miracle on 34th Street, or another classic? Would you die on the hill that Die Hard is a Christmas movie? Are Hallmark Christmas movies your guilty pleasure? If you don’t celebrate Christmas, or Christmas movies just aren’t your thing, what are your favorite movies about other holidays?

Image via Stencil

The post Open Thread: What Are Your Favorite Holiday Movies? appeared first on Corporette.com.

It can be really, really tricky to find a great dress that is polished and sedate enough to wear to work, but then is interesting or elegant enough to also go to a cocktail party or holiday party after work. So let’s discuss — what are you looking for in day to night work dresses? Do you add additional details like a statement necklace or ring to make it feel more festive?

These are some of the most polished, elegant day to night work dresses that I love…

Stylish Day to Night Work Dresses

Marycrafts

This dress is almost always under $50, and feels fancy because of the twist detail at the waist. It’s available in sizes 0-22, at Amazon, in a bunch of colors.

Karen Kane

This Cascade dress has been a reader favorite for years because it’s so easy to wear — it’s stretchy, it’s flattering, it’s a little bit dramatic, and you can hand wash it. Score! It’s $118 full price at Nordstrom and other retailers, often available in sizes XS-3X as well as petites.

Adrianna Papell

Aw, I’m kind of excited to see this Adrianna Pappell dress back in stock — it was a reader favorite for years, and then it disappeared for a bit. But it’s a great dress for day to night looks.

It’s $129-$159 at Nordstrom and other retailers, available in regular and plus sizes.

M.M.LaFleur

I’ve always thought M.M.LaFleur’s Jillian dress was a gorgeous, elegant dress that would be just as appropriate in a conference room as well as at a cocktail party. It comes in a bunch of different colors, and a new “everyday satin” fabric, for $365 full price. (There are a lot marked down to $220 right now, though!)

Black Halo

In general, Black Halo makes beautiful, stylish, super polished dresses — it’s hard to think of an item of theirs, over the years, that wouldn’t be appropriate for both day to night. The pictured dress, the Jackie, is their classic, and also comes in a jumpsuit form. It’s $375-$435 at Nordstrom and other retailers.

The Fold

Man – we have featured so many drool-worthy dresses and blazers from The Fold over the years, it’s hard to say which is my favorite, but this hot pink dress may just be it. SO. FABULOUS. One of their iconic dresses, the Arlington, is also great for day-to-night looks.

The pictured dress is $595 at TheFold.com.

What are you looking for in a day to night dress, readers?

The post 6 Stylish Day to Night Work Dresses appeared first on Corporette.com.

We haven’t had a discussion on our favorite stores for online shopping since 2015… so let’s get into it!

I do a lot of online shopping. I got in the habit when I was working such long hours at the law firm that — aside from local lunch-hour trips — it was just easier to buy everything online because I wasn’t available when most stores were open.

I’ve kept the habit now that I have kids, particularly for baby items — we once ran around to six baby stores looking for a nursing thing we needed when I had my first child, and later found it was available on Amazon (with the one-day shipping option, too).

SO: I shop a lot, online. But it’s interesting to me that almost all of my shopping is done at only a few retailers…

(Note that we’ve talked about the 7 retailers with the best return policies — as well as best practices for returning items bought online. This is a super old post, but I still stand by these tips on how to know if an online deal is worth it.)

(The doormat pictured above is under $40 at Amazon!)

Reader-Favorite Stores for Online Shopping for Work Clothes

Based on affiliate data, at least, readers love shopping at Nordstrom, Amazon, Ann Taylor, J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, M.M.LaFleur, and Zappos.

Readers had a threadjack recently when someone asked, “If you could only shop at 5 retailers for clothes, what would they be?” A lot of the answers included my favorite stores for online shopping (Nordstrom, Amazon, Old Navy), but there were a few others that appeared over and over. Those included Madewell, Reformation, Anthropologie, Abercrombie, Sezane, J.Crew Factory, and Target, as well as exercise stores like Vuori and Beyond Yoga.

{related: what to buy for work at Ann Taylor}

My Favorite Stores for Online Shopping (And Why)

I heavily prefer to shop from these stores, in large part because I know what to expect if there are any returns — I know the return window as well as how I can package the returns or if I can drop them off in person. I’ve also never had a bad shopping experience with them…

Amazon

We pay for Prime Membership — and my preferred credit card is my Amazon Visa, which nets me triple points at Amazon — so it’s hard to beat. Free two-day shipping, a 30-day return policy (with easy returns that are often free), a wide selection, and Subscribe & Save discounts for many household things (that sometimes beat even Costco prices).

Nordstrom

TBH, when I started this blog I barely shopped at Nordstrom. I hate the way the physical stores are laid out, I disliked the products that seemed to be in my price range, and so on.

When I noticed that Corporette readers went nuts for the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and the Half-Yearly Sale, with lots of eager talk of points, customer service, and more, I started looking into it.

Nowadays it feels like Nordstrom is the department store to beat, online. Their website is easy to use and has a great “recommendation” engine, as well as filters that actually work; and they offer fast, free shipping, free returns that get credited back pretty quickly, a wide selection of products, a price-matching policy, and a very generous return policy.

I like that if you spend enough using your Nordstrom Card, you get gift certificates (Nordstrom Notes) that are basically like cash back.

Zappos

Fast, free shipping; a great return policy (365 days), and a price-matching policy. Sign me up.

Gap / Old Navy / BR

I often buy stuff for my children at Old Navy and Gap, and with the combined shopping cart and free shipping with $50+, it’s easy to add a few things for my husband and myself as well. The frequency of the sales never hurts, either.

Ann Taylor

I usually stock up during their “60% off the sale” sales (which I also try to post about here if there’s good stuff).

Sephora

Every so often I’ll buy from Sephora if I’m on the hunt for something (love that return policy!), or the crazy Dillard’s New Year’s sale, or even (gasp) very occasionally at an actual brand store, like a recent purchase I made at Clinique.com. 

But: My Favorite Stores for Gift Cards & Gifts

I thought I’d mention this because gift and gift card season is upon us: I tend to shop at very different stores when I’m buying a gift for someone. For example, my kids’ teachers almost all get Target gift cards because I figure everyone needs something at Target, whether it’s fun or practical. If we’re getting a gift for a kid party, I also try to get something from Target so that it’s easy for the parents to return and exchange for something else.

We get a lot of cash gift cards from my husband’s clients, and I try to use all of those at a grocery store wherever possible because I never make returns there! (Also, in general, it’s pretty difficult to use cash gift cards online.)

Retailers I Avoid

On the flip side, some retailers I avoid like the plague: One department store that annoyingly keeps emptying my cart when I get to checkout, another department store that used to have decent deals in person in the store but lately seems to only have cheap yuck at high prices online (plus a high minimum to get free shipping)… With some of the big-box stores like Target and Kohl’s, I just hate the online experience.

Reasons I’ll Shop at a New-to-Me Online Store

A much better deal that can’t/won’t be price-matched. The price of shipping and the speed of shipping are things that I factor in to the purchasing decision, though, as well as the return policy.

Buying several items from one brand. For example, I knew I wanted a bunch of Clinique products recently, and I didn’t care about a return policy because I’d used all of the products before. I went on the hunt for a “gift with purchase” deal from a major department store, and eventually found that Clinique offered one of the best deals: free shipping with $50 (which I planned to spend anyway), and the deal at the time was five minis/samples of other products, which I liked.

A product that can’t be found elsewhere. Sometimes it seems like almost everything can be found at my preferred retailers — but sometimes it can’t. I recently bought a great All Saints summer dress from (gasp) All Saints; I recently bought a bunch of stuff online at Anthropologie (and returned a lot of it) because they had a good sale and a selection of stuff I couldn’t easily find elsewhere.

A local store to which I plan to return items. I usually find it’s easier to box up what I don’t want and send it back via the post office — and all of my preferred retailers offer free return shipping, so that’s usually not an issue. But very occasionally it’s just easier to run into a local store, run to the closest counter, and return things.

An item that seems like a lot of fuss to ship. For example, dumbbells and other exercise equipment. Ceramic pots. A tension rod for hanging curtains.

A previous online shopping experience. If I already have an account set up, and had an OK shopping experience the first time, then I’m more inclined to pull the trigger on a purchase (assuming the other things are met). Neiman Marcus, J.Crew, The Outnet — none are in my regular wheelhouse but if I see a good deal I’m pretty quick to purchase because it’s jut a few clicks.

A store that takes Apple Pay. If I see an “Apple Pay” option at a store where I don’t have an account and don’t really plan to create one, it’s a very, very easy purchase for me. I like that I don’t have to pull out my credit card, that I don’t have to give them my phone number, and that you can choose to have your iPhone provide an anonymized email address. On the flip side, if the only option is PayPal or credit card I may get annoyed, depending on circumstances.

I’m curious — which are your favorite stores for internet shopping? How much of your life is purchased online? What factors make you deviate from your preferred retailers? Are there some stores where you absolutely prefer the in-store shopping experience (for reasons other than the obvious: being able to try a bunch of stuff on before purchasing it)? 

The post What Are Your Favorite Stores for Online Shopping? appeared first on Corporette.com.

This pretty little thing came up recently on one of my meanderings around Amazon, and I was intrigued: It is a rechargeable hand warmer! That little disc fits in the palm of your hand, and you can wear the silicone loop around your wrist if you want.

There are, of course, a zillion other ways to keep your hands warm, but this one is so pretty, and I think would make a great gift for someone who is always cold. It’s often priced under $20, too, so it could be an easy stocking stuffer or other small gift if you have a monetary limit or just want to give a token physical gift alongside a gift card. (Such as for your assistant!)

The little device comes in five pretty patterns; this one is “polygon.”

Workwear sales of note for 11.28.23

Our favorites are in bold!

• Nordstrom – Black Friday deals have started! 1,800+ sale items! Shop designer, get bonus notes up to $1200. Markdowns include big deals on UGG, Natori, Barefoot Dreams, Marc Fisher LTD, Vionic and more!
• Anine Bing – Sale, extra 20% off! Many blazers down around $250
• Ann Taylor – Up to 40% off your purchase
• Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase, including cashmere; up to 60% off sale styles
• Banana Republic Factory – 60% off everything & extra 20% off purchase
• ba&sh – Up to 50% off Fall/Winter styles
• Bergdorf Goodman – Extra 30% off select sale, save up to 70% off
• Club Monaco – 25% off almost everything
• Cole Haan – Up to 60% off almost everything plus extra 10% off (ends tonight 11/29)
• Express – 40% off everything
• Her Room – Up to 50% off 1000s of items
• Hugo Boss – Up to 40% off women’s & exclusives
• J.Crew – 50% off everything + free shipping
• Kule – Up to 40% off, $50 off when you spend $250
• Lands’ End – 50% off sitewide (readers love the cashmere)
• Loft – Free shipping, 60% off 2+ styles or 50% off 1
• Lo & Sons – Up to 70% off; spend $100, get an extra 10% off wallets – reader favorites include this laptop tote, this backpack, and this crossbody
• Ministry of Supply – 25% off sitewide with code (ends 11/29)
• Summersalt – 30% off everything plus extra $10 off sweaters with code; up to 60% off (this reader favorite sweater blazer is down to $75)
• Talbots – 50% off all markdowns and 30% off entire site — readers love this cashmere boatneck and this cashmere cardigan, as well as their sweater blazers in general
• Theory – Cold weather essentials up to 40% off
• Theory Outlet – up to 80% off sweaters and outerwear – readers love this t-shirt
• Uniqlo – Limited time deals starting at $14.90 (ends 11/30)
• Universal Standard – Enjoy 30% off everything (as a minimum) + extra 10% off
• White House Black Market – Up to 60% off sale styles
• Zappos – Early Black Friday sale! Save BIG on footwear, clothing, bags and more. Daily Deals 50% off, and check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kid shoe brands on sale.

Kid- and Family-Related Sales

• BabyJogger – 25% off 3 items
• Crate & Kids – Up to 50% off everything plus free shipping sitewide; save 10% off full price items
• J.Crew Crewcuts – 50% off everything + free shipping
• ErgoBaby – 40% off Omni Breeze Carrier, 25% off Evolve 3-in-1 bouncer, $100 off Metro+Stroller
• Graco – Up to 30% off car seats
• Nordstrom – Big deals on CRANE BABY, Petunia Pickle Bottom, TWELVElittle and Posh Peanut
• Strolleria – 25% off Wonderfold wagons, and additional deals on dadada, Cybex, and Peg Perego
• Walmart – Savings on Maxi-Cosi car seats, adventure wagons, rocker recliners, security cameras and more!

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