Latest news with #Cambon
CNBC
20-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Workers are stuck in an 'infinite workday,' according to Microsoft report: 'People are feeling very burnt out'
If you've ever complained that the modern workday is unending, you may be right. According to a new report from Microsoft, employees are now experiencing an "infinite workday" of constant emails, meetings and notifications. They check their emails as early as 6 a.m., juggle meetings through the afternoon and then stay online well into the night. Simply put, "it's a very long day," says Alexia Cambon, senior research director at Microsoft. Beyond the extended hours, workers are beset with notifications. According to Microsoft's data, employees are interrupted every two minutes by meetings, emails or messages, and receive an average of 117 emails and 153 Teams messages each workday. As a result, people are feeling overwhelmed: 48% of employees and 52% of leaders reported that work feels "chaotic and fragmented" in Microsoft's Work Trend Index survey, and 80% of global workers said they lack sufficient time and energy to do their work. "We know from survey data that people are feeling very burnt out," Cambon says. "The multiplication, the intensity and the length of the workday is really creating a lot of friction for a lot of employees." According to Cambon, part of the root cause of the infinite workday is that work models haven't evolved with the times. Take meetings, for example: "It used to be that a meeting was the only way for us to really exchange information and progress items forward," Cambon says. Now, workers can easily connect asynchronously, but synchronous meetings still take up a significant part of the workday. Nearly a third of meetings take place across multiple time zones, and meetings that take place after 8 p.m. have increased by 16% year over year. "I think we're working with a lot of outdated modes," Cambon says. Additionally, technology has given us near-constant virtual access to each other, making it difficult to truly detach from work. On average, workers send or receive over 50 messages outside of "core business hours." Cambon says that the remote work boom caused by the pandemic "erased some of the boundaries between work and life." "All of the signals that we usually relied on to tell us when to begin work and when to end work were no longer there," she says. Because of all these competing demands on our attention, Cambon says, "we really can't spend our precious time and energy – which are very finite resources – on the things that matter." Based on Microsoft's data, Cambon predicts that workplaces will mitigate these issues by shifting certain responsibilities from human employees to AI agents. "By deploying AI and agents to streamline low-value tasks — status meetings, routine reports, admin churn — leaders can reclaim time for what moves the business: deep work, fast decisions and focused execution," the Microsoft report says. Microsoft has invested heavily in artificial intelligence. Cambon echoes the sentiment: "A lot of the work that we are doing now, a lot of the pain that we are feeling, we will pass on to agents." In the meantime, she emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries and making time for human connection to avoid burnout. Taking breaks and chatting with colleagues "is actually essential to work – it's not separate from it," Cambon says.
Ya Biladi
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan Foreign Minister meets with head of France-Morocco friendship group
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Living Abroad, Nasser Bourita, held talks on Thursday in Rabat with Christian Cambon, President of the France-Morocco Friendship Group in the French Senate, who is leading a delegation on a working visit to the Kingdom. Speaking to the press following the meeting, Cambon expressed satisfaction with the «fruitful exchanges» between the two sides and emphasized the importance of the long-standing bilateral dialogue. He described the 2024–2025 period as rich in positive developments, recalling in particular the state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Morocco in October 2024, during which France reaffirmed its support for the Kingdom's sovereignty over the Sahara. Cambon noted that the delegation members, «bringing together diverse perspectives but united in their respect and affection for Morocco», came to reaffirm their commitment to helping write a new chapter in French-Moroccan relations, in line with the vision of King Mohammed VI and President Macron. To deepen this privileged partnership, Cambon called for the reactivation of the Moroccan-French Interparliamentary Forum, whose fourth and most recent edition was held in December 2019 in Paris. On the topic of renewable energy, Cambon described Morocco's experience as «inspiring», saying he believes that Morocco and France can work together to shape a new vision for the African continent in this vital sector. Beyond the traditional cultural and scientific ties and strong people-to-people connections, Cambon said that parliamentary diplomacy offers additional avenues to strengthen the relationship between Rabat and Paris.
Morocco World
12-06-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Sahara: French Senate Affirms Support for Moroccan Sovereignty in Rabat Talks
Doha – French Senator Christian Cambon reaffirmed his country's firm support for Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces during a meeting on Thursday in Rabat with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The visit marked a continuation of high-level exchanges between the two nations, following French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to Morocco in October 2024. Cambon, who heads the France-Morocco friendship group in the Senate, led a delegation described as 'important' and 'diverse,' with members from different political backgrounds. He stressed the 'longstanding' and 'fruitful' dialogue between the two countries, noting the group's 'unwavering support' for Morocco's position on the Western Sahara dispute. 'The 2024–2025 period was marked by many positive developments,' Cambon said after the meeting. He pointed to Macron's visit as a milestone where France declared its support for Morocco's territorial integrity. Cambon said the delegation's visit aimed to contribute to writing 'a new chapter' in Moroccan-French relations, as envisioned by King Mohammed VI and President Macron. He also called for the reactivation of the Morocco-France interparliamentary forum, last held in Paris in December 2019, to boost bilateral cooperation on legislative affairs. The French lawmaker cited several areas of joint interest, including the expansion of Morocco's high-speed rail line, the construction of Africa's largest seawater desalination plant near Rabat, and the agreement between Royal Air Maroc and Airbus to expand the national airline's fleet. On renewable energy, Cambon framed Morocco's experience and model as 'inspiring,' saying both countries can cooperate on shaping a joint vision for Africa's energy future. His statements come just months after a high-profile visit by French Senate President Gérard Larcher, who in February became one of the highest-ranking French officials to visit Laayoune. Speaking after a morning meeting with Bourita in Rabat, Larcher said Paris' position on the Sahara is 'non-discutable' and made clear that the French-Moroccan relationship is built on 'a deep history and friendship.' Later that evening in the southern Moroccan city, he labeled Morocco's southern provinces as 'a success model for the entire Sahelo-Saharan zone.' He credited the French Senate with pushing for clarity on the issue since 2007 and asserted that support for Morocco's autonomy plan is now 'acquired.' For him, France's new perspective on the Western Sahara dispute and the evolution of the French position is 'an obvious fact, a primary truth.' 'This obvious fact has undergone a long maturation process,' he said. 'France's support is not the result of a governmental policy—it is the position of all institutions of the Republic.' He described Morocco's development efforts in Laâyoune as remarkable, pointing to infrastructure, social investments, and sustainable development projects. He also expressed France's willingness to share its experience in decentralization and strengthen cooperation at the local level. Algeria reacted with anger to Larcher's visit. Days after his trip, Algeria's Council of the Nation, the country's upper house of parliament, announced it was suspending ties with the French Senate. The Algerian government had already condemned France's July 2024 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty and recalled its ambassador in protest. Algeria also criticized the February visit by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati to Laayoune and Dakhla—another first for a high-level French government official. Tags: French Senate Morocco visitMorocco France RelationsWestern sahara
Metro
24-04-2025
- Business
- Metro
Why 2026 could be the year your new colleagues will be digital
Gen Z graduates will act like chief execs from their first days on the job, while the next new hire at your company could be digital. These are some of the startling conclusions from a new report into the future of work which predicts that the next 18 months will be a critical tipping point. If you've heard the headlines but still avoid using ChatGPT, you may soon no longer be able to – at least if you're a 'knowledge' based employee who works with computers. Microsoft's annual Work Trend Index predicts that 'AI colleagues' will soon be normal, tasked with everything from research to creating full marketing and business plans. It predicts companies will need new departments for Intelligence Resources (a cross between IT and HR) to measure performance and manage AI, while the 'human to agent' ratio will become a key business metric. Alexia Cambon, senior research director, told Metro that one of the big questions is how we should see AI once we need to interact with it daily. The traditional way of looking at technology is as a tool, such as an Excel spreadsheet, dealt with 'in a command-based way'. 'What we're starting to see with AI is that it's not necessarily just a tool, it is more of a thought partner,' she said. The survey found that leaders globally are now seriously planning how AI will change their business, if it hasn't done so already. A third (33%) are considering reducing headcount to rely more on machines, while 78% are considering hiring for new AI roles. We should take this new vision for office work with a pinch of salt, as Microsoft is of course invested: they want to position Copilot as the go-to tool for finding and using such 'digital colleagues'. But they're far from the only ones predicting a new industrial revolution, with even criminals expected to soon be automating their business models. With productivity a concern across industries, the prospect of workers who never sleep or have an off day is more than tempting. 'Humans need rest, they need recovery, they need family time,' Ms Cambon said. 'That's why we have labour laws in place.' But AI can answer customer service queries at 2am or pick berries day and night, even in the dark. Ms Cambon said the fact we now have a new resource that can work 24/7 is 'pretty enormous – I don't think we're talking enough about what that will mean for humans.' 2025 has already seen many companies dip in a toe with AI 'assistants' on hand to help humans carry out their usual tasks. But that's only the start, the report says. After surveying over 31,000 workers, analysing use of Microsoft 365, and interviewing experts, researchers see the AI roll-out as coming in three phases. It's a type of artificial intelligence that can act independently and carry out tasks without constant guidance and oversight, learning from data it gathers. We'll probably see them more and more in the coming years, such as AI that can go and buy us tickets, or that oversees cyber security. After AI assistants, the next phase will be AI colleagues, when humans work alongside digital 'agents' to carry out new tasks. After this, Microsoft predicts humans will become predominantly managers, tasked with overseeing and troubleshooting work carried out by artificial intelligence. Imagine the office equivalent of a supermarket worker on hand to help when the self-checkouts start flashing, saying 'unexpected item in bagging area'. Whether or not companies think all this is a net good for society, those who don't develop a strategy will be left behind – whether their strategy is embracing AI, or consciously leaning into the benefits of still relying on humans. Not everyone wants the robot revolution, the report shows: many prefer to interact with a human, or expect humans to be the ones making difficult decisions which need accountability. And there's at least one role the AI is unlikely to take on: they're unlikely to be your next boss, at least in the shortterm. Good human managers know they need to prioritise relationships with their direct reports, making them feel they are understood and invested in, Ms Cambon said, which would be hard for a machine to recreate. The traditional slow rate of promotion through an organisation could be upended, however. Ms Cambon said: 'I remember joining the workforce and being really eager to manage a team and being told it would probably be at least 10 years. More Trending 'Gen Z joining now are able to build their own little agentic start-up within their company that they become the CEO of. 'They'll be exposed to those types of management experiences a lot sooner than any other early career person has had in the history of work. 'Hopefully it will only improve [management skills] because you'll get to practice managing an agent before you manage a human.' What all this means for the office tea round remains to be seen. Maybe jokes like staplers in jelly and bums on the photocopier will seem as old-fashioned as quill pens in the next few decades. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: The top eight Elder Scrolls games ranked from worst to best MORE: Forza Horizon 5 releases on PS5 this week – here's how to play early MORE: Insiders claim Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster could release today after reveal
