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After-hours meetings have gone from rare to regular occurrences, and while some are hoping AI can help reverse the trend, experts warn breaking the habit will take more than tech. In a recent survey conducted by AI-powered workspace provider Miro, 33% of US-based knowledge workers said they frequently attended after-hours meetings in 2025, up from 23% in 2024. “Six in 10 people attend meetings after hours at least once a month, and that has all kinds of negative downstream effects,” says Dom Katz, Miro’s ways of working lead. “The data suggests more and more people consistently have meetings after their usual workday ends, and it’s getting worse; not just in the U.S. or Europe, but across the board.” Katz explains that the explosion in after-hours meetings is likely an extension of the rise in meetings more broadly. According to a 2025 study by Miro, for each hour a worker spends on momentum worklike brainstorming, collaborative workshops and interactive cross functional projectsthey spend three more on maintenance tasks, like emails, paperwork and meetings. It creates stress, its a productivity drain, and saps them off their creativity, Katz says. Katz explains that scheduling and video conferencing technology has made it easier than ever to call a meeting. But he also warns that without proper guidelines, workers are likely to get stuck in a lot of unnecessary meetings, during and beyond standard operating hours. Bad meeting hygiene is definitely a contributor, he says. You get into the meeting, theres no agenda, they run over constantly, theres no decisions made, so you get another meeting around it; its incredibly ineffective. Why Were Meeting More at Night The Miro data is consistent with Microsofts 2025 Work Trend Index, which found that meetings after 8 p.m. increased 16% from the previous year. According to that study, which was based on anonymized Microsoft Teams user data, the bulk of the increase was attributed to global and flexible teams. In our sentiment data, which goes out to 31,000 people, 80% of employees said they didnt feel like they had enough time and energy to do their job, so we know people are feeling burnt out, says Alexia Cambon, director, office of applied research at Microsoft. The lack of firm boundaries between personal life and professional life is probably a contributor. Cambon hypothesizes that meetings began creeping into non-working hours during the pandemic and the transition to remote work. That period, she explains, introduced many to digital meetings toolswhich made it possible to call a meeting with a few clickswhile making it harder to switch off at the end of the day. The added flexibility may have also allowed some to shift their work schedules in ways that better suited their personal needs, like putting off meetings until after their kids were in bed. Another potential factor, suggests Cambon, is the increasingly global nature of work. According to the Microsoft study, nearly a third of meetings span multiple time zones, a 35% increase from 2021, increasing the likelihood that some participants are joining after-hours in their time zone. And then I think just the business pressures are higher, and we saw that in the survey data, she says. In particular, over half of business leaders told us they need more productivity from their employees, so we are seeing this very rapid pace. Why AI Cant Fix a Broken Meeting Culture New AI tools could reduce late-night gatherings by allowing workers to send AI note takers in their place, or enable more asynchronous alternatives to real-time events. At the same time, Cambon warns that the technology alone wont produce better meeting hygiene. Your meeting culture is your meeting culture, and unless you use AI very intentionally, nothing is really going to change, she warns. You have to figure out how to make your meeting culture better. At the same time, the technology is also putting more pressure on businesses to adapt, which often results in more meetings, not less. Were seeing work shift in new ways, driven by AI, and from my perspective this has been an incredibly intensive time for workers and in particular workers in AI-native organizations, says Dr. Rebecca Hinds, the head of the AI Work Institute for enterprise AI platform Glean and author of Your Best Meeting Ever. There’s a pressure that I’ve never seen before, and we’re seeing more and more evidence that that is contributing to after-hours work. In the wake of the pandemic, some organizations used new remote collaboration tools to enable greater flexibility, while others used them to encroach on work-life boundaries, and Dr. Hinds warns that AI is no different. The more we have access to technology, the easier it is to schedule and attend a meeting, the more we’re going to do that in an environment where we don’t have a healthy, intentional meeting culture, she says. All of this is lowering the bar in terms of what it takes to schedule a meeting. Using technology to free your evenings At the same time, Dr. Hinds says there are ways to use technology to promote work-life boundaries and free our evenings from work responsibilities. For example, some tools allow workers to limit their meeting availability to working hours. Others automatically warn organizers when theyre scheduling a meeting after-hours for participants in other time-zones. Some will even flag when a meeting is likely to be ineffective, such as when there are too many participants, or a majority of invitations havent received a response. Other tools, like AI note-takers, video messaging apps and digital collaboration tools are making it easier for workers to collaborate asynchronously, reducing their reliance on real-time conversations. Asynchronous is the name of the game in terms of decreasing our time spent in dysfunctional meetings, Dr. Hinds says. [As is] having clear norms around what is the purpose of each tool, what is the purpose of a meeting, and how should we be using meetings? That holds true for any time of day.
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At the turn of the 20th century, the steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie donated $5.2 million to New York to build libraries across the city. Leading architects of the time designed the branches, 67 in all, to look and function like civic temples with elaborate Beaux-Arts detailing, welcoming entrances, dignified reading rooms, and open stacks where patrons could freely browse. They quickly became important, and beloved, neighborhood establishments and remain so today. After more than a century of use, and ad hoc upgrades and adaptations that are also dated, the buildings are due for upgrades. Last year, the New York Public Library (NYPL) completed a $176 million renovation of five Carnegie Libraries in The Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Theyre pilots of Carnegie renovations to come. Spearheaded by the architecture firms Mitchell Giurgola, which also developed design standards for the renovations, and CannonDesign, the climate-sensitive and community-informed transformations are models for balancing historic architecture and contemporary use. The buildings are such a part of the fabric of the community and we wanted to double down on that, says Kerry Gould, director of capital planning at NYPL. They needed love, and they got it. Hunts Point Library [Photo: Albert Vecerka] A new approach for old libraries Public libraries are the rare institutions with near-universal approval. According to a Pew study, 94% of Americans age 16 or older believe libraries improve quality of life. Perhaps because of this, the city has entered another golden age of architectural invention around them. Affordable housing crowns branches in Sunset Park, Inwood, and Grand Concourse; a recently completed branch in Greenpoint, which replaced a too-small library dating from the 1970s, doubles as an environmental education center; and a glimmering composition by the local artist José Parlá envelops the new Far Rockaway branch. But ground-up contemporary buildings are only part of the story. The Carnegie renovations underscore how a preservation-focused approach can modernize the system while protecting important neighborhood landmarks and community anchors. As aging Carnegie Libraries become Apple stores, comedy clubs, and boutique hotels, or simply deteriorate until demolition is a foregone conclusion, New York is figuring out how to keep themand keep them relevant. In architecture, historic character used to be just about culture and preservation, and I think thats really important, says Carol Loewenson, an architect and partner at Mitchell Giurgola. But saving what you have is also the most sustainable thing you can do. The continuity of old, new, and future is really what makes New York, and any place, thrilling. Hunts Point Library [Photo: Albert Vecerka] Carnegie libraries then and now New York City has 216 library branches, which are managed by three systems: NYPL is responsible for 88 locations in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. (The Brooklyn Public Library oversees the boroughs 62 locations and the Queens Public Library has 66 outposts within its jurisdiction.) Of the 39 Carnegie Libraries originally within NYPLs remit, 30 are still in operation. They face similar issues related to operations and relevance. To wit: They were constructed before the Americans with Disabilities Act; before teens, who are avid patrons, were considered a distinct age and cultural group (until the 1940s, you were either a child or an adult); and before climate change became an urgent issue. And while libraries maintain a mission to advance knowledge and strengthen communities, these institutions today do a lot more than circulate books; they serve as emergency cooling and warming centers, technology hubs where patrons can access computers and 3D printers, and more. Because there are so many Carnegie Libraries in the city, the NYPL decided to approach their renovations systematically. Design standards could ensure stylistic consistency across the upgrades. Its also practical: the more uniform the building management systems are, the easier repairs and maintenance are since crews have familiarity with the equipment. The standards include specifications for lighting, bookcases and millwork, circulation desks, how to integrate modern heating and cooling infrastructure, and methods for creating flexible-use space. Before implementing these design standards, the NYPL handled Carnegie renovations differently. While the exteriors remained the same, interior overhauls looked like they belonged to different buildings. Renovations and repairs happened piecemeal as equipment reached the end of their useful life, and modifications accumulated to the point where changes obscured the buildings spirit. Very often we are doing necessity repairs and you’re sort of cobbling things together, Gould says. Despite needing upgrades, the original Carnegie buldings were innovative a century ago and remain hallmarks of good library design today thanks to their large windows that bathed interiors in daylight, spacious reading rooms with high ceilings, a central circulation desk, natural materials, and movable furniture. It seems so obvious, but people don’t always get it right with libraries, Loewenson says. And those fundamentals really do work. Were doing an academic library right now and I just intuitively use the Carnegie standards and principles, and it just nails it. It’s kind of amazing. The architects emphasized those details while introducing energy efficient building systems (like triple-pane windows and sensor-operated environmental controls), amenities to better serve library patrons (like teen rooms), and improved accessibility (like adding elevators and ramps). Additionally, the library commissioned artwork that connects to each branchs respective community, based on intel from engagement sessions. Melrose Library [Photo: Albert Vecerka] Site-specific solutions Each Carnegie library is differentsome are freestanding structures, some are mid-block, and their sizes vary. While design standards informed the top-level approach for the renovations, it’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, Loewenstein says. You first figure out what you’ve got and then what the needs are and then you start adjusting. Historic preservation rules often informed how the architects approached the renovations. At 125th Street, a McKim, Mead & White branch dating to 1904, no additions could be visible from the street, which nixed moving all the mechanical systems to the roof. So instead, the team at CannonDesign, who oversaw this branchs renovation, hunted for opportunities to make space inside. Caretaker apartments originally occupied the top floor of Carnegie Libraries (someone needed to feed the coal furnaces 24/7) and over time, these rooms became convenient locations for HVAC equipment. Meanwhile, air handlers and ductwork have become smaller and more efficient since they first went into the libraries. Because of this, the architects could condense the systems into a compact footprint and turn some of the back-of-house areas into public space. At 125th, they were able to squeeze a teen area as well as staff offices into the top floor. Now people, not just machinery, get to enjoy the dramatic double-height level illuminated by clerestory windows. When we went into the design phase of these libraries, the amount of potential on the top floor, it was just incredible to see, says Dan Sheen, an architect at CannonDesign. It was about taking advantage of what was given to us and running iterations until we finally got to a point where it’s like, okay, this represents a modern space, but also pays homage to the original design when it was in its prime, too. Indeed, the renovated Carnegie Libraries look more like themselves, just better. They also perform at a higher level than before. The Port Richmond branch, designed in 1905 by Carrere & Hastings, architects of the NYPLs famed Fifth Avenue flagship, is now LEED Silver certified. Sheen and his team looked to Passive House design strategies to retrofit the building, including modifying the masonry walls (they installed mineral wool insulation and a smart vapor barrier on the inside face) and triple-pane wood windows for a tight thermal seal. The Port Richmond reading room featured a slightly arched ceiling with ornamental crown moldings, which Sheen wanted to highlight. Instead of suspending a tangle of sprinkler systems, ductwork, and other life safety systems from the ceiling, he decided to drop the ceiling 12 inches and hide the infrastructure above it. The team consulted original drawings and also 3D scanned the detailing in order to faithfully recreate it. Similarly, they also hid infrastructure behind walls, effectively shrinking the space by six to eight inches on each side. Loewenstein and her team used similar techniques at the Hunts Point location, a Carrere & Hastings building from 1929. There was more time in the design phase spent on what you don’t see, what’s hidden behind these walls than what the actual visitor experience is, Sheen says. And instead of visually hefty rows of fluorescent lighting illuminating the reading rooms, there are now halo-like LED pendants throughout. Because the Carnegie Libraries are on the smaller side, figuring out how to accommodate new uses was a challenge. At the Hunts Point library, Mitchell Giurgola integrated folding glass walls and doors into the reading rooms to define space while maintaining visual cohesion and daylight. At the Melrose branchwhich suffered a fire in the 1940s that reduced the four-story building to twoMitchell Giurgola was able to construct a new level thats dedicated to children. Since few original architectural details remained here, the design team integrated more contemporary elements, like floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Artwork was another important site-specific element for the renovations. NYPL hosted community engagement sessions with patrons to learn about what was most important to them and through this, they learned that the community around the Port Richmond branch, which is predominantly Hispanic, felt an affinity to butterflies and so a newly commissioned mural features the motif. It really brings that sense of identity to the branch, Gould says. Melrose Library [Photo: Albert Vecerka] The future of NYC library renovations The standards Mitchell Giurgola developed arent limited to the Carnegie Libraries. The design principles are relevant across the system, and so NYPL is using them to guide renovations across structures with different pedigrees. Gould is currently working on an overhaul of the Edenwald library, a 1970s structure in the Bronx. Its a squat Lindsay Box, the nickname for the inexpensive modular libraries constructed during the John V. Lindsay administration, with tiny windows. Gould plans to open the facade and better connect the interior to the neighborhood. We’re using a lot of the same themes, like access to natural light, she says. With the five renovations now complete, NYPL hopes to receive additional capital funding from the city in order to modernize more Carnegie branches. We want them to last for another hundred years, Gould says. As part of the fabric of New York, we think it’s just important to be stewards of these buildings and elevate them to what we think the public deserves.
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President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has demanded about seven countries send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, but his appeals have brought no commitments as oil prices soar during the Iran war.The president declined to name the countries heavily reliant on Middle East crude that the administration is negotiating with to join a coalition to police the waterway where about one-fifth the world’s traded oil normally flows.“I’m demanding that these countries come in and protect their own territory, because it is their own territory,” Trump said about the strait, claiming the shipping channel is not something the United States needs because of its own access to oil. Trump spoke while answering reporters’ questions as he flew back to Washington from Florida aboard Air Force One.Trump said China gets about 90% of its oil from the strait, while the U.S. gets a minimal amount. He declined to discuss whether China will join the coalition.“It would be nice to have other countries police that with us, and we’ll help. We’ll work with them,” Trump said. Previously, he has appealed to China, France, Japan, South Korea and Britain.Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier told CBS that Tehran has been “approached by a number of countries” seeking safe passage for their vessels, “and this is up to our military to decide.” He said a group of vessels from “different countries” had been allowed to pass, without providing details.Iran has said the strait is open to all except the United States and its allies.Araghchi added that “we don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans” about finding a way to end the war, noting that Israel and the U.S. started the fighting with coordinated attacks on Feb. 28 during indirect U.S.-Iran talks on Iran’s nuclear program. He also said Tehran had “no plan to recover” the enriched uranium that is under rubble following U.S. and Israeli attacks last year. Countries are cautious after Trump’s call U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told NBC earlier Sunday that he has been “in dialogue” with some of the countries Trump had mentioned previously, and said he expected China “will be a constructive partner” in reopening the strait.But countries made no promises.Britain said Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday discussed with Trump the importance of reopening the strait “to end the disruption to global shipping,” and spoke with Canada’s prime minister about it separately.Aboard Air Force One, Trump specifically named Starmer, who he said initially declined to put British aircraft carriers “into harm’s way.”“Whether we get support or not, but I can say this, and I said to them: We will remember,” Trump said.A spokesperson for China’s embassy to the U.S., Liu Pengyu, said previously that “all parties have the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply” and that China would “strengthen communication with relevant parties” for de-escalation.South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it “takes note” of Trump’s call and that it “will closely coordinate and carefully review” the situation with the U.S.Expectations are high that Trump will ask Japan directly when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets him on Thursday at the White House.France previously said it is working with countries President Emmanuel Macron mentioned partners in Europe, India and Asia on a possible international mission to escort ships through the strait but has stressed it must be when “the circumstances permit,” when fighting has subsided.Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of Germany, which was not mentioned in Trump’s call, told ARD television: “Will we soon be an active part of this conflict? No.”Meanwhile, emergency oil stocks “will soon start flowing to global markets,” the International Energy Agency said Sunday, describing the collective action to lower prices “by far the largest ever.”It updated last week’s announcement of 400 million barrels to nearly 412 million. Asian member countries plan to release stocks “immediately,” and reserves from Europe and the Americas will be released “from the end of March.”Trump didn’t directly answer whether his administration is talking about selling oil futures as a way to cap surging oil prices.“The prices are going to come tumbling down as soon as it’s over. And it’s going to be over pretty quickly,” he told reporters. More missile and drone attacks are reported Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain reported new missile or drone attacks a day after Iran called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates the first time it has threatened a neighboring country’s non-U.S. assets.Dubai temporarily suspended flights at its international airport the world’s busiest after a drone hit a fuel tank and caused a fire. Civil defense crews contained the blaze and no injuries were reported, authorities said.Tehran has claimed that Friday’s U.S. strikes on Kharg Island, home to Iran’s primary oil terminal, were launched from the UAE, without providing evidence. It has threatened to attack U.S.-linked “oil, economic and energy infrastructures” if its oil infrastructure is hit.U.S. Central Command said it had no response to Iran’s claim, and Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, rejected it. Gulf countries that host U.S. bases have denied allowing their land or airspace to be used for military operations against Iran.Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Arab Gulf neighbors during the war, causing significant damage and rattling economies even as most are intercepted. Tehran says it targets U.S. assets, even as Iranian strikes are reported at civilian sites such as airports and oil fields. War’s toll mounts across the region Iranian strikes have killed at least a dozen civilians in Gulf countries, most of them migrant workers.In Iran, the International Committee for the Red Cross said more than 1,300 people have been killed. Iran’s Health Ministry said 223 women and 202 children are among the dead, according to Mizan, the judiciary’s official news agency.Iran’s government on Sunday showed journalists buildings damaged by strikes in Tehran on Friday. A police station was hit and surrounding buildings were damaged. Some apartments’ outer walls had been stripped away.“God had mercy on all of us,” said Elham Movagghari, a resident. Other Iranians are leaving the country.In Israel, 12 people have been killed by Iranian missile fire and more have been injured, including three on Sunday. At least 13 U.S. military members have been killed,six in a plane crash in Iraq last week.At least 820 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to its Health Ministry, since Iran-backed Hezbollah hit Israel and Israel responded with strikes and sent additional troops into southern Lebanon. In just 10 days, more than 800,000 people nearly one out of every seven residents of Lebanon have been displaced. More Iranian missile strikes hit Israel Israel’s military said early Monday that Iran launched missiles toward Israel.Earlier, several strikes hit central Israel and the Tel Aviv area, where they caused damage at 23 sites and sparked a small fire. Magen David Adom, Israel’s rescue service, released video showing a large crater in a street and shrapnel damage to an apartment building.Israel’s military says Iran is firing cluster bombs that can evade some air defenses and scatter submunitions across multiple locations. This version corrects to say Araghchi was speaking to CBS, not NBC as previously reported. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Darlene Superville, Fatima Hussein, Tia Goldenberg, Sally Abou AlJoud, Fadi Tawil, John Leicester and Christopher Weber. Sam Metz, Will Weissert, Julia Frankel and Cara Anna, Associated Press
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