The best day of the week to take off, when to ask for a promotion, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

‘Tis the season… to ask for a promotion. Summer time is high time to ask for advancement, according to a study from analytics firm Visier. By June, companies have conducted performance reviews and doled out bonuses, so they have breathing room to consider new requests. The worst time to ask? Autumn, when firms are rushing to wrap up the previous year and prepare for the next. Even in summer, choose your moment wisely: If you just received kudos for a job well done, seize the day. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Younger workers are not planning to stick around. 43% of millennials envision leaving their jobs within two years, according to a global survey by Deloitte. Among Gen Z workers, 61% said they plan to quit within two years. Part of this willingness to jump ship is likely due to increased confidence in the currently strong job market, LinkedIn’s Chip Cutter told “CBS This Morning”. The other part comes down to values: Respondents to Deloitte’s survey say their company’s priorities don’t align with their own. ? Here’s what people are saying.

The best day to take off? Wednesday. Repeatedly shifting from the weekend to the work week – from being in control of how we spend our time to not having much control at all – can have a detrimental effect on our health, UT Austin communications professor Dawna Ballard tells Quartz. But when we shake up that cycle and take a break midweek, we can realign with our internal clock and finish the work week more refreshed. ? Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “I'm starting a new role at an older age. How do I get respect from younger techs that have been at it for more years? And how can I be assertive about learning the skills to do my job more efficiently without seeming like a grumpy old man?” – Edward J. Bratcher, industrial maintenance technician

• “Many of us think about diversity and inclusion in fairly narrow terms: Gender, ethnicity, etc. But age provides diversity that can be truly powerful for any team. Go into the job knowing that you will provide value to your team. Be confident. Be humble, ask questions deferentially but be fearless in seeking clarity, and, most importantly, don’t take yourself too seriously. If you feel comfortable in your own skin and keep things light, you will show younger workers that you have the benefit of a lifetime of work experience and you’ll get this figured out with a little time and little help.” – Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, co-authors of The Best Team Wins: The New Science of High Performance
• “Rest assured, you are not alone. Partner with one of your ‘digital native’ colleagues to help bring you up to speed. Recognising your mentor’s expertise goes a long way in building rapport. And get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It can be difficult to be at the ‘beginner’ stage once again after years of experience, but the only way to build knowledge is to immerse yourself in it. And finally, demonstrate an open mind toward your younger colleagues. You might be pleasantly surprised at how quickly they will respond in kind.” – Christie Coplen, leadership consultant at Spencer Stuart (Read Christie Coplen’s full response.)
• "Power is cascading to the young due to our increasing reliance on digital intelligence (DQ). But often we expect young leaders to embody the emotional intelligence (EQ) that ‘elder’ workers have had twice as long to learn. The future of business is intergenerational collaboration with mutual mentoring at the heart. At Airbnb, I became open to 'interning publicly and mentoring privately', asking lots of questions about the technical and being available as a positive-minded advisor on the relational. When it comes to the older worker in the younger workplace, it's no longer about reverence – it's about relevance.” – Chip Conley, author and founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

In speeches, silence is your friend: We think much faster than we speak, which makes us believe pauses during speeches are longer – and more awkward – than they truly are, writes Quantified Communications CEO Noah Zandan. So, we resort to filler words like “umm” or “ah”, which trips up listeners and encourages them to tune out. Resist that urge. When you take a few beats between thoughts, you can collect your thoughts and give your audience some time to digest what you’re saying. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea:  Disagreements at work are inevitable, and they don’t always have clear resolutions. But, as BPN CEO Lori Gaffney writes, even if you don’t reach consensus, you’re always better off when you are clear about where you’re coming from.

“My goal isn’t necessarily to change minds; it’s to make it so that there’s no question or confusion about what I think. Even if the person doesn’t come away from the conversation agreeing with me, I want them to understand me.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster