What We Know About The Economist's Bartleby Column On Praise

The Economist published a new installment of its Bartleby workplace column on Oct. 26, 2026, under the headline "In praise of praise," written by Andrew Palmer, the magazine's business columnist, according to the Economist's own listing for the piece.

The material available to HTT News consists of the column's headline and a one-line summary provided by the Economist's listing: "Andrew Palmer, our Bartleby columnist, thinks you did a great job today." That line, along with the title, is the extent of the confirmed public detail. The full argument, any examples, data or interviews Palmer may cite inside the piece were not included in the material reviewed for this report, and this article does not speculate about content beyond what the title and summary state.

Who is Andrew Palmer and what is the Bartleby column?

Palmer is credited as the Bartleby columnist for the Economist, a byline the magazine runs within its business section, according to the URL and listing for the Oct. 26 piece. The column appears under economist.com/business, placing it within the publication's regular business coverage rather than a one-off feature, based on the page's address structure. Beyond that placement and the byline itself, HTT News was not supplied with additional biographical detail about Palmer or the column's publication history.

What does the headline "In praise of praise" indicate about the subject?

The title and the accompanying summary line point to workplace recognition and compliments as the subject of the entry, since the description specifically frames Palmer as someone who "thinks you did a great job today." That phrasing suggests the column addresses the act of giving positive feedback at work, though the specific claims, anecdotes or research Palmer may use to make his case are contained in the full text, which was not part of the material provided for this report.

Is the full column available to read without a subscription?

The complete column is published at the Economist's business section at the link below. HTT News was given the headline and the one-line summary that accompanies the listing, not the full text, so readers seeking Palmer's full argument, examples or conclusions should consult the original posting directly.

How does this column relate to other workplace coverage from HTT News?

Separately, HTT News' AI Productivity Hub published a report in September examining the emotional dynamics of artificial intelligence in the workplace, a piece unconnected to Palmer's column but addressing a related theme: how recognition, feedback and emotional tone function inside modern offices. That report, titled "Organization Highlights Emotional Dynamics of AI in Workplace," is available in full and was reviewed in its entirety for its own reporting, unlike the Bartleby column discussed here, which HTT News accessed only through its headline and summary listing.

The two pieces are not from the same publication or author, and nothing in the AI Productivity Hub report confirms or contradicts anything in Palmer's column. They are presented together only because both concern workplace communication and recognition as a general subject area.

Where can readers find the original Bartleby entry?

The Oct. 26 Bartleby newsletter, "In praise of praise," by Andrew Palmer, is posted on the Economist's website at the business section address cited throughout this report. Readers interested in Palmer's full reasoning, any supporting examples, or the newsletter's broader archive of Bartleby columns should go directly to that page, since it is the only primary source confirmed for this item.

HTT News will update this report if additional source material from the column, or a direct quotation from Palmer describing his argument, becomes available. Until then, the confirmed record is limited to the headline, the byline, the business-section placement, and the one-line editorial summary describing the column's focus on workplace praise.

What questions remain unanswered about Palmer's argument?

Because HTT News was given only the headline and the Economist's one-line description, several basic questions cannot yet be answered on the record. It is not confirmed whether Palmer argues for more frequent praise in offices, examines research on recognition and productivity, or takes a more skeptical view of workplace compliments despite the title's affirmative framing. Columns in the Bartleby series have historically ranged across management theory, office culture and labor economics, but nothing in the material reviewed specifies which register this particular entry uses. Readers who need Palmer's actual reasoning, rather than the subject it points to, will need to consult the Economist's posting directly, since the listing itself does not resolve those questions.