Today's Human Resources Pulse
Greenhouse completes acquisition of Ezra AI Labs, adding voice‑AI interviewing
Greenhouse announced the completion of its acquisition of Ezra AI Labs, a voice‑AI interviewing platform. The technology enables on‑demand, role‑specific conversations that are scored against a uniform rubric, delivering transcripts and explainable evaluations. The deal expands Greenhouse’s structured hiring methodology to the earliest stage of the recruiting funnel.
6 Keys to Lead with Authenticity in Today’s Workplace
Authentic leadership has moved from buzzword to business imperative as employees demand genuine connections. It centers on self‑awareness, transparency, and aligning actions with core values, even when choices are difficult. The approach strengthens trust, boosts engagement, and supports long‑term strategic decision‑making. Companies that model vulnerability and empathy see higher productivity and lower turnover.
How a University and Industry Partner Are Building Tomorrow’s Power Workforce
The power sector faces a looming workforce crisis as an aging labor pool retires faster than new talent arrives, even as billions flow into energy infrastructure. A partnership between Stony Brook University and Haugland Group has created a multi‑tiered training...
Former Transamerica VP Sues, Alleging Retaliation After Depression Disclosure
Former Transamerica Regional Vice President Chad Butler filed a federal lawsuit alleging the insurer retaliated after he disclosed depression and suicidal thoughts. He claims his new supervisor imposed unprecedented in‑person meeting quotas and sales targets not applied to peers, then...
Cashier Sues Sam's Club, Alleges Supervisors Laughed at Harassment Complaint
A Black Sam's Club cashier in Tuscaloosa alleges she faced religious‑based harassment and discrimination after coworkers mocked her Holiness Christian faith. She says supervisors laughed when she reported the behavior and the company failed to investigate. After a year of...
A PIP Is Not Always Discriminatory Under SCOTUS’ Relaxed Bias Test, Court Says
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a performance improvement plan (PIP) does not automatically constitute age discrimination under the Supreme Court’s relaxed bias test from Muldrow v. City of St. Louis. In Walsh v. HNTB, the plaintiff, a...
Chinese Engineer Can’t Pursue Age, Racial Bias Lawsuit, 10th Circuit Affirms
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s summary judgment for the City of Tulsa, ending a senior Chinese engineer’s age and race discrimination lawsuit. The engineer claimed the city bypassed him for a superintendent role in...
Psychologists Found a Surprisingly Simple Way to Keep Narcissists From Cheating
A recent study in Personality and Individual Differences examined how situational factors affect the unethical behavior of grandiose narcissists. Using a two‑part experiment with 350 full‑time employees (164 analyzed), researchers found that narcissists were more likely to cheat when a...
Ones To Watch: Legislation Landscape for 2026
Littler’s 2026 legislative outlook highlights a surge of state‑level bills affecting employment law, from expanded E‑Verify mandates and new tip‑and‑overtime tax deductions to stricter job‑posting transparency. Lawmakers are also advancing portable benefit accounts for gig workers, curbing TRAP and stay‑or‑pay...
Gray Media Launches Training Program For Interns Across All Its Stations
Gray Media announced a company‑wide training program for interns that will operate across all of its broadcast stations. The initiative, spearheaded by VP of Recruiting Jennifer Dale, offers a 12‑week rotational curriculum paired with senior mentorship. It aims to enroll...
Washington Updates Paid Family and Medical Leave Premium Split to Align with Federal Tax Guidance
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed House Bill 2345, revising the allocation of Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) premiums without altering the total amount. Employers can now fully deduct the employee‑share of the medical‑leave premium, while deductions for the family‑leave premium...
Balancing Title IX Compliance with CBA Enforcement
New Jersey’s Supreme Court in Rutgers v. AFSCME Local 888 held that collective‑bargaining grievance procedures cannot override Title IX obligations. The ruling forces higher‑education employers to align CBAs with federal gender‑equity mandates, rejecting any contract language that conflicts with Title IX. Littler’s...
NSW Agencies Quietly Told to Push Flexibility Ahead of Pay for Harder Hires
The NSW Premier’s Department has instructed government agencies to prioritize flexible work arrangements over higher pay when recruiting for hard‑to‑fill positions. This guidance follows the August 2024 “workplace presence” edict that forced more staff back to offices. Agencies face chronic skills...
Excelling at Your Job Can Stall Career Advancement
The best salesperson I ever hired never got promoted, and it’s because he was too good at his job. But leadership didn’t want to lose him where he was. Skills get you noticed, but strategy gets you out of the role you’re...
Talent Engineering Is the AI Speed Bottleneck
A good heuristic for whether your company is moving fast enough for AI: Append "engineering" to every function. Then rate it. GTM → GTM Engineering ✅ | Product → Product Engineering ✅ | Talent → Talent Engineering ❌ Talent is where it breaks....
Upskilling Is Built for an Imaginary Employee
Companies are pouring roughly $100 billion a year into U.S. upskilling programs, yet many initiatives fall short because they assume a one‑size‑fits‑all learner. Research shows that relevance to an individual’s cognitive style is the top predictor of training effectiveness, and a...
Perfect Reviews Don't Guarantee Promotions, Corporate Lies Exposed
The biggest lie corporate tells you about "Promotions". You are told to wait for the year-end self-assessment. You think a perfect review form guarantees a step up. THE BLACK BOX REALITY:
Master 1x1 Meetings: Turn Waste Into Impact
Are 1x1 meetings still relevant? Yes. 1 on 1 meetings are one of the most important tools you have as a manager. But most people get them dead wrong. Wasting so much time and money... With a calendar full of useless...
25-Year-Old Landed a Job By Using This Old School Method: ‘It Got All of Our Attention’
Camille K. Manaois, a 25‑year‑old social‑media strategist, mailed her résumé to six firms after months of fruitless online applications. Four companies replied, and a sports‑betting firm forwarded her materials to a communications agency, leading to an interview and a senior...
Why Toxic Leadership Backfires: Study Reveals Long‑Term Damage to Productivity and Morale
A new study by Portland State University professor Liu‑Qin Yang examined workplaces in the United States and China and found that abusive managers trigger “organizational dehumanization,” making employees feel like interchangeable cogs. This loss of humanity fuels emotional exhaustion, burnout,...
11 Headline Mistakes That Hide You From Recruiters
The article outlines eleven LinkedIn headline mistakes that prevent executives from appearing in recruiter searches, emphasizing that the headline drives algorithmic visibility more than any other profile element. It highlights five fatal errors—missing standard titles, abbreviations, vanity titles, using "Head...
Why Technically Strong Internationals Fail Leadership Interviews
International professionals with strong technical backgrounds often fail leadership interviews in Europe despite impressive CVs, MBAs, and extensive preparation. The article explains that leadership hiring hinges on cultural fit, communication style, executive presence, and trust, not just qualifications. Misalignment in...
Rippling AI Revolutionizes Payroll for 5K‑Employee Company
Rippling launched its AI analyst today. I'm not just the CEO - I'm also the Rippling admin for our co, and I run payroll for our ~ 5K global employees. Here are 5 specific ways Rippling AI has changed my job,...
Join Us for Our Next Leadership Strategy Session on April 1, 2026, 11am PDT
Productive Flourishing is hosting a paid Leadership Strategy Session on April 1, 2026, at 11 a.m. PDT. The monthly virtual meetings provide no‑fluff, peer‑driven coaching for leaders dealing with shifting priorities and capacity constraints. April’s theme, “Leading Against Inertia,” will help participants...
Washington State Tells Employers Not to Get Under Their Employees’ Skin: New Law Limits Ability to Microchip Employees (US)
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson signed HB 2303, prohibiting employers from requiring or coercing employees to receive sub‑skin microchip implants. The law, effective June 11 2026, protects bodily autonomy while still allowing voluntary implantation. Washington joins a growing list of states—Arkansas, California, Missouri and...
Trump Administration Policies on Immigration Have Impacted 65% of Businesses
A Littler survey shows 65% of U.S. businesses say recent Trump administration immigration rules have affected operations, with 24% reporting moderate staffing challenges. The Census Bureau estimates the domestic workforce shed roughly 1.2 million immigrant workers in the first half of...
Paycom Award Highlights Growing Emphasis on AI‑Driven Workforce Management
Paycom was recognized by Investing.com for its workforce management technology, a signal that AI‑enabled HR platforms are gaining traction amid widespread data‑integration challenges and rising compliance pressures across the sector.
Know When to Stop Fixing Unwilling Employees
You are a manager now. You cannot fix someone who does not want to be fixed. Know when to cut your losses. THE HARSH REALITY:
Leaders Must Pause Speed to Acknowledge Teams During Change
Speed is one of the best tools a leader has. But I’ve seen it work against many of them. (Often before we even realize it.) CEOs are fast & decisive for a reason: It helps them get results. But when...
Labor Updates: LIRR, TTC
The Presidential Emergency Board’s second review of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) contract dispute sided with the five‑union coalition, recommending a 14% wage increase over four years and retroactive pay. The board deemed the union’s final offer more reasonable...
Third Circuit Ames to Level Playing Field for Reverse Discrimination Claimants Under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination
On March 6, 2026, the Third Circuit in Massey v. Borough of Bergenfield held that New Jersey’s “background circumstances” rule— which required majority‑group plaintiffs to prove employer intent— is incompatible with the NJ Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD). Citing the U.S....
TalentNeuron Launches Synappy, Bringing Conversational AI to Workforce Intelligence
TalentNeuron unveiled Synappy, an AI‑driven conversational assistant that translates massive labor‑market data into instant, evidence‑based answers for workforce decisions. Built on a platform that ingests more than 3 million job postings daily across 200+ markets, the tool tracks 65,000 skills and...
Replace Cascading OKRs with a Strategic Solar System
Don’t cascade OKRs. Build a Solar System Many teams cascade OKRs. But this often creates silos and false alignment. Wednesday 18 March 17:00 – 18:00 GMT Link: https://luma.com/cteiwnl4 In this session, you will learn: • Why cascading OKRs creates silos and false alignment • How the OKR...
Ireland Facing Skills Wall as Hiring Demand Remains Strong
Ireland’s hiring market stays robust, with unemployment under 5% and a rise in permanent and contract vacancies, but recruiters warn the talent pool is not keeping pace. Two‑thirds of surveyed firms expect no improvement in skill availability, creating a widening...
How Do We Hire People Who Won’t Be Alarmed by Our Cardboard Coworker?
A manager seeks guidance on hiring employees who will embrace a quirky office culture featuring a cardboard cutout named Robert and off‑beat lunch conversations. The article advises transparent job postings that describe these traditions while warning that topics like alien...
Transparency Data: HMT Workforce Management Information: February 2026
HM Treasury has published its February 2026 internal workforce management data, detailing monthly staff headcounts and pay‑bill costs across the department and its agencies. The figures are presented for transparency but are not official statistics and have not been centrally...
Office Attendance Hits New Post-Pandemic High in February
A recent Placer.ai report shows February 2026 recorded the highest post‑pandemic office attendance, though still 31.9% below pre‑COVID 2019 levels. This marks an improvement from February 2025’s 35.7% shortfall and continues a gradual upward trend since the 2022‑2023 rebound. The...
Tesco to Invest over £200 Million in Pay
Tesco announced a £200 million investment to raise hourly pay for store and online fulfilment staff to £13.28. The increase, negotiated with the USDAW union, represents a 5.1% rise and a cumulative 43% wage growth over the past five years. London...
How Old Is Diversity as an Idea?
Berkeley law professor David B. Oppenheimer’s new book, *The Diversity Principle*, chronicles two centuries of the idea that mixing varied backgrounds improves decision‑making. It traces origins from Wilhelm von Humboldt’s 1810 University of Berlin to modern research showing diverse teams...
TBL: Why Most Employees Roll Their Eyes At Company Core Values
A company announced seven one‑word core values that formed the acronym PARTNER. The author argues that single‑word, acronym‑driven values are vague, overlapping, and fail to guide daily behavior. He recommends replacing them with specific, behavioral statements derived from employee input....
Is It Time to Abolish Tipping? Two-Thirds of Canadians Say Yes
A H&R Block Canada survey finds 67 percent of Canadians think tipping should be abolished, with 93 percent irritated by tip prompts on card‑payment machines. Nearly half of respondents avoid businesses that display tip options, and 41 percent have stopped visiting such venues. The...
Great Performance, but Budget Freeze Blocks Any Raise
You're in your annual performance review. You've presented a flawless track record to finally ask for an overdue raise. Your manager chuckles, leans back in their ergonomic chair, and shuts you down instantly. Manager: "Look, you crushed it, but my hands are...
We’re Starving Trades While Chasing Replaceable Tech Jobs
Doesn't seem too smart that as a country, we steered as many people as we could away from the trades into work that the machines will take over more and more of, the machines need tradespeople to get all the...
Shift to Experience-First Culture to Revive Trust
Employee engagement 101: Rethinking EX in the age of declining trust https://t.co/xdbYxFC31N @CX_Network #EmployeeEngagement & #trust have stagnated, even declined. This 3-pillar framework helps reorg operations, shift from profit-first #culture to experience-first & drive profit https://t.co/BXgJE2sLyg
Tool Delivers 7.5× ROI on Recruiter Efficiency
Founders: Example ROI math that makes prospects pay attention: You have 10 recruiters at $125k fully loaded cost = $1.25M annual spend Our tool makes them 30% more efficient = $375k value created We charge $50k = 7.5x ROI Make the math dead simple.
Leaders, Not Gemba Walks, Determine Success
Gemba Walks Don’t Fail. Leaders Do. https://t.co/nqZ1wbhGKm Executed correctly, #Gemba walks are one of the most powerful tools #leaders have to understand reality, surface friction, drive meaningful change. When executed poorly, they become expensive theater. #employeeexperience https://t.co/Gkk0VGdoBe
Performance Now Measured by Weekly Surface Area Growth
The way we measure performance is changing. Now, it's how much is each person's surface area growing week over week? This will be the biggest challenge for people and managers. How are you measuring your team's output right now?
Six Key Questions Reveal True Employee Performance
6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing - https://t.co/wT6361bf7V - https://t.co/1oObzNjeuR by Rebecca Knight
WME Cuts 3% Workforce, Cites Industry Upheaval
WME Laying Off 30 Staffers, 3% of Headcount, After Going Private Last Year: ‘Our Industry Is Undergoing Profound Change’ https://t.co/gUlwX6zxPb via @variety
HP’s AI Gamble Betrays Its Trusted Engineering Culture
The Slow-Motion Demolition of a Pioneer: Why HP’s Gamble on AI is a Betrayal of People and Product The ultimate betrayal of ‘HP Way’, a culture built on mutual trust, engineering excellence & respect for staff. https://t.co/vCr1Z2qdEc
Neobanks Fuel Hiring Surge While Entering New Markets
Neobanks expanding into new markets, Source: CB Insights, Mar 2026 Fintech hiring is happening as neobanks continue to expand with different strategies https://t.co/qKcdGMmycZ https://t.co/rO2bQPQw7W