Big Interview | People Director, UK and Ireland Gi Group - 'I Didn't Know What HR Was'
Cindy Gunn, People Director for Gi Group UK and Ireland, recounts a serendipitous start in a café that led her into HR, eventually earning a CIPD qualification while working full‑time. She progressed from admin roles in the late‑1990s to senior people‑strategy leadership, overseeing culture and talent integration during several global M&A deals. Gunn stresses the importance of resilience, authentic connection, and culture recalibration amid economic pressure. Her story illustrates how unconventional pathways can produce top HR talent capable of steering large‑scale organizational change.
Your Boss’s Feelings Matter Too
A new LSE Business Review analysis challenges the myth that senior leaders are emotion‑free, citing a review of 101 academic studies that link leader feelings to downstream outcomes. The authors highlight the double‑edged nature of emotions—anger can deter misconduct yet...
Duncan Brand Announces Release of “Mind the Gap,” Addressing Gaps in Leadership Development Practices
Duncan Brand, founder of Intrinsic Leader, LLC, has launched his new book “Mind the Gap,” which examines persistent gaps in leadership development and proposes structured approaches to bridge them. Drawing on more than two decades of consulting across technology, healthcare,...
‘All Reasonable Steps’ to Prevent Sexual Harassment (Webinar)
Personnel Today is hosting a 60‑minute webinar on 20 May 2026 to help UK employers prepare for the October 2026 requirement that they take ‘all reasonable steps’ to prevent sexual harassment. Featuring VinciWorks compliance experts Nick Henderson‑Mayo and Ruth Mittelmann Cohen, the session will...
Hedge Fund Hiring Wars Escalate as “Interception Trades” Drive Record Pay Packages
Hedge funds are intensifying talent wars by intercepting candidates who have already accepted rival offers, a practice dubbed “interception trades.” Compensation for star traders has surged, with some packages topping $100 million when guarantees and incentives are included. To curb poaching,...
Citadel HR Chief Exits
Citadel Securities' chief human‑resources officer, Karen Smith, announced her departure after six years, citing personal reasons. Smith oversaw a rapid expansion of the firm's talent pipeline, scaling the workforce from 1,200 to over 2,000 employees amid a competitive hiring market....
Does Your Intranet Still Matter in an AI-First Workplace?
The article argues that intranets remain vital in an AI‑first workplace because they serve three distinct jobs—pull (answering employee queries), push (delivering proactive messages), and people (building culture). AI reshapes how each function operates but does not replace the intranet;...
Understanding the Data: AI & Workforce Readiness
DataCamp’s 2026 State of Data & Literacy Report reveals a widening gap between AI expectations and workforce readiness. While 90% of senior leaders rank data literacy above traditional skills, 60% admit internal AI and data skill gaps and fewer than...
Uruguay's ANCAP Presses Ahead with Cement Restructuring Amid Union Dispute
Uruguay’s state‑owned energy firm ANCAP has terminated negotiations with the construction union Sunca and the workers’ federation Fancap, opting to move forward with a restructuring of its Portland cement business. The cement division posted a $31 million loss in 2025, prompting...
Centre to Cut ITS Officers’ Deployment in BSNL, Asks Telco to Develop Internal Talent
The Union Cabinet has ordered a phased removal of Indian Telecommunication Service (ITS) officers from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), directing the carrier to rely on its own internal cadre for senior management roles. A Department of Telecommunications letter instructs...
C-Suite Salary Increases Far Outstripped Junior Roles in 2025: IPA Census Data Analysis
Campaign’s analysis of the 2024 and 2025 IPA Censuses reveals that C‑suite salaries surged far faster than those of junior staff in 2025. Median executive compensation rose roughly 7% year‑over‑year, while entry‑level pay increased about 2%. The widening gap marks...
Co-Op Executive Wins £100,000 in Equal Pay Ruling After Earning Less than Male Colleagues
A UK employment tribunal has ordered the Co‑operative Group to pay former senior HR executive Samantha Walker more than £101,000 (about $129,000) after finding she was paid less than male peers for comparable work. Walker, who joined in 2013 and...
Office Visibility Becomes ‘Currency’ as In‑person Staff Reap Higher Pay and Faster Promotions
New research from recruiter Robert Half shows that office attendance is increasingly linked to higher pay and faster promotions. In a survey of 500 hiring managers, 68% of employers adjusted salaries and 69% altered bonuses based on how often staff...
Government Steps up Drive to Keep Women in Work with New Ambassador
The UK government has created a Women’s Employment Ambassador role, appointing broadcaster Mariella Frostrup to broaden support for women’s health issues at work beyond menopause. Around 1.48 million women are now classified as economically inactive due to long‑term illness, prompting the...
Employer's Disciplinary Approach Was "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later": FWC
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) ruled that a warehouse employer’s disciplinary process was “most unsatisfactory,” describing it as treating the employee as guilty until proven innocent. The employee, a Safety Xpress assistant, was dismissed after a written warning for repeatedly...
HR's Ascent Shaped by "Seismic" Events, but More Tests to Come
Specialist recruiter The Next Step released its 10‑year HR Opportunity Index, showing the profession’s evolution from a support role to a board‑level strategic imperative. The index surged to a pre‑pandemic peak of 116.4 in June 2019, collapsed 52% in 90...
The Skills Crisis in Australian Meat Processing and Why Experience Alone Can’t Fix It
Australian red‑meat processors are confronting a deepening skills shortage that threatens plant efficiency and regional economies. While seasoned planners and floor staff remain vital, high turnover is exposing knowledge gaps that slow decision‑making and inflate costs. Industry leaders argue that...
Dismissal After Traumatic Workplace Incident Upheld as Fair
A casual employee at Dan Murphy’s in Ballina was dismissed after a traumatic armed‑robbery incident left her unable to return to work. The worker, who was threatened with a knife on June 18, completed two more evening shifts before requesting day...
No Penalty Hike Needed for Now as Compliance with Mandatory Retrenchment Notification Requirement Has Improved, Says MOM
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reports that compliance with the Mandatory Retrenchment Notification (MRN) requirement has risen sharply, with 81% of filings submitted within the five‑day deadline in 2025, up from 67% in 2024. Companies with ten or more staff...
Point72, BlackRock-Backed Contest Seeks Japanese Banking Talent
Point72 and BlackRock’s Gyoseki contest entered its fourth year, drawing about 300 Japanese college students across 170 teams to evaluate consumer‑product stocks. Participants performed fundamental analysis on Unicharm, Lion and Ezaki Glico, with the winning team receiving ¥150,000 (≈$944) and internship...
The Thinking Crisis: Why Organizations Are Losing Talent They Can’t Replace
A new national study reveals that 44% of employees and 59% of executives have left jobs because their thinking was not valued, not due to pay or perks. The research identifies a "thinking crisis" driven by fear of mistakes (76%),...
Early Talent in Peril: Can Work-Based Learning Solve the Entry-Level Career Crisis?
Research from SAP SuccessFactors shows early‑talent employment fell 6% since 2022 while applicants per entry‑level opening doubled over five years. Industry leaders at the UNLEASH conference argued that AI is eroding traditional on‑ramps for recent graduates, leaving a widening skills...
In an Age of Insularity, CHROs in Asia-Pacific Must Move From Talent Metrics to Business Impact
Edelman’s Delicia Tan warns that Asia‑Pacific CHROs must move beyond traditional talent metrics and focus on tangible business impact. While Singapore and Hong Kong retain high institutional trust, internal surveys reveal growing anxiety about skill relevance and leadership confidence. Companies...
Mental Wellness & The Culture You Leave Behind
John Trautwein, founder of the Will To Live Foundation, urges CEOs to confront the hidden mental‑health crisis in their workplaces. He cites that one in five employees silently battle diagnosable mental illness, a stigma‑driven condition that can erode productivity and...
A Talent Playbook for the AI Era
Companies are pouring money into artificial intelligence, but talent shortages are the primary obstacle to scaling deployments. The article argues that the real bottleneck is a skills gap, not technical integration or regulatory hurdles. It recommends aggressive upskilling and a...
The Hidden Cost of Growth: Leadership Debt
Leadership Debt™ describes the hidden liability that builds when founders cling to day‑to‑day control, preventing the development of a scalable leadership team. The article outlines four stages—from founder‑as‑driver to scaling headcount without output—showing how each compounds operational risk and erodes...
Firms Face Lack of Consistency in Global Social Mobility
New research by the Financial Reporting Council, Lewis Silkin and Progress Together reveals that financial‑services firms worldwide lack consistent methods to measure the impact of socio‑economic background on employee progression. While barriers such as confidence gaps and limited networks are common,...
NSW Health Admits to Underpaying Emergency Doctors
The New South Wales Department of Health confirmed that emergency doctors at Westmead Hospital have been receiving their allowance entitlements late, potentially reducing take‑home pay by as much as a quarter. The delay was highlighted by the Australian Salaried Medical...
Data Has Turned Worrisome for Women Aspiring to CFO Roles
Recent Bloomberg data reveals that women occupy only about 15% of CFO positions at Fortune 500 companies, and the pipeline of female finance talent is shrinking by roughly 8% annually since 2022. The analysis, highlighted by Melissa Howatson, points to insufficient...
University Fires Library Worker for Criticizing Boss in Private Meeting
A Trinity Western University librarian with 43 years of service was terminated after violating a last‑chance agreement by repeatedly criticizing his supervisor in private. An arbitrator upheld the dismissal, finding the employee’s disrespectful communication breached the agreement and that his...
Resignations and Firings Have Depleted the FBI and Justice Department. They're Scrambling to Rebuild
The FBI and Justice Department are confronting a severe staffing shortfall after a wave of retirements, resignations and politically‑motivated firings. Both agencies have loosened hiring standards – the FBI shortens training for transfers and waives certain assessments, while the DOJ...
Home Depot Salaries: From Sales Rep to CEO
Home Depot disclosed its 2025 executive compensation alongside median associate pay, revealing a CEO base salary of $1.4 million that rose to $16.19 million total. The median hourly‑plus‑stock compensation for a store associate was $37,881, yielding a CEO‑to‑median pay ratio of 427 to 1,...
10 Best Employee Recognition Software I Recommend in 2026
The article outlines the criteria for selecting top employee recognition software in 2026, emphasizing flexibility, integration, analytics, customization, security, and social engagement features. It argues that platforms must support varied recognition styles, embed into tools like Slack and HRIS, and...
Will AI Steal Your Job? Only 15% of Routine Roles at Risk
Boston Consulting Group’s latest study finds that only 10%‑15% of U.S. jobs—mostly routine roles such as call‑center staff and junior financial analysts—are likely to disappear entirely within the next five years. Meanwhile, 50%‑55% of occupations will be fundamentally reshaped by...
Stifel CEO Gets 20% Pay Bump to $18 Million
Stifel Financial announced that longtime CEO Ronald J. Kruszewski will receive $18 million in total compensation for 2025, a 20% increase from the prior year. The boost reflects the firm’s record $5.5 billion net revenue, a 17% rise in its stock price...
When “Zero Tolerance” Tolerates for Four Years
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) faced fresh scrutiny after eight women at its Nashik plant filed harassment complaints spanning February 2022 to March 2026. Police investigations uncovered 78 emails and led to seven arrests, including an HR manager on the internal...
Tata Steel Prepares for Blue-Collar Job Transitions as Iron Ore Lease Expiry Nears
Tata Steel announced that four iron‑ore mining leases in Jharkhand and Odisha will expire by 2030, prompting a strategic shift in its raw‑material sourcing. The company has slowed new hiring while briefing employees on possible role changes, redeployment, or voluntary...
Employee Onboarding Software: Transforming HR Tech in the UK
Employee onboarding software is reshaping UK HR tech by replacing paper‑based processes with cloud‑based platforms that automate documentation, training, and compliance. Vendors such as Eli Onboarding provide customizable workflows, real‑time analytics, and integration with payroll and HRIS systems. The shift...
Duolingo CEO Says They've Stopped Tracking Employees' AI Use for Performance Reviews
Duolingo CEO Luis von Ahn announced the company will no longer track employees' AI usage in performance reviews, reversing a policy introduced in an April 2025 memo. While maintaining an "AI‑first" stance, the firm continues to limit contractor hiring where AI can...
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Understanding Gross-Up: Definition, Formula, Examples & Calculation
Gross‑up is a compensation technique where employers add a pre‑tax amount to a payment so the employee receives a predetermined net amount after taxes. It is most often applied to one‑time benefits such as bonuses, severance, or relocation expenses, using...
What Is the Best Benefits Administration Software for Enterprises?
G2’s Spring 2026 Enterprise Grid Report ranks Forma, Rippling and ADP Workforce Now as the top‑scoring benefits administration platforms for large firms, with user‑satisfaction ratings of 9.7, 9.6 and 8.2 respectively. Benepass, QuickBooks Payroll and WEX Benefits lead the category for...
AEA, Fastport Gain Federal Avionics Apprenticeship Sponsor Status
The Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) and workforce‑development firm Fastport have been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as a Registered Apprenticeship Sponsor. The designation enables them to launch federally recognized apprenticeship programs that combine paid on‑the‑job training, technical instruction,...
EB-2 NIW Green Card Approval Case Study: Supply Chain Professional From Argentina Becomes a U.S. Permanent Resident
Colombo & Hurd secured an EB‑2 National Interest Waiver green card for an Argentinian supply‑chain and data‑science professional, allowing him to establish a consulting firm in the United States. The petition overcame a USCIS Request for Evidence by tying the...
We Laid Off 35% of Our Team and Discovered We Never Needed Them
A debt‑relief firm laid off roughly 35% of its workforce after a key partnership fell apart, exposing that its expanded headcount was unnecessary. Despite the cuts, the company’s output and client service remained stable, disproving the assumption that more employees...
The Most Dysfunctional Leadership Habit In Healthcare: ‘Split The Baby’ Thinking
The article warns that healthcare leaders often default to “split the baby” thinking—seeking compromise instead of decisive, evidence‑based choices. This habit turns complex, high‑stakes decisions into watered‑down middle grounds, leaving initiatives half‑implemented and outcomes stagnant. The author argues that true...
'A Small Step in the Right Direction': N.C. Firefighters to Receive Raises Under New Pay Plan
Winston‑Salem city council approved a new pay and benefits plan for its fire department, giving firefighters raises between 4.3% and 9.5% and adding roughly $2 million in payroll costs. The city will fund a $500,000 shortfall by tapping its fund balance,...
Godrej Agrovet Unveils Disha Programme to Empower Women in Agri Sector
Godrej Agrovet has launched Disha, a women‑focused career accelerator for BSc Agriculture and allied graduates, unveiled at its third Women in Agriculture Summit. The CSR‑driven programme, delivered with 1M1B Foundation and Ikka Learning Foundation, equips participants with sales, communication and...
Ala. City Hires Recruitment Firm to Help Fill PD Ranks
The Huntsville City Council approved a $122,000 contract with Crimson Recruiting Services to overhaul police recruitment. The department needs to fill roughly 75 vacancies and currently struggles to meet academy class targets, selecting only 10‑20 qualified candidates from hundreds of...
Meet the LAUSD Veteran Who Leads the Principals Union
Maria Nichols, a 60‑year‑old former principal, now heads the Associated Administrators of Los Angeles (AALA) after merging with Teamsters Local 2010. The tentative contract she negotiated grants more than 11% salary increases for roughly 3,000 principals, assistant principals and middle managers,...
What HR Leaders Need to Know About the EEOC's Latest Enforcement Priorities
On April 3, 2026 the EEOC released its FY 2027 performance plan outlining four enforcement priorities—DEI‑related discrimination, national‑origin bias, sex‑based workplace rights, and religious accommodation. The agency reported $55 million in systemic settlements, a 20% rise in investigations, and notable settlements totaling over $30 million...