Only 14%!

The EEOC issues new guidance on using AI in hiring.  This will be the first of many new legal AI pitfalls coming.

“Data science is difficult and an untrained “expert” cannot necessarily solve hard problems, even with good software.”

Ready for the Chief AI Officer (CAIO). So close to ciao!

Preemptive strategy by WPP.

The legal profession is about to go through a significant crackdown on AI.

“Users deserve blame for not heeding warnings, but OpenAI should be doing more to make it clear that ChatGPT can’t reliably distinguish fact from fiction.”

1,000 corporate employees walked off the job, while 100,000s of warehouse employees had a day as usual.

Valid and likely leading to the sentiment above.

Considering all the high-profile disasters for award winners, this strategy seems reasonable, but perhaps not the approach.

If a playlist had a smell, it would smell like sunscreen, wet clay roads, and the blended aroma of backyard BBQ smokiness with orange blossoms freshly bloomed. Maybe we should create our own NICH perfume line…our next venture?

Leading off this week’s Edit with some client news. 

We’ve known Wahoo from the beginning – literally when it was just an idea. To be a part (even if small) of their journey has been pretty awesome. We’ve tested products (ruthlessly!) and helped them define their culture, purpose and vision for the future. To see a founder step up to save an organization and set them back on the path to success is always a breath of fresh air. When you know him and the hard-working Wahooligans behind the scenes it’s special. We’re proud and inspired.

Here’s why verification is coming to LinkedIn – job scammers and bots are out of control.

Predicting more rules and regulations around disclosure of AI tools in hiring and recruiting. Why? See above.

Some good news.

Not sure we understand the argument against it.

This is going to make it even more difficult for insurance carriers and self-insured employers to look for ways to decline coverage.

Coming to a huddle room near you.

Need some inspiration? Here you go.

Sprezzatura is certain nonchalance, or an art of making difficult tasks appear effortless and easy, so as to convey an image of grace, elegance, and sophistication. Sprezzatura is about concealing the effort that goes into the execution of a task, thus enhancing its aesthetic appeal. It’s a skill highly valued.

62% believe artificial intelligence will have a major impact on jobholders overall in the next 20 years

62.3% of U.S. workers were satisfied in 2022—up from 60.2 percent in 2021

We can attest, this is a common phrase from our intern.

“What kind of a leader am I if so few people want to show up?”

“Some couples are opening up about adopting the types of structures that have long existed in corporations and organizations to work in their partnerships.”

Does anyone happen to work with an idiot?

Workplace safety next level.

Spoiler alert, Atlanta is number 1.

Cafe beach vibes and summertime happiness. Picture an Aperol spritz in your hand, the smell of salt and sunscreen on your skin, the slight tingle of sunkissed cheeks and the laughter of friends.

38% of employees say they receive an “excessive” volume of communications at their organization

A new law requires employers with more than 100 employees to disclose pay disparities.

The State of Work 2023
A survey of over 18,000 desk workers, managers, and executives reveal organizations’ greatest challenges and opportunities today.

It’s not good.

“A recent survey found that more than half (51%) would stay at a job they didn’t like to retain coverage for obesity treatment.”

“People are looking at what they got last year for last year’s pay increase, and they are expecting about the same this year.”

Who doesn’t miss these days?

“Will we miss our old ways of working if A.I. takes over the drudgery of communication? And would my colleagues even know, or would they be Chatfished?”

We’ve said it before, this is a great show highlighting the power of workplace culture.  Mark your calendars.

As His Nike Deal Stalls, Tom Sachs Apologizes for Workplace Culture

For employers, the labor market crisis continues. For workers, options abound.

“If someone says, ‘Oh, ChatGPT probably wrote that,’ it’s a criticism that you’re not an independent thinker.”

Our labor laws were created during a different era and need to be updated.

1 in 3 Remote Employers Are Watching You Work From Home on a Camera

Preventative testing could be very beneficial to health and the bottom line.

The new law requiring reasonable accommodations goes into effect this summer.

“Using jobs data in both the United States and Europe, report writers found that roughly two-thirds of current jobs are exposed to some degree of AI automation, and that generative AI could substitute for up to one-fourth of current work done by humans.”

Are employers using recession headlines as a way to avoid keeping pace with inflation?

As organizations scramble to roll out ChatGPT guidelines or outright bans, OpenAI hopes this alleviates some concerns. The “History off” feature is now available.

Called ChatGPT Business, OpenAI describes the forthcoming offering as “for professionals who need more control over their data as well as enterprises seeking to manage their end users.”

Research how employees come to think about their own abilities in relation to and in comparison to machinic norms, creating unattainable expectations of an “ideal worker”.

“There is an undeniably counterintuitive yet crucial reality we must embrace: the need for a strong, human-centric company culture.”

Communication in the workplace is suffering because there are too many channels and mechanisms available.  “teams lost an average 7.47 hours—nearly an entire day—to poor communications a week.”

We’re pretty sure that this is just called…quitting.

Originally intended to be a “place of delight” dedicated to leisure, not residence.

Just click, it’s cool.

The stunning $465 million Richard Gilder Center for Science, designed like a canyon, is destined to become a colossal attraction.

Andi Owen is the latest leader to face backlash after a video from a meeting is shared online.

“In recent years, former employees said, the frequency of Ms. Lynch’s abusive outbursts and impulsive firings has increased, even as many chefs have improved workplace conditions since the start of the #MeToo movement.”

The annual survey measuring sentiment points toward a downward trend in nearly every category.

A sign of things to come for the US?

“While 70% of business leaders see pay equity as critical to business success, only 14% set aside an appropriate budget to mitigate pay inequities, and only 5% are truly excellent at pay equity.”

“Chatbots cannot think like humans: They do not actually understand what they say. They can mimic human speech because the artificial intelligence that powers them has ingested a gargantuan amount of text, mostly scraped from the internet.”

So your 6 hours is a luxury.

Just click it, trust us.

A totally rad office playlist.

% of adult employees saying they are extremely or very satisfied with:

• 51% are satisfied with their job.
• 67% are satisfied with their coworker
• 62% their manager
• 51% their daily tasks
• 49% the amount of feedback they receive
• 34% the amount they are paid

“Research has shown that unless they go out of their way to appear warm and friendly, women who speak in an assertive manner are often perceived as less likable, less influential, and more threatening than their male counterparts, but that when they do appear warm and friendly, their competence often comes into question.”

Your customer experience is entirely dependent on your employee experience.

A niche group of consultants is trying to get you back to the office. It’s not going too well.

We are big proponents of meeting-free days as we’ve seen the success they can have if leadership is truly committed.

“Perhaps this is controversial to say, but I firmly believe it’s okay to cry at work.”

The study notes that Nordic countries especially “merit special attention in light of their generally high levels of both personal and institutional trust”

They basically don’t take work all that seriously.

Yes.

Interesting insights on similarities and differences.  Not surprisingly, Trust, Pride, Camaraderie, and Flexibility are at the top.

One we missed last week – coming to a job interview near you soon.

“…no matter what any overenthusiastic H.R. rep may say — one’s personal life can be a job in the sense that individuals have personal goals they want to accomplish, mundane tasks that need completing, and thinly sourced gossip they want to share over coffee.”

Deep breath.

We’ve gone deep on AI and ChatGPT with a focus on how these technologies will impact our client’s people strategies and employer brands.

Bottom line, organizations that immediately adopt AI strategies will work faster, recruit better and retain the best employees.  There are a lot of organizations about to be caught off guard.

Many current HR system technologies have not lived up to their potential and remain a frustrating necessity for large employers. However, with the introduction of AI-powered tools, organizations can now recruit and onboard employees quickly and efficiently. Additionally, AI has the potential to revolutionize internal talent management and development, which will have a significant impact on retention rates.

In light of these advancements, many tech platforms and companies that rely on outdated HR systems are at risk of being left behind. It is crucial for organizations to develop a strategy for utilizing AI in HR and talent functions to stay competitive.

We see many of these tech platforms and the companies that rely on them being left in the dust.

AI will allow large organizations to recruit the right people quickly and efficiently and onboard them to speed with very little effort.  Most importantly, AI has the potential to have a monumental impact on retention due to its internal talent management and development capabilities.  This all gets us really excited.  And we have not even mentioned internal comms and engagement.

Developing a strategy to utilize AI for HR, talent and communication functions starts now.

Berson’s thoughts on the immediate future of AI impacting HR tech.

Bill Gates breaks it down.  He considers this one of two watershed moments in his life.

A step-by-step guide.

In case you were wondering.

SHRM’s thoughts. “Should you be worried? If your sole reason for living is to do basic HR tasks, yes, you should be worried.”

“HR departments can leverage ChatGPT to streamline their operations, improve the candidate experience, and make more informed hiring decisions.”

Note the salary benchmarking opportunity.  Salary transparency is about to get real.

What are some examples of how ChatGPT can change HR technology?

ChatGPT, being an AI-powered conversational agent, has the potential to transform the HR technology industry in various ways. Here are some examples:

1. Recruitment and candidate screening: ChatGPT can assist in the initial stages of recruitment by screening candidates and answering their questions, freeing up HR professionals’ time for other tasks. It can also help identify qualified candidates and recommend them for further evaluation.
2. Employee onboarding: ChatGPT can provide a personalized onboarding experience to new employees, guiding them through the company’s policies, procedures, and culture. It can also answer their questions and provide support during the transition period.
3. Performance management: ChatGPT can assist in tracking employee performance and providing feedback. It can also help employees set goals, monitor their progress, and suggest areas for improvement.
4. Training and development: ChatGPT can provide personalized training and development programs to employees based on their job roles, skills, and career aspirations. It can also help track their progress and provide feedback.
5. Employee engagement and retention: ChatGPT can facilitate employee engagement by providing personalized feedback and support. It can also help identify potential issues and suggest solutions to improve employee retention.

Overall, ChatGPT has the potential to streamline and automate many HR processes, enabling HR professionals to focus on more strategic tasks. It can also provide a more personalized and engaging experience to employees, leading to improved job satisfaction and retention rates.

A common discussion we have been having with business leaders who are perplexed by the lack of progress. Here’s a concise list as to why they are not working.

“These programs can become yet another gender tax for women. Using WLDPs as a fix for systemic gender inequities communicates to women that it is their responsibility to correct the company’s gender imbalance in leadership, and the payoff doesn’t always equal the time commitment.”

This is how you really onboard a new CEO: a six-month immersion into Starbucks culture and operations.

The pendulum is starting to swing back. Organizations need to declare what they stand for and find the people who align. – “The question lurking in the minds of many with whom I’ve spoken (as well as my own): Has America gone soft?”

“Personality testing is roughly a $2 billion industry… Their appeal is both magnetic and obvious: ego.”

More for the skills over degrees argument.

Hiring and firing without regard to consequences.

Organizations are quiet-quitting the kombucha bar.

Here for the pics only.

Are artists exempt from common workplace standards?

“Everyone must place all items at parallel or 90-degree angles. They are to walk quietly, as if in a monastery. Employees must maintain a healthy diet-and-exercise regimen, avoid “personal inventiveness,” and respond to commands with the words ” I understand, or I don’t understand.”

The fallout.

An employee handbook video. “Follow this guide carefully and you probably won’t be fired.”

“There are very few things that I do today that I could have imagined as a teenager that I would be doing.”

“Getting your foot in the door is the way to do it.”

“Visual arts enrich any environment as expressions of human creativity, culture, passion and aspiration.”

A recent study from Accenture reveals that women in STEM have declined (despite all the efforts). Half of young women drop out by 35. Why?

Something we believe in, learning real applicable skills and experience are the future.

Another example of why managers are skeptical of WFH.
Of course, the managers are probably the ones playing golf.

One of the great tragedies of retail due to poor management. A long read and cautionary tale.

Still better than retiring to Del Boca Vista (dog whistle).

At least it’s not quiet-quitting…?

“Thirty-two percent of hybrid employees indicate that virtual meetings are less effective than in-person meetings compared with 17% who say virtual meetings are more effective.”

Labor numbers continue to impress.

One-upping Amazon’s mortgage collateral perk.

Single women provide an outsized lift to the labor force, yet the wage gap persists.

So old school it’s good.

“Polo necks with a little zip that runs from neck to chest have become the new status symbol of men of a certain position as they ditch the shirt and tie aesthetic.”

We are pretty excited about this…yum.

Just click. You’re welcome.

Arguably the greatest sax and trumpet players ever. Smooth office grooves.

Let’s face it. It’s hard to be besties over Zoom.

You’ve got to hand it to them, this is quite the creative perk.

Sadly, it’s not perks. It’s culture and leadership.

No doubt that honey works better than vinegar.

“Outside of some high-profile companies mostly in the tech sector… layoffs in the economy as a whole remain remarkably, even historically, rare.”

A commonly forgotten fact.  “A slight majority of U.S. workers are paid by the hour rather than by salary.”

This is a solid list.

Puck is designed to reveal the backstory, take readers into back rooms, and display the back-scratching within them.

For the broad, boring and inconsistent – yes.

“Some workers are using the platform to share stories about job cuts, give advice and search for new roles.”

Innovative recruiting strategies are working – don’t miss out.

More data to consider. It likely won’t work for everyone, but for the right organization, this has huge potential for engagement, retention and productivity.

For the third-third.

The life-changing beyond science-fiction concepts that are coming to reality.

“I wanted to finally have an office without a swipe card.”

“Let’s just say I don’t feel too bad about taking $15 or $20 of stuff from Whole Foods when Jeff Bezos is the richest man on Earth.”

Commenting for reach.

Thanks to our friends at CIM and Newport, big changes are coming to downtown.

Don’t just take our word for it.