‘Not everyone is looking to move up the ladder’: Why 42% of workers say they’d turn down a promotion

Generally speaking, the promise of corporate America goes something like this: You start off as an entry-level worker, work hard and eventually get promoted a few times until you become a senior-level manager. With each title change comes more money, shinier benefits and more influence — presumably enough to make all the effort worthwhile.

But in recent years, the allure of rising through the ranks at work has lost its pull: Not only are promotions harder to come by, but at the same time, people are vocally turning them down. READ MORE

Could that new hire be a deepfake? These pros say the risk is growing

Deepfakes—AI-generated fake videos, photos or audio—are increasingly being used to impersonate job candidates and company executives, creating new challenges for business leaders. In 2025, HR and recruiting professionals must consider: Is the person they’re interacting with real or an AI-generated mirage? Given the risks involved, this question is critical, experts say.

In today’s increasingly virtual society, trust is more important—yet more difficult to attain—than ever, particularly in the context of hiring with enterprise systems. READ MORE

This pharma org is bucking the return-to-office trend—and seeing results

In the last few years, HR has increasingly found itself caught between leadership that wants workers back in the office and employees who are seeking more flexible working environments. One of the industries most likely to mandate in-office work is pharmaceuticals, with a recent survey finding that about 90% of leaders at pharma companies prefer their employees to work in person. Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma is pushing back on this trend. READ MORE

These Companies Offer the Best Work-Life Balance, According to Employees

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, full-time workers spent an average of 8.49 hours per day at work in 2023.

For those looking for companies with the best work-life balance, a new study conducted by Hennessey Digital examined Glassdoor data in the U.S. to find top employers. The researchers narrowed down employers to those with more than 5,000 global employees, at least 1,000 U.S. reviews, and more than 3.5 stars out of 5 on Glassdoor.

Then they ranked the employers by average work-life rating, as shown by employee feedback on Glassdoor. READ MORE

10 ways to future proof your performance management strategy

Performance and talent management face both challenges and opportunities as organisations adapt to a constantly changing business environment impacted by technological advancements, shifting workforce expectations and economic uncertainties.

Traditional methods are being reimagined, emphasising continuous feedback, data-driven insights and employee skills. The intersection of AI and the science of talent insights provides a powerful approach for organisations seeking to enhance their workforce management strategies. READ MORE

How to get performance reviews right

Imagine a workplace where performance reviews are anticipated with excitement, not dread. It's possible, and the key lies in a simple shift in perspective. “Only 20 percent of the respondents to our global survey who had no development conversations felt motivated by their company’s performance management,” says McKinsey’s Brooke Weddle in a McKinsey Talks Talent podcast episode. “But if you compare that to those who received ongoing feedback in development conversations, the number goes up to 77 percent who felt motivated by it.” Explore these insights to discover how to create a culture of continuous growth by reimagining performance ratings, setting inspiring goals, and recognizing contributions in meaningful ways. READ MORE

The Stock Market Is Doing Something It Has Done Only 2 Times Since 1985, and History Is Clear About What Happens Next

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) is widely regarded as the best gauge for the entire U.S. stock market. The index has returned 27% year to date in one of its strongest performances of the 21st century. But warning signs are starting to appear.

In November, a Conference Board survey found that 56.4% of U.S. consumers expect the stock market to rise over the next year, the highest reading on record. That may sound like good news, but Morgan Stanley sees it as a contrarian indicator signaling irrational optimism at a time when valuations are stretched. READ MORE

Google Just Made a Breakthrough in Quantum Computing With Its New Chip

Google’s latest project marks a major milestone in quantum computing.

On Monday, the corporation unveiled a new chip, dubbed Willow, that could prove pivotal to the development and potential large-scale use of the field. One of the new tech’s neatest tricks is that it needs just five minutes to solve a problem that would take the world’s most powerful supercomputers 10 septillion, or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, years to complete, a report from Hartmut Neven, the founder and lead of Google’s Quantum AI division, says. That’s older than the universe, according to The New York Times. READ MORE

Small business optimism surges to highest level in three years

Trump’s win at the ballot box last month coincided with several signs of vitality and optimism, including above-trend economic growth, solid consumer spending and record-high stock prices.

Gross domestic product — defying predictions of a slowdown this year — grew at annual rates of 1.4% in the first quarter, 3% in Q2 and 2.8% in Q3, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. READ MORE

US labor market steadily cooling amid higher job openings, low layoffs

U.S. job openings increased solidly in October while layoffs dropped by the most in 1-1/2 years, suggesting the labor market continued to slow in an orderly fashion.

But the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, from the Labor Department on Tuesday also showed employers hesitant to hire more workers. The historically low level of layoffs is anchoring the labor market and the broader economy through higher wages that are driving consumer spending. READ MORE

CEO turnover reaches record levels in 2024 as 'increasing complexity' drives execs to the exits

The end of the holiday weekend added two fresh examples of a historic shift on Wall Street: More CEOs than ever are heading for the exits. Over the past 24 hours, the leaders of chipmaker Intel (INTC) and auto giant Stellantis (STLA) have both announced their departures, bolstering the CEO turnover tally.

The leadership changes highlight the idiosyncrasies and challenges of each company — from a struggling auto lineup to a too-late computer chip turnaround. But they also reflect a broader trend across corporate America. READ MORE

The best and worst states for taxes in 2025

Not all state tax regimes are equal, with some states not collecting all of the major taxes, such as corporate income tax, individual income tax or sales tax. 

The Tax Foundation measured the states with most and least competitive taxes in 2025, by analyzing factors including corporate tax rank, individual income tax rank, sales tax rank, property tax rank and unemployment insurance tax rank to determine an overall score.  READ MORE

US labor market still boosting inflation, San Francisco Fed economists say

A tight U.S. labor market is still adding to inflationary pressures, though less so than it did in 2022 and 2023, according to research published on Monday by the San Francisco Federal Reserve.

"Declines in excess demand pushed inflation down almost three-quarters of a percentage point over the past two years," San Francisco Fed economists Regis Barnichon and Adam Hale Shapiro wrote in the regional Fed bank's latest Economic Letter. "However, elevated demand continued to contribute 0.3 to 0.4 percentage point to inflation as of September 2024." READ MORE

Think twice before ordering work-from-home employees to return to the office

Over the past few months, major corporations such as Disney, Apple, Starbucks and Amazon announced new policies mandating their employees to cut back on working from home and return to their offices for as much as five days a week. The moves were met with backlashes from employees who signed petitions, sent public letters to their CEOs, complained to the press and on social media, and even went on strike. READ MORE

Companies that force workers back to the office are missing the big picture

The Washington Post recently announced that all employees will soon be required to work from an office five days per week—and became the latest in a long line of employers to force workers to return to the office (RTO). 

Indeed, several companies have recently clamped down on remote work, insisting that employees return to the office five days a week, and CEOs across industries have been vocal critics of remote work.  READ MORE