For unbiased performance management, employees prefer ‘bots over bosses’

The use of artificial intelligence in performance management continues to be debated, but studies show that demand for AI in this area is coming from an unexpected place: employees.

Emily Rose McRae, senior director analyst at Gartner, says HR leaders need to recognize that the “performance of performance management is low.” An October 2024 Gartner survey of nearly 3,500 employees found that 87% of employees think that algorithms could give fairer feedback than their managers. An earlier Gartner survey of more than 3,300 employees revealed that 57% believe humans are more biased than AI when it comes to making compensation decisions. READ MORE

Quiet Quitting Is Out. Now Gen Z Is Revenge Quitting.

Long gone are the days of “sucking it up” in the workplace. Workers are tired of being overworked and underpaid, and they’re no longer staying silent about it.

In today’s economy, it’s common for many to spend years getting a college degree, putting themselves in incredible amounts of debt, only to secure a “stable” career that barely pays the bills or allows for any sort of work-life balance. Ah, the American dream. READ MORE

Gen Z is ‘task masking’ to look as busy as possible in the office. Experts warn they’re self-sabotaging

Ever since Amazon’s seismic return to office mandate late last year, more employers have been ending remote work and demanding that more staff show up in person.

Even in the face of desk shortages and counter petitions from employees, bosses across the board are maintaining that increase presence equates to increased productivity. They may find the opposite is true. READ MORE

JPMorgan official defends bank’s DEI programs, says hiring is 'merit based'

A spokesperson for JPMorgan Chase is defending the bank's diversity equity and inclusion polices, saying their hiring practices are "merit-based" – while the Wall Street titan's CEO appears to be wavering on the company's commitment to DEI. 

"We strictly adhere to the law and prohibit discrimination of any kind. Our hiring is merit-based," a spokesperson told Fox News Digital.  READ MORE

Trump asks Apple to drop diversity policies after stockholders back pro-DEI stance

President Donald Trump urged Apple (AAPL) to "get rid" of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies a day after the company's investors voted down a proposal to scrap them.

"APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM. DEI WAS A HOAX THAT HAS BEEN VERY BAD FOR OUR COUNTRY. DEI IS GONE!!!" Trump wrote in a Wednesday post on Truth Social. READ MORE

How AI Startups Are Evaluating The Latest Model Advancements

DeepSeek’s R1 is shaking up the AI landscape. Launched on January 20, this advanced reasoning model claims performance on par with OpenAI’s o1 — at just 2% of the cost. Unlike other frontier models reliant on high-end chips and massive datasets, R1 is optimized for older hardware and leverages novel reinforcement learning techniques, allegedly slashing training costs to $6 million.

Beyond efficiency, R1’s open-source MIT license makes it freely accessible, allowing companies to integrate or customize it freely. This raises a pivotal question: Will AI companies embrace DeepSeek, or will stalwarts like OpenAI and Anthropic remain the industry’s default choices? READ MORE

With Proxy Season Ramping Up, SEC Targets ESG in New Guidance

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday, Feb. 12, announcedOpen in a new tab it had rescinded Staff Legal Bulletin 14L (SLB 14L) and reinstated guidance put out under the first Trump administration, which companies had referenced when excluding, for instance, proposals tied to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues on the grounds they constituted micromanagement. 

The guidance change occurs as proxy season ramps up for the agency and U.S. corporations. READ MORE

Jamie Dimon: I should never curse. But we’re going back to the office

Jamie Dimon is apologizing for using some particularly salty language about work-from-home policies, after he tackled an increasingly combative issue for workers and employers across the United States. But he’s not backing down on requiring JPMorgan Chase employees to return to the office.

The CEO of America’s largest bank told CNBC Monday that he grew frustrated when an employee at a Columbus, Ohio, town hall two weeks ago asked about a petition signed by more than 1,000 employees that demanded the company keep its hybrid work model in place. READ MORE

The collapse of DEI: What went wrong?

It is difficult to think about the practice of human resources today without talking about the astonishing collapse of DEI practice and influence. I cannot think of any equivalent change in modern times—with the possible exception of the rapid rise of industrial unions after the UAWs sit-down strike in Flint, Mich., in 1936, almost a century ago now.

While it’s hard to identify good evidence on how extensive DEI practices had become before 2024, it would be difficult to find an employer of any size that did not recently have some executive DEI position and associated practices. DEI as a field has its own associations, conferences and, of course, a plethora of consultants pushing it along. That is just as much, or more, the case in the public sector and especially in higher education. READ MORE

Trump's plan to reclassify, fire federal workers challenged by unions

Two major unions representing U.S. government employees filed a lawsuit on Wednesday aimed at slowing President Donald Trump's effort to reclassify up to 50,000 federal workers and make it easier to fire them.

The American Federation of Government Employees and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said Trump in a Jan. 20 executive order improperly attempted to block a Biden administration rule shielding federal workers from being stripped of job protections. READ MORE

‘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