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Human Times helps you stay ahead of the latest news and trends that impact the HR industry. Every weekday, our unique blend of AI and team of expert HR and employment editors and researchers monitor 100,000s of articles, and social posts to create summaries of the most relevant and useful content to help you lead, innovate and grow. The award winning Human Times newsletter has four geographical editions with news tailored to your region.
From HR leadership to diversity and inclusion, hybrid working, organisational data, performance management, and retention strategies, Human Times is the only trusted free online news source dedicated to covering the most up to date headlines, articles, reports and interviews to make sure you’re abreast of changes in the HR industry.
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Recent Editions
Human Times
North America
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced plans to lay off up to 90% of its workforce, affecting around 1,500 employees, following a federal court ruling that allows the Trump administration to adjust staff levels. The agency, established to protect consumers from predatory practices, will retain only 200 staff members. This decision comes amid legal challenges from an employee union and consumer advocates who argue that the layoffs are illegal. Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the administration's actions, commenting: "Donald Trump ran his campaign on lowering costs for working families. Now he and his co-president, Elon Musk, have tried to shut down the agency that has delivered $21bn to hardworking families." The CFPB, created after the 2008 financial crisis, has faced significant scrutiny and changes under the current administration.
Full Issue
Human Times
UK
According to EY's global AI sentiment index, while 70% of UK adults have used AI in their personal lives recently, only 44% have adopted it in their professional roles, significantly below the global average of 67%. The study highlights a generational divide, with younger respondents showing more comfort with AI compared to older generations. Concerns about privacy, misinformation, and reliability are prevalent, with 71% worried about security breaches. The UK scored 54 out of 100 on the index, below the global average of 68. As the government promotes a 'pro-innovation' AI strategy, industry groups are calling for clearer guidelines to foster responsible AI integration while maintaining public trust. Catriona Campbell, EY UK&I client strategy leader, observed: "AI's potential excites people as much as it concerns them."
Full Issue
Human Times
Europe
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. Judges said the "concept of sex is binary" while cautioning that the landmark ruling should not be seen as a victory for one side over the other. Transgender people still have legal protection from discrimination, the court added. Reacting to the ruling, a UK government spokesperson said: "We have always supported the protection of single-sex spaces based on biological sex. This ruling brings clarity and confidence, for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges, and sports clubs. Single-sex spaces are protected in law and will always be protected by this government." Chelsea Feeney, an employment associate at law firm Stevens & Bolton, said employers may need to review human resources policies to ensure they accord with the updated definition of woman.
Full Issue
Human Times
Middle East
Other news media pick up on the story - first reported in the Financial Times - that PwC has ceased operations in over a dozen countries deemed too small, risky, or unprofitable, as part of a strategy to avoid a repetition of past scandals. According to the Financial Times, the decision stemmed from "mounting differences with local partners." Local leaders reported losing over a third of their business due to pressure from PwC's global executives to abandon risky clients. The firm has faced significant client losses and layoffs since last year. Additionally, PwC's mainland China unit received a six-month suspension and a $62m fine for audit failures linked to China Evergrande's $78bn fraud. PwC is also working to restore relations with Saudi Arabia after a suspension of activities with the Kingdom's sovereign wealth fund.
Full Issue
Read the latest HR highlights
How HR is Tackling Long Covid?
Fingers remain tightly crossed around the world that the rampant hospitalization and fatality stage of the Covid-19 pandemic has generally peaked. Vaccination programmes are accelerating, and restrictions are gradually being lifted...
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ESG Is Not Just Another Name For CSR
Back in the distant 1980s if you wanted to demonstrate your environmental and ethical credentials it was sufficient to shop at or purchase shares in retailer The Body Shop. The charismatic Anita Roddick, founder of the “hippy” tinged retail chain, heralded a new age of environmental concern, caring capitalism and corporate awareness that evolved into what became known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR was much talked about and lauded, but in reality often ended up being a lot of a hot air (excuse the pun) and often never progressed much beyond a footnote in the annual report.
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Have Older Workers Paid The Highest COVID-19 Price?
Across the world the pandemic is slowly but surely moving into its next phase. Recovery beckons. As furlough schemes across the U.S. and U.K. are being wound down, restrictions eased or lifted, and workforces moving back up the gears, early signs indicate that older employees are more likely to be casualties of the pandemic aftermath than their younger colleagues. Here at the we have witnessed an increasing number of stories supporting the growing belief that older workers are disproportionately paying the highest Covid-19 price.
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Bosses. What's not to like? Plenty, say employees
“You’ll never have another boss like me, someone who’s basically a chilled-out entertainer”
So said, David Brent, the fictional manager of Slough-based paper merchant Wernham Hogg in the seminal TV comedy The Office. Ricky Gervais’s portrayal of Brent as a flawed, narcissistic, incompetent, and deluded manager was so well observed that many (including me) believed it was a genuine fly-on-the-wall documentary when they alighted accidentally on the first ever episode.
Rolling with the Payroll
To mark National Payroll Week the team at the Human Times has provided some insight into the industry that we hope you’ll find useful.
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