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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
More working U.S. parents are celebrating their first Mother's Day with access to paid time off for newborns. However, the majority of workers still do not have paid family leave. Efforts are being made to expand paid parental and family leave, with bipartisan groups in the U.S. Senate and House working on legislation. Currently, only 27% of civilian workers in the U.S. have paid family leave. Those who can least afford to take unpaid time off are the least likely to have access to paid leave. The lack of paid leave forces families to send newborns to daycare at a very young age and disrupts breastfeeding. The U.S. is one of the few countries without a national paid maternity leave policy. Various states have adopted paid family and medical leave laws, but a federal law is yet to be created. Pennsylvania is considering legislation that would provide up to 20 weeks of paid family leave. Disagreements over funding family leave programs have been a hurdle in passing legislation. However, a bipartisan group in the House is optimistic about introducing legislation this year. Colorado recently implemented paid family and medical leave benefits, but for many families, it came too late.
Full Issue
Human Times
UK
A new study suggests that workers are increasingly likely to stay in their current roles as they prioritise job stability amid an uncertain economic outlook. The CIPD's labour force survey reveals lower staff attrition and fewer job moves this year. The quarterly survey, which quizzed more than 2,000 businesses, shows that just 30% expected to increase their staff numbers over the summer, the smallest proportion since early 2021. The report also shows that public sector employers are twice as likely as private companies to cut jobs over the next three months. It was found that 55% want to maintain their headcount at existing levels, the highest proportion since the winter of 2016. Recruiters believe that the lucrative pay offers seen during the pandemic's highly-competitive jobs market have decreased, with 5% pay rises now considered more realistic. Noting that the hiring market is returning to pre-pandemic levels, James Cockett, labour market economist at the CIPD, said: "The so-called Great Resignation is well and truly over and has been replaced by the Big Stay, with more people opting for job stability."
Full Issue
Human Times
Europe
Researchers from Vienna report that obesity significantly contributes to work absenteeism, posing challenges to the labour market. The study, which analysed data from over 122,000 individuals across 26 European countries, highlights the need for policies to maintain healthy weights among populations. The findings, to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Italy, show that people with obesity are more likely to miss work due to health issues, with the likelihood increasing with the severity of obesity. This study, partly funded by Novo Nordisk, a manufacturer of weight loss drugs, did not include data from the UK, France, Ireland, Malta, or Iceland due to insufficient information. Lead researcher Dr. Thomas Czypionka called for urgent action from policymakers to combat the obesity crisis, given its health and economic impacts. This comes amid concerns about worker shortages in the UK, where a third of the working-age inactive population cites long-term illness as a key factor, with stress, COVID-19, and the cost-of-living crisis also contributing. With nearly two-thirds of UK adults overweight or obese, there is a clear link to increased risks of several diseases, emphasising the need for effective health policies.
Full Issue
Human Times
Middle East
Chinese companies ZhenHua and CNOOC Iraq have won bids to explore Iraqi oil and gas fields, according to Iraq's oil minister. The licences for 29 projects aim to increase domestic output, with more than 20 companies pre-qualifying. Chinese companies have been the only foreign players to win bids, while Iraqi Kurdish company KAR Group took two. Notably, there were no US oil majors involved. China's CNOOC Iraq won a bid to develop Iraq's Block 7 for oil exploration, while ZhenHua won a bid to develop the Abu Khaymah oilfield in Iraq's southern Muthanna province. Iraq's main goal with this licensing round was to increase gas output for power plants, but no bids were made on fields with large gas potential. Iraq has faced challenges in its oil sector development due to unfavourable contract terms and recurring military conflict in the region.
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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