Our fears of a dystopian sci-fi workplace where we report to work only to find a robot drinking our coffee might still be exaggerated. But on the heels of months of layoffs, prominent tech leaders have been warming to the idea of using AI to boost productivity while simultaneously cooling down hiring efforts.

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna told Bloomberg this month the company expects to pause hiring or rehiring for 7,800 roles that could potentially be replaced by AI. IBM laid off 3,900 workers in January, and the final tally might be closer to 5,000, Bloomberg reported. However, the firm has added to its workforce overall, hiring 7,000 employees in “higher growth areas.”

Alphabet and Google CFO Ruth Porat announced on an earnings call last month that the company would be “slowing the pace of hiring in 2023,” and also “using AI and automation to improve productivity across Alphabet.” The phrase “AI” was mentioned 52 times during Alphabet’s call, according to the transcript.

Keep reading.—SB

Life happens, and sometimes employees have to put work on pause. When they do, they’ll turn to your company’s paid leave policy. Cocoon’s 2023 Paid Leave Policy Benchmark Report explores the latest data on this crucial employee benefit.

In their 2023 Benchmark Report, Cocoon analyzed the parental, caregiver, and medical leave policies of 224 companies. Here are a few illuminating stats:

• Birthing parental leave averaged 16 weeks.
• Non-birthing parental leave averaged 12 weeks.
• Caregiver leave averaged 6 weeks.
• Medical leave averaged 4 weeks.

When you’re ready to give your paid leave policy a boost, Cocoon’s leave management software can help. It automates the complexities of claims, payroll, and compliance, letting People teams get back to caring for their employees—in and out of the office.

Get the full dataset in the report.

A little over a year ago, with hype and excitement swirling around the metaverse, it seemed remote work was poised for a virtual revolution. Tech giants poured money into the idea: Microsoft signaled its metaverse ambitions through the acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard for almost $70 billion, and Facebook, which had rebranded to Meta in October 2021, positioned itself as the leader in the space.

Once touted as a medium for strengthening connections in disconnected times (and battling burnout), the metaverse hype has in recent months been eclipsed by generative AI. Companies that once vyed to position themselves at the vanguard of the technology have shuttered their metaverse operations, as some ask if the metaverse is on death’s door.

Not everyone is abandoning the metaverse, however. Fidelity Investments, for one, sees an opportunity not in constructing wholesale virtual worlds for daily work, but for hosting recruiting events in the metaverse to hire technical talent.

In April, Fidelity held its first two recruiting events in the Metaverse and has plans to host more, Kirsten Kuykendoll, Fidelity’s head of talent acquisition, explained to HR Brew.

Attendees wore VR headsets and were represented on screen via avatar, although nobody’s avatar had legs, HR Brew observed while watching the event.

Keep reading.—SB

Businesses around the world aren’t doing enough to engage and develop their workforce, and, as a result, some employees are feeling “unloved, overworked, and overlooked,” according to a new report from staffing services firm Kelly.

Kelly analyzed survey data of two groups—executives and employees—and found what its authors call a mismatch in terms of priorities and expectations. The firm surveyed 1,500 execs and senior leaders across 11 different countries in nine different sectors. It also questioned 4,200 employees of all levels in those same countries and sectors.

The employee survey found 28% of those asked were very likely to leave their employer in the next 12 months, citing as possible reasons a poor work-life balance, a lack of career progression opportunities, and a dearth of development opportunities to increase skills. Thirty-eight percent of execs surveyed said an “uncompetitive pay and benefits package” is the main reason cited by employees who leave, followed by 36% who said a lack of opportunity to advance is the main reason cited.

“Compensation is table stakes, that should be a given,” said Dani McDonald, VP at Kelly.

Keep reading.—AD

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: The share of companies that require employees to show up to the office full-time is declining, dropping to 42% from 49% three months ago. (the Wall Street Journal)

Quote: “People should get off the goddamn moral high horse with the work-from-home bullshit.”—Elon Musk, outgoing Twitter CEO and remote work adversary, on WFH being “morally wrong” (CNBC)

Read: Menopause remains taboo in many workplaces, even though it can pose a serious challenge to women at a time when they’re moving into senior or executive leadership roles. (Bloomberg)

Paid leave: Cocoon’s 2023 Paid Leave Policy Benchmark Report explores how forward-thinking companies support employees with paid leave. Get the report to see how your policy stacks up.*

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