Is your workplace worth the commute?

Most workers (62%) are relatively satisfied with their commutes, but some say it’s a time suck (38%), money drain (32%), or stressful (30%), according to November data from real estate analytics firm Leesman. Satisfaction also dips the longer the commute: 92% are satisfied with 15 minutes or less, 54% with 45–60 minutes, and 35% with two or more hours.

Leaders have been trying to “earn the commute” for years, Amanda Kross, head of Americas consulting at commercial real estate firm JLL, told HR Brew. But for companies wanting to improve the “workplace experience,” she said the commute has been increasingly top of mind.

HR can approach the commute with an “outside in and inside out” strategy, Kross said.

For more on how HR can make the commute worthwhile for workers, keep reading here.—MC

Over 1,000 Google employees signed a petition on Feb. 6 calling on the tech company to acknowledge and take action against the state-sanctioned “violence that workers face each day” being perpetrated by federal immigration agencies, and divulge information regarding Google’s contracts with these organizations, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“We are vehemently opposed to Google’s partnerships with DHS, CBP, and ICE. We consider it our leadership’s ethical and policy-bound responsibility to disclose all contracts and collaboration with CBP and ICE, and to divest from these partnerships,” the petition said.

The Google employees who signed the petition are “appalled by the violence inflicted by the United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs & Border Protection (CBP).” They’re not alone: 46% of US adults want to abolish ICE, according to January data from market research firm YouGov. Another 60% of US adults “disapprove” of the actions ICE is taking as part of the administration’s immigration crackdown, PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll data found, and 65% think ICE has “gone too far.”

With this petition, Google employees may be “trying to assert a greater level of control over what they do on a day-to-day basis,” Steven Nevolis, an employment attorney and partner at New York-based law firm Ellenoff, Grossman, and Schole, said. “It’s not unusual to think that some would band together and say, ‘Hey, if I’m going to be spending this much time at work and energy at work, I want to be doing work that I feel good about.”

For more on what HR needs to know about Googlers’ petition, keep reading here.—MC

Tech unemployment increased in January, hinting at the industry’s uncertainty even as hiring in the overall economy showed positive signs.

According to CompTIA’s analysis of the latest numbers from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech unemployment rose from 3.3% in December to 3.6% last month, with the sector losing 20,155 jobs—driven primarily by around 15,000 position losses in telecommunications.

One area of growth was IT and custom software services and systems design, which saw a bump of 800 jobs. “The turnaround in services employment may indicate a shift toward capitalizing on investments in software and hardware,” Seth Robinson, CompTIA VP of industry research, wrote in a comment accompanying the report.

Job postings citing an AI skill requirement continued to increase, while specialized AI roles dipped. Both outperformed tech hiring as a whole, however—a testament to how the technology continues to impact the IT sector.

For more on the data, and AI’s impact on the job market, keep reading on IT Brew.—EH

Joining us on stage, Peter Phelan is the co-founder of Funny People (HR Comedy Club), a comedy club exclusively for HR and People leaders. He’ll explore why humor might be HR’s most underrated tool for connection, resilience, and community-building.

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