Another day, another dollar layoff in the tech industry.

This week, Snapchat owner Snap announced plans to lay off around 10% of its global workforce, or roughly 500 employees, CNBC reported. The company cited wanting to “promote in-person collaboration” and “reduce hierarchy” as the reasons for the lastest of several layoffs it has conducted since 2022, a Snap spokesperson told CNBC.

HR Brew asked two workplace experts about the effect of downsizing on collaboration and hierarchy.

“Unless you’re inside the organization, I think it’s really hard to know what that means,” said Joe Mull, workplace expert and author of Employalty. “It raises questions: Are there personnel that are refusing to comply with a [RTO] mandate? Are they struggling with capacity in their physical buildings?...I’ve not seen a company previously announce that they were executing layoffs in order to improve or increase in-person collaboration.”

Collab snag. While layoffs may encourage remaining employees to comply with RTO mandates, which some companies believe are critical to collaboration, Mull told HR Brew that they can also instill fear and a sense of instability in employees, both of which can, in turn, lead to less collaboration and trust.

Keep reading here.—MC

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Over the years, HR pros have been tasked with navigating a seemingly endless barrage of crises impacting their employees and their organizations, and it looks like 2024 will be no different.

International SOS, a company that helps HR teams identify and address risks, recently unveiled its 2024 Risk Outlook report. Based on a survey of 675 global senior risk professionals, it forecasts the major risks facing businesses this year.

According to the report, the biggest risks are climate change, mental health, AI, and global instability.

Zoom out. In order to mitigate these risks, HR pros need to be proactive and take time to educate themselves on these different issues so they can create strategies and policies that will help deal with these challenges, Henning Snyman, security director for International SOS South Atlantic US region, told HR Brew.

Keep reading here.—AS

Serving others is no easy feat.

More than 35% of humanitarian aid workers employed in the field for an extended period of time have seen a “decline in their personal health,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the toll only heightened during the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 research in The Lancet found.

In her forthcoming book set to publish on February 21, 2024, Tell Me My Story: Challenging the Narrative of Service Before Self, leadership expert Dimple D. Dhabalia shares some of the challenges faced by people who work in the service of others.

She talked with HR Brew about how HR can support them.

What do you hope HR leaders will learn from your book?

Most of the work that I’ve done has always been in these mission-driven organizations, and so the first key takeaway is that being mission driven doesn’t equate to being superhuman. When we choose a career in service of others, it really shouldn’t be at a cost to our own health and well-being.

Keep reading here.—MC

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Misclassified independent contractors earn $16,700 less in annual compensation than they would if properly classified as an employee, according to new data. (Unleash)

Quote: “The lesson from Elmo is clear: People want to be supported and listened to…It truly demonstrates the poor state of well-being and mental health today. This viral moment reminds us just how important well-being is at work and how adequate support can make all the difference in a productive and happy workforce.”—Nebel Crowhurst, chief people officer at employee engagement platform Reward Gateway, on how Elmo unwittingly brought awareness to the employee wellness crisis in a recent X post (Human Resource Executive)

Read: How an FTC ban on noncompete agreements might affect Wall Street’s retention strategy. (NBC Chicago)

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