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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
Amazon has introduced new software called Connect Talent to help streamline firms' screening and hiring processes. The AI-driven tool conducts interviews and prepares notes without human involvement. Colleen Aubrey, Amazon Web Services' senior vice-president of applied AI solutions, observed that candidates will be aware of the AI screening process, which is still being refined for a more human-like interaction. "The experience continues to get better and better each iteration we go through . . . There's some art around making that voice interaction natural and human," Aubrey said. Amazon said its new homegrown artificial intelligence design philosophy called "humorphism" will help humanize AI and "adapts to how humans work, not the other way around."
Full Issue
Human Times
UK
Research from BTG reveals a 36.9% increase in UK businesses facing "critical financial distress," with the total hitting 62,193 in Q1. The latest quarterly red flag report also notes a 9.6% rise in "significant" financial distress, affecting 634,867 businesses. Hotels and leisure firms are particularly impacted by rising labour costs and tax burdens, including a hike in National Insurance contributions. Ric Traynor, executive chair of BTG, said: "After initial signs that the UK's GDP was improving at the very start of the year, it now feels like after taking a step forward, the UK has taken a few steps backwards following one of the most severe energy shocks in living memory." Julie Palmer, managing partner at BTG, observed: "Inevitably we expect to see an increasing number of ‘zombie' businesses tipped over the edge this year."
Full Issue
Human Times
Europe
Seven major UK business groups, including the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and Make UK, have written to Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden to express concerns about "significant disruption" stemming from increased trade union access rights. They advocate for "tripartite conversations" over the Employment Rights Act so as to balance union interests with business concerns. The groups argue that the lack of structured dialogue has led to outcomes that do not address fundamental business worries. Under the reforms, unions will be entitled to meet staff and communicate directly with workers at least once a week in companies with more than 21 staff. In response to the letter, Dearden said: "We are committed to working in partnership with business and unions on implementation of the Employment Rights Act, to ensure the system is fair and effective and protects the workers who need it most."
Full Issue
Human Times
Middle East
The UAE has launched a project to enhance labour market productivity through artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The initiative, developed by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security and the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, aims to automate routine tasks and improve efficiency. Set to begin this month, the project will assess work permit applicants based on skills and qualifications.
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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