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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
Cleveland-Cliffs chief executive Lourenco Goncalves has criticized Canada's threat of legal action over potential job losses at its Stelco steel operations in Ontario, warning that government intervention could discourage foreign investment. Following the company's decision to suspend certain production activities in Hamilton, up to 500 workers could be affected, although fewer layoffs have reportedly occurred. Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly is considering legal measures to enforce employment commitments made when Cleveland-Cliffs acquired Stelco in 2024, including financial penalties or compulsory divestment. Goncalves argues that U.S. tariffs, trade disruptions and rising imports have made operations financially unsustainable, with the company supporting loss-making production for nearly two years. Describing the government's approach as "bullying and harassment", he warned that forcing asset sales could undermine Canada's attractiveness to international investors.
Full Issue
Human Times
UK
Councils spend £1.9bn annually housing approximately 200,000 vulnerable working-age people in supported accommodation, where high rents create substantial barriers to employment, according to The Times Welfare Inquiry. Only 4% of tenants work, with average monthly rents of £1,250 nationally and £1,650 in London, plus service charges reaching £200. Some residents face debt, eviction or pressure to abandon employment because working reduces their housing benefits. Harry, a former care leaver, was advised to quit his apprenticeship after accumulating rent arrears, subsequently facing benefit sanctions. Ella Spencer, a London hostel worker, explained: "The vast majority of them do want to work. But they are better off on benefits." New rules introduced on October 5 aim to improve employment incentives for around 325,000 people. However, calculations suggest minimum-wage workers may retain just £3.20 per additional hour worked, raising concerns about whether the reforms sufficiently address financial disincentives.
Full Issue
Human Times
Europe
Nearly 45% of European workers face workplace mental health risks, according to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), while 44% report severe time pressure or excessive workloads. Work-related depression costs the EU more than €100bn annually through absenteeism, lost productivity, healthcare and wider social costs. William Cockburn, EU-OSHA executive director, identified persistent stigma and reluctance to discuss mental health as major barriers to prevention. He stressed that psychological risks should receive the same systematic assessment as physical workplace hazards. Esther Lynch, general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, called for preventative measures addressing working conditions rather than placing responsibility on individuals. Despite legal requirements, only 45% of workers are consulted about workplace stress. The European Commission has launched its Healthy Workplaces campaign to improve risk management, employee participation and awareness. Roxana Mînzatu, executive vice-president for social rights and jobs, said healthier workplaces could reduce sickness absence, staff turnover and pressure on healthcare systems, describing the benefits as "a win-win for everyone."
Full Issue
Human Times
Middle East
Mnzil, The Development Group and Capital Partners have launched a SAR1bn fund to develop purpose-built workforce compounds accommodating up to 50,000 workers across Saudi Arabia. Mnzil will operate the portfolio, TDG will oversee site selection, design and development, and Capital Partners will manage the fund. Development is expected to begin in Q4 2026 across major employment centres including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Khobar, Makkah and Madinah. Compounds will include furnished rooms, recreational facilities, communal areas and on-site services, with locations chosen to reduce commuting. Mnzil chief executive Majeed Albabtain said, “Improving workers' lives is a collective effort.” The partners see the model as supporting Vision 2030 while establishing workforce housing as a scalable institutional real estate asset class backed by employer demand and long-term leases.
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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