If your 2025 people plan depends on linear progress, put it in recycling. AI headlines swing between job apocalypse and productivity miracle. Some executives warn of mass displacement while others reassure employees that agents are just helpful sidekicks. Markets echo the confusion. Jobless claims look stable even as layoff trackers hum along. Candidates feel the churn in their inboxes and your managers feel it in their budget meetings.
Hybrid life is not one story either. The science on mental health is nuanced. Policy is getting stricter at some firms, softer in others, and quietly ignored in pockets of both. And privacy is not an abstract concept. If enterprise settings allow it, more of your messages are accessible than most employees realise. This edition connects the dots so your EVP does something useful: reduce fear, raise clarity, and make staying feel smarter than leaving.
Helping HR, talent acquisition, employer branding, and company culture professionals find careers worth smiling about.
We will tackle four knots. First, the AI reality check behind agent hype. Second, the labour market mirage of positive data and anxious workers. Third, hybrid’s messy middle and what actually makes it work. Fourth, the culture and privacy curveballs that will define trust in 2026.
This Week’s Paper Cut's
