News
Headlines from around the internet.
How to make factory space for workers with disabilities
People with disabilities represent one of the largest talent pools manufactuers underutilize, experts said during a Manufacturing Institute webinar.
Why HR should care about Grand Theft Auto VI
This isn’t the first time a pop culture phenomenon has tanked worker output.
Labor Department’s FLSA duty analysis ‘gets it right,’ 6th Circuit says
A key part of the agency’s guidance for determining overtime eligibility still applies following the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision ending Chevron deference, the court held.
Kentucky college grants religious accommodation excusing humanist from AI use
The news demonstrates an emerging compliance issue facing employers as they move to adopt the technology.
AI and women at work: 5 positives, 8 negatives
The debate about AI and work often focuses on the jobs that will disappear, which tasks will be automated, and which skills and qualities will be valued in the future. Seldom do I read articles that analyze the impact of…
Settled: 5 lawsuits that ended in payouts in October
An active EEOC obtained relief for plaintiffs in cases alleging sex-based harassment and anti-American bias, among other claims.
Employers, you’re paying the lion’s share of the 340B spread
Employers are helping finance the 340B safety net. Do they know how much they're paying?
Customer obsession ‘done with a twinkle in your eye’
Hello and welcome to Modern CEO ! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives an…
What this CEO learned about business from detasseling corn for $1.50 an hour
I don’t consciously think about my first job when I meet with leaders in the electronics industry to talk about trade policy. But my young days in an Illinois cornfield will always shape how I view, and do, work. My home…
Gen Z is challenging ‘performative availability.’ Why aren’t Millennials and Gen X doing the same?
For decades now, American workers have adhered to an unspoken deal that, in order to be successful professionally, some sacrifices need to be made. Whether it be checking work emails after dinner, taking work calls while…
AI is changing the workforce faster than jobs can keep up
95% of HR leaders say staff use AI daily in roles where AI isn't in the job description.
Could AI give older creatives a second act?
Advertising is made for the young by the young. That’s conventional wisdom backed up by the Bureau of Labor Statistics , which in 2025 reported the median age of ad industry workers was 39, compared to 42 for the broader…
5 things ancients knew about finding happiness
Below, June Cohen shares five key insights from her new book, The Great Remembering: Powerful Ancient Practices―And the New Science Bringing Them Back . Cohen is a pioneer in media and technology, best known as the co-cr…
Skilled trade jobs still have a stigma. That’s a problem for everyone
Would you be as proud to tell someone your child is an electrician as you would be to say they are a business major? We rely on these workers to build our infrastructure, power our industries, and keep essential systems…
What not to do as a CEO pushing AI? Call your workers ‘losers’
Plenty of CEOs are bullish on AI and have urged their employees to embrace it enthusiastically. A more unusual approach is to brand your workers as “losers” for not using AI enough. A new investigation this week from 404…
Week in review: ‘Karen’ comment doesn’t show discrimination, judge says
We’re rounding up last week’s stories and news, including cost of living increases and the rising ghosting problem.
DOL finalizes sweeping pharmacy benefit manager disclosure rule
Starting in 2027, the controversial drug middlemen will have to share a broad swath of fee and compensation data with self-funded employer clients.
Workers are ‘habit hugging’ despite new training, survey finds
The term describes employees who don’t consistently use new work methods they’ve been trained on, representing a learning and development challenge, TalentLMS said.
Q3 2026 Employment Cost Index: Rising Healthcare Costs Keep Haunting Employers
Rising health insurance premiums are driving benefit costs higher.
Lose your job to AI? Here’s what to do if a company wants you back
Companies around the world are increasingly citing artificial intelligence when slashing jobs , fueling anxiety that a lot more workers may lose their livelihoods to machines. Microsoft , Barclays Bank and supermarket ch…
Employee engagement in U.S. hits lowest point in 15 years
Worker engagement in the U.S. has dropped below 30%, to its lowest level since 2011, Gallup reports . Engagement dropped two points from last quarter, equivalent to roughly 3.2 million fewer engaged workers. The share of…
Instagram head Adam Mosseri warns creators that AI backlash is only going to get worse
Instagram head Adam Mosseri said he expects anxiety and resentment about artificial intelligence to intensify over the next few years—and that social media platforms may be limited in their ability to control it. “[The a…
More companies like Microsoft are using buyouts. Should you take one?
Microsoft is trying to cull its workforce by dangling an offer that might be hard for some employees to refuse. This week, the tech giant announced voluntary buyouts for 60,000 people, which is more than a quarter of its…
How to make a big ask of your boss
In the past few weeks, I have written about how colleagues can make significant requests of each other and how a boss can approach big requests of one of their direct reports. This week, I’ll complete the cycle by thinki…
11 hybrid work rules that actually make sense
Hybrid work succeeds when flexibility comes with clear expectations. Here, experts in the field share practical insights on how meetings, focus time, communication, and accountability can genuinely improve productivity a…
Thanks to AI, are we raising the first generation of kids who don’t have to figure things out?
Your teenager gets into a fight with her best friend. She’s hurt, upset, and doesn’t know what to do. Maybe in the past she would have spent the day replaying the argument, venting to another friend about the drama, prac…
Dads are finally taking more parental leave
There was a moment when it seemed like men—at least some of them—had started openly talking about the value of parental leave. Several years ago, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian wrote for Fast Company about taking four m…
October 2026 FOMC Reaction: A Waiting Game
Today's decision to hold the federal funds rate at 3.75%–4.00% was widely expected. But the pause raises some questions about policymakers’ resolution to deliver timely price stability.
There’s a career tax on being smart at work—but only if you’re a woman
Sara Winslow had been working in sales for almost 20 years when things started to get uncomfortable. It was 2020. She was in her early forties, and by any conventional measure, she was thriving. She had just won an inter…
The customer service revolt: how bad support is building a grievance empire on social media
My recent experience with CVS is a case in point. I went in for some basics and was checked out by a human being. He asked for my phone number, turned the service tablet toward himself and, without asking my permission,…