A new phenomenon is slowly gaining attention in the workplace called quiet cracking, and it’s quietly chipping away at employee morale, motivation, and productivity.

If you’ve noticed a younger employee holding your gaze with a blank, unreadable expression, you’re not alone. What’s been dubbed the “Gen Z stare” is making waves both online and in the workplace. Though some dismiss it as a passive, disengaged look, or even a silent form of rebellion, experts suggest that this generational behavior signals something much deeper.

You’ve probably heard of “quiet quitting,” but a new trend is quietly reshaping workplaces: quiet cutting. Instead of laying off employees, organizations are increasingly reassigning workers into different roles—often without a promotion, raise, or even much choice in the matter. While this strategy may help companies avoid severance costs or negative PR tied to layoffs, it raises real concerns for morale, engagement, and retention.

IBM recently made headlines after revealing that artificial intelligence now handles 94% of its routine HR tasks. Hundreds of roles have been replaced by AI, but the company isn’t shrinking. Instead, IBM reports more than $3.5 billion in productivity gains across 70 business units over two years, and leaders say this transformation is fueling growth and reinvestment – not just cost-cutting.

The hiring landscape in 2025 is a balancing act. On one hand, employers must be thoughtful, thorough, and strategic in hiring the right candidates. On the other, they’re racing the clock, because when hiring stalls, top candidates often disappear. According to a recent Robert Half report, 93% of hiring managers say the process now takes longer than it did just two years ago. In a competitive labor market, that delay could mean getting ghosted by top talent.

The hybrid work model is no longer a temporary solution or a pandemic response. For many organizations, it’s a permanent fixture. ASE’s recently released 2025 Remote Work Pulse Survey found that 48.2% of Michigan organizations report offering formal remote work options for all or part of their workforce. 

For the class of 2025, graduation should mark the beginning of exciting career opportunities. Instead, many new grads are facing a difficult reality: the job market is not welcoming them with open arms. While the overall U.S. unemployment rate remains relatively steady, recent college graduates are experiencing some of the highest jobless rates seen in a decade, excluding the pandemic-era spike.

Burnout doesn’t just stem from long hours or tight deadlines. More often, it’s a result of the emotional toll of working in a toxic environment. When toxic behaviors are ignored, or worse, normalized, burnout takes hold across teams and departments.

In a world where the majority of workplace communication now happens through screens, chats, and email threads, understanding how we communicate is becoming just as important as what we communicate. The cues we once relied on in person such as eye contact, posture, and tone are often lost in the digital shuffle. Today many of us rely on digital body language.

Incivility in the workplace is more than occasional rudeness; it's a persistent pattern of disrespect that can erode organizational culture and employee morale. As highlighted in a recent HR Bartender article, incivility is a cultural issue that requires deliberate and sustained efforts to address effectively.

There’s no shortage of headlines warning that AI is coming for your job. While that makes for dramatic reading, the truth is a little less scary. In most industries, AI isn’t poised to take over roles entirely. But it is reshaping how work gets done, and the professionals who understand how to use AI tools effectively are quickly gaining an edge.

Postpartum recovery is a deeply personal journey, but support can make a big difference. Care and resources following childbirth improve a mother's long-term outcomes. These outcomes are better on a physical, emotional, as well as professional level. Yet within the United States, far too many women navigate this complex transition largely on their own.

In the relentless pursuit of higher productivity, better retention, and stronger collaboration, many organizations invest heavily in tools, training, and strategy. But amid these efforts, a critical truth often goes unaddressed: people think differently — and those differences matter more than we realize. Welcome to the world of cognitive diversity, an often-overlooked dimension of workplace inclusivity that holds the key to unlocking untapped human potential.

TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, in partnership with employee experience platform WorkTango, released a joint study that suggests organizational change is hindered by workers' heightened anxiety, declining trust in leadership, and a lack of support.

With five generations in the current workforce, organizations are experiencing an unprecedented blend of experiences and expectations that present both challenges and opportunities for fostering engaging and productive work environments.

Today’s younger generations—Millennials and Gen Z in particular—aren’t driven by the same ideals that motivated workers in decades past. Gone are the days when company loyalty was a primary virtue. Now, younger employees are seeking something far more personal: quality. Not just quality of life, but also quality in  the workplace.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming the nature of work and challenging traditional roles across every industry. For HR professionals and employees alike, understanding how AI is reshaping talent is critical to staying ahead. Fortunately, there's a clear and practical way to evaluate where your work stands in this new landscape: the 3-Bucket Analysis.

The Michigan Going PRO Talent Fund offers more than $55 million to employers for training that leads to a worker credential for skills that are transferable and recognized by industry. Though focused on hard skill training, Going PRO grants can be used to develop supervisor skills in the employer’s workforce. 

Workplace culture is evolving, and HR professionals are at the forefront of this transformation. The old norms – fake empathy, hustle culture, and an obsession with productivity – are being replaced with a more human-centered approach. What’s driving this change? A simple yet powerful idea: love as a business strategy.

Neurodivergent individuals – those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive differences – bring unique perspectives and strengths that can greatly benefit organizations. However, without proper support and accommodations, they may struggle to thrive. With April 2nd being World Autism Awareness Day, let’s look at how HR professionals can identify and create an inclusive environment for neurodivergent employees.

As organizations push for return-to-office (RTO) mandates, a new workplace trend has emerged: task masking. This behavior, where employees appear busy without necessarily being productive, is a growing concern for HR professionals striving to foster genuine engagement and efficiency.

Employee turnover is costly for companies, posing significant business risks. A new analysis by The Conference Board highlights the strong business case for investing in talent retention – not just to mitigate turnover costs but to enhance competitiveness as well.

The last few years have been transformative for workforce management. Remote and hybrid work models are now commonplace, artificial intelligence became deeply integrated into workflows, and multi-generational teams brought new complexities to team dynamics. Unsurprisingly, many managers are feeling overwhelmed by these expanding responsibilities.

As one year ends and another begins, people worldwide embrace the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions. Similarly, in the workplace, goals and objectives are critical tools for shaping an organization's direction. While both aim to inspire progress, the similarities and differences between personal resolutions and professional goals reveal insights into motivation, accountability, and success.

The holiday season brings us many joys: glittering lights, warm cocoa, and the ever-watchful presence of the Elf on the Shelf. This tiny elf has something in common with another entity that keeps us on our toes all year round – Human Resources. Let's see who does the job better!