Favoritism as a motivator, the AI gold rush, Gen Z's skills gap, and more
Here are 5 things to know about work this week.
Hello, and welcome to WorkLife’s 5 things newsletter. In this weekly newsletter, we will spotlight five things to know about the latest issues affecting modern workplaces.
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1. Can favoritism at work be a motivator?
How can managers set clearer expectations and better motivate their employees? Pick favorites, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky recently said.
He argues that when done right, it encourages staff to be more like the top performer. But when done wrong, it can drive toxic work cultures, heightened turnover and lower productivity with staff feeling devalued and disengaged, according to workplace experts.
A survey from TalentLMS, a learning management system, including responses from over 1,000 workers at U.S. tech companies, found nearly half said rooting out favoritism can play an important part in wiping out workplace toxicity, and about the same share said they plan to quit their job because of it.
2. AI gold rush: HR leaders navigate a tsunami of tech vendor sales pitches
As AI reshapes the workplace wall-to-wall, people managers face a special challenge in their departments: separating genuine tech innovation from the marketing hype in an increasingly crowded marketplace of HR tech vendors.
HR executives report they are awash in emails making lofty promises but offering precious little detail about the tech tools they need. With some 2,000 HR products listed on the software reviews site Capterra alone, making the right choice of AI partners has never been more confusing.
3. AI stigma, fatigue have employers changing messaging
Some employers are pulling back when it comes to their language around AI initiatives, as reservations from staff persist and the initial AI hype dies down.
Nearly half (48%) of employers say their organization now avoids using the term “AI” in official communications, even when AI is being used, according to a report from Seismic, a workforce enablement platform, that includes responses from over 2,000 sales, marketing and customer service managers.
Over 70% of respondents in the report’s survey said significant skepticism about AI in their industry remains, and 60% said the term “AI” itself carries a stigma making it difficult to gain internal support for AI initiatives.
4. The skills gap: Why HR should prioritize Gen Z's development in 2025
IWith Gen Z projected to make up one-third of the workforce by next year, HR leaders face a critical challenge: bridging the so-called “soft skills gap” of a group of digital natives who started their careers during the unprecedented workplace disruption of the pandemic.
“Each group is a product of their professional upbringing, and unfortunately, Gen Zs had to experience their early career in a completely upside-down experience of work,” said Jennifer Moss, workplace strategist and author of the forthcoming “Why Are We Here? Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants,” to be published next month by Harvard Business Review Press. “They have to learn essential skills that weren’t even necessary before — like ‘human skills,’ which is learning how to develop interpersonal and relational skills with non-humans like AI and robots.”
5. Speakeasies are the newest office design trend
Companies are leaning on more luxury amenities and into a hospitality focus in offices to entice staff back to in-person work. Some new offerings include sleek cafe areas resembling airport lounges, and even golf-simulators. Now an emerging trend is in-office “speakeasies.”
The private, quiet, dimly-lit rooms with comfortable seating are ideal places for private conversations, client meetings and recording podcasts, according to designers.
They’re also a more intimate, casual setting for small groups to mingle and where coworkers can get to know each other. And of course – there are drinks (and sometimes food).
Elsewhere in Digiday Media
Check out some of Digiday Media’s other stories on the future of work over the past week:
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This newsletter was curated by Courtney Marabella, senior social media/audience manager for Digiday. Let us know what you think, or what you hope to see more of, by dropping us a note at courtney@digiday.com.