Next: Future of Work and HR
(Feb 10–17, 2025)
Summary
🔮 The Future of Work and HR is Getting Interesting…
From AI recruiters to 4-day workweeks and even "hangover leave," companies are rewriting the rules of work. Some of these trends will reshape HR forever, others definitely not..
Week of Feb 10-17 top picks:
✔ AI is Automating HR – Oracle’s new AI-powered HR agents handle routine tasks like approving time-off requests and answering policy questions, freeing up HR for strategy. Game-changing efficiency—just don’t let them approve everyone’s vacation at once.
➖ 4-Day Workweeks Gain Momentum – Over 200 UK companies have permanently adopted a 4-day workweek, with no pay cuts. Productivity and employee happiness are up, but can all industries make this shift work long-term?
➖ AI-Powered Recruiters Are Here – A Seattle startup built an AI recruiter that chats with candidates, conducts interviews, and matches them to jobs. Could AI really replace human hiring intuition? For now, it lacks empathy and ethical reasoning.
➖ LATAM is Becoming a Tech Hiring Hotspot – U.S. companies are increasingly tapping into Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia for tech talent. Strong engineering skills and close time zones make it a smart strategy—but compliance and retention challenges remain.
✖ Extreme Employee Perks: "Hangover Leave" & Super Bowl Hiring Stunts – A Japanese startup offers free alcohol at work and paid “hangover leave”.
Psychology Corner
This Week's Top Picks: (Full articles linked below)
1)🔹 200 UK Companies Embrace a 4-Day Workweek (Permanently!)
A coalition of businesses—including tech startups and marketing firms—have officially shifted to a 32-hour, 4-day workweek with no pay cut. Higher productivity, lower burnout, and happier employees convinced them to make the switch.
Gut Feel: ➖ Wait and See – A well-structured 4-day week could redefine work-life balance and set a global precedent. But is it likely to stick? Can those companies be productive
Pros: A 4-day workweek boosts productivity, employee well-being, and retention, enhances employer branding, reduces costs, and can improve revenue while offering environmental benefits.
Cons: It may not suit all industries, can lead to longer, more exhausting workdays, requires careful workflow adjustments, may impact client expectations, and could face resistance from leadership.
2)🔹 Oracle Launches AI Agents to Automate HR Tasks
Oracle just launched 50+ AI-powered HR agents that handle time-off requests, answer policy questions, assist with training, and generate analytics—automating the repetitive parts of HR so teams can focus on strategy.
Gut Feel: ✔ Game Changer – AI will revolutionize HR workflows, but let’s just hope it doesn’t approve everyone’s vacation at once.
Recruitment & Hiring: AI agents will automate resume screening, conduct initial candidate assessments, schedule interviews, and potentially even handle first-round video interviews with natural language processing (NLP), though I think we are far from that….
Employee Management & Compliance: AI will automate onboarding, manage payroll, track employee sentiment, monitor compliance, and provide real-time HR analytics for decision-making
3)🔹 Startup “Reslink” Bets on Video Résumés
A NY-based startup is replacing traditional résumés with personalized video submissions. Job seekers send short intro videos, while recruiters use AI to evaluate soft skills beyond text. Early tests show 40% faster hiring—but will busy recruiters actually watch all those videos?
Gut Feel: ➖ Wait and See – Could showcase personality, but might also introduce bias or become time-consuming and not a good enough representation of candidate soft skills.
Pros: Video resumes allow candidates to showcase personality, communication skills, and creativity, helping employers assess cultural fit faster. They can also speed up the screening process by providing a more engaging first impression.
Cons: They may introduce unconscious bias, disadvantaged candidates based on appearance or background. Additionally, not all candidates are comfortable on camera, potentially limiting the talent pool. They could potentially also use “counter AI techniques” to prepare/format videos?” Crazy world…
4)🔹AI “Recruiter” Gets a Job (and $16M in Funding)
A Seattle startup has built an AI-powered recruiter that chats with candidates, conducts interviews, and matches them to roles. They claim an 80%+ candidate satisfaction rate—but can AI really replace human intuition?
Gut Feel: ➖ Wait and See – AI replacing human intuition? This one feels even more difficult in the short term, especially for more senior/complex roles, but in 10-20yrs, maybe… For now it seems AI lacks empathy, contextual understanding, and ethical reasoning…
5)🔹LATAM emerges as the next tech talent hotspot
U.S. companies are hiring tech talent in Latin America like never before. Countries like Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia offer strong engineering talent, close time zones, and cultural alignment.
Gut Feel: ➖ Wait and See – Strong tech talent, close time zones, and cost savings make this a smart hiring strategy. But spreading talent too much especially for early stage companies may not be ideal
Pros: Companies can reduce labor costs while accessing a large, skilled tech talent pool with strong engineering expertise. Overlapping time zones with the U.S. make remote collaboration smoother than many other offshore regions.
Cons: Hidden Headaches may await from potential legal, tax, and compliance challenges vary by country, and differences in employment laws or worker protections can complicate hiring. Retention can also be a concern for many firms without a strong presence in the region.
6)🔹 Japanese Firm’s Free Booze & ‘Hangover Leave’ Perk
A tech startup in Osaka gives employees free alcohol at work and offers paid “hangover leave” if they need recovery time the next morning. The company’s goal? Compensating for lower salaries with a more fun, laid-back culture—and it’s working. Zero turnover in 3 years.
Gut Feel: ✖ Not Buying It – Not sure how this could work well across cultures/markets and an HR and legal nightmare in most industries. I don't think we need to discuss this one that much… I like the idea of more companies giving “pawternity leave” instead (when you adopt a pet), we may cover that next week… :)
7)🔹 Secret Service’s Hollywood-Style Super Bowl Hiring Stunt
The U.S. Secret Service just hired blockbuster director Michael Bay (Transformers) to create a $2M Super Bowl recruitment ad showcasing their agents in action. The cinematic spot aired in stadiums nationwide, aiming to make government jobs look as exciting as action movies and boost applications.
Gut Feel: ✖ Not Buying It – A bold employer branding move—recruiting should feel aspirational and exciting! But again this seems more of a branding move than a sustainable tactic…
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