(PR in) HR Pulse | HR news round-up: January
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Employees wasting weeks correcting AI
New research from HR software company Workday suggests employees are losing one to two hours a week correcting low-quality AI outputs. The study has highlighted that this amount of time could be as much as 1.5 working weeks a year of lost output to AI.
The report, Beyond productivity: Measuring the real value of AI, estimates nearly 40% of the time saved is then lost to rework, and only 14% of employees say they consistently get clear, positive results from AI. As AI use increases, the need to review and correct output rises too: with more than 90% of employees thinking AI will help them succeed with tasks, 77% say they check AI-generated work as carefully as (or more carefully than) human work.
Workday argues better training is key, however companies seem more likely to invest time savings into tech, with only 30% investing into employee development.
79% of those reporting positive AI outcomes had received skills training in AI and were far more likely to use their time savings to increase the value of their work.
Workday has created a “net productivity matrix”, outlining four employee personas and how they use AI.
To find out more, read the full article in Personnel Today
‘Zombie’ firms could cause an influx in unemployment
A growing number of financially fragile “zombie” companies could push UK unemployment higher in 2026, the Resolution Foundation has warned. These are low-productivity firms that have managed to stay afloat for years but are now struggling amid rises in business costs.
A rise in interest rates, energy costs and minimum wages could push struggling firms to close, leading to job losses and more people needing to move between employers and sectors.
The Resolution Foundation points to early signs that this process is already under way. It says 2025 saw the largest share of job losses since 2015. With economists expecting unemployment to rise a further 5-5.5% by the end of 2026.
Debbie Mitchell, director at our client HR and payroll transformation consultancy LACE Partners, contributes to the article, highlighting how the fear of redundancy will affect employees in a current cost of living crisis.
The article in People Management offers advice on how employers should prepare, with Mitchell stressing the importance of clear and honest communication, “transparency builds trust and allows employees to consider the impact of the news they’re hearing”.
Read the full article here
HR to prioritise leadership and management as evidence between supportive and unsupportive employers emerges
Two recent surveys from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) highlights a widening gap between employers that effectively support staff and those that do not.
According to SHRM’s “State of the Workplace” report based on surveys of more than 1,800 HR professionals, 72% of HR respondents believe employees now expect more from their employers than in the past. Workers who feel well supported report much higher job satisfaction (91%) than those who say their needs are not met (44%) and as a result, more than half of those whose needs were not met said they were far more likely to consider leaving their jobs within a year.
The article in HR Drive also looks at SHRMs other report, ‘CHRO Priorities and Perspectives’ which found CHROs expect leadership transparency and management of multigenerational workforces to become more prevalent in 2026.
The findings suggest CHRO’s expect higher investment in AI integration and upskilling but express concern over the use of AI in some HR-specific areas, like recruitment, where increasingly automated processes may lead to AIs interacting with each other, sidelining human input.
Whilst some employers are experimenting with AI to create a more dynamic process for talent development, SHRM found that 68% of organisations expect to utilise AI to monitor and evaluate current employee performance – something HR are expected to be tasked with.
Read the full article in HR Drive
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