Wellable Weekly

Wellable
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Your weekly dose of workplace & HR trends, wellness insights, and practical tips to help your team thrive. For more workplace insights, visit: https://www.wellable.co/

  1. 4d ago

    The AI Token Gold Rush Is Over (At Least For Tesla). Now What?

    In this week's episode, Nick and Geoff reunite after Nick's summer hiatus to break down three recent headlines. Tesla caps employee AI token spending at $200 a week, a dramatic reversal from the gamified leaderboards of just six months ago. Starbucks bets it can replace $400 million in enterprise software spend by rebuilding tools in-house with AI. Lastly, Gartner projects one in five companies will cut more than half their middle managers by year-end, a structural efficiency trend with consequences that are only starting to show up.   Key Takeaways Tesla now requires manager approval for AI token spend above $200 per week, and Uber blew through its entire 2026 token budget by MarchCaps might be signaling negative ROI, not just cost management, since companies with these resources would keep spending if the returns were thereStarbucks is attempting to replace roughly $400 million in annual enterprise software contracts by rebuilding tools in-house with AI and internal engineersIf Starbucks succeeds, it could mark a meaningful shift in the build-versus-buy calculus for enterprise software and accelerate the so-called SaaSpocalypse for software vendorsGartner projects one in five companies will eliminate more than half their middle managers by the end of the year, but a cautionary case study shows a VP of engineering with 47 direct reports approving decisions in Slack with no context or coaching until their best engineer quietly quitOnly 6% of Gen Z aspires to senior leadership according to Deloitte research, a rational response to watching middle management disappear and remaining managers stretched to unsustainable spans of control

  2. Jul 15

    Do's & Don'ts of Modern Hiring with Kat Kibben

    In this week's episode, Geoff sits down with Kat Kibben, keynote speaker, bestselling author, and one of LinkedIn's top voices on hiring. Drawing on 15 years working across HR technology, employer brand strategy, and recruiting education, Kat shares a no-nonsense playbook for key stages of the hiring funnel, from writing job postings that actually attract the right candidates to using AI screening tools without embedding bias.   Key Takeaways The real reason you are getting too many unqualified applicants is almost always the lack of specificity in job posting, not the volume of candidates in the marketCandidates should apply if they meet 60% or more of a job posting's requirements, because recruiters rarely expect 100% fit and most postings significantly overstate what is actually neededAI screening tools should be limited to clear yes-or-no questions at the initial stage and used to clarify ambiguous criteria in the maybe pile—machines should gather information, not make hiring decisionsWhen companies use AI or bot-driven screening, candidates often are not told they are talking to a bot and do not know how to adjust, so these interviews reward the most confident performers rather than the best-fit candidatesBank of America's AI upskilling framework centers on one principle—never trust the yes—reflecting a shift from teaching prompt skills to building the human judgment needed to evaluate AI outputs critically

  3. Jul 8

    Act Like an Owner: Greg Hawks on Culture, Workplace Vandals, and Leading Through Uncertainty

    In this week's episode, Geoff sits down with Greg Hawks, keynote speaker, corporate culture expert, and bestselling author of Act Like an Owner. Drawing on 25 years of leadership experience and a framework born from running a nonprofit and managing rental properties simultaneously, Greg shares why most engagement strategies target the wrong employees, what it actually takes to build culture that sticks, and how leaders can maintain trust through layoffs and AI uncertainty.  Key Takeaways Greg's owner-renter-vandal framework identifies three archetypes in every organization: (i) owners who take genuine initiative, (ii) renters who do their job transactionally, and (iii) vandals whose active disengagement undermines everyone around themMost engagement strategies focus on converting disengaged employees to engaged, but the real leverage is in addressing the actively disengaged—when vandals are dealt with, the disengaged re-engage on their ownVandals persist for four predictable reasons: they (i) generate significant revenue, (ii) have long tenure, (ii) benefit from nepotism, or (iv) they're in a position of power (e.g., the founder of the company)Culture is built through consistent leadership habits, not values recitations—Greg's most effective tool is leaders sharing weekly personal challenges they faced in living out company values, which creates the thick trust that makes honest communication possibleTransparent, proactive communication is the only mechanism that preserves trust through layoffsAI should be treated as a partner to experiment with openly rather than a threat to stay quiet about

  4. Jul 1

    Remote Work Isn't Going Away & Gen Z is "Quiet Coping"

    In this week's episode, Nick and Geoff dig into two studies that challenge the dominant narratives around remote work and Gen Z in the workplace. New research shows remote work has plateaued at 26% of paid full-time days, while a survey of 18,000 US adults reveals that one in four Gen Z workers are depressed and quietly self-managing rather than seeking formal treatment. Key Takeaways Remote work has plateaued at roughly 26% of paid full-time days, down only marginally from 27% two years ago and far above the pre-COVID baseline of 7%, suggesting most employers have settled into hybrid arrangements and are staying thereStanford economist Nicholas Bloom predicts hybrid work will increase as younger, more flexible CEOs replace older executives, while JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon argues one recession would be enough to push on-site requirements significantly higherApproximately 25% of Gen Z workers are experiencing depression, and many have quietly abandoned formal treatment after financially draining and unsuccessful experiences with antidepressantsHalf of depressed Gen Z workers are using marijuana as a coping mechanism and 70% of Gen Z CBD users are using it specifically for mental wellness, though similar patterns exist among millennialsManager training focused on mental health awareness is the most actionable employer response, and in-person work gives managers meaningfully better visibility into employees who may be quietly struggling

  5. Jun 24

    The (Not So) Hidden Bias in AI Hiring Tools

    In this week's episode, Nick and Geoff dig into a ⁠landmark Stanford study⁠, which revealed that the AI tools many employers use to screen job applicants are introducing racial bias and locking the same candidates out of opportunities across multiple companies. They also discuss ⁠Uber's announcement that it's cutting 23% of its HR workforce⁠. While the company claims AI has nothing to do with it, it may be hard to take at face value. Key Takeaways 90% of US employers use AI screening tools to rank applicants, and most rely on the same few third-party models, creating what researchers call "algorithmic monoculture," where a single rejection can cascade into rejection everywhereA Stanford HAI study covering 3.4 million applicants and 4 million job applications found AI hiring tools are producing significant racial bias and correlated rejections across employers using the same modelAI hiring tools differ from human recruiters in four critical ways: pervasive adoption across employers, persistent memory across applications, high-stakes consequences, and opacity—properties that create systemic risks candidates cannot see or contestApplication volumes have tripled as AI makes it easier than ever to apply for jobs, creating a capacity crisis that pushes HR teams toward AI screening even as the risks emergeUber is cutting 23% of its HR team while denying it is AI-driven, but the timeline—aggressive AI spending, a blown Q1 AI budget, and an admission of unclear ROI—makes that explanation difficult to accept

  6. Jun 17

    HR As The Culture Keeper with Jamie Jackson of HR Besties

    In this week's episode, Geoff sits down with Jamie Jackson, co-host of the #1 HR podcast, HR Besties, and founder of Humorous Misery Media. Drawing on over 20 years in HR leadership roles and a community of hundreds of thousands of HR professionals, Jamie shares why HR is so often misunderstood, what the current wave of benefit cuts signals about employer priorities, and how to navigate a politically charged era in the workplace.   Key Takeaways HR's reputation takes a hit when organizations use it as the messenger for decisions that were made by the C-suite, and the gap between what HR recommends and what leadership decides often goes unseen by employeesThe best companies Jamie has worked for are ones where HR has a genuine seat at the table and leadership actually listens—those organizations build measurably stronger cultures as a resultBenefit erosion—including 401k match suspensions, shrinking health coverage, and elimination of EAPs — is accelerating in the current labor market, and companies cutting now may be making a long-term brand mistake they'll feel when the talent market shiftsNavigating politics in the workplace requires proactive, clearly communicated policies rather than reactive ones, especially as social media increasingly blurs the line between personal and professional identityThe four-day work week is more achievable than most people believe, with international pilots consistently showing equal or higher productivity—and AI-driven efficiency gains may finally make it a realistic conversation in the US

  7. Jun 10

    NY Fed Study Explains Gen Z Hiring Struggles (Hint: Remote Work)

    In this week's episode, Nick and Geoff dig into a single story with big implications for HR and workforce strategy. New research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York challenges the narrative that AI is behind the Gen Z hiring crisis, pointing instead to remote work as the primary culprit.   Key Takeaways 64% of the rise in youth unemployment traces back to remote-eligible fields, directly challenging the AI displacement narrative that has dominated headlinesUnemployment for college graduates under 29 rose from 3.1% to 3.7% over the last nine years, while unemployment for those over 29 stayed flat or declined, a split that points to remote work rather than AI as the driverPublished National Bureau of Economic Research findings describe the impact of remote work on early-career employees as having "scarring effects," with feedback on coding work increasing 18.3% when engineers were in the officeCompanies with distributed workforces are increasingly choosing experienced hires over younger candidates who require more feedback and development than a remote environment can reliably deliverStanford remote work researcher Nick Bloom, when asked what he would advise his own daughter, said find a company that is in the office five days a week—a telling signal from someone who has spent his career studying both sides of the debate

  8. Jun 3

    Layoffs (World Cup Edition) and the $33K Salary Gap

    In this week's episode, Nick and Geoff tackle the question every HR leader dreads: when a layoff is coming, what is the right way to communicate it? A World Cup roster cut gone sideways offers an unexpected lesson in delivering bad news. They also discuss two new surveys that reveal just how wide the gap has grown between what employees expect to earn and what they are actually getting.   Key Takeaways There is no good answer to layoff communication, only tradeoffs, and the WARN Act sets the legal floorAdvance notice creates transparency but also triggers productivity loss, politicking, and security risksUS Soccer coach Pochettino cut 29 World Cup hopefuls via email, a reminder that efficiency in delivering bad news often comes at the expense of the human elementMore than half of overemployed workers say they would need a 21% to 50% raise to give up their second job, and the average US worker expects roughly $33,000 more than they are currently earningReturn to office has an underappreciated side effect: requiring in-person attendance a few days a week makes holding two full-time jobs significantly harder to sustain

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4.2
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About

Your weekly dose of workplace & HR trends, wellness insights, and practical tips to help your team thrive. For more workplace insights, visit: https://www.wellable.co/

Information

  • Creator
    Wellable
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    37
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Wellable
  • Show Website
    Wellable Weekly

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