Everything I'd send you, in one place

Workforce Planning for Future Skills Gaps and Talent Shortages (HRAddict)

An HR guide to planning for skills gaps and talent shortages before they hit, covering whether to build, buy, or borrow talent. It cites ManpowerGroup data that 72% of employers still struggle to fill roles, and contrasts industries with shortages against job seekers sending hundreds of applications. A guest contribution from Global Verification Network, updated April 7, 2026.

Why I recommend it: A practical employer-side view of the skills-gap problem — pairs well with resources written for job seekers navigating the same market.

Decoding Gen Z Communication in the Workplace (ETHRWorld)

An ETHRWorld article on how Gen Z communicates differently at work and the misunderstandings that come up with older colleagues, with approaches for bridging the generational communication gap.

Why I recommend it: A manager's-eye view of generational communication styles — handy for younger workers who want to read how they're being described.

HRAddict Newsletter

Free newsletter for HR and people leaders: HR news and trends, free resources, policy templates and tool reviews, sent several times a week. The site also keeps a free archive of past editions.

State of the Workplace 2026: Emerging Challenges

SHRM's annual look at the challenges employers and HR teams expect in 2026, including workload pressure, skills gaps and shifting employee expectations.

IBM CHRO Study 2026: AI Puts Critical Thinking at the Center of Workforce Priorities

IBM Institute for Business Value survey of 1,500 chief HR officers and 8,800 employees worldwide, published 21 September 2026. 71% of CHROs call the ability to supervise, validate and override AI outputs the workforce's most essential skill, while only 29% of employees rank judgment as important. 60% of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, naming critical thinking most often; three in four of those say the erosion has already begun. CHROs name critical thinking (57%) and human judgment (48%) among the most important capabilities. 46% of organisations leave the CHRO out of AI strategy entirely.

Why I recommend it: The one number to take into an interview or a performance review: employers say the skill they now value most is checking and overruling the machine, and most employees have not caught up. That gap is your opening — say out loud that you review AI output rather than forward it. Read the rest carefully. This is IBM's own survey, run by IBM's consulting arm, and IBM sells the AI systems and the workforce redesign advice the study concludes you need; the free press release gives the figures, while the full report asks for your details. The 18% risk reduction and 20% quality improvement are self-reported by the companies surveyed, not measured by anyone independent, and 'employees worry their skills are eroding' is how people feel, not a test of whether their skills actually declined.

Organizations Will Need AI and Robot Relations Departments

Darrell M. West argues that AI agents and robots in the workplace will reshape jobs, HR functions and the social contract with workers. Free to read.

From the site: Darrell M. West explains how AI agents and robots are reshaping jobs, HR departments, and society's social contract with workers.

Why I recommend it: A useful piece for thinking about how AI changes the job itself, not just whether the job exists. It is an argument, not data.

Redesigning Work: AI's Performance Review

Free workplace data showing that as AI use rises, more time is going into troubleshooting AI output than into productivity gains.

Why I recommend it: Good counterweight to AI hype in job interviews and internal pitches.

Why Job Architecture Is Failing Us

Lance Haun on how rigid job architecture and title structures break down for modern roles, and what that means for workers and employers.

Why I recommend it: Read this if you have ever been told your work does not fit any existing title. It explains a system problem people usually blame themselves for.