Hello HR Pros,

The workplace is in flux—and it’s not just about remote policies or flashy perks anymore. This week, we’re tackling some of the biggest challenges keeping HR leaders up at night: How do you spot self-motivated talent before they ghost your team culture? What do Gen Z and Boomers really want from their jobs (and can they get along)?

Is remote work still the future—or just the new normal? And yep, voice AI in job interviews is officially here.

Let’s dive into the trends shaping the workplaces of tomorrow ✨

📰 Upcoming in This Issue

• 🎙️ Voice AI in Firms: A Natural Field Experiment on Automated Job Interviews

• 🧬 Gen Z vs Boomers: Inside the Multigenerational Workforce Clash

• 📘 Frustrated With Disengaged Employees? Start Hiring The Self-Motivated

• 🧭 Remote Work in 2025: Beyond the Perk, It’s the Norm

📣 Trending HR News

• Musk, X Corp to settle $500-million lawsuit over Twitter firings (Reuters)

• Misuse of company funds, resources top misconduct reports (HRD America)

• Survey: U.S. Workers say $74k is the ‘perfect salary’ but 50% report income falls short(MSN)

• Few HR pros can detect fake job candidate information, survey (Yahoo)

🎙️ Voice AI in Firms: A Natural Field Experiment on Automated Job Interviews

In a large-scale field study involving over 70,000 job applications, researchers from the University of Chicago tested the real-world effects of replacing traditional phone screenings with voice-based AI interviews. The results reveal not only operational efficiency but a meaningful leap forward in equitable hiring practices.

The AI system led to a 17% increase in women and a 27% increase in non-white candidates advancing past the screening stage—without any compromise in job performance or retention. Recruiter time was also significantly reduced, making the process faster and more scalable.

For HR leaders, this study provides hard evidence that AI can help address bias, improve consistency in evaluation, and accelerate hiring—all while preserving quality. As companies grapple with DEI goals and efficiency demands, voice AI might be a powerful tool to modernize how talent is identified and advanced.

Key Takeaways:

• 📊 Diversity Gains: AI interviews led to a 17% increase in women and 27% increase in non-white candidates advancing past screening stages.

• 🧭 Structured Scoring Beats Subjectivity: The AI used structured evaluation, curbing bias and outperforming human phone screeners in fairness.

• ⏱️ Faster Hiring Cycles: Recruiter screening time was significantly reduced, helping firms accelerate their hiring process without sacrificing quality.

• 📉 No Drop in Hire Quality: Despite diversity improvements, there was no evidence of reduced job performance or higher attrition among AI-selected candidates.

👉 Read the full 10,906-word study here

🛡️ Why More HR Teams Are Exploring PEOs

For many HR teams, the real challenge isn’t managing people—it’s keeping up with everything around them: compliance changes, payroll accuracy, tax filings, and offering competitive benefits. These demands can stretch lean HR teams thin, leaving little time for strategy.

That’s where a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) makes sense. By partnering with a PEO, HR teams can:

• Navigate compliance confidently with expertise that keeps pace with regulations.

• Offer stronger benefits that help attract and retain talent, even against larger employers.

• Streamline operations by combining payroll, HR, and risk management into one system.

TriNet PEO is often cited as a trusted PEO for companies looking to reduce administrative burden while elevating HR’s strategic role. It’s less about outsourcing HR and more about giving teams the bandwidth to focus on growth.

Explore the benefits of TriNet PEO here→

🧬 Gen Z vs Boomers: Inside the Multigenerational Workforce Clash

According to Indeed’s 2025 Global Talent Report, Gen Z is seen as “entitled” and “unprofessional”—even by themselves—while older workers are stereotyped as “rigid” or “slow.” Yet 72% of employers agree: multigenerational teams outperform homogeneous ones.

The real challenge? Hiring systems haven’t kept up. Age-based assumptions, outdated job requirements, and lack of soft skills training are driving a talent disconnect across generations.

To stay competitive, HR needs to ditch the labels, adopt skills-first hiring, and help each generation learn to work better together—not just side by side.

Key Takeaways:

• 📉 Gen Z's Reputation Problem: 55% of employers say Gen Z lacks soft skills—yet onboarding rarely addresses communication or professionalism gaps.

• 👴 Ageism Is a Two-Way Street: 43% of Boomers feel overlooked, and 36% of managers admit age bias shapes hiring decisions.

• 🤝 Multigenerational Wins: 72% of jobseekers and 77% of employers say age-diverse teams improve innovation, collaboration, and team performance.

• 📊 Skills-First > Age-First: 61% support skills-based hiring, but Gen Z says 40% of job descriptions still unfairly exclude them.

Read the full 4,204-word article here

Patriot Payroll scores 4.8/5 for ease and value

User reviews rank Patriot Payroll highly for ease of use, value, customer support, and functionality—perfect for HR teams on tight budgets seeking reliable outcomes.

Users love Patriot because of:

• Affordable, transparent pricing starting at just $17 per month plus a small per-employee fee

• Reliable and accurate tax filings, including W-2s, 1099s, and regularly updated tax tables

• Unlimited payroll runs and a free employee portal to reduce questions and tasks on your plate

Discover simplicity in payroll — see what Patriot can do for your HR team→

📘 Frustrated With Disengaged Employees? Start Hiring The Self-Motivated

Disengaged hires can cripple team morale, productivity, and retention. Dr. John Sullivan argues that 89% of new-hire failures stem from poor attitudes—not lack of skills—and recommends shifting the hiring lens toward self-motivation. He outlines practical screening tactics like peer interviews, behavior-based assessments, and motivation-ranking questions to identify high-drive candidates.

Beyond assessment, he advises optimizing job posts, activating employee referrals, and re-recruiting past top contenders. In an era where purpose and autonomy fuel performance, companies that prioritize self-motivation in hiring will build stronger, more resilient teams.

Key Takeaways:

• 🚨 Attitude Over Aptitude: 89% of new-hire failures stem from poor attitude — not lack of technical skill. Prioritize motivation in your hiring criteria.

• 🔍 Behavior Reveals Drive: Use peer interviews, off-stage observations, and informal chats to assess real motivation beyond polished answers.

• 📋 Make Motivation a Job Requirement: List “self-motivation” as a must-have in job descriptions to attract candidates who resonate with autonomy and purpose.

• 🔁 Re-Engage High-Motivation Talent: Revisit silver medalists, boomerang ex-employees, and activate employee referrals to source proven self-starters.

👉 Read the full article here

🧭 Remote Work in 2025: Beyond the Perk, It’s the Norm

Remote work is no longer a workplace experiment—it’s a permanent shift. According to We Work Remotely’s 2025 report, 69% of U.S. companies now offer work location flexibility, and 73% of small businesses are fully flexible. Over 51% of professionals prefer fully remote roles, citing better job satisfaction and well-being.

But this isn’t just about flexibility. Companies are facing productivity wins alongside mounting challenges like burnout, collaboration gaps, and the pressure to lead distributed teams effectively. With 65% of workers predicting remote work will grow, HR leaders must now design remote-first cultures that support balance, growth, and trust.

Key Takeaways:

• 📈 Flexibility is the future: 90% of remote workers cite flexibility and work-life balance as key benefits. 51% prefer fully remote roles.

• 🌐 Global hiring is accelerating: Over 70% of U.S. tech companies are nearshoring with LATAM talent; the Philippines also sees major growth.

• 🧠 Burnout is real: 19% of workers say they rarely take time off, while 64% admit to staying “green” on messaging apps to seem available.

• 🧑‍💼 Leadership makes or breaks it: 44% value transparent communication most in remote managers, while 30% say micromanagement is their top complaint.

• 🤖 AI is rising—but risky: 67% of hiring managers expect increased AI use in recruitment, but 40% fear losing the human touch.

(From the article Welcome To We Work Remotely’s State of Remote Work Report 2025! — read full report)

The bottomline

If there’s one thing this week’s edition makes clear, it’s this: HR’s not just about hiring anymore. It’s about designing work that works—for everyone. Whether that means rethinking interviews with AI, creating space for generational needs, or protecting flexibility in a hybrid world, the game has changed. And so has the playbook.

Thanks for reading. Let’s keep building workplaces that people don’t just show up for—but stay for ✨