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The Rise of Supermanagers, AI Bias, and Better Veteran Hiring
Inside: 65% of Americans Say Their Career Growth Is Just for Show
The HR Takeaways
September 30, 2025
Hello HR Pros,
Career growth, AI disruption, and the changing face of management—this week’s stories cut right to the pressures shaping today’s workplaces. From employees calling out “ghost growth” to the rise of AI-powered Supermanagers, the themes are clear: workers want authenticity, and leaders need agility.
For HR, the challenge is translating these shifts into trust, retention, and sustainable performance. Let’s dive in ✨
📰 Upcoming in This Issue
🦸 The Rise Of The Supermanager: A New Role In The World of AI
🎖️5 Things HR Can Do To Hire — and Retain — Veterans
🤖 Advice for Employers and Recruiters: AI-powered Hiring Systems Often Violate the Golden Rule
📉 Ghost Growth: 65% of Americans Say Their Career Growth Is Just for Show
✨ Helpful Links
⚙️ Level up your HR game with the best HR tools curated for The HR Takeaways readers
🌍 An HR guide to navigating global payroll providers in 2025
📣 Trending HR News
AI may be the most transformative technology wave yet, with $900 billion invested this year alone. But while the hype is massive, the productivity payoff remains uneven. Outside of IT and finance, profits are lagging, showing that real organizational change—not just tools—determines value creation.
This is where the “Supermanager” comes in. Unlike traditional supervisors who simply oversee work, Supermanagers empower teams, embrace experimentation, and turn AI into practical business outcomes. They don’t wait for directives from above—they re-engineer workflows, foster innovation at the front line, and create cultures of learning and trust. In an AI-driven world, leadership is less about supervision and more about unleashing people to grow and adapt.
Key Takeaways:
📉 Mixed AI results: Despite heavy investment, most productivity gains are still concentrated in tech and finance.
🦸 Supermanagers matter: They empower teams, experiment boldly, and integrate AI into daily work without waiting for top-down mandates.
🔄 Shift in management focus: Supervision and evaluation are table stakes; coaching, collaboration, and redesigning work define great leadership now.
🌱 Learning culture wins: Managers who foster continuous learning and growth enable “Superworkers” to thrive alongside AI.
Veterans make up 5% of the U.S. civilian labor force, bringing skills in leadership, problem-solving, resilience, and advanced technology. Yet many organizations still underutilize this talent pool, often because of translation gaps between military and civilian experience. Experts stress that hiring veterans is only half the equation—companies must also create structures that help them thrive once onboard.
For HR, that means reframing job descriptions around transferable skills, partnering with veteran organizations, and using state and federal programs to support recruiting. Just as importantly, onboarding must account for cultural adjustment, with mentorship and peer networks helping veterans build sustainable civilian careers.
Key Takeaways:
🎯 Translate military skills: Tailor job descriptions and use tools like O*NET to map veteran experience to civilian roles.
🤝 Invest in outreach: Partner with groups like SkillBridge or Veteran Jobs Mission to build stronger pipelines.
🛠️ Leverage public programs: Tap into state workforce exchanges and government initiatives that connect veterans with employers.
👥 Support transition: Provide peer mentorship, onboarding resources, and cultural training to ensure veterans succeed long term.
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Candidates don’t push back against AI because they dislike technology. They push back because AI-led hiring often leaves them feeling unseen. When the first step is a bot interview, applicants worry about being reduced to a score, handing over data without context, and never having the chance to connect with a real human. That early impression lingers, and it can quietly damage employer brand.
The challenge for employers is to rethink how AI is positioned. Used well, it should take care of the background work—scheduling, summarizing, or handling repetitive admin—while people focus on the meaningful work of listening, clarifying, and building relationships. A process that blends efficiency with empathy not only moves faster but also builds trust with the candidates companies most want to hire.
Key Takeaways:
🔑 Golden rule for hiring: Success depends on designing a process that reflects what candidates want, not just what’s efficient.
💡 Trust is fragile: Opening with automation shapes expectations for the entire candidate journey—for better or worse.
👥 Keep humans in the loop: AI should handle background tasks, while managers and recruiters lead real touchpoints.
📊 Measure respect, not just speed: Track candidate drop-off, appeals, and feedback to see whether tech builds or erodes trust.
A new survey reveals that 65% of U.S. workers have experienced “ghost growth”—career advancement in name only, with no raise, promotion, or added authority. Instead of recognition, many are handed more work without meaningful rewards. Nearly 53% say their careers look like they’re advancing, but don’t feel like it, creating a widening trust gap.
The consequences extend beyond stalled growth. Workers report frustration, burnout, and disengagement, with some actively job hunting. Alarmingly, 68% have considered quitting due to performative growth practices, showing how quickly trust erodes when progress is only symbolic. For HR leaders, the warning is clear: empty gestures of development carry real retention risks.
Key Takeaways:
⚠️ Ghost growth is common: Superficial promotions and empty titles leave employees disillusioned with career advancement.
📊 Workload without reward: Many employees are handed heavier responsibilities without meaningful compensation or recognition.
🔥 Burnout drives attrition: Performative growth is pushing talent to disengage, job hunt, or leave outright.
🌱 Authentic growth matters: Real career progress means pay increases, skill-building, leadership paths, and work-life balance.
The Bottomline
The signals are loud: employees no longer accept surface-level progress, and organizations can’t afford leadership that lags behind technology.
The future belongs to leaders who create meaningful growth, balance innovation with humanity, and keep trust at the center of work.
Before you go, don’t miss the top HR tools of September—curated to help you lead with trust and innovation 💙
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