Employee Experience

Your Employee Experience Roundup: Microsoft’s AI Findings, Deloitte’s Two-Tier Benefits Controversy, and ServiceNow’s Autonomous HR Push

This week’s big research drop is Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index, with findings that point the finger at management for stalling AI progress. Deloitte is under scrutiny for a two-tier benefits decision that’s prompting wider questions about how organisations value...

Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index: Manager Behaviour Is the Real Barrier to AI Adoption

Microsoft’s 2026 Work Trend Index, released this week — with research collaboration from Harvard Business School — provides strong evidence about something many EX and people leaders have been suspecting for a while now. That the bottleneck in AI adoption is the...

When Employee Onboarding Fails, Customers Feel It Too

Employee onboarding is arguably the most important moment to get right in the employee experience. Yet this is exactly the point where organisations are failing their people. And the problem is getting worse. Recent research from Qualtrics highlights a sharp decline...

Why Menopause Support Needs Greater Depth – and Greater Discretion

Menopause remains one of the most underserved areas of women’s health in the workplace. Globally, women make up roughly half the workforce and represent a significant proportion of the most experienced talent in organisations. Yet for many, navigating menopause at...

Deloitte’s Two-Tier Benefits Cut: Smart Cost Management or a Signal About Who Matters?

Last month, Deloitte came under scrutiny for its plans to cut back on employee benefits for a group of workers in the US. From 1 January 2027, parental leave, annual paid time off, and IVF funding will be scaled back...

Your Employee Experience Roundup: The Profitability Paradox, Frontline Recognition, and Microsoft’s Buyout Dilemma 

It’s been a big week for WorkHuman, which dropped a new global study alongside two new product launches. Congratulations are in order to the finalists of the UK Employee Experience Awards 2026, announced yesterday. And there’s been some notably mixed...

UK Employee Experience Awards 2026: Finalists Announced

The UK Employee Experience Awards (UKEXA) 2026 finalists have been announced! And the shortlist reflects the breadth and ambition of employee experience work happening across the UK right now. From global healthcare and financial services to energy innovators and independent businesses,...

Job Catfishing Is on the Rise – and It’s an Employee Experience Problem as Much as a CX One

A new starter joins your organisation. After what felt like a promising interview process, they quickly realise that the job they accepted isn’t the job they are now doing. This is not a new problem, but recent data suggests it...

Employee Engagement Is Declining Globally. So Why Aren’t CEOs Worried?

Employee engagement is declining globally and has been for two years. Should CEOs be worried? You would think the answer to this question is obvious – employee engagement has a direct knock-on effect on customer experience. Low engagement is linked...

Profits Are Up. Employees Are Paying the Price.

The sales team is hitting targets, profits are up, and cashflow is healthy – all clear signs of a thriving organisation. And yet what it actually feels like to work in a successful business has changed, and not for the...

Production With a Pulse: Meta is Using its Employees to Train Their Own AI Replacements

The psychological contract between employer and employee used to be implicit. You give your time, skills, energy, and loyalty. In return, you receive fair compensation, reasonable security, and the basic dignity of being treated as a person. For decades now,...

Microsoft’s Voluntary Retirement Buyout: A Human-First Move or an AI Restructuring Play?

In a first in its 51-year history, Microsoft has offered voluntary retirement buyouts to approximately 8,750 US employees – around 7% of its domestic workforce. The move is part of a broader AI-driven workforce restructuring that is reshaping an entire...