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The fortnightly read for people building employee experience.
For the senior people in HR and EX, and those on their way there.
86% of UK firms plan to grow or hold their engineering teams, and adaptability now beats coding skill in hiring
CodeYourFuture’s survey of UK developers finds employers now rank adaptability above coding skill in early-career hires, while only 16% recruit from non-traditional routes.
2–3 minutesSpeak-up channels are in place, but employees still do not trust them, NAVEX report finds
NAVEX research finds most organisations have speak-up channels in place, but slow follow-up and disengaged boards stop employees trusting them enough to use them.
1–2 minutes15 Employee Appreciation Ideas for the End of the Year
The best employee appreciation ideas share three traits. They are specific, they arrive on time, and they come from someone the person respects.A generic voucher fails all three. A note that says “that late fix in March saved the launch” passes all three, and costs nothing.Below are 15 employee appreciation ideas for the end of…
6–9 minutes25 Holiday Party Ideas for Work Your Team Will Actually Show Up For
Every December, someone in HR gets the same question: what are we doing for the party? The best holiday party ideas for work are the ones people want to attend, not the ones they attend out of duty.This list of office holiday party ideas has 25 options. Seventeen are free or cheap and need no…
7–10 minutesFrom AI agents to better jobs: five ideas worth taking home from UNLEASH Paris 2026
From Josh Bersin’s vision of HR in 2030 to a practical new role at Workhuman, UNLEASH Paris 2026 offered plenty for HR leaders to think about, and ideas they can use now.
4–6 minutesNearly one in three Gen Z workers seeking emergency aid already had an eviction notice
According to new data from employee relief organization Canary, a financial difficulty can very quickly lead to a housing crisis among younger workers, and for human resources managers, the first noticeable indication might be a missed shift rather than a request for assistance. When a young employee requests financial assistance, the eviction notice might already…
5–7 minutes12 Virtual Team Building Activities for Remote and Hybrid Teams
Half your team is at home. Half is in the office. Everyone has done the virtual quiz, and nobody wants another.Good virtual team building activities fix that. They get people talking, laughing and working together without a webinar feel. This guide gives you twelve: four free ideas you can run on any call, and eight…
7–10 minutes3 simple things you can do today to drive performance culture
Senior Culture Strategist Caroline Alderman of O.C. Tanner on three practical steps HR leaders can take today to build a performance culture where people grow, share ideas and do great work.
4–6 minutesHR 2030: Josh Bersin on HR’s past and future
From shrinking labour markets and AI-powered employees to an HR function run by interconnected digital agents, Josh Bersin took us through the past, present and future of HR at UNLEASH in Paris.
6–10 minutesNeuro-aware is not neuroinclusive: seven small manager habits that turn awareness into everyday access to work
Divergent Thinking founder Nat Hawley on why awareness of neurodiversity is not enough, and seven small habits that help managers make everyday work easier to access.
3–5 minutes15 Team Building Games for Work (That People Won’t Groan At)
Most team building games for work get a bad name for a reason. Someone picks a game that needs a stage, a long story or a lot of nerve. Half the room then wishes it were Friday. It shows in the numbers. In a 2025 YouGov poll for Acas, 31% of British employees disliked team-building…
7–11 minutesFlexible Working Requests Get a Reasonableness Test, and Records Will Carry the Weight
Refusing flexible working requests will need a written, reasoned file from autumn 2027, and the Acas consultation on the code is open until 17 December.
4–7 minutes
What’s coming up in EX
12 — 13 Jun
Unleash World
Lisbon · ExCeL
14 Jun PM
CIPD Festival of Work
ExCeL London
9 Jul
Future of Work Summit
London, UK
17–18 Jul
EX Tech Europe
Amsterdam, NL
From Our Partners
Three places HR is overpaying on health insurance: how tech-driven benefit platforms improve compliance and cost savings
Healthcare premiums are projected to climb 9 to 10 per cent in 2026. Compliance complexity is up. Headcount is under scrutiny. The Hartford’s 2026 Future of Benefits Study found that 73 per cent of HR professionals have seen their day-to-day responsibilities increase, 60 per cent actively worry about maintaining compliance, and 64 per cent struggle…
In partnership with EXM Sponsor
The UK’s ‘Green Credibility Gap’: Employee Trust Trails HR’s Sustainability Ambitions
UK companies are leading Europe in integrating sustainability into their HR strategies (68% vs. 55% European average), even outpacing countries facing strict EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) rules. However, new research from SD Worx reveals an urgent problem for British organizations: a significant 18% credibility gap exists between what employers claim about their sustainability efforts and what…
In partnership with EXM Sponsor
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