🗞️ Here’s the Tea:

🤖 Gen Z employees say they rely on AI for emotional intelligence

The TL;DR: Gen Z workers are leaning hard on AI for workplace emotional intelligence…interpreting tone, drafting replies, and even navigating conflicts. While many find it boosts confidence, AI can also reinforce biases and discourage personal accountability, since it lacks human nuance. AI can’t replace empathy, but it’s clearly becoming Gen Z’s go-to “work therapist.”

My POV: This isn’t just about efficiency, it’s about how the next gen is learning workplace communication. If AI is their primary feedback loop, we risk a workforce that’s fluent in chatbot diplomacy but stunted in REAL, ACTUAL human resolution! 

Time to ask: Are we training managers to bridge the gap, or leaving employees to outsource emotional labor to robots? The latter is a dumpster fire waiting to happen, just saying!

🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:

“We’re in a system built for long-term financial security… but no one handed us the manual.”

On the mic this week: Breene Murphy is the President of Carbon Collective, a firm known for sustainable 401k solutions and not putting people to sleep while talking about finance. Inspired by his grandmother’s legacy in environmental advocacy, Breene blends finance, climate action, and creative writing (yes, really) into his mission to help people invest smarter. He’s also a former advertising pro, a dad of two, and the kind of finance nerd who throws rollover parties for fun.

Pin this: 

• HR leaders are often legal fiduciaries on 401k plans and might not even know it.
• You can’t build a strong culture without long-term financial security baked in.
• Most employees don’t understand their 401k benefits…AND NO ONE IS TEACHING THEM.
• Financial literacy isn’t just a personal issue, it’s an HR strategy!

My H*ly Sh*t Moment: There’s over $1.65 trillion sitting in stranded 401k accounts, aka money people earned and then forgot about! Excuse me while I collect my jaw off the floor.

▶️ Press Play

📊 Data Is My Love Language:

Stat: Approximately 63% of people say they currently prioritize DEI when choosing a company to work at

My spiral: To put it bluntly, DEI is just good business, period. 

When you do the work, meaning fair hiring, real career paths, and leaders who don’t just talk about “inclusion” in all-hands, you don’t just attract great people, you keep them. Surprise surprise!

The bottom line: People stay where they feel valued and seen.