Hiii,

For those unaware, I’m OOO this week, and I can feel my nervous system slowly calming down.

Turns out sanity really does come back a bit if you just...stop checking email for a few days??? Totally wild, groundbreaking research, I know! 🤪

You know what else is wild??

Letting AI decide who gets laid off.

Today, I'm breaking down why this AI-layoff trend is a lawsuit waiting to happen, plus a mic drop moment from Jennifer Laurie on how the way you let someone go becomes company culture long after they walk out the door.

Enjoy from wherever you're reading this! I'll be back to full chaos mode soon!

🗞️ Here's the Tea:Copy anchor linkCopied

🤯 Managers say they are using AI to make layoff decisions

The TL;DR: Some managers using AI at work are also letting it help decide who gets laid off or fired, and a chunk of them are doing it without much supervision. The concerning part is what they're feeding the algorithm: sick days, medical leave, tenure, even age, which are all factors that have zero business influencing a termination decision. Nearly 40% of these managers were never trained on the ethics of using AI this way, and most can't even say whether the tool was tested for bias.

My POV: First of all, this is an absolutely terrible use case for AI and on top of that, it also opens up an org to legal exposure.

The fact that most companies can't confirm bias testing happened means nobody truly knows what's driving these calls, which is EXACTLY how things go sideways.

If your org is using AI anywhere near layoff decisions and you haven't asked what it's weighing, start there. And then write the guidelines for what AI should and SHOULDN'T (cough this) be used for.

The bottom line: you can't ignore the ethical or legal risks when it comes to AI.

🎙️Mic Drop Moment:Copy anchor linkCopied

"Nobody knows what they're doing. We're all figuring it out."Copy anchor linkCopied

On the mic this week: Jennifer Laurie is a fractional Chief People Officer and founder of Equitable HR Guild, where she helps orgs build equitable, sustainable workplaces rooted in care. With more than 15 years of experience across nonprofits and startups, she specializes in change management and embedding DEI into every part of the employee experience.

Pin this:

• Clear, direct feedback long before a termination is one of the kindest things a manager can do.
• A termination should minimize harm, rather than centering the discomfort of the person delivering the news.
• Bias often hides behind vague feedback like "they're hard to manage," so HR must demand evidence.
• Every termination is an opportunity to improve your process and become a more empathetic HR leader.

My H*ly Sh*t Moment: Whether you realize it or not, the way you let someone go becomes part of your company culture long after that employee walks out the door!

▶️ Press Play

📊 Data Is My Love Language:Copy anchor linkCopied

Stat: 1 in 4 dollars spent on AI goes to waste.

My spiral: I’m pretty sure we’re used to watching money disappear with no one able to explain where it went!

We spend a lot of energy justifying headcount and benefits budgets down to the penny, and meanwhile there's a whole AI line item burning cash with zero accountability attached to it...

I said what I said!!

At a lot of orgs, nobody named an owner, so technically nobody's on the hook. Tricky situation, indeed!

When finance eventually comes looking for answers, guess who's going to get pulled into the convo about responsible spend, even if it was never HR's system to track in the first place. 🥱

🛠️ In Your Toolkit Copy anchor linkCopied

Most managers are still trying to fix a lack of motivation with the same tired playbook. 🫩

Perks and recognition aren’t landing the way they used to, and you don’t have to just guess why anymore!

This month's HR Therapy digs into the actual behavioral science of it all with Dr. Anthony, Senior Product Scientist at Predictive Index, unpacking what's changed and how data can help managers finally have the convos they've been avoiding.

It’s gonna be informative…but maybe even a little fun???

See you there! 👀

🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF

Let's play a little game called was that a boundary, or were you just being agreeable again?

We both know HR has a reputation for saying stuff like "great question, let me follow up on that" when we really mean "absolutely not."

So dig past the polite, professional version of yourself for just a sec!

When did you last push back on a business leader and actually change their mind?

🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:

You know that default check-in question a lot of folks are running on autopilot?

It's basically inviting people to say they’re fine and move on with their day.

Try this instead and see if anything new surfaces:

Replace "How's everything going?" with "What's been weighing on you lately?"

👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE

I mean, we’ve all had this thought at least once…or a dozen times?

Read what members had to say here.

See ya on Friday!