seasonal scare
Hii,
It’s officially Halloween season, Taylor Swift’s new album drops in a couple of days, and everything is just peachy on this fine Wednesday! Or should I say, pumpkiny?🎃
Honestly, the vibes are chaotic in the best way…for the moment.
And yes, I warned you cheesy jokes were coming:
Why don't mummies take time off? Because they're afraid to unwind.
Okay, now that you definitely smiled at that, let’s talk about retail hiring, accessibility at work, and why the majority of Gen Z and Millennials are complacent at work.
Ready, set, action! 🎬
🗞️ Here’s the Tea:Copy anchor linkCopied
🛍️ Retail’s seasonal hiring could hit lowest point since 2009
The TL;DR: Seasonal hiring could hit a 16-year low (<500k) as retailers lean on automation and existing staff. 2024 already dipped to 543,100. Expect fewer temps, more hours, and cross-utilization for current teams.
My POV: Fewer seasonal hires means potential capacity and burnout risk landing on your core team.
This means smarter schedules, incentives, and recovery time are a necessity!
Workforce planning, communication, and retention strategies will straight up make or break Q4 morale and your ability to hang on to talent once the holiday rush (aka the most chaotic time of year in retail) is over.
🎙️ Mic Drop Moment:Copy anchor linkCopied
“Something being compliant with the law does not mean it’s accessible.”Copy anchor linkCopied
On the mic this week: Lia Seth is Director of People at Cylinder Health with nearly a decade in HR, mostly in startups. A lifelong Girl Scout, former pub-trivia host, and outspoken disability advocate, she calls herself an “accessibility queen.” Her work centers on building inclusive, understandable employee experiences through documentation, clarity, and trust.
Pin this:
- Write for step zero. Add screenshots and define acronyms every time!
- Publish a plain-language pay philosophy to replace rumor with facts.
- Make info self-serve (TL;DRs, FAQs) so you can cut the back-and-forth.
- Kill gatekeeping: be generous with information, because context builds trust.
My H*ly Sh*t Moment: Real accessibility is when an employee doesn’t need to ask HR because the policy is so clear that they can act with confidence on their own. The dream!!!
▶️ Press Play
📊 Data Is My Love Language:Copy anchor linkCopied
Stat: 85% of Gen Z employees admit to being complacent at work
My spiral: Gen Z has always had this take-no-shit attitude that I admire. 🫶
To me, this stat flips the lazy narrative on its head when you dig a bit deeper. Gen Z and Millennials aren’t disengaged so much as they’re just rejecting outdated playbooks.
Engagement isn’t about throwing more money at people…it’s about aligning work with purpose, flexibility, and inclusion! One-size-fits-all programs won’t cut it anymore.
If we’re not segmenting strategies and treating motivation as culture-building instead of box-checking, we’re basically designing workplaces for a generation that’s already left the room!
🗣️ UNMUTE YOURSELF
So much of our work is thankless, because some of the work we do is invisible to the org.
We’re usually measuring our choices by other people’s reactions instead of our own, so today I want you to think about this:
“What decision are you proud of, even if it wasn’t popular?”
🛠️ TRY THIS TOMORROW:
Sometimes the smallest shifts can have the biggest impact.
Your high performers don’t need another “thank you,” they need breathing room!
So tomorrow, try this:
“Ask a high performer, ‘What’s a task you’d happily delegate?’ (Then make it happen.)”
👂 OVERHEARD IN SAFE SPACE
Classic nightmare fuel for HR…when the logistics of a termination feel harder than the termination itself. Deep breaths, because this is why we prob deserve hazard pay.
Read what members had to say here.
Join us in Safe Space by applying! It takes minutes to join.
See ya on Friday!
