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Human Times helps you stay ahead of the latest news and trends that impact the HR industry. Every weekday, our unique blend of AI and team of expert HR and employment editors and researchers monitor 100,000s of articles, and social posts to create summaries of the most relevant and useful content to help you lead, innovate and grow. The award winning Human Times newsletter has four geographical editions with news tailored to your region.
From HR leadership to diversity and inclusion, hybrid working, organisational data, performance management, and retention strategies, Human Times is the only trusted free online news source dedicated to covering the most up to date headlines, articles, reports and interviews to make sure you’re abreast of changes in the HR industry.
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Recent Editions
Human Times
North America
A new policy has been finalized that would strip job protections from up to 50,000 federal workers by expanding at-will status beyond roughly 4,000 political appointees to include certain career employees in policy-related roles. The 255-page rule does not specify which positions will be covered; OPM director Scott Kupor said the White House will decide. It also shifts whistle-blower complaints for affected workers from the Office of Special Counsel to internal agency handling. The change follows broader efforts to reshape the federal workforce, with about 352,000 employees leaving in 2025. Critics warn it enables patronage and retaliation; Max Stier called it “a huge increase of at-will employment,” while the White House said loyalty tests and discrimination are “explicitly” prohibited.
Full Issue
Human Times
UK
The government plans to create thousands of "fast track" apprenticeships for major infrastructure projects, including nuclear power stations and railways. Currently, about 950,000 young people aged 16 to 24 are not in employment, education, or training. Labour will invest £725m to create 50,000 new apprenticeships and reform financial incentives for small businesses. Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden said too many young people are out of work and Britain is taking too long to get things built. Under the scheme, employers will have the cost of 25 hours a week funded for six months at the minimum wage.
Full Issue
Human Times
Europe
Long-term employee absences are creating significant challenges for Dutch businesses, particularly smaller firms, according to a survey by RTL Nieuwspanel and RTL Z. Over half of companies reported long-term sick leave in the past five years, with 71% of larger firms affected. Entrepreneurs face stress and financial risks due to legal obligations to pay sick employees for up to two years, including at least 70% of gross salary, sometimes topped up to the minimum wage in the first year.
Full Issue
Human Times
Middle East
Oman's industrial sector is set to employ 248,000 workers by 2025, reflecting a 3% increase from 2024. Projections suggest this number will rise to 277,000 by 2030, driven by the Industrial Strategy 2040, which focuses on technology-driven manufacturing and competitive industries. Oman Industry Day, celebrated on 9 February, will highlight the sector's achievements and its role in boosting exports, with industrial exports valued at OMR1.618bn in the first quarter of 2025. Ghalib bin Said Al Maamari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce, said: "The industrial sector's performance in 2025 validates the success of government policies aimed at cultivating a robust industrial ecosystem."
Full Issue
Read the latest HR highlights
How HR is Tackling Long Covid?
Fingers remain tightly crossed around the world that the rampant hospitalization and fatality stage of the Covid-19 pandemic has generally peaked. Vaccination programmes are accelerating, and restrictions are gradually being lifted...
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ESG Is Not Just Another Name For CSR
Back in the distant 1980s if you wanted to demonstrate your environmental and ethical credentials it was sufficient to shop at or purchase shares in retailer The Body Shop. The charismatic Anita Roddick, founder of the “hippy” tinged retail chain, heralded a new age of environmental concern, caring capitalism and corporate awareness that evolved into what became known as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). CSR was much talked about and lauded, but in reality often ended up being a lot of a hot air (excuse the pun) and often never progressed much beyond a footnote in the annual report.
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Have Older Workers Paid The Highest COVID-19 Price?
Across the world the pandemic is slowly but surely moving into its next phase. Recovery beckons. As furlough schemes across the U.S. and U.K. are being wound down, restrictions eased or lifted, and workforces moving back up the gears, early signs indicate that older employees are more likely to be casualties of the pandemic aftermath than their younger colleagues. Here at the we have witnessed an increasing number of stories supporting the growing belief that older workers are disproportionately paying the highest Covid-19 price.
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Bosses. What's not to like? Plenty, say employees
“You’ll never have another boss like me, someone who’s basically a chilled-out entertainer”
So said, David Brent, the fictional manager of Slough-based paper merchant Wernham Hogg in the seminal TV comedy The Office. Ricky Gervais’s portrayal of Brent as a flawed, narcissistic, incompetent, and deluded manager was so well observed that many (including me) believed it was a genuine fly-on-the-wall documentary when they alighted accidentally on the first ever episode.
Rolling with the Payroll
To mark National Payroll Week the team at the Human Times has provided some insight into the industry that we hope you’ll find useful.
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