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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
From April 2029, salary-sacrificed pension contributions exceeding £2,000 will incur national insurance contributions, raising concerns for workers. Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister, noted that even those sacrificing less than £2,000 might face losses due to potential changes in pay structures. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) indicated that employers could adjust salary sacrifice arrangements, impacting many employees. Webb said: "We could see millions of people on modest incomes losing out," urging the Government to clarify the potential losses from this policy.
Full Issue
Human Times
Europe
Maersk said it will eliminate about 1,000 corporate positions, roughly 15% of its 6,000 corporate roles, as part of a plan to save about $180m per year. The company said it has “announced steps to simplify the organisation and reduce the company’s corporate overhead,” aiming “to drive continuous productivity improvements and maintain strong cost discipline,” and that notification and consultation processes have begun. Maersk reported 2025 revenue of $54bn, down $1.5bn.
Full Issue
Human Times
Middle East
The Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) reported significant achievements in employment and training support for 2025. The fund facilitated the employment of over 562,000 Saudi citizens in the private sector, marking a 29% increase from 2024. Total spending on training and mentorship exceeded SR8.29bn, benefiting more than 2m citizens. HRDF Director General Turki Al-Jawini stated: "The continuous growth in the number of beneficiaries reflects the success of the fund's strategic transformation." The number of establishments benefiting from HRDF services rose to over 226,000, with small and medium enterprises making up 94%.
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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