- Report: Most Managers Using AI To Make Personnel Decisions
- 47% of Workers Are Holding Multiple Jobs to Cover Basic Costs
- Education Company Sued Over Online Experience for Visually Impaired
- T-Mobile Hangs Up on DEI
- Microsoft to Cut 4% of Workforce
Report: Most Managers Using AI To Make Personnel Decisions
According to a new Resume Builder survey of 1,342 U.S. managers with direct reports, a majority of these managers use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine raises (78%), promotions (77%), layoffs (66%) and terminations (64%).
Additional key findings from the career website’s report include:
- 6 in 10 managers rely on AI to make decisions about their direct reports.
- More than 1 in 5 frequently let AI make final decisions without human input.
- Two-thirds of managers using AI to manage employees haven’t received any formal AI training.
- Nearly half of managers were tasked with assessing if AI can replace their reports.
The surveyed managers also stated they use AI to manage their teams in a variety of ways:
- 97% use it to create training materials
- 94% to build employee development plans
- 91% to assess performance
- 88% to draft performance improvement plans (PIPs)
Among managers who use AI to help manage their teams, a majority (71%) express confidence in AI’s ability to make fair and unbiased decisions about employees.
“While AI can support data-driven insights, it lacks context, empathy and judgment,” said Stacie Haller, a chief career advisor at Resume Builder. “AI outcomes reflect the data it’s given, which can be flawed, biased or manipulated. Organizations have a responsibility to implement AI ethically to avoid legal liability, protect their culture and maintain trust among employees.”
47% of Workers Are Holding Multiple Jobs to Cover Basic Costs
Forty-seven percent of U.S. workers hold multiple jobs or roles at once, rather than depend on a single primary employer for income, according to a new survey from employment website Monster.
Of the 700 respondents, 51% said the added monthly income from working multiple jobs (defined as “polyworking”) was absolutely essential, and they couldn’t cover basic costs without it.
Of the 47% of workers who currently polywork:
- 59% would be willing to work more than one full-time job.
- 49% have a full-time job, and one or more part-time jobs.
- 28% have multiple part-time jobs.
- 12% have more than one full-time job.
Primary motivations for polyworking include:
- 68% need the extra income to cover basic living expenses.
- 47% want financial independence and flexibility.
- 46% need the extra income to pay off debt.
- 34% don’t feel secure in their primary job and they want a safety net.
Education Company Sued Over Online Experience for Visually Impaired
According to a June 27 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), educational publisher Pearson Education Inc. violated federal disability law when it failed to ensure visually impaired workers could access trainings and view benefits through online platforms.
As reported by HR Dive, the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, said Pearson violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it used third-party vendors for training, payroll, benefits, performance and leave information that wasn’t fully accessible to blind or visually impaired employees and couldn’t accommodate screen-reading software.
As a result, employees with visual impairments used their personal time to complete required training by asking a sighted person or manager to help them, EEOC said.
The lawsuit seeks equal access and reasonable accommodations, such as technological fixes and third-party vendors with accessible portals, as well as damages.
T-Mobile Hangs Up On DEI
T-Mobile announced July 8 it would end its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs as the company seeks approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to greenlight two potential deals.
USA Today reported the phone carrier will no longer have roles or teams dedicated to DEI, scrubbed references to DEI from its websites and its training materials, and has opened up training and other career development opportunities to all employees.
In May, the FCC approved Verizon’s $20 billion deal to acquire Frontier Communications after it agreed to end its DEI program in line with President Donald Trump’s administration demands. T-Mobile needs FCC approval to buy US Cellular’s wireless operations and internet service provider Metronet.
Microsoft to Cut 4% of Workforce
As reported by Reuters, Microsoft announced July 2 it will lay off 4% of its workforce to rein in costs amid hefty investments in its AI infrastructure. CNBC reported the cuts will affect about 9,000 employees.
The tech giant confirmed to Reuters that its gaming division was impacted by the latest round of layoffs.
“To position Gaming for enduring success and allow us to focus on strategic growth areas, we will end or decrease work in certain areas of the business and follow Microsoft’s lead in removing layers of management to increase agility and effectiveness,” Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s gaming division CEO, wrote in a memo to employees.
The company, which had about 228,000 employees worldwide as of June 2024, previously cut more than 6,000 jobs in May and at least 300 more in June.
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