Featuring scholarly and practitioner insights from HR and people leaders, industry experts, and researchers.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Sam Mandel about driving compassionate, forward-thinking health care. Sam Mandel is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles and a driving force in compassionate, forward-thinking mental health care. His commitment to supporting others began early when, at twelve years old, he volunteered at a teen suicide prevention hotline. That formative experience sparked a lifelong dedication to mental health advocacy and ultimately led him to co-found Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles in 2014 alongside his father, Dr. Steven L. Mandel. Sam is a recognized voice in innovative psychiatry and ketamine infusion therapy. He has been featured in Entrepreneur’s Top 10 Inspiring Healthcare Entrepreneurs to Watch and honored by MSN as an Entrepreneur Leading the Business Frontier. He is also a two-time Stevie Award recipient for Best Entrepreneur and Thought Leader of the Year at the American Business Awards. Major media outlets frequently seek out Sam for commentary, and he regularly speaks at scientific conferences and industry events on the current state and future of mental health care. Under Sam’s leadership, Ketamine Clinics Los Angeles has delivered more than 35,000 ketamine infusions to over 6,000 patients, helping establish one of the field's most respected standards of care. His work continues to shape the future of mental health care through a commitment to clinical excellence, ethical leadership, and genuine compassion for the individuals and families KCLA serves. Outside of the clinic, Sam enjoys weightlifting, spending time in nature, attending concerts, dancing, snowboarding, traveling, and being with friends and family.

Abstract: Workforce reductions have become a recurring feature of organizational life, driven by cost pressure, restructuring, and the adoption of artificial intelligence. New evidence from the Federal Employee Exit Survey, which gathered accounts from 2,045 former U.S. career civil servants, shows how badly exits can go when they are rushed, opaque, and poorly supported: most departures were not truly voluntary, people removed through reductions in force rated the dignity of their exit near the floor of the scale, and only one in ten said their responsibilities were fully covered when they left. This article situates those findings within three decades of research on organizational justice, downsizing, and job loss. It shows that the way reductions are decided, delivered, and followed up shapes survivor commitment, voluntary turnover, employer reputation, legal exposure, and the health of those who leave. It then sets out five evidence-based responses and three long-term capabilities that allow leaders to reduce headcount, when they must, without destroying the trust and knowledge that future performance depends on.

Recent data reveals a stark perceptual divide between executives and early-career employees regarding workplace priorities. While human resources leaders frequently dismiss younger staff as flexible job-hoppers, extensive research demonstrates that new workers overwhelmingly prioritize stability, fairness, and predictability above all else. This widespread preference is driven by modern economic pressures, including skyrocketing living expenses, competitive graduate markets, and anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence automation. Consequently, organizations must abandon outdated generational stereotypes and consciously invest in structural support systems. By establishing transparent communication, reliable career pathways, and robust financial security, businesses can successfully rebuild trust and foster long-term retention.

Recent data reveals a stark perceptual divide between executives and early-career employees regarding workplace priorities. While human resources leaders frequently dismiss younger staff as flexible job-hoppers, extensive research demonstrates that new workers overwhelmingly prioritize stability, fairness, and predictability above all else. This widespread preference is driven by modern economic pressures, including skyrocketing living expenses, competitive graduate markets, and anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence automation. Consequently, organizations must abandon outdated generational stereotypes and consciously invest in structural support systems. By establishing transparent communication, reliable career pathways, and robust financial security, businesses can successfully rebuild trust and foster long-term retention.

Recent data reveals a stark perceptual divide between executives and early-career employees regarding workplace priorities. While human resources leaders frequently dismiss younger staff as flexible job-hoppers, extensive research demonstrates that new workers overwhelmingly prioritize stability, fairness, and predictability above all else. This widespread preference is driven by modern economic pressures, including skyrocketing living expenses, competitive graduate markets, and anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence automation. Consequently, organizations must abandon outdated generational stereotypes and consciously invest in structural support systems. By establishing transparent communication, reliable career pathways, and robust financial security, businesses can successfully rebuild trust and foster long-term retention.

Recent data reveals a stark perceptual divide between executives and early-career employees regarding workplace priorities. While human resources leaders frequently dismiss younger staff as flexible job-hoppers, extensive research demonstrates that new workers overwhelmingly prioritize stability, fairness, and predictability above all else. This widespread preference is driven by modern economic pressures, including skyrocketing living expenses, competitive graduate markets, and anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence automation. Consequently, organizations must abandon outdated generational stereotypes and consciously invest in structural support systems. By establishing transparent communication, reliable career pathways, and robust financial security, businesses can successfully rebuild trust and foster long-term retention.

In this HCI Webinar, I talk with Josh Bersin about the latest report out from the Josh Bersin Company report, The HR Leader's Guide to Multiagent HR Architecture (part of the HR 2030™ initiative), which outlines how HR leaders must govern over 151 specialized AI agents and 8 functional "superagents". The core thesis is that orchestration, not agent count, drives value. Josh Bersin is an analyst, author, educator, and thought leader focusing on the global talent market and the challenges and trends impacting business workforces around the world. He studies the world of work, HR and leadership practices, and the broad talent technology market. He is often cited as one of the leading HR and workplace industry analysts in the world.

Abstract: Popular commentary often portrays the youngest workers as restless job-hoppers who prize flexibility and purpose over stability. New evidence points in a different direction. An October 2026 SHRM and Fidelity Investments study found that 85% of workers aged 18 to 26 rate job security as important, while only 27% of HR leaders judged it important to them. This article examines that perception gap against a backdrop of rising living costs, a softer market for recent graduates, early signs that generative AI is reducing employment in exposed entry-level roles, and decades of research showing that generational differences in work attitudes are small. It reviews the organizational and individual costs of job insecurity and broken psychological contracts, then sets out five evidence-based responses: making security explicit, funding visible career pathways, structuring the transition into work, protecting sustainable workloads and strong manager relationships, and building financial resilience into the employment deal. It closes with guidance on building durable early-career capability.