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Q1 2026 didn't feel like a normal quarter. AI adoption accelerated. Org structures flattened. New terms entered the workplace like "workslop", "burn-on" and "coffee-badging". Underneath all of this sits the same pattern: organizations making big moves without a plan behind them. The Flattening of Middle Management Gartner's 2024 predictions report estimated that by the end of 2026, 20% of organizations will use #AI to flatten their structures and cut more than half of their m

Early in my career, in my very first role as in-house recruiter, my manager (HRD) gave me a piece of advice I did not question for a long time: always overstate your #hiring timelines when you open a new role. Give yourself more room than you think you need. She was right, in a sense, and it worked because hiring managers stopped chasing me so aggressively (and I saved myself from a #burnout). The problem I did not see at the time: I had just learned to negotiate, not collabo

The word "micromanager" has almost lost its meaning from overuse. Before it became the ultimate workplace insult, it described a hands-on management style, and in the right context, that style is not wrong. Situational Leadership by Hersey and Blanchard makes exactly this point: effective leadership adapts to who is in front of you. For instance, a junior employee often benefits from close guidance. The problem is when it becomes the default, regardless of experience or what

Over 45,000 tech roles have been cut globally this year. ASML and Ericsson alone account for nearly 3,600 in the #Netherlands and Sweden. Manager engagement has dropped sharply, particularly among leaders under 35. 55% of managers expect further reductions before the year is out. But what about the people that stay after the layoffs? Survivor syndrome Survivor syndrome is a well-documented phenomenon in organizational psychology, first framed by David Noer in the 1990s. When

A manager used the sandwich method. His direct report walked out of the review visibly upset. They were both operating from completely different assumptions about what feedback looks like. Here is how to make sure yours actually translates in international teams.

When leaders say “we need to hire fast,” what they usually mean is: we are under pressure, the team is stretched thin and we need to deliver asap. In those situations, it's easy to see #hiring as the go-to solution but, the truth is, it comes with considerable risk that needs to be managed carefully. Here's the Break Down of Hiring Risk Budget risk: staying competitive without breaking internal equity Legal risk: visas, probation terms, non-compete clauses, compliance gaps Pe

The future of #work is no longer a 9-to-5 job. The gig economy is taking over with almost half of working adults in EU and the UK earning money outside their main job. And, among Gen Z, 57% report having a side gig or actively planning one. From a leader's POV, this is a huge factor changing the reality of work, how people perceive it, as well as their motivation, engagement, productivity and the value they bring into your organization. So, How Should You Handle Side-Hustles

Here's something you don't read every day: in a recent BI article, a senior engineer at Meta talked about how he actively asked his organization to demote him. Not because of poor #performance but because the new role did not allow him to do the things he was really good at (and thus, add value). His request was denied and he eventually went back to his previous employer. His story got me thinking about something we almost never talk about at work: the shame of demotion. We t

I used to think that the largest career risk for leaders was their own performance. I now believe it's TIME. You may be performing well at #work, creating momentum, delivering results... And, on any given day, an announcement drops that your company is being acquired. The town hall meeting is filled with optimism and references to the "exciting new chapter" ahead of you. But, silently the org-chart begins to shrink... Not as a result of anyone's poor #performance, but because

I was scrolling past yet another "here is how to prepare for #job #interviews article" hoping it would say something new. Of course it did the usual: polish your story, practice your examples, and yes, manage your appearance. And that got me thinking, in 2026, with all the talk about #skills-based hiring and remote #work, how much does "looking the part" still run the show? So I fell into the rabbit hole of lookism. What the Duck Is Lookism? Lookism is bias or discrimination

I have always disliked the word "weaknesses" in interview questions, feedback forms, and performance reviews. In my coaching work, I encourage people to discover and play from their strengths. That said, there is an uncomfortable truth we often skip. Every strength can become a pitfall if it is overused or left unmanaged. And that pitfall usually forms quietly. Strengths keep you contently in your comfort zone. You are good at something, so you keep doing it. Again and again.

January did not arrive gently! The world is loud, heavy, and relentless, and most teams are walking into 2026 with a low-grade sense of doom. So here is a slightly rebellious leadership idea: why not try to make work more fun? Not childish and definitely not forced. Not "everyone smile, we have pizza." Fun as a deliberate design choice that makes #work lighter, clearer, and more enjoyable. When Was the Last Time You Had Fun at Work? I'm not talking about the occasional team o

If you scroll long enough, you'd think the world of #work is only getting worse. But that's not entirely true. In 2025, some things genuinely moved in the right direction, and beyond that, there are quietly uplifting shifts taking place and real opportunities starting to form. That's why, in this two-part post, I'm choosing to focus on hope. Here's my take as we head into the new year. AI Is No Longer a Concept. It's a Working Tool. Stanford's 2025 #AI Index confirmed somethi

As the year wraps up and feeds start filling with retrospectives and predictions, I wanted to focus on hope. This is the first of a two-part post focused on positive news from the world of #work and #leadership. It's about amazing things from 2025 that you may have missed but are worth ending the year with, and it's a great reminder that, despite the noise, some things did move in the right direction. Shorter Workweeks Are Proving They Can Work One of the largest multi-countr

Regardless of whether you're a fan of the holidays or not, December has a certain atmosphere. People are stretched thin, juggling deadlines, pressure, family chaos, and the countdown to "finally switching off." You can almost feel the collective fatigue in every meeting. The year may be ending, but the race is not. And as a leader, you know that your team is running a marathon, not a sprint. So how do you send off your team for a break and make sure they come back feeling re-

Your team is dragging their feet... Meetings lack energy, initiative has slowed down, ideas are uninspired and everyone feels stuck in a rut. tIs this fatigue from too much work? Or is your team actually under-stimulated instead of overwhelmed? The 3 zones of effort The model is well-known, simple and every leader should be able to navigate their team through the zones efficiently. Comfort zone: Think of comfort as the soft landing. People feel safe, competent, steady. It is

In all my years in HR, I’ve seen promotions used for the wrong reasons: to keep someone from leaving or reward long tenure that “felt right" or to make a team look stronger on paper (and the leader more successful) even when the person promoted wasn’t ready. None of this helps the employee and it certainly does not help the #team. Now, don't get me wrong - I wholeheartedly believe in development. It is one of the strongest motivators we have. It sits together with sense of pu

Gossip exists because humans need social information. Evolutionary psychologists describe gossip as a bonding mechanism, a norm setting tool, and a way for people to understand “who is safe” in a group. In the workplace, the instinct stays the same but dynamics are more complicated. When people do not understand what is happening around them, they fill the gaps with stories. The conditions that fuel gossip inside teams Research from MIT Sloan and Gallup points to the same pat

For the first time, five generations overlap in the workforce, and this mix is only getting bigger and more complex. The older workforce has nearly quadrupled since the mid-80s and, with the retirement age consistently going up in most countries, people are staying employed for much longer. At the same time, Gen Z has already been entering the job market and will account for 30% of the workforce by 2030. Congratulations! You now lead the widest age spread in modern history. �

Conflict has a bad rep but it's not actually a bad thing. In fact, when managed well, it’s one of the clearest signs of a high-performing #team. But, that only holds true when leaders handle it with care and structure. The first step in managing #conflict is to recognize it Conflict escalates in predictable stages - from mild tension to open confrontation. Knowing when and how to step in makes a big difference in the outcome. Have a look at the below presentation to see how t