More Than Just a Bad Day: The Growing Crisis of Workplace Violence
Ava Martinez, HR Digest
There is much cause for unrest within the work sphere, and one of the unintended consequences is the growing threat of workplace violence that has been reported in 2025. A new survey from Traliant found that 30% of workers have witnessed workplace violence against their colleagues, with 15% stating that they themselves had been recent victims of aggression at work. Violence within the work environment can take on many forms, from derogatory conversations to threats to a worker’s physical safety, but regardless of the shape it takes, the sharp rise of workplace violence is detrimental to the well-being of the workforce.
The Unattended Prejudice of Ageism
James R. Bailey, HR Daily Advisor
There is one -ism that has yet to receive much attention: ageism. Ageism is defined as derogatory prejudice aimed at those who are of different ages. A substantial amount of the nation’s workforce is above 60. This group has enormous experience over their 40-year careers. They have worked for several firms, in numerous locations, and assumed varying positions, providing a breadth of exposure. They are seasoned veterans who were loyal. They are core competencies nested in experience.
Related: Related: It’s Wrong. It Should Have Never Been Said. But Is It Illegal Discrimination?
What Not to Say in Employee Comms: Real Advice from Your Workforce
Jess Zafarris, Ragan PR Daily
Internal comms misfires erode trust, morale and motivation, and cause more than a few eyes to roll. So, I posed this question to my LinkedIn network: “What’s something you HATE to see in messaging from executive leadership to employees?”
The flood of replies was swift, scathing and incredibly useful. Common themes emerged: empty platitudes, vague promises, corporate jargon and performative empathy. But collective venting aside, there is a path forward.
Lessons from U.S. Army Special Ops on Becoming a Leader
Angus Fletcher, Harvard Business Review
“… in this unpredictable new world, organizations are falling short at training people how to lead. The $50 billion executive education sector—as Warren Bennis first pointed out in his 1961 HBR article “A Revisionist Theory of Leadership”—has tended to conflate leadership with management. As a result, executive education is good at helping people improve management skills such as accounting, active listening, and data-driven decision making. Yet it hasn’t developed a comparably rich curriculum for cultivating initiative, strategic vision, and the other skills needed to lead in volatility.”
Humor Up: How Laughter Is a Leadership Superpower
Adam Christing, SmartBrief
We often treat humor as a workplace extra — something nice to have once the real work is done. But laughter isn’t dessert. It’s part of the main course for a thriving workplace culture.
Positive humor is a shortcut to trust, a signal of safety and a secret tool for leaders who want stronger results and more unity. And yes, it makes meetings feel about 75% less like jury duty.
Boomers Are Exiting the Workforce. Is Your Company Ready?
Jennifer Alsever, Inc.
“It’s a ticking time bomb.” So says Matthew Nestler, senior economist at KPMG, referring to the cluster of shocks—from the silver tsunami of an estimated 11,200 Americans who turn 65 every day, to lower immigration, a declining birth rate, and Gen-Z’s embrace of freelance and gig work—that might throttle the labor pool of the future. “That has real economic consequences.”
The problem? Ninety-one percent of companies aren’t ready for aging workers to retire. By failing to retain mature workers and missing opportunities to upskill or download vital information from retiring personnel, companies are putting years of knowledge and experience in jeopardy, as workers increasingly walk out the door.
HR News Roundup: Quick Takes
- Want Someone to Calm Down? Don’t Say These 3 Things
- Gone But Not Forgotten: How to Handle Final Pay and Benefits When an Employee Passes Away
- The National Suicide Hotline For LGBTQ+ Youth Went Dead. States Are Scrambling To Help.
- Salary Budgets to Maintain 3.5% Growth Trajectory in 2026
- As 2026 Salary Budgets Remain Flat, How Employers Are ‘Rethinking’ Value Propositions
- How to Give Compliments and Criticism for a Happier Work Life
- It’s Almost Flu Season. Should People Still Get a Shot, and Will Insurance Cover It?
- How to Run Your Business Like Taylor Swift
- Another Employer Faces AI Hiring Bias Lawsuit: 10 Actions You Can Take to Prevent AI Litigation
- How to Weed Out AI Job Applicants
- Leaders: How to Let Your Team Know That You Hear Their Ideas
- U.S. Drinking Rate at New Low as Alcohol Concerns Surge
- California Minimum Wage Will Increase to $16.90 For All Businesses on January 1, 2026
- The Vast Majority of US Adults Are Stressed About Grocery Costs, Poll Finds
From the Lighter Side …
- Wanting to take a walk during your lunch hour, but it’s too inclement? Try Citywalki, which lets you immerse yourself in virtual walks in cities all over the globe from your computer. Explore more than 200 locations right now – new ones are added every week.
- Now that you’ve had some virtual walks, it’s time to get out and explore nature. Here’s the 2025 Fall Foliage Map for inspiration. Use the date slider at the bottom of the map to see peak times in various locations.
- Public Work – This is a cool search engine for public domain content. Explore 100,000+ copyright-free images from The MET, New York Public Library, and other sources that you can use in work and personal projects.
- Looking for some good movies for Labor Day weeend? Try this list of Bad Bosses: The 25 Most Evil & Megalomaniacal CEOs in Film.
- And as an antidote to the bad bosses: we’ve posted this before but we think it bears repeating: The Nicest Place on the Internet.
HR News – Blog posts you may have missed