By Jackye Clayton HR’s Cool Aunt with Receipts
Y’all it is hard out her in these streets!
Imagine this:
You log into Slack, and your AI onboarding tool just fired the new hire.
It’s 108°F outside.
The CEO rage-quit via LinkedIn post.
And somehow, 103,000 women left the workforce while your HR budget went poof.
Still want to lead a people team?
Same. Let’s solve this week's People Puzzles together. With strategy, humor, and maybe a shot of espresso in our LaCroix.
🔓 THE HEADLINES YOU SHOULD BE OBSESSING OVER
💣 Puzzle #1: AI Is No Longer “Coming.” It Already Let Go of Ted in Accounting
Here’s what you missed while sipping oat lattes:
94,000 tech workers gone.
Amazon and Microsoft did “AI reallocations” (that’s corporate for “buh-bye”).
And Ford’s CEO? Said half of white-collar jobs might disappear.
But wait. It gets worse.
60% of managers are using AI to help make HR decisions.
And 20% are letting AI fully decide who gets promoted… or fired.
“It’s not biased. It’s efficient.” — someone who doesn’t get sued.
🔥 Takeaway:
Letting AI make talent calls without a human check is like letting your Roomba name your baby.
Use AI as a flashlight. Not a sword. Build policies, check the data, and for the love of hiring. Don’t let ChatGPT lead your performance reviews.
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😩 Puzzle #2: The Disappearing Women Act (Now With More Guilt)
Stats that slapped:
June: 103,000 women left the workforce.
Same month: 163,000 men joined.
Since January: Women down 338,000. Men up 183,000.
But “we’re all about DEIB,” right?
Except:
RTO mandates are hitting mothers hardest
Childcare costs are an unpaid tax on working
And no one’s talking about the cultural pressure to keep smiling through burnout
🔥 Takeaway:
This isn’t a talent gap. It’s a support gap.
Want to be Inclusive AF? Start by treating flexibility as infrastructure, not a perk. Caregiving shouldn't cancel careers. (PS - I would love it if you listened to Inclusive AF podcast with me and Katee Van Horn!
🎭 Puzzle #3: Leadership as Performance Art
Linda Yaccarino (CEO of X) resigned. (Shocker)
Why? Their AI chatbot posted Nazi content.
You cannot make this up. Except… AI literally just did. Like how did they think this was going to go down. I get tired when we see people put in these situations and they are unable to flurish because of things out of their control. I hope she finds her bliss.
Also:
Capgemini dropped $3.3B to “future-proof” via acquisition
California’s governor killed remote work for state staff like it owed him money
It’s like every C-suite email now includes “AI” and “alignment” but not “human impact”
🔥 Takeaway:
Leadership without clarity is performance art.
Crisis comms, cultural continuity, and change navigation aren’t just boxes—they're the whole board.
Spoiler: your employees notice when the plot falls apart.
🌡️ Puzzle #4: It's Too Damn Hot to Hustle
The air conditioner in my bedroom broke. It is freaking hot. But also -
🔥 Sicily banned outdoor work at midday.
🔥 France hit 46°C.
🔥 Europe is melting. Literally.
Meanwhile, your office HVAC sounds like it’s whispering a death wish.
Also:
Heat-related deaths in Europe could triple
Wildfires are now a routine workday hazard
Most companies still don’t have a “climate resilience plan”
🔥 Takeaway:
If your PTO policy covers vacations but not natural disasters, you’re not planning for the real future.
Heat Index Flex Days. AQI work-from-home thresholds. Disaster-ready policies. Make them standard.
🎮 The Puzzle Zone (Paid Subscriber Goodies)
Welcome to the Game Room where HR pros become bosses and bots learn their place.
🎮 Puzzle A: “AI flagged her résumé.” — And you let it?
Your best candidate took 2 years off to care for a parent. The AI ranked her “low fit.”
Do you:
A) Hit delete and blame the model?
B) Override it, document the win, and train your team on résumé redemption?
🧩 Solution:
Be brave. Push override. Let the robots learn from you.
🎮 Puzzle B: Your DEIB Budget Ghosted. But You’re Still Here.
Your C-suite “supports equity” but also “froze all discretionary spend.”
Now it’s just you, 3 ERGs, and vibes.
🧩 Solution:
Create a returnship program with zero-dollar investment
Offer résumé gap forgiveness baked into the ATS
Launch a “re-entry week” using existing LMS tools
And rename the whole thing:
📁 Workforce Wealth Strategy: Access for All™
🎮 Puzzle C: The AI Posted a Slur. Now What?
Internal chaos. Media’s circling. Your comms director is Googling “how to disappear respectfully.”
🧩 Solution:
Pause external posts
Send an internal-only “we hear you” message within 1 hour
Build a CEO comms plan that owns the harm and shows the fix
Offer healing space—especially if your system harmed marginalized folks
If your org says “we're a family,” act like it when stuff hits the fan.
🎮 Puzzle D: It’s 108°F. And the dress code still says sleeves.
Your employees are dripping sweat. There’s no heat policy. But hey, free popsicles?
🧩 Solution:
Heat Index Flex Days
Relaxed dress codes + hydration breaks
Optional “climate-safe work-from-home” clauses
Also: Send iced coffee with HR-approved pettiness. You’ve earned it.
💾 EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOADS
📩 Paid subscribers — email me to get this week’s toolkit. It’s sexy, strategic, and screenshot-worthy.
✅ AI Oversight Playbook (Trust but verify, baby)
✅ Hotdog / Not Hotdog™ Scorecard
✅ Returnship Framework + JD Reboot Kit
✅ Résumé Gap Audit Flow
✅ Emergency Comms Template: “So That Happened”
✅ Climate-Resilient Workplace Policy Builder
✅ No-Budget DEIB ROI Pitch Deck
🧠 Final Words From Your Favorite Puzzle Piece
“You don’t hire résumés. You uncover human potential. You don’t ‘future-proof’ with silence—you lead with clarity.”
This is not just a newsletter. It’s your tactical field guide for saving your sanity, protecting your team, and refusing to play HR on hard mode.
You’re welcome.
Tell your boss. Tell your mama. Tell your recruiter.
Then go watch But First, Coffee, and Inclusive AF and come back stronger.
xoxo 💜
—Jackye