As generative AI begins to handle more cognitive, creative, and interpersonal tasks, many employees perceive it to be a threat to their competence, autonomy, and sense of belonging at work. These psychological disruptions are producing widespread resistance, disengagement, and even covert opposition to AI initiatives. The challenge for leaders is not just technical integration but emotional and social adaptation. To meet that challenge, the authors propose the AWARE framework, which helps leaders address the psychological needs of employees: acknowledge employee concerns, watch for adaptive and maladaptive coping behaviors, align support systems with psychological needs, redesign workflows around human-AI synergies, and empower workers through transparency and inclusion. Leaders that apply this framework can ensure that gen AI tools enhance—rather than erode—workers’ motivation and commitment.
Archives for February 9, 2026
The workplace wasn’t designed for humans, and it shows
Input. Output. Targets met. Value created. Performance delivered. Strip work down to its essentials and for many people, this is what remains: a machine-like focus on producing, performing and optimizing.
2026 California Employment Law Update: Preservation of Training Records
Commencing January 1, 2026, California Senate Bill 513 requires that personnel records relating to the employee’s performance include “education and training records” and require employers to ensure those records include: (1) the name of the employee, (2) the name of the training provider, (3) duration and date of training, (4) core competencies of training, and (5) the resulting certification or qualifications. Employers are required to maintain a copy of each employee’s personnel records for at least three years after the termination of their employment.
2026 California Employment Law Update: Designated Person for Paid Family Leave
Passed in late 2025, California Senate Bill 590 will, commencing July 1, 2028, expand eligibility for benefits under the paid family leave program to include individuals who take time off work to care for a seriously ill designated person. The bill defines designated person to mean “any care recipient related by blood or whose association with the individual is the equivalent of a family relationship.”
California Legislature Fails To Pass Bill For Private Right of Action For Penalties for Untimely Wage Payments
California Legislature Fails To Pass Bill For Private Right of Action For Penalties for Untimely Wage Payments
3 Challenges to Implementing AI in L&D Strategy
L&D leaders can’t sit on the sidelines when it comes to integrating AI into strategy. Explore the challenges of harnessing technology to improve L&D outcomes.
‘Don’t look at the résumé’: Elon Musk admits he’s ‘fallen prey’ to flashy credentials but says conversation matters most when hiring
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said he prioritizes hiring candidates who have a “wow” factor.
Defensible Decisions: The EEOC’s New Direction and Courts’ Expanding View of Workplace Harm (Podcast)
In this episode of our Defensible Decisions podcast, Scott Kelly (shareholder, Birmingham) sits down with Nonnie Shivers (office managing shareholder, Phoenix) to discuss the implications for employers following EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas’s social media video soliciting discrimination charges from white males. Scott, who is chair of the firm’s Workforce Analytics
AI Is Creating A New Imposter Syndrome At Work
As AI reshapes how work is evaluated, many experienced professionals are questioning whether the way they’ve always delivered value still counts.
Washington Post Layoffs Point To Problems For Workers Everywhere
The Washington Post’s recent layoffs underscore the problems facing workers everywhere—more precarity, less job security.
Preliminary Injunction on Two Executive Orders Vacated
A federal court has vacated an injunction blocking key executive orders. Learn how this ruling impacts inclusion strategies and compliance.
Midwest Farms, LLC and Midwest Capital Services, LLC to Pay $334,500 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit
DENVER – Midwest Farms, LLC, and Midwest Capital Services, LLC, an agribusiness and related company operating several farms in rural Colorado, will pay $334,500 and provide other equitable relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
More Americans Are Dealing With Memory Decline at Work
Flexible work schedules and technology-based reminders can help those in early stages of cognitive decline and dementia keep working.
Why Policing Language at Work is a Risky Move
From time to time, HR hears a familiar complaint: “Employees are speaking another language, and it’s making others uncomfortable.” The impulse to step in is understandable. But in California, restricting language use at work is one
Key Takeaways: Record Surge in Trade Secret Litigation
Recent data confirms that trade secret litigation is at an all‑time high, reflecting a fundamental shift in how companies protect proprietary information. As panelists during the recent Lex Machina…