📊 71% of leaders report working outside their role in today’s workplace

Hey HR Pros!

Leadership roles have stretched well beyond the boundaries they were originally designed for. What stands out in the data is not just that 71% of leaders are working outside their role, but how normalized that has become in day to day work.

The result is a version of leadership that looks less like direction setting and more like constant navigation, where priorities compete, roles blur, and the definition of the job keeps expanding in real time.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 🧑‍💼 55% of employees report receiving AI-generated “workslop” from managers

• ⏱️ A canceled meeting can make an hour feel longer than it is at work

• 📊 71% of leaders report working outside their role in today’s workplace

• 🤖 66% of companies say AI is creating new roles and career paths

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Workable has spent more than a decade helping thousands of companies make better hiring decisions. Now, it’s introducing Workable Agent, an AI recruiting agent built directly into the ATS.

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🧑‍💼 55% of employees report receiving AI-generated “workslop” from managers

Survey data from 1,000 U.S. workers shows that more than half have received AI-generated work from managers that appears polished but lacks accuracy or substance.

For HR leaders, this signals a growing risk where inconsistent AI use at the top can weaken credibility, blur performance expectations, and create downstream confusion across teams.

Key insights

• Trust erosion accelerates fast 🤝 85% report reduced trust in leadership after receiving AI-generated work lacking accuracy, signaling deeper concerns about oversight and accountability

• AI skepticism is growing ⚠️ 45% of employees say exposure to low-quality AI outputs has made them more cautious about adopting workplace AI tools

• Training gaps are widespread 📉 Nearly 70% report limited or no AI training, leaving employees without clear guidance on standards, usage, or accountability expectations

• Clear standards reduce risk 📊 Employees point to defined quality benchmarks, better training, and stronger review processes as most effective ways to reduce workslop

Read more: https://zety.com/blog/workslop-trust-report

⏱️ A canceled meeting can make an hour feel longer than it is at work

A series of studies with more than 2,300 participants found that when time unexpectedly opens up, it does not feel like ordinary free time.

Across multiple experiments, participants consistently treated this “found time” as if it offered more possibility than time they had already planned to have free. It is a small but revealing insight into how workdays are experienced.

Key insights

• “Found time” feels bigger than it is ⏳ Participants consistently perceived unexpected free time as longer than identical scheduled time due to contrast with prior expectations

• Perception shapes behavior in subtle ways 🧠 When time feels expanded, people naturally adjust how they think about using it, even without realizing it

• Longer activities become more appealing 📋 Participants were more likely to choose extended tasks simply because the time felt more abundant in the moment

• The effect shows up consistently 🔁 Across seven separate studies, the same pattern held regardless of context, reinforcing how reliable this perception shift is

Read more: https://www.rutgers.edu/news/why-canceled-meeting-feels-so-liberating

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📊 71% of leaders report working outside their role in today’s workplace

Leadership today looks very different from the models many organizations were built around. Survey data from more than 1,200 leaders shows the role has expanded well beyond setting direction, with leaders now expected to navigate constant change, influence across teams, and absorb operational responsibilities.

At the same time, leadership is becoming less about authority and more about alignment, as organizations grow more cross functional and less hierarchical.

Across the data, one theme stands out: the shape of leadership has stretched faster than the structures designed to support it.

Key insights

• Leadership roles are expanding beyond structure 📈 71% of leaders report regularly performing work outside their formal responsibilities, reflecting growing role spillover across organizations

• Influence is replacing authority 🤝 69% of leaders spend at least half their time influencing without direct authority, signaling a shift toward alignment-driven leadership

• Preparedness gaps are significant 📉 Only 44% of leaders feel fully prepared for future demands, with mid-level leaders reporting the greatest development needs

• Human skills outweigh technical expertise 🧠 Communication, decision making, and emotional intelligence rank as more critical than AI or technical capabilities for leadership success

Read more: https://www.amanet.org/assets/1/6/Leadership_Development_in_a_Transforming_Workplace.pdf

🤖 66% of companies say AI is creating new roles and career paths

AI adoption has moved beyond experimentation, with organizations increasingly embedding it into core operations while shifting priorities toward financial outcomes over pure innovation.

Survey data from 1,000 engineers and executives shows a growing tension between efficiency goals and long-term innovation, alongside differing views on how AI success should be measured.

At the same time, AI is actively changing the shape of work, enabling higher-value tasks while reducing demand for routine skills and entry-level responsibilities.

Key insights

• AI adoption is accelerating globally 🌍 Countries like the U.S. and Germany saw sharp increases in extensive AI use, signaling a move beyond experimentation

• Business priorities are shifting 💰 66% of executives now prioritize financial goals over innovation, creating tension between efficiency and breakthrough thinking

• Leaders and engineers see AI value differently ⚖️ Executives focus more on operational gains while engineers prioritize long-term strategic improvements from AI

• Workforce transformation is already underway 🔄 72% say AI enables higher-value work, while 59% report reduced need for routine or entry-level skills

Read more: https://www.te.com/en/about-te/news-center/reports/industrial-technology-index/2026-report-state-of-innovation-industrial-tech.html