Career Catfishing Is Everywhere

Hey HR Pros!

We’ve all seen job descriptions that sound too good to be true — and sometimes, they are. But what happens when the illusion runs both ways?

In this issue, we’re digging into a workplace trend that’s as uncomfortable as it is widespread: career catfishing. From exaggerated résumés to employers overselling roles, this mutual misrepresentation is quietly shaping today’s hiring landscape — and not in a good way.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 🎭️ New Data | 79% of Workers Were Misled — Career Catfishing Is Everywhere

• 👀 HR Learnings | Surveillance Fatigue: Why AT&T Is Dialing Back on Tracking

• 🎙️ Today’s Featured Podcast: How Coca-Cola is Making Their People Strategy Build the Business

• ⏳ What’s Your Take? AI Is Coming for Your Fridays

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• Unpacking Amazon’s Pay Raises and Updated Benefits for Workers

• 4 key findings from the 28th Annual HR Systems Survey

🎭️ New Data | 79% of Workers Were Misled — Career Catfishing Is Everywhere

From exaggerated job perks to overhyped roles that unravel within weeks, the hiring process has quietly become a game of smoke and mirrors — and most are falling for it.

Monster’s 2025 “Career Catfishing” poll reveals just how blurred the line between truth and presentation has become in modern recruitment, with consequences that ripple across teams, morale, and retention.

Here’s what stood out:

Key Data Insights

• 🔍 79% of workers admit they’ve been “catfished” into a job — the role didn’t match the recruiter’s pitch, especially around duties and culture.

• 🎭 13% of employees admit to exaggerating their résumés — including inflating responsibilities, skills, or even education credentials to land a role.

• 📉 Nearly 7 in 10 workers believe a colleague lied to get hired — yet 85% agree career catfishing is morally wrong, revealing a double standard at play.

• 🚪 2.1% monthly quit rate in 2024 signals misaligned expectations — workers are still walking away when jobs don’t match what was promised.

read the full 548-word article here

👀 HR Learnings | Surveillance Fatigue: Why AT&T Is Dialing Back on Tracking

Companies are walking a fine line between accountability and overreach — and AT&T just blinked. After months of internal tension, the telecom giant is rolling back its attendance tracking system, which used everything from badge scans to network data to confirm if employees were “present.”

Here’s how it unfolded and why the move is making waves far beyond AT&T:

• 📉 Employees pushed back hard — internal surveys showed workers felt the systems didn’t support their performance, and frustration was boiling over.

• 🧠 The system wasn’t accurate — unreliable data added fuel to employee dissatisfaction, undermining the whole point of the monitoring.

• 🔐 Tracking included mobile data and laptop connections — a multi-layered surveillance approach that many workers saw as invasive and rigid.

• ⚖️ Ethics and trust are the new battleground — companies like AT&T must now weigh the cost of control against long-term employee morale and retention.

read the full 782-word article here

😄 Comic Relief (HR Edition)

🎙️ Today’s Featured Podcast: How Coca-Cola is Making Their People Strategy Build the Business

☕️ Grab a cup of coffee and plug in to today’s featured podcast:

⏳ What’s Your Take? AI Is Coming for Your Fridays

The math is starting to make sense — if AI tools can save hours of work every week, what’s stopping us from rethinking the workweek entirely?

In a conversation about AI’s growing presence in the workplace, several top tech leaders are starting to entertain a future where three- or four-day weeks aren’t just a dream, but an operational reality.

Key Insights

• 🗓 Zoom’s CEO believes AI could make 3- or 4-day workweeks viable — citing AI’s ability to handle tasks like note-taking and entry-level coding.

• ⏱ Thomson Reuters predicts up to 12 hours saved weekly per worker — potentially freeing up 200–600 hours per year with AI assistance.

• 🤖 Even Bill Gates and Nvidia’s CEO are on board — both have publicly suggested AI may reshape work schedules and job structures.

• 💼 AI is already saving employees 1–2 hours a day — according to Adecco Group data, boosting efficiency in both remote and in-office roles.

read the full 587-word article here