🎧 Inside Spotify HR: A 24/7 HR bot launched in late 2025

Hey HR Pros!

What happens when HR leads with creativity instead of caution? At Spotify, that question is being answered in real time.

From automating HR tasks to launching live-event perks and turning AI learning into company-wide culture, Spotify’s HR strategy offers a clear takeaway: future readiness starts with fearless HR.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 🛑 1 in 3 workers surveyed feared surveillance data would be used to deny benefits, promotions, or justify terminations

• 🏢 The RTO Reality Check: 57% said flexible hours would boost quality of life

• 🧠 Advice from the Top: How Gen Z can navigate AI and the entry-level squeeze

• 🎧 Inside Spotify HR: A 24/7 HR bot launched in late 2025

Start the New Year with Free Expert HR Tech Guidance + $100 Gift Card

Start the new year by making smarter HR tech decisions instead of guessing your way through them! Book a free call with our HR Tech Advisor to get clear, unbiased guidance on the right HR tech for your 2026 priorities.

How it works: Share your goals, budget, and challenges, and walk away with a curated shortlist that actually makes sense for your team in the year ahead.

New year offer: Complete the calls with your matched HR vendors and get a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you from the SSR team.

Terms: No purchase necessary. The above offer is for HR leaders in the US, Canada, and other qualifying geographies working at >25 employee count companies who are in market to purchase a new HR software in the next 6 months and want help shortlisting the right vendors for their organization. Referrals qualify for a reward if we are able to introduce them to an HR software vendor.

 📰 Latest in HR News

• Trump can order employers to pay extra H-1B fee, court holds

• A new California law gives the state more power over workplaces. Trump is suing to block it

• EEOC says Wendy’s used ‘no restrictions’ rule to fire manager

• Is Microsoft preparing for mass layoffs in 2026?

🛑 1 in 3 workers surveyed feared surveillance data would be used to deny benefits, promotions, or justify terminations

Source

I’ve seen how digital surveillance is less about Orwellian control, more about optimization and oversight. But the line between support and stress is blurring fast. A recent federal review draws a nuanced picture: some tools help keep employees safe, while others may inadvertently drive them toward burnout, injury, or even discrimination.

Researchers dug into 122 studies and interviewed 11 organizations, uncovering how much depends on how employers use surveillance, not just that they do.

Key Insights for HR Leaders

• 🚨 36 studies show wearables can detect early warning signs like cardiac issues, but 4 studies also found injury risks rise when speed-based metrics are enforced

• 😰 6 studies tied lack of transparency to higher employee stress and anxiety, while 8 studies link continuous tracking to higher depression rates

• ⚖️ 7 stakeholders said emotional AI tools misidentify negative emotions in racial minorities, and 5 studies found surveillance hurt promotion opportunities for women

• 🛑 1 in 3 workers surveyed feared surveillance data would be used to deny benefits, promotions, or justify terminations, with little to no human oversight

🔗 read the full 770-word article here

🏢 The RTO Reality Check: 57% said flexible hours would boost quality of life

In 2026, return-to-office (RTO) policies are less a debate and more a defined structure. But while many companies lock in hybrid mandates, employees remain firmly attached to the idea of flexibility, not just in where they work, but in how and when they do it.

Key Takeaways for HR Teams

• 📊 65% of employees ranked work-life balance as their top workplace priority, even though salary remains the #1 reason for job switches.

• 🕓 57% said flexible hours would boost quality of life, but only 49% had access to such arrangements—revealing a clear gap in delivery.

• 🌿 Office design matters: employees flagged acoustics, air quality, thermal comfort, and greenery as key to improving in-office experience.

• ⚠️ Hybrid “creep” is a real concern, as workers fear gradual rollbacks of flexibility without transparent planning or meaningful office improvements.

🔗 read the full 770-word article here

HR LOLs

🧠 Advice from the Top: How Gen Z Can Navigate AI and the Entry-Level Squeeze

Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan isn’t sugarcoating what Gen Z is up against—intense job competition, slower hiring, and a wave of AI automation reshaping entry-level roles. But instead of offering comfort, he’s offering a challenge: adapt fast, learn AI, and take control of your future.

CEO-to-Gen Z: Key Lessons for HR Leaders

• 📉 “They’re scared.” Moynihan said new hires openly admit anxiety about AI—and 200,000 applicants for 2,000 jobs show why.

• 🤖 “Use AI, don’t fear it.” His advice is simple: AI isn’t going away. Learn it, leverage it, and you won’t be replaced by it.

• 📊 “Entry-level jobs are evolving.” At firms like McKinsey, AI now handles slide decks and proposals—tasks that once taught juniors key skills.

• 📉 “Hiring is tight, not firing.” Powell notes low churn overall, but new grads are getting squeezed out—down 25% at big tech from 2023 to 2024.

🔗 read the full 680-word article here

🎧 Inside Spotify HR: A 24/7 HR bot launched in late 2025

With a decade at Spotify, Anna Lundström is spearheading a future-forward HR approach centered on experimentation, trust, and innovation. Whether it’s launching internal AI festivals, rolling out a live-events benefit, or automating HR admin through bots, she’s helping Spotify evolve with speed—while staying deeply human.

What Spotify's HR Chief Is Building for the Future

• 🤖 AI as a team sport: Spotify’s AI Momentum Programme brings leaders together monthly to steer transformation; all employees joined hands-on AI training via Hack Week and a month-long AI Learning Festival.

• 🧠 No more manual tasks: A 24/7 HR bot launched in late 2025 to handle common queries—freeing HR to focus on coaching and strategy.

• 🎟️ Live Mix, launching Jan 2026: A new benefit reimbursing employees for live concerts and fitness events, designed to boost connection in a digital-first world.

• 🧩 Work From Anywhere lives on: Spotify’s flexible model, built back in 2021, continues today—driven by creativity, trust, and a willingness to challenge standard playbooks.

🔗 read the full 1,200-word article here