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California this week passed a law banning employers in the state from solely using artificial intelligence to dismiss or discipline workers. The SB 947 law, dubbed the No Robo Bosses Act, prevents businesses around the state from exclusively using “automated decision-making systems” in matters of employee discipline and termination. It also sets out to restrict their capacity to use AI as a tool in such decisions. The law stipulates that businesses must now have a human reviewer corroborate decisions made by AI using managerial evaluations, peer reviews, and personnel files. Employees will have to be provided with written notice that AI was “primarily used” in their termination or disciplinary decision, a description of the employee data used by the system, and a human point of contact who can further explain the decision. AI and labour market UK needs contingency plan for mass job losses caused by AI ‘Back humans and tax robots’ says Reed boss ILO urges human focus to mitigate impact of AI California state senator Jerry McNerney, the bill’s author, told broadcaster CNBC: “No worker should ever be fired or disciplined by a machine, AI or not. Artificial intelligence systems have the potential to boost productivity, but they’ve also made errors and misjudgments and exhibited bias.” McNerney, a Democrat, first introduced the act in 2025, following a concerted push by unions. Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, AFL-CIO and lead sponsor of the

World of Learning returns to the NEC Birmingham on 6 & 7 October 2026, welcoming visitors to a free Exhibition of over 70 seminars & live sessions and 150+ suppliers, alongside two days of case studies, panel debates and workshops in the Conference. The Exhibition: free to attend, packed with content World of Learning’s free Exhibition runs alongside the ticketed Conference across both days, with its own full programme of seminars, roundtables, interactive features and networking opportunities, plus the chance to meet 150+ leading L&D suppliers and explore the latest solutions, technologies, and programmes. Keynote: Alex Brooker The Exhibition’s main stage keynote is a fireside chat with presenter and reporter Alex Brooker, best known for co-hosting Channel 4’s The Last Leg and its Paralympic sport coverage. Alex will be in conversation with Pash Reddy, Senior Director – Global Head of Learning, S&P Global, on Wednesday 7 October, 14:15–15:00 on the Main Stage. It’s free to attend for all visitors. 70+ free seminars across five theatres Across the two days, five seminar theatres run continuously with no booking required. Highlights include Adam Stanbury (CIPD) and Dave Buglass (JPMorgan Chase) on AI, learning and organisational capability; Nick Gonios (TalentLMS) on orchestrating high-performance ecosystems in the age of AI; Dominic Ashley-Timms (Notion-STAR® Manager) on leadership transformation ROI; and Erica Farmer, author of AI for People Professionals, on how HR can resh

World of Learning returns to NEC Birmingham on 6-7 October 2026, welcoming visitors to a free exhibition and over 70 seminars. The post World of Learning: The essential event for the L&D community appeared first on Personnel Today .

An independent review into the hotel chain Travelodge has recommended a more embedded training model and enhanced security for employees and customers. Paul Greaney KC was commissioned to lead a review into the company after a serious sexual assault took place at a hotel in Maidenhead in 2022. The assault occurred after a member of staff handed the perpetrator a copy of the victim’s room key, and prompted further reports of security failings at the chain. Its chief executive resigned in August. Greaney said that Travelodge’s failings were “extremely serious and rest principally with the organisation, rather than with any individual [member of staff]”. Since March 2026, he noted that a number of changes to policies and procedures had been made to improve the safety of guests, and that the company had “genuinely sought to change and improve”. Hospitality industry Hospitality urged to address impact of ‘unfairness and exclusion’ Hospitality and retail pay lagging behind new living wage This included a new key security policy and an e-learning programme training staff on how this policy should be enforced. All 12,000 staff who deal with the public at Travelodge had undertaken the training, the review found, but there was a “major issue” with the extent to which his training had been embedded. Improved incident reporting mechanisms had been mostly successful, it added, but audits of staff knowledge on security could be improved. Greaney found that at the time of the incident and a

An independent review into the hotel chain Travelodge has recommended a more embedded training model and enhanced security for employees and customers. The post Travelodge review presses for better staff training appeared first on Personnel Today .

Is the fact that we can spend a week arguing over whether it’s appropriate or not to take an iced coffee into a job interview a healthy thing or a sign that HR is eating itself? Adam McCulloch continues his series of lighthearted takes on the news in the recruitment arena. You may have noticed an “HR” story dominating downpage headlines online and in print over the past week. No, it wasn’t the latest thought of Alan Milburn about Neets (they are coming thick and fast) or a sensationalist employment tribunal (take your pick: “ She fell asleep in a sauna! ” “ She made sexual overtures to colleagues! ” “ He got £10k for calling his colleague a lazy bastard! ”). No, while the drought goes on, diesel hits £2 a litre and Man City risk expulsion from the Premier League, the HR world was embroiled in a debate over iced coffee. It seems the story has been pounced on by every media outlet on planet Earth. The BBC (Could an iced coffee freeze you out of the job market?), the New York Times (How Iced Coffee Sparked a Generational Debate), and Forbes (What The Viral Iced Coffee Job Interview Debate Says About Changing Workplace Norms) are among the many who jumped in. And now Personnel Today is too! You’re someone who popped out for fish food and bananas, then made a quick pit stop to get hired as an executive vice president at Citibank” – Brian Phillips, The Ringer So what’s our hot take? Or actually, ice-cold take. On 16 September, a TikTok user named Caitlin Wehniainen posted a video u

Tuesday 6 October, 2:00pm BST With only weeks left until the ‘all reasonable steps’ standard under the Employment Rights Act comes into force on 30 October, now is the time to take a highly practical approach to understanding and mitigating sexual harassment risks in the workplace. This Personnel Today webinar, in association with learning provider VinciWorks, will examine various harassment scenarios across office-based, hospitality and customer-facing workplaces. Our experts will consider what an employer should do at each stage, what could go wrong, and how the organisation could demonstrate that it had taken reasonable preventative and responsive steps. Register now Personnel Today editor Rob Moss is joined by VinciWorks experts Nick Henderson-Mayo , head of compliance, and Naomi Grossman , compliance manager, to bring practical insights from managing sexual harassment risks across a range of sites and working environments. We will also hear from Joanna Lewis , managing director of independent whistleblowing service Safecall, which supports organisations to build healthy, speak-up cultures. Register now to learn: Practical case studies across various work and social settings, including alcohol, third-party harassment, inappropriate behaviour and conduct outside normal working hours How managers should respond when concerns are raised informally, or the individual does not want to make a formal complaint When a situation should trigger an investigation, risk assessment or

6 October 2026 | Register now for our webinar on understanding reasonable steps against sexual harassment. The post Preventing sexual harassment in practice: Understanding risks and reasonable steps (Tuesday webinar) appeared first on Personnel Today .

The government is considering scrapping the health element of Universal Credit, which is £217 a month, in order to offer more intensive support to help them into work. The support would include subsidised jobs, back-to-work schemes and mental health support in proposals first reported by The Guardian. A government source said, referring to former minister Alan Milburn’s forthcoming review of worklessness and economic inactivity among young people: “We will be bringing forward a comprehensive package of support and reform to tackle the scandal of a million young people not in education, employment or training. The details are yet to be decided, but we are committed to enabling work and opportunity, while always protecting those unable to work.” Young people and work Burnham pledges ‘right support for young people’ CIPD calls for ‘apprenticeship guarantee’ to tackle Neets crisis Action urged to help ‘hidden’ Neets into work Milburn’s interim report , published in May, found that for every £1 spent on employment support, £25 was spent on benefit payments. He has said the UK needs to take a “tough love” approach by giving young people on benefits greater employment support in exchange for a “duty to engage”. Those comments were echoed by the Conservative Party’s shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately this week. Milburn said last month that those on health and disability benefits who were capable of working – particularly those with conditions such as mild ADHD and anxie

The government is considering scrapping the health element of universal credit, which is £217 a month, in order to offer more intensive support to help them into work. The post ‘Tough love’ as ministers moot cutting health element of UC appeared first on Personnel Today .

Tuesday 20 October 2026, 11:00am BST With financial wellbeing high on the agenda for employers and employees alike, how can businesses offer benefits that genuinely make a difference? Electric cars through salary sacrifice not only provide a tangible financial benefit, but also give employees an opportunity to drive a vehicle that may otherwise be beyond their reach. Register now This Personnel Today webinar, in association with Tusker, explores how electric car salary sacrifice helps employers and employees unlock meaningful savings, while benefiting from built-in lifestyle protections that provide reassurance when life takes an unexpected turn. Editor Rob Moss is joined by Liane Richardson , HR director at the housebuilder Thakeham, and Ali Argall , business development and client retention director at Tusker, to discuss why the most valued benefits today aren’t just about saving money, but helping people feel supported, confident and able to enjoy more of what matters. Register now to learn: How electric car salary sacrifice can drive savings for your organisation and its staff How it can improve employee retention How built-in lifestyle protections help reduce employer risk while providing employees with peace of mind during life-changing events Why electric car salary sacrifice is becoming a strategic benefit for enhancing employee wellbeing and engagement. This 60-minute webinar comprises a panel discussion and audience Q&A. Register for our electric car salary sacrific

20 October 2026 | Register now for our webinar exploring how electric car salary sacrifice helps employers and employees unlock meaningful savings. The post How EV salary sacrifice drives employee retention (webinar) appeared first on Personnel Today .