Good Morning
intelligence briefing
Friday, September 4, 2026
Workplace news you didn’t know you needed.
FC
Fast Company yesterday

The ‘Great Flattening’ rolls on as Uber lays off middle managers

Uber's middle manager layoffs accelerate the 'Great Flattening' trend reshaping organizational structure across industries.

HBR
Harvard Business Review 14h ago

Spot Toxic Leadership Traits in an Interview

HBR identifies interview signals that reveal toxic leadership before a bad hire is made.

FC
Fast Company 5h ago

Your AI strategy has an employee problem

Leaders rolling out AI without employee buy-in are stalling adoption and damaging internal trust.

i
Inc. 6h ago

75% of Workers Say Projects Stall When a Key Colleague Takes PTO. That’s a Leadership Problem

Three-quarters of workers say projects stall during colleague PTO, signaling a systemic leadership accountability gap.

WSJ
The Wall Street Journal 13h ago

Former Labor Secretary Oversaw a ‘Toxic, Intimidating’ Workplace, Report Finds

A government workplace toxicity report illustrates how leadership behavior becomes a public reputation crisis.

i
Inc. yesterday

CEOs Need to Stop Bragging About 4 A.M. Alarm Clocks—Here’s Why

Executives who brag about extreme schedules undermine credibility and team trust, research shows.

WSJ
The Wall Street Journal yesterday

Corporate America Is Axing the ‘Micro-Team’ Boss

Companies are eliminating small-team middle managers, reshaping how leadership layers actually function.

HR
theHRDIRECTOR 8h ago

Accent anxiety is yet another barrier blocking recruits

Accent bias is quietly filtering out qualified candidates, creating both equity risk and talent pipeline damage.

A
Ask a Manager 2d ago

how can I encourage my staff to bring me complaints?

Ask a Manager offers concrete tactics for creating the psychological safety employees need to surface complaints.

SR
MIT Sloan Mgmt Review 4d ago

A Compelling Story Can Disarm Even a Skeptical Negotiator

Research shows a compelling narrative can shift even resistant negotiators, a direct executive skill.

M
McKinsey 7d ago

The new management playbook for AI: How to move faster and create more value

McKinsey's new AI management playbook outlines how executives can accelerate value without losing control.

F
Fortune 3d ago

EY is dangling bonuses of up to $25,000 for workers who prove their human skills still matter in the age of AI

EY offers up to $25,000 in bonuses to reward employees who demonstrate human skills AI cannot replace.

FT
Financial Times 8d ago

Junior consultants called back to office as AI increases need for human skills

Consulting firms return junior staff to offices as AI raises demand for human skills leaders must cultivate.

HR
theHRDIRECTOR 14d ago

5 Ways to Make Office Days More Meaningful for Employees

Research-backed strategies help executives make in-office days genuinely worthwhile rather than obligatory and resented.

HBR
Harvard Business Review 16d ago

AI Is Undermining Leaders’ Judgment. Here’s What to Do About It.

HBR finds AI tools are eroding executive judgment and offers concrete practices to reclaim decision-making authority.

SR
MIT Sloan Mgmt Review 17d ago

What Gets Your Best Employees to Stay

MIT Sloan research identifies what actually keeps top employees from leaving, with direct retention implications.

PR
PRWeek 17d ago

How QVC kept its cool after a live TV mishap

QVC's live TV mishap response offers a replicable model for calm, credible crisis communications in real time.

A
Ask a Manager 30d ago

telling two employees they didn’t get a promotion but their coworker did

Handling promotion denials well requires specific messaging discipline that most managers underestimate.

M
McKinsey 35d ago

Is the AI productivity story at a turning point?

McKinsey examines whether AI productivity gains are finally materializing at organizational scale.

F
Fortune 53d ago

Chipotle’s COO takes employees to dinner every week to spot his next leaders—here are the 4 traits he’s seeking

Chipotle's COO uses weekly team dinners to identify leadership potential through four observable traits.