Ditching the dedicated desk

Anna Kim

Say goodbye to dedicated desks and hello to collaborative workspaces.

More companies are ditching individual desks and embracing shared spaces, as 62% of employers are aiming for a ratio of 1.5 employees per desk, and the amount of individual workspaces has already decreased from 51% in 2021 to 40% in 2024, according to data from the commercial real estate company CBRE.

US companies are “way behind” other global employers in utilizing shared workspaces, said Kate Lister, principal at consulting firm Global Workplace Analytics. But with the prospect of shared workspaces cutting space and costs, and increasing collaboration, many employers finally see “what’s in it for me,” Lister told HR Brew.

Adding more shared or collaborative workspaces doesn’t mean companies have to eliminate dedicated desks entirely, and experts shared how optionality helps employees.

For more on how workspace variety can enhance a company’s culture, keep reading here.—MC

Presented By Paradox

No script, no filter

Just a convo with some of the very best in talent acquisition.

That’s what you get when you tune in to The Conversation from Paradox, where two top leaders talk all things TA.

The first episode of The Conversation features Hattie B’s Hot Chicken Director of Culture Lola Conway and Hamra Enterprises (Panera, Wendy’s, Noodles & Co.) SVP of HR Sonja Breuer chatting about all things tech, talent, culture, and…parachute pants? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

With about 250 restaurant locations and two big personalities between them, these leaders had a lot to talk about.

Hit play on the first episode of The Conversation.

RIF

Layoff stress skyrockets

Cagkansayin/Getty Images

Hearing constant layoff news can sometimes feel like a stressful dream you can’t wake up from.

And the stress might get worse as companies reach historic highs in workforce cutbacks. Intel’s recent announcement of a reduction-in-force (RIF) of up to 20% of its 109,000-person staff, or roughly 21,000 jobs, and UPS’s plans to cut 20,000 employees would make these RIFs among the largest in US history. The biggest RIFs typically have accompanied economic downturns, as when Citigroup laid off 50,000 employees in 2008, and Hewlett-Packard cut 27,000 jobs in 2012.

Economic fears loom large over a workforce that’s already seen 3.5 million layoffs or discharges so far in 2025.. HR Brew spoke with economists about what recent RIFs could signal about the labor market and how HR pros can navigate the year ahead.

“There is absolutely economic uncertainty right now. There are many different policies that are at play…that have a lot of people and companies rightfully taking an approach of, ‘Let’s just sit and wait, see what happens when the dust settles,’” Rachel Sederberg, senior economist at Lightcast, told HR Brew.

For more on ways HR can prepare for the range of potential economic outcomes, keep reading here.—MC

RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Unlocking AI’s value

An employee at an office desk with mouse clicker arrows pointing in different directions with highlighted text boxes.

Illustration: Anna Kim, Photo: Getty Images

AI overhype is real.

Business leaders have salivated over the possible transformations the technology can bring to their companies, and poured more than $1 trillion into generative AI investments. But one nagging challenge has emerged: leaders are failing to fully think through how to change their workforce amid this transformation, including how job tasks will get done, and the skills required of workers who complete them.

It’s a problem that’s preventing many organizations from seeing real value from AI investments, recent research from Accenture states. Only 36% of 3,450 C-suite leaders surveyed by the consulting giant have scaled generative AI solutions within their organization, and only 13% have gotten real value from those solutions, per a report released last month.

Karalee Close, global lead for the talent and organization practice at Accenture, told HR Brew that the difficulty for most organizations is being able to make whatever big ideas arise actually work as a practical matter.

For more on how HR pros can use AI more effectively, keep reading here.—PM

Together With Noom

What the heck is GLP-1? You’ve probably heard the term “GLP-1” dozens of times, with little concrete info outlining what it can do within your employee benefits package. We teamed up with Noom to design this explainer all about Noom Med, GLP-1s, and what your org should consider within a health benefits package.

WORK PERKS

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: One-third of a US adult’s life is spent with work colleagues, often more time than with their families. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, people with strong workplace relationships are more likely (83%) to have increased motivation. (Inc.)

Quote: “This is not a drill, this is not a blip. Right now, I think the pendulum is shifted back to the bosses being able to call the shots.”—Greg Stoller, a Boston University lecturer, on how employers hold the bargaining power in the labor market (WSOC-TV)

Read: Employees want to work “micro-shifts,” or six-hour stints of working at a time. (Forbes)

24/7 hiring: 54% of restaurant candidates apply after hours. So how are you supposed to reach them? Get the National Restaurant Association’s Workforce Technology Report to find out + learn other recruitment and retention strategies.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

JOBS

Looking for a job where your values and skills are understood? CollabWORK links you with roles curated within trusted communities, from niche Slack workspaces to industry newsletters like HR Brew. Discover new opportunities without the job-board fatigue—join CollabWORK today, or click here to browse jobs chosen for HR Brew readers.

Human Resource Business Partner at Centific (hybrid)
Talent Acquisition Manager at an undisclosed organization (hybrid)
Vice President of Talent & Workforce Experience at AHRC Nassau (in person)

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