Welcome to another roundup of news, research and insights from the world of talent, skills, learning and development

The rise of the CLO and why it matters

The World Economic Forum’s series Growth 2023 this week published its latest offering entitled: Q&A with two experts: The rise of the ‘Chief Learning Officer and why it matters. The expert CLOs, Max Wessel from SAP and Unilever’s Patrick Hull discuss the evolution of their roles. Read the Q&A here

BT announces up to 10,000 jobs to be replaced by AI

BT has revealed plans to reduce its workforce by as much as 55,000 by 2030, with more than 40% of its global employee base, including about 10,000 jobs replaced by artificial intelligence.

The telecoms company employs about 130,000 staff globally, with approximately 30,000 of those contractors through third parties, and has about 80,000 staff in the UK. BT said it intended to reduce its total workforce to about 75,000 to 90,000 between 2028 and 2030.

Commenting on the announcement BT CEO Philip Jansen said: “When we stop building the network, we won’t need that workforce. We will rely on a much smaller workforce and new networks [that] are much more efficient.” Read the full story from The Guardian

1 in 4 people reveal openly discussing mental health with their employers

The latest research from Nuffield Health’s 2023 Healthier Nation Index reveals mental health transparency at work is on the rise and now over quarter of workers feel comfortable openly discussing with their employers if they need time off due to poor mental health. Read the full report here

HR have the highest proportion of workers enthusiastic about their leadership

A new study on the highest and lowest leadership approval ratings across different industries, regions and cities in the UK according to their employee reviews on Glassdoor found that workers in Human Resources and Staffing are most likely to be extremely satisfied with their leadership teams, with 35.06% of all companies in this sector holding a 4.5* employee rating or higher for senior management. Read all the findings here

Unscheduled meetings with bosses keep workers awake on Sunday night

A new study by Currys reveals that over half of Brits suffer from pre-work anxiety, admitting to experiencing a phenomenon called the ‘Sunday Scaries.’ The study features a list of 12 pre-work horrors that workers go through, with almost a quarter of people getting anxious when they hear they have to go into the office. Read the full report here