The latest L&D news, reports, research and updates, personally compiled by TJ’s Editor, Jo Cook. This week: AI skills framework, the hidden productivity drain of noisy offices, Britain’s leave guilt problem, Gen Z migration rising fast, ‘AI zombie’ thinking risks, plus updates on conferences and Martin Couzins’ L&D barcamp event.
LinkedIn shares tips on using articles to enhance engagement
In terms of content strategy, LinkedIn shared four key tips:
- Deliver valuable insights and data: LinkedIn users respond to original data and insights, which can help solidify content notes
- Build an ongoing audience with newsletters: LinkedIn said that interest in its newsletters is growing and creators can tap into this to build an engaged audience
- Make content readable and easy to consume: LinkedIn suggested including “skimmable” sections and a “TL;DR” recap to pull readers in and highlight important messages
- Highlight executive thought leadership: Finally, LinkedIn said the use of experts and trusted voices can help to build credibility
CFO Insights: Finance moves to the centre of digital risk
This CFO Insights research report explores how the CFO role is evolving—and the concrete actions finance leaders are taking to protect their organizations, unlock value from AI, and strengthen their authority in the boardroom.
- Why cybersecurity is now the #1 external risk for CFOs—and how finance is becoming accountable for digital resilience.
- How “shadow AI” is increasing cyber exposure, often without finance leaders realizing it.
- How data issues are widening the gap between CEO expectations and finance’s ability to drive growth.
- Which digital, analytical, and cybersecurity skills finance teams urgently need to stay competitive.
WRITER survey finds 60% of companies plan to lay off employees who won’t adopt AI
WRITER, the leading AI agent platform for the enterprise, announced the release of its second annual AI survey: AI Adoption in the Enterprise. The study, conducted in partnership with independent research firm Workplace Intelligence, surveyed 2,400 global employees and C-suite leaders using AI at work.
The report examines the very real obstacles companies continue to face as they implement generative and agentic AI. In fact, 79% of executives acknowledge struggling with issues like lagging ROI, strategy gaps, and internal power struggles. The pressure is felt most acutely at the top, with 38% of CEOs reporting a high or crippling amount of stress around AI strategy. And it’s not just their companies on the line — 64% of CEOs fear they could lose their job if they fail to lead their organization through the AI transition.
Employees say AI does more harm than good
Worker sentiment reversed course from a year ago when it came to the benefits of artificial intelligence, according to the results of a survey by national nonprofit Jobs for the Future. Whereas last year, a greater share of workers said that AI does more good than harm, the opposite is now true, per JFF. Of the more than 3,000 people surveyed, 44% said the technology is a net negative related to finding a job, establishing wealth and achieving quality of life, and 38% said it was a net positive.
AI skills for business competency framework
The AI Skills for Business Competency Framework has been developed to provide a structured understanding of the skills needed across the workforce. It offers a clear, role-aligned articulation of the knowledge, skills, and behaviours required for responsible and effective AI engagement across the workplace and wider society. The framework is designed to support organisations, educators, and policymakers in planning capability development, informing curriculum design, guiding organisational governance, and targeting professional training.
Employees lose more than three weeks a year to noisy offices
New research from Oscar Acoustics, Great Britain’s leading specialists in architectural acoustic finishes, reveals an overlooked culprit: office noise levels. Staff report losing an average of 26 minutes of productive time daily due to noise, amounting to over three working weeks annually. And the impact doesn’t stop there; nearly half of employees (44%) say their work quantity and quality within a typical month are hampered by their offices being too loud.
The 2026 Annual Leave Report: The Great British no-break
Timetastic believe work shouldn’t be a marathon of endurance. To understand the current state of rest, they surveyed members of the public to find out what they really think about annual leave. The result shows a workforce struggling with “leave guilt”, heavy workloads, and a looming burnout crisis.
- 21% of Brits are not taking advantage of their full annual leave from work
- Over a quarter (28%) had on average about 1-5 days of holiday left to take
- One in nine (11%) felt pressure not to take leave, citing workload and guilt as main reasons
New research reveals a generational confidence crisis as under-35s look overseas for opportunity and stability
The Great Gen Z Exodus report by The TEFL Academy reveals that Britons are no longer waiting until their 30s to leave, they’re doing it in their 20s, in record numbers, as economic pressure and shifting career priorities reshape life decisions.
In June 2025, departures among those aged 20–29 reached 130,000–140,000, significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels of around 92,000–95,000 in 2018, while emigration among those in their early 30s has fallen from around 78,000–81,000 in 2018 to 55,000–65,000 in 2025 over the same period (ONS).
Together, this points to a clear shift towards earlier, opportunity-driven migration, with young professionals choosing to build their futures abroad sooner rather than later. This marks a fundamental shift in when Britons choose to leave the UK, with migration decisions happening earlier in life than ever before.
The AI zombie apocalypse at work
Over 75% of knowledge workers already use AI tools at work, signalling a profound shift in how work gets done. But when does augmentation tip into overreliance? Critical thinking is already in decline, with 60% of employers globally reporting it as a key skills gap.
Innovation, insight and industry leaders to unite at HR Technologies UK 2026
HR Technologies UK has revealed new details for its 2026 event, which will return to Excel London on 29-30 April 2026 for its biggest edition yet. Bringing together senior HR and talent leaders from across the UK and beyond, the event will deliver two days of industry insight, innovation and practical solutions shaping the future of work.
As the UK’s only tech-focused event dedicated to senior HR and People professionals, HR Technologies UK continues to spotlight the tools, ideas and partnerships transforming how organisations attract, develop and support their workforces.
Learning Technologies 2026 seminar programme published
The programme features more than 200 seminars taking place across 12 theatres and two Bitesize Learning Zones on the exhibition floor. Sessions will run every 45 minutes, offering visitors a wide range of opportunities to explore current themes and tailor their experience across the two-day event.
Learning Technologies barcamp 2026 explores the shift from content to capability
The eleventh edition of the informal fringe event will look at how AI is helping L&D focus on capability building at scale. The Learning Technologies barcamp returns for its tenth year, bringing together learning professionals to discuss one of the hottest topics in L&D: the shift from content to capability.
Hosted just ten minutes from the main conference venue by Martin Couzins, this free fringe event promises practical insights from learning leaders and an informal setting where learning professionals can debate, challenge and connect.
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