[21 SEP] Paper Cut - Carrots, Sticks, and Agentic HR

AI isn’t the story. Your operating model is. This week we break down agentic HR, augmentation without layoffs, and why carrots beat control.

This week’s Paper Cut slices through the spin to give HR and employer brand leaders the insight they actually need. No fluff, just facts.

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Agentic HR, Not Theatrical AI

https://www.forbes.com/sites/adrianbridgwater/2025/09/17/workday-tracks-evolution-of-human-agentic-resources/

https://hbr.org/2025/09/should-your-company-merge-its-chro-and-cto-roles

https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/salesforce-soften-blow-ai-jobs-21053239.php

https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/ai-is-changing-the-game-why-recruiters-need-to-think-like-consultants

https://aimagazine.com/news/workday-ai-research-reveals-enterprise-talent-drain-crisis

Productivity Without Pink Slips

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/17/duolingo-ceo-how-ai-makes-my-employees-more-productive-without-layoffs.html

https://www.reuters.com/technology/online-marketplace-fiverr-lay-off-30-workforce-ai-push-2025-09-15/

https://www.engadget.com/ai/fiverr-is-laying-off-250-employees-to-become-an-ai-first-company-215730063.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2025/09/14/small-business-technology-roundup-microsoft-copilot-does-not-improve-productivity-and-openai-makes-chatgpt-project-free/

https://fortune.com/2025/09/15/zoom-ceo-eric-yuan-three-day-workweek-ai-automation-human-jobs-replaced-future-of-work/

Carrots Beat Command-and-Control

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/17/amazon-invests-1-billion-to-raise-worker-pay-lower-health-care-costs.html

https://www.hrdive.com/news/most-workers-would-trade-salary-to-work-with-close-friends-kpmg-finds/760363/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/columnist/2025/09/16/how-to-overcome-overqualified-or-salary-range-biases-when-job-hunting/86120260007/

https://www.businessinsider.com/consulting-changes-workforce-impact-business-world

https://www.inc.com/phil-rosen/ai-outlook-labor-jobs-market-investing-career-engineers-artificial-intelligence-business/91240002

The Great Watchback

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/14/uk-firms-bossware-monitor-workers-activity

https://www.businessinsider.com/att-system-for-tracking-employees-rto-compliance-2025-9

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