David Creelman

Dress codes start simple, perhaps just “Dress professionally based on the situation”. Sadly, they tend to grow into unwieldy, impractical, and unhelpful lists of detailed rules. Understanding why this happens provides a crucial insight into the nature of management.

Every few years, the conversation about worktime settles on a new ideal. Lately, the four-day workweek has become an appealing concept. The pitch is that people get the same amount done in fewer hours, employees are happier, and productivity rises. At the opposite end of the spectrum sits China’s infamous 996 schedule—9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week—roughly the equivalent of squeezing nine normal workdays into one week.

The hype about AI agents is both confusing and misleading. It helps to step back and ask a simple question: What do AI agents actually do? The answer: they automate tasks. AI—agents included—makes automation easier and cheaper. If something becomes easier and cheaper, we should expect (and want) more of it. That means HR professionals need to become skilled at automation. Hence the title: automation is the next big skill.