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HELLLOOOO from the other side.

The other side is me being OOO today. Well… it’s Labor Day so many folks are!

If you’re not off, rest assured I have some things to keep you occupied today like:

🎧 A fresh episode of the I Hate it Here pod. Tameka Allen joins me to dig into how sometimes work isn’t set up to support those who are neurodiverse and what to do about it.

📺 It’s a new month so mark your cal for the next session of HR Therapy. I’m calling this one Tech Stack Therapy because we’ve all had that moment where we question our system choices. So I’m going to get into how to figure out when its time patch things up or call it quits and what to do about it.

🏙️ Are you coming to the Safe Space Summit?? October 23rd I’m getting together 100 People leaders to work together on the toughest challenges we’re facing. This event is unlike anything you’ve ever attended! Think: less panels and word soup answers and more actionable items, great intel and connections that will last forever. Apply for a spot and hopefully i’ll see you there.

Now, onto today… Labor Day now & then.

Starting with then!

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SPECIAL EDITION

Labor Day Then vs Now:

Fun fact: Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894.

The times were DEF different then.

Here’s what the U.S. was up against in 1894:

A major economic depression, the Panic of 1893, triggered by excessive railroad debt, oversupply of silver, and a run on gold reserves.
Mass unemployment, wage cuts, and financial instability that left millions struggling to survive.
The Second Industrial Revolution in full swing. Steel, electricity, and mass production were transforming how (and where) people worked.
Railroads, steel, coal, and manufacturing dominated the labor market, with millions packed into unsafe factories and mines.
Rapid urbanization and mass immigration fueled the workforce, but also created overcrowding and political unrest.
Worker VS employer clashes were routine, with strikes often ending in violence as labor fought for basic rights.

Workers in 1894 faced:

Grueling 12-hour workdays (!!!!)
Six-day workweeks with little to no rest
Dangerous, unsafe conditions in factories, railroads, and mines
Virtually no legal protections for hours, pay, or safety
No minimum wage to guarantee fair earnings
No child labor laws, leaving kids in the workforce
No national safety standards to prevent injury or death
Labor organizing often met with force or violence

It was in this climate that Labor Day was established in 1894 and was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland just days after the violent Pullman Strike, which left dozens of workers dead. I dug into the history of Labor Day in a previous edition, so if that history intrigues you... read more here!

The holiday was meant as a concession to the labor groups and reform didn’t actually come quickly... It took decades of strikes, union organizing, and public pressure before things like the eight-hour workday, child labor laws, and national safety standards became workers’ reality.

Labor Day, then, was just the beginning of a long struggle to secure even the most basic worker protections.

So, where does that leave us now?

Now

^^ 10 points to you if you remember who played her younger self in the flashback…

Let’s get into Now That’s What I Call Work ‘25. IYKYK.

Here’s what the U.S. is up against now:

A tight labor market with low unemployment, but also widening income inequality and a growing gap between executive pay and worker wages.
The rise of tech, healthcare, retail, and service industries, while traditional manufacturing has shrunk. We’ve shifted to more knowledge work now.
A gig economy that is reshaping what it even means to be an “employee” and participation in the workforce.
Automation and AI are creating both opportunity and anxiety about the future of jobs. There will be jobs that no longer exist in the future…
During COVID the boundary between work and life all but disappeared and workers continue to ask for benefits that prioritize mental health, flexibility, and equity.
Federal protections like the Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA, and anti-discrimination laws exist BUT patchwork coverage across states and loopholes can leave many workers unprotected.
A resurgence of labor organizing from baristas to warehouse employees to tech workers pushing for fair pay, union rights, and workplace dignity. Record high strikes in 2023 and more than average in the 21st century in 2024!

Workers today face:

Pressure from always-on work cultures and burnout
Wage stagnation despite rising costs of living
Job insecurity tied to automation, AI, and global competition
Benefits and protections that vary widely depending on employer or state
Pushback or union-busting when attempting to organize

Look, we’ve come a long way since 1894, but in the spirit of Labor Day, the work is far from finished.

Yes, gone are the 12-hour factory shifts, but today’s workers are facing new and unique challenges like rapid change, job insecurity, burnout, and inequity.

📣 The call is the same as it was then; we need workplaces where employees can thrive, not just survive.

✨ And HR has to be at the center of designing them. ✨

I hope this was a rallying cry and reminder that there is so much potential out there for HR. We don’t have to do things like we’ve always done them, we don’t have to build processes that don’t work, and we don’t have to treat employees poorly.

We can design something better.

❤️ Thank you for reading today and thank you for all that you do to build better workplaces.

I see you.

Next week:

Over the last three years of writing I Hate it Here I’ve had LOTS of thoughts and I’ve said LOTS of things.

Next week is the 3 year anniversary of writing this lil newsletter and I thought it was time for a retrospective.

A now and then but I Hate it Here focused.

Stay tuned for more!

(HUMAN) RESOURCES

Managers oversee bigger teams now
Apparently women are slower to adopt AI at work
Higher prices for home staples
Ghost job ads

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

📚 What I’m reading: Katabasis by R.F. Kuang. I’ll read anything she writes. You better believe I had this pre-ordered!!! If you haven’t read anything by her yet please pick up Yellowface because that kept me up ALL NIGHT reading. I couldn’t put it down. Her newest book Katabasis features two graduate students traveling to hell to save their professor. Obvi, I’m sat for this.
📺 What I’m watching: The Babysitters Club Movie. I’m feeling a bit of nostalgia for early 90s movies. And this one is one of my faves! I loved the books but the movie hits different with this killer cast. My sister and I used to just scream at each other SIXTEEN? YOU’RE ONLY SIXTEEN?? IYKYK. I always was a Stacey stan.
🍪 What I’m obsessing over: I’m on a cannoli kick. But you know I’m gluten free so here’s the deal I have a fave bakery in the area that makes them gluten free but IM GONNA LEARN TO MAKE THEM MYSELF. Stay tuned! I used to be a stress baker but it’s been a minute since I’ve whipped up a batch of anything.

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SONG OF THE WEEK

🎧 Thnks fr th Mmrs, Fall Out Boy

You know at my core I'm an emo punk girly. What can I say I got A WHOLE LOTTA EMOTIONS!!!!

If you’ve missed this fact, stream my screaming into the void playlist.

I’m LOOOVING this reemergence bands like All American Rejects, Boys Like Girls, Cartel (The Jonas Brothers brought them out!!!), and The Starting Line. For me, they never left my ears.

Infinity on High (this album) is one of my few no skips albums and is tied for my fave FOB album with From Under the Cork Tree. I find myself bopping between these two albums quite a bit. The lyricism is unlike anything out there. Quips and witty things that don’t even hit until much later.

“The best part of believe is the lie.” LIKE COME ONNNN.

Anyways, if you need me I’ll be screaming into the void. Hope to hear you screaming back at me. <333

That's all for this week! I hope you enjoyed this, please let me know what you think and what other topics you'd love for me to cover. I'm allll ears.

Reminder: Take care of yourself and know that I support you.

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