HR News: Layoffs at Pixar and Spotify, Connection between Remote Work and Feminism, Employees Feeling Financial Stress, Execs Amid the Culture War

This is a weekly roundup of the latest in HR News.

Unfortunately, this week meant a return to HR news about splashy layoffs. This time, Pixar and Spotify experienced job cuts. In fact, Pixar even showed some longtime Pixar legends the door.

In addition, there have been some interesting bits of news to which HR should pay attention. Among them are an opinion piece about how the pushback on remote work and forceful return to office (RTO) policies are demonstrations of sexism and the realization that strong economic numbers (which HR Exchange Network reported on last week) are not showing the whole picture. Indeed, many employees are feeling financial stress. In addition, executives are faced with the dilemma of how to deal with the culture wars. 

Learn more about these headlines: 

Layoffs at Pixar and Spotify

No one is surprised to hear about layoffs at Pixar. After all, Pixar is part of Disney, whose CEO Bob Iger had already said the company would cut about 7,000 jobs to save $5.5 billion. These 75 jobs at Pixar were a small portion of that greater total, but they were significant because longtime executives were among those let go, according to Reuters.

Lightyear Director Angus MacLane, a 26-year animator who was part of the senior creative team on many films, including Toy Story 4 and Coco and Galyn Susman, producer of Lightyear, were among those impacted. Susman gained a sort of legendary status for having saved Toy Story 2. However, Lightyear earned mix reviews and failed to meet boxoffice expectations.

Spotify joined Pixar in announcing layoffs during the week. But Spotify announced 200 job cuts or about 2% of its workforce. Since 2020, the company had been involved in a few acquisitions and made significant investments in podcast deals with high-profile people, according to CNBC. 

Proclaiming that Remote Work is Feminist

Erin Grau wrote an article for Fortune that has quite a catchy headline: "Flexible work is feminist–and women won’t return to a system that hasn’t served them well to spare the feelings of powerful men." Grau does not spare the feelings of the men, who have criticized remote work: 

"Wall Street executive Steven Rattner questioned the effectiveness of remote work, relying on statements from Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon to further his argument. More recently, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called remote work 'one of the tech industry’s work mistakes,'" according to the article. 

She goes on to point out that these white men have been the beneficiaries of the traditional work system, which included employees commuting, spending long hours in the office, neglecting family, and leaving child care to others. 

"The case for flexible work has a social and moral imperative. It helps retain women, reduces burnout, and makes it easier to have children and deliver on caregiving responsibilities," writes Grau, who makes the case in favor of remote work in this must-read article. 

Focus on the Plight of the Middle Class

Last week, HR Exchange Network reported that the economy is in much better shape than many have suggested. A strong jobs report and other factors even indicated that the United States may avoid recession or just have a mild one.

However, MSNBC's Morning Joe featured a conversation with New York Times Editorial Board member Mara Gay about the plight of the middle class. Gay explained that many Americans have the perception of a bad economy because of their own personal financial woes. Hefty student loan bills and a lack of affordable housing have made the American dream out of reach for many employees around the country, she said. This is worth a watch for those in HR because it provides perspective on the financial stress many people in the workforce are facing. 

Employers Stuck in the Middle of the Culture Wars

The Wall Street Journal reported on how many companies are facing pushback on efforts to align their business practices with their values, including focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). At the same time as employees are increasing their activism and demanding employers stand up for their rights and shared values, some customers are loudly objecting. Examples include Target's debacle over its Pride Month merchandise. 

"CEOs spent the past few years adjusting to a world in which investors, customers and employees expected corporate leaders to align themselves with social causes. Today, that has made companies targets in the U.S. culture wars, where one step can turn a social-media storm into a corporate crisis that cripples businesses and wrecks careers," according to WSJ. 

Worth a read, the article gives HR professionals much to think about because it requires a delicate balance, moral authority, and clear-cut establishment of values. What do you think will win out in these culture wars? Let us know in the comments.

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