Most-clicked story of the week
A White employee allegedly referred to as “Karen” by a co-worker failed to show that she was discriminated against on the basis of her race and disability in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal judge held in late October. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted summary judgment to the employer on the plaintiff’s Title VII claims, stating that the plaintiff could not identify any adverse action that occurred as a result of the alleged conduct.
Number of the week: 4.7%
The percentage that cost of living increased in 2024, per an analysis released by the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity. The average increase has hovered around 3.2% since 2005. Of late, steep childcare and healthcare cost increases have put pressure on workers even as their wages rise, LISEP said.
What we didn’t get to
Here are a few stories that grabbed HR Dive’s attention but didn’t quite make it to the newsletter last week.
Ghosting haunts job applicants
Per Glassdoor reviews of interviews, job seekers have increasingly complained about being ghosted since before the pandemic — and ghosting mentions are up 2% year over year as of September.
Part of that increase, however, is because of normalization of the term, Glassdoor said.
“Put another way, 23% of interview reviews in 2019 that complained about employer silence mention ghosting, whereas that has surged to 56% in 2026,” Daniel Zhao, chief economist at Glassdoor, said in a blog post. “Ghosting is not a new phenomenon, but it is still a fairly new term in the realm of job search.”
AI users have longer workdays
Heavy artificial intelligence users have workdays that last up to 90 minutes longer than nonusers, per analysis drawn by the ActivTrak Productivity Lab, the research arm of ActivTrak, a workforce intelligence company.
These users tend to switch applications more frequently and have fewer uninterrupted focus sessions despite fewer meetings, ActivTrak said, which may speak to poor guidance on AI usage.
Quote of the week
“What the Americans with Disabilities Act requires is not a correct answer but a genuine exchange, the interactive process, and that process is not a preliminary to the real decision but the substance of the duty itself.”
Chaim Book
Senior partner, Book Law
In matters of accommodation, documentation is key, Book said in an opinion piece written for HR Dive. Employers need to show proof they’ve engaged in the interactive process, but they can also ask for documentation regarding cited medical issues. Employers also need to understand and outline the essential functions of the role to make proper determinations. Above all, however, employers need to treat employees with respect, Book said.
