Inside This Issue:
Welcome to this week’s Employee Experience Magazine newsletter. We talk quite generally and conceptually about the future of work, so I thought for this week, I would lift the curtain on what 4 different companies are actually doing.
Also this week: who should get the hours AI saves, changes coming to flexible-working decisions, animal experiences for teams and upcoming events. Keep an eye out on our LinkedIn and on the website too for news on the ground at UNLEASH World in Paris.
Featured Insights:
What does a business look like when AI agents become part of the workforce?
We compare four real approaches and what they could mean for HR, workforce planning and organisation design.
If AI gives you 12 hours of your working week back, should you get to keep them?
The 12 hours is hypothetical, but the question is likely to cause real tension as AI time savings become more prevalent. Could time become the next big employee benefit?
DIRECTORY PICK OF THE WEEK
Bees, therapy dogs, rescue puppies and horses. If your team has had enough of another workshop in a windowless meeting room, this week’s directory category might offer some inspiration.
There are 13 animal-experience providers in the directory. Here are two examples from opposite sides of the Atlantic.
London, Essex and Europe, or virtual | Up to 30 people
Learn about bees, taste honey and do something rather different together with a beekeeper and Honey Sommelier.
New York, or virtual | 31–60 people
Friendly therapy pets and farm animals feature in a hands-on team experience, at a workplace, outdoor setting or the provider’s venue.
TOOL OF THE WEEK
Ever needed a quick way to get people talking at the start of a meeting?
We’ve put together 420 icebreaker questions, organised by type and occasion. There’s a random generator too, if you don’t fancy scrolling through them all.
Useful for team meetings, away days, new starters or those awkward first five minutes when nobody knows what to say.
In other news
A few more stories worth your attention:
Flexible working: why saying no is about to get harder. The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a reasonableness test for refusals, and Acas is consulting on its updated Code until 17 December. The changes are not yet in force.
Events
Find the full calendar of upcoming HR and employee experience events at emexmag.com/events.
FREE EVENT OF THE WEEK
Communicate: London 2026
28 October 2026 | 180 The Strand, London | 9:30 to 17:00 UK
A free, in-person day for internal communications, employee experience and digital workplace leaders, hosted by Interact.
US
Seramount WorkBeyond Summit + Gala 2026
22 to 23 October | New York
Inclusion, DEI strategy, leadership, practical workshops and a gala.
SHRM All Things Work 2026
16 to 18 November | Nashville
Brings together Linkage Leadership, BLUEPRINT for I&D and Skills Accelerator.
UK
CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition 2026
4 to 5 November | Manchester
The UK's flagship people-profession conference and exhibition.
WORKTECH26 London
17 November | London
A one-day look at the future of work, workplace design, AI and employee experience.
Are you doing cool stuff at work?
We want to hear about the people and organisations trying something interesting to make working life better.
It doesn’t have to be a huge programme or an award-winning initiative. Sometimes the smallest changes have the biggest impact.
Got a project, experiment or lesson worth sharing? Email us at [email protected]. We’d love to feature more of what’s happening across our community.
