Trump's tariffs | Why leaders must talk openly with staff about distressing headlines

In the wild and wonderful world of HR Grapevine, two major things of note happened yesterday, April 3rd.

First, we hosted our inaugural HR Technology Meet Up, with five insight-packed panels courtesy of ADP, Globalization Partners, Strada, HiBob, Safecall, and a plethora of industry speakers from Greenpeace, Loveholidays, and beyond.

Although discussions spanned a wide range of workplace HR technology applications, from whistleblowing and wellbeing to AI and ED&I, three non-technical themes emerged in every single panel: Trust, transparency, and communication.

Secondly, beyond the walls of our Meet Up event, the world was attempting to digest the fallout of President Trump’s controversial global tariffs. With stock markets tanking, economists have warned that the risk of a significant global downturn has escalated.