Howdy HR friends!👋

Hope you’re all having a great Friday! Whether you’ve just brewed the coffee or if you’re already tying up all the loose ends for the weekend.

On Tuesday, we explored how we can keep our top talent loyal (and avoid them getting poached!)

And as we approach the weekend, let’s have a quick rundown of this week’s HR news. That’s right: it’s the Friday 5!

Five articles, five takeaways. Five minutes away from the chaos to grab a coffee and get caught up on everything that’s been happening in HR this week!

Let’s jump in shall we?

🚦Coming up

In today’s edition

😤 Klarna's emoji rebellion, 💰 IPO windfalls & tax headaches, 🤖 AI anxiety management, ☀️ Bolt ditches unlimited PTO, 😈 Why schadenfreude backfires

Today’s edition is presented by

Pacaso

How 433 Investors Unlocked 400X Return Potential

Institutional investors back startups to unlock outsized returns. Regular investors have to wait. But not anymore. Thanks to regulatory updates, some companies are doing things differently.

Take Revolut. In 2016, 433 regular people invested an average of $2,730. Today? They got a 400X buyout offer from the company, as Revolut’s valuation increased 89,900% in the same timeframe.

No wonder 10K+ everyday people are taking the chance on Pacaso.

Founded by a former Zillow exec, Pacaso’s co-ownership tech reshapes the $1.3T vacation home market. They’ve earned $110M+ in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth in 2024 alone. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.

The same institutional investors behind Uber, Venmo, and eBay backed Pacaso. And you can join them. But not for long. Pacaso’s investment opportunity ends September 18.

Invest While You Still Can

_{Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.}

💭The Friday Five

When your workplace gives you lemons, express it in emojis 🍋

😾 Klarna staff revolt with sad cats and clowns Swedish fintech Klarna's RTO announcement was met with 341 sad faces, 131 sad cats, and 73 clown emojis when staff could only respond via emoji to the new office mandate starting this month.

🔗 Read more [HR Grapevine]

💸 But emojis aside, they also cash in on $15.1B IPO Early Klarna employees could pocket $600K-$2.5M post-tax from the IPO at $40/share, though Swedish capital gains tax of 30% and a 180-day lock-up period mean the celebration might be premature.

🔗 Read more [The HR Digest]

🤯 Overwhelmed by AI? Here's your survival guide From ChatGPT to Notebook LM, this guide breaks down the most beginner-friendly AI tools for work, emphasizing starting small and focusing on what makes your job easier, not impressing colleagues.

🔗 Read more [Harper's Bazaar]

🏖️ Bolt kills unlimited PTO after data reveals imbalance Fintech Bolt scrapped unlimited PTO after finding high performers took 1-2 days yearly while others exceeded 20 days, switching to a fixed 20-day policy to combat confusion and burnout.

🔗 Read more [HR Brew]

😏 Why enjoying others' misfortune makes you miserable Research shows that while schadenfreude feels good momentarily, people who frequently indulge in it report lower happiness and life satisfaction - success isn't a zero-sum game. Especially at work.

🔗 Read more [Inc.]

For easy reading

Today’s edition is also presented by

Remofirst

International HR and payroll in 185+ countries

Growing your team outside your HQ country? RemoFirst helps you employ anywhere, with EOR services available in 185+ countries.

International HR and payroll for global employees and contractors— without setting up a local entity.

Start hiring globally

That’s it for today.

Thanks for reading to the end and we hope today’s edition helped saved you a few hours in scouring the web for the latest news! 🧠

We know you’re super busy and as ever, we really appreciate you saving some room for us in your inbox 😀

Have a great weekend!