Shredded: DailyPay, Workday, Meta, Recruitics, ZoomInfo, Fuel50, Linkedin, & More

Chad Sowash (0:00)

Dude, it turns out that Winston, Smart Recruiters' first AI hiring sidekick, is taking all the grunt work out of Recruiters' Day.

Things like candidate screening, scheduling, all the admin garbage no one actually wants to touch. Winston can do it all.

Joel Cheesman (0:17)

Man, you know I'm a fan of using new tech that takes the boring, repetitive crap out of a Recruiters' Day, and allows them to have more time to connect with hiring managers and candidates.

Chad Sowash (0:29)

Yep, Winston is doing the heavy lifting while Recruiters kick back and do the actual hiring stuff. You know, like talking to people.

Joel Cheesman (0:37)

I really dig that Smart Recruiters is evolving out of the legacy ATS model and embracing cleaner processes using AI. With most ATS providers, it's like, hey, 2003 called and it wants its 30-minute application process back.

Chad Sowash (0:53)

No doubt. It sounds like Rebecca and the team are using Winston to go with Smart Recruiters into the future, while the ATS vendors are basically on an AOL dial-up modem with a dashboard.

Joel Cheesman (1:05)

With Smart Recruiters, Winston does the grind and the recruiters get the glory.

Chad Sowash (1:11)

For more information on superhuman hiring with Winston, visit smartrecruiters.com. That's smartrecruiters.com.

Joel Cheesman (1:19)

Start using Winston today or I guess you can stick with...

Chad Sowash (1:25)

Now we return you to our regular scheduled program, In Progress.

Joel Cheesman (1:29)

Hide your kids, lock the doors. You're listening to HR's most dangerous podcast, Chad Sowash and Joel Cheesman.

Cole Cheesman (1:38)

Hi kids, it's Cole Cheesman and I'm bringing you The Shred for the fourth week of September 2026 The Shred is a weekly roundup of what's making headlines in the world of employment.

And now to the news in no particular order. A report by DailyPay and Workday shows a double-digit gap between frontline hourly workers' expectations and satisfaction regarding schedule flexibility, pay clarity and digital tools. Closing this gap helps employers improve recruitment, retention and overall workplace productivity. Many job seekers are resisting the growing adoption of AI interviews by withdrawing applications or blacklisting companies. Candidates cite impersonal interactions, technical glitches and concerns regarding bias or discrimination, whereas employers and recruiters utilize these tools primarily to accelerate hiring processes.

Chad Sowash (2:35)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (2:37)

A US judge allowed Meta to proceed with workforce reductions after rejecting an emergency request by 26 current and former employees to block the cuts. The workers allege AI assisted performance metrics discriminated against those on protected leave. Meta denies using AOF for layoff decisions.

Chad Sowash (2:56)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (2:58)

A growing proportion of Gen Z workers plan to switch jobs, primarily seeking higher pay, better perks, flexible arrangements, and clear advancement. Rising workplace burnout linked to AI adoption and concerns over keeping technical skills current also drive this desire for career movement.

Chad Sowash (3:19)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (3:20)

New York-based Recruitics appointed three new executives following a brand refresh. Alana Henderson as CFO, Jennifer Clifford as Senior VP of Marketing, and Pratima Dunraj as Senior VP of People.

Their backgrounds include financial and leadership roles at NBC Universal precisely and News Corp respectively.

Chad Sowash (3:45)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (3:46)

Vancouver-Washington-based ZoomInfo has launched Talent Autopilot, a recruiting tool that uses B2B intelligence and autonomous reasoning to identify candidates based on skills, experience, and career paths rather than just titles or keywords. It assists talent acquisition teams from candidate discovery to initial engagement.

Chad Sowash (4:05)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (4:08)

Phoenix Education Partners has agreed to acquire California-based AI-powered workforce platform Fuel50. Expected to close within 30 days pending approval, the deal expands Phoenix's workforce development capabilities. Fuel50 will operate independently under its brand, with co-founder Joe Mills becoming CEO. Financial terms were undisclosed.

Joel Cheesman (4:29)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (4:30)

LinkedIn replaced its AI-powered post-enhancement tool for premium members with post-proofreader, following community backlash against AI slop, and over a million AI content flags. The new feature offers inline language and presentation edits while keeping original user ideas intact.

Joel Cheesman (4:48)

Another one.

Cole Cheesman (4:50)

LinkedIn is testing a network feed option, providing an alternative stream focused exclusively on updates from direct connections and explicitly followed accounts. The feature aims to foster genuine personal interactions and mitigate issues like AI-generated clutter. Be sure to tune in to the weekly show for this and more news and commentary from the world of recruiting. Cheesman out.

Adios, turd nuggets.