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

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  Dude, it turns out that Winston Smart Recruiter's 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.

• 0:17Speaker 01

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

• 0:29Speaker 00

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

• 0:37Speaker 01

  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.

• 0:53Speaker 00

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

• 1:05Speaker 01

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

• 1:11Speaker 00

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

• 1:19Speaker 01

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

• 1:25Speaker 02

  Now we return you to our regular scheduled program in progress.

• 1:29Speaker 03

  Hi, your kids. Lock the doors. You're listening to HR's most dangerous podcast. Chad Soash and Joel Cheeseman.

• 1:38Speaker 04

  Hi, kids. It's Cole Cheeseman, 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.

• 1:52Speaker 04

  And now to the news in no particular order. A report by Daily Pay 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.

• 2:13Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 2:15Speaker 04

  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.

• 2:35Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 2:37Speaker 04

  A U.S. 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 AIOF for layoff decisions.

• 2:56Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 2:58Speaker 04

  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.

• 3:19Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 3:20Speaker 04

  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.

• 3:45Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 3:46Speaker 04

  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.

• 4:05Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 4:08Speaker 04

  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.

• 4:29Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 4:30Speaker 04

  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.

• 4:48Speaker 05

  Another one.

• 4:50Speaker 04

  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. Cheeseman out.

• 5:19Speaker 04

  Adios, turd nuggets.