• HRAddict
  • Posts
  • Forgiveness-Feedback Loop, Cooling Conflicts, Rippling Review - Jul 7, 2025

Forgiveness-Feedback Loop, Cooling Conflicts, Rippling Review - Jul 7, 2025

Forgive, feedback, repeat. Ideas for your next team building, a Rippling good platform review—and more.

In partnership with

Hi, HR Pros! 🌟 It’s Global Forgiveness Day — a time to reflect, reset, and maybe even forgive that coworker who “replied all” again. Let’s talk feedback, kindness, and building a more human workplace.

On today’s agenda:

💞 The forgiveness-feedback loop

😱 Amazon bots outnumber humans

⚔️ Record workplace conflict

🌀 A review of Rippling

WEEKLY GOODY
Team-Building Activity Guide
In case you missed last week’s HR goody — unlock the secrets to stronger teamwork with this freebie.
ⓘ Available to email subscribers

THE HR SPOTLIGHT

💞 Forgiveness and Feedback: How to Build a Kinder Workplace

In honor of Global Forgiveness Day, it’s time to talk about something we rarely put in HR toolkits—forgiveness. It’s not just for personal growth or awkward family dinners. In the current emotionally charged, hybrid, post-pandemic world, fostering forgiveness at work can build psychological safety, reduce turnover, and unlock the door to truly constructive feedback. ✨

😬 The situation: Feedback without forgiveness falls flat…

Tension is high. Many teams are still rebuilding trust after years of uncertainty. A recent study noted that workplace conflict can cause businesses to lose up to $359B a year from lost productivity (WifiTalents).

To make matters worse, according to the same report, 56% of employees feel such conflicts are not managed properly, which creates stress. Poor management of workplace conflict also makes employees feel uncomfortable about giving honest feedback. Fear of judgment. Lack of trust. And yep—no room for forgiveness when things go wrong.

🛠️ What HR can do: Build a feedback culture that forgive. Help your teams reset and repair with:

  • 🙌 “Failure forgiveness” policies for teams that experiment and learn

  • 🗺️ Conflict-mapping tools to unpack recurring tensions

  • 💬 Peer feedback prompts that start with empathy

  • 🎓 Leadership training to employ emotionally intelligent debriefs and practice effective ways to give feedback

Encouraging forgiveness doesn’t mean avoiding accountability—it means making space for learning, not just blame. And that, HR pros, is how trust grows. 🌱

TODAY’S CULTURE CUE

🛠️ Map the Conflict, Not Just the People: Create a simple conflict map: who’s involved, triggers, impact, and unmet needs. This will separate behavior from bias—fast and fair. Resolve conflicts effectively »

TOGETHER WITH MORNING BREW

Your career will thank you.

Over 4 million professionals start their day with Morning Brew—because business news doesn’t have to be boring.

Each daily email breaks down the biggest stories in business, tech, and finance with clarity, wit, and relevance—so you're not just informed, you're actually interested.

Whether you’re leading meetings or just trying to keep up, Morning Brew helps you talk the talk without digging through social media or jargon-packed articles. And odds are, it’s already sitting in your coworker’s inbox—so you’ll have plenty to chat about.

It’s 100% free and takes less than 15 seconds to sign up, so try it today and see how Morning Brew is transforming business media for the better.

THE HR PULSE

😱 Amazon Bots Set to Outnumber Humans - HR Grapevine

  • What’s Unfolding: Amazon now has over 1M robots in its warehouses—nearly matching its estimated 1.56M human workforce—and robotics support around 75% of global deliveries, taking on repetitive tasks and boosting efficiency .

  • Why It Matters: For HR, this signals a seismic shift—automation is here to stay. Focus on reskilling warehouse staff into tech roles and redesigning job descriptions. Proactive workforce planning is key.

🏛️ Feds Stay Steady Despite Cuts - MSN

  • What’s Unfolding: Even with efforts to shrink the government workforce (down ~23k since Sept), the federal payroll currently maintains around 2.3M employees.

  • Why It Matters: Public-sector HR leaders should prepare for mandated buyouts, hiring freezes, and potential role consolidations. Communicate transparently, support transitions, and upskill remaining staff.

🌞 Dubai Ditches 5‑Day Heat Blues - Time Out

  • What’s Unfolding: Dubai’s public sector launched a four‑day summer workweek (plus shorter hours) from July 1 to Sept 12, aiming to improve work-life balance during the hot months.

  • Why It Matters: HR teams should explore seasonal flex options or compressed schedules—especially in hot climates—to reduce burnout and enhance retention. Pilot programs sell the idea best.

RESOURCE ROUNDUP

Manatal
Ready-to-Use HR Email Templates
From general HR emails to recruiting, referencing, offering, and termination emails.
Browse the collection »

AIHR
AI in HR Cheat Sheet
Use AI to cut hours from your everyday HR tasks with 10 essential AI in HR cheat sheets.
Download the complete set »

SHRM
How to Create a Mental Health Crisis Response Plan
Develop a proactive mental health crisis response plan to support employees and foster a culture of well-being.
Read the guide »

COMPLIANCE CORNER

🧓 Supreme Court Shrinks ADA for Retirees - HR Morning

  • What’s Unfolding: The Supreme Court ruled retirees can’t sue under the ADA for post-employment benefit changes unless they were still employed or seeking employment when discrimination occurred.

  • HR Implications: HR should update benefit policies promptly, noting that new retiree claims under ADA are limited—but review design to prevent state law exposure.

🕹️ Amazon’s Automation Hits Disabled Staff - HR Grapevine

  • What’s Unfolding: Over 200 disabled Amazon employees allege automated systems block accommodation requests, delete Slack posts, and stifle disability-related organizing.

  • HR Implications: HR must audit automated workflows, insert human checks into accommodation processes, and ensure ADA compliance in AI-driven systems.

🧁 Undocumented Workers at Cheesecake Factory - HR Dive

  • What’s Unfolding: Undocumented workers allege the Cheesecake Factory in Pennsylvania recruited them with fake documents, forced unpaid overtime, denied breaks, and threatened deportation.

  • HR Implications: Ensure compliance with I-9 documentation rules, guard against discrimination risks, and train managers on lawful employment verification.

TREND WATCH

⚔️ Workplace Conflict at Record High Levels

Digesting the data: A recent HR Acuity study—covering 8.7M employees—finds workplace complaints hit a record 14.7 per 1,000 employees in 2024, fueled by spikes in discrimination, accommodation requests, mental‑health concerns, and unprofessional behavior. Companies often investigate ad hoc—only 57% use systematic processes, while 68% fail to track or analyze case details, letting root causes fester.

Return-to-office mandates have triggered a surge in accommodation claims as employees ask for more flexibility—especially around invisible disabilities. Mental health, job-performance, and behavior issues also rose sharply.

Outlook for HR: For HR pros, this trend rings the alarm bell: complaints are rising, and inconsistency will be your kryptonite. Expect pressure mounting—from regulators and your workforce—for formalized, transparent, proactive ER processes. To uphold psychological safety, you need clear policies, consistent investigative methods, and data tracking that identifies not just what—but why.

HR leaders who act decisively will build compliant, respectful, and resilient workplaces—turning complaint trends into opportunities for real transformation.

👉 Read the full piece and unravel the numbers yourself »

UPCOMING EVENTS

July 15-16, Virtual - HCI
FMLA Workshop
Refine the skills you need to properly administer the Family Medical Leave Act in your organization.
Enroll »

July 22-25, Virtual/In-Person (California, USA) - NAHCR
NAHCR25 Recruitment R&R: Rejuvenate and Refresh Your Recruitment Strategies
An immersive learning experience specifically designed for health care recruiters.
Register »

On-Demand Webinar - HRT
Can Your Organization Spot a Conflict Before It’s a Crisis?
Implement a strong foundation for conflict management, and create ethical and sustainable programs.
Watch the webinar »

HR TECH WATCH

🌀 A Review of Rippling: HR’s One‑Stop Productivity Hub

Why we selected it: An all-in-one HR, payroll, IT, and spend platform with global reach—Rippling is highly rated on multiple review platforms. Popular for its seamless automation and unified data.

Key features:

  1. Employee Graph platform – unified employee data across HR, payroll, IT & finance 

  2. Global Payroll & EOR – pay employees/contractors in 185+ countries, with compliance included

  3. IT & device management – auto-provision hardware/apps and manage identities securely 

  4. Learning & scheduling workflows – SCORM uploads, training windows and clock-in locks for untrained shifts

Pros:

  • Employee lifecycle management: Streamlines onboarding‑to‑offboarding in one platform 

  • Interface: UI is intuitive and easy to learn 

  • Compliance features: Automates compliance by jurisdiction 

  • Integration: 600+ integrations for full workflow sync 

  • Administration: Rapid implementation (~3 weeks)

Cons:

  • Pricing: No free trial; fixed pricing not available (quote-based) 

  • Customization: Some report limited payroll-tax customization/support 

  • Complexity: Feature depth can overwhelm smaller teams

HRAddict rating: ★★★★☆ 4.8
Rippling nails unified HR, payroll, IT and global compliance in one sleek platform—powerful and efficient for growing teams.

This is an independent review using aggregated insights and publicly available data.

BREAKROOM

SMART READS

🗓️ 4-day Workweeks: The Pros & Cons

🎧 Remote Team Communication: Tips for Managers

🎉 Boost Engagement with these Fun Meeting Ideas

QUICK POLL

Which section did you like the most?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

📬 Missed Friday’s issue on ‘July 4th Reflection’? Read it »

Reply

or to participate.