{"id":35164,"date":"2026-08-05T07:30:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:30:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/?p=35164"},"modified":"2026-08-05T07:30:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T11:30:45","slug":"linkedin-ghost-jobs-rto-stealth-layoffs-pay-cuts-trust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/linkedin-ghost-jobs-rto-stealth-layoffs-pay-cuts-trust\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Jobs, Stealth Layoffs, and Lower Pay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this week&#8217;s episode, Nick and Geoff take a break from AI headlines to dig into three stories&nbsp;that together&nbsp;paint a troubling picture of the current job market.&nbsp;In Texas, LinkedIn is&nbsp;under investigation for ghost job postings.&nbsp;A new survey finds 72% of employees believe return-to-office mandates are stealth layoffs. Lastly, Glassdoor data shows 57% of recently laid-off workers are considering accepting lower pay, with women bearing a disproportionate share of the cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"video-embed\" style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;\">\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jg65L5woFG0?si=V7N7gbMH0k7LlllT\" title=\"Ghost Jobs, Stealth Layoffs, and Lower Pay\" style=\"position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0;\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\">\n  <\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"row justify-content-between\">\n<div class=\"cs-btn-light text-center mb-4 col-12 col-md-6 pr-md-4\">\n  <a class=\"cs-button d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center w-100\" href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/ghost-jobs-stealth-layoffs-and-lower-pay\/id1869414001?i=1000780007043\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"gap: 8px\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Apple-Podcasts-logo.png\" alt=\"Apple podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"h-auto\" style=\"width: 24px\">\n\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px\">Listen on Apple Podcasts<\/span>\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"cs-btn-light text-center mb-4 col-12 col-md-6 pl-md-4\">\n  <a class=\"cs-button d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center gap-3 w-100\" href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/4nHFkQdQRHmzc3tSyXHORM?si=Wa0MpHk5RxmGkSFzmE5gcQ\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"gap: 8px\">\n\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Spotify_White_Logo.png\" alt=\"Apple podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"h-auto pr\" style=\"width: 24px\">\n<span style=\"font-size: 20px\">Listen on Spotify<\/span>\n\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n<div style=\"border: 1px solid rgb(0 0 0 \/ 0.1); padding: 25px 25px 10px; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 4px 6px -1px rgb(0 0 0 \/ 0.1), 0 2px 4px -2px rgb(0 0 0 \/ 0.1);\">\n<h3 id=\"h-pressed-for-time-here-s-a-quick-summary\" class=\"wp-block-heading nitoc\">Short on time? Here are the key takeaways:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"TextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\">Texas\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\">has opened a consumer protection investigation<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW102946535 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/small-business\/articles\/linkedin-being-investigated-texas-alleged-163336001.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW102946535 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">against<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">\u00a0LinkedIn<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW102946535 BCX0\"> under the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleging between one-fifth and one-third of job postings are ghost jobs; Nick proposes a practical fix: require employers to periodically verify postings are still active, automatically removing any that go unconfirmed<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"TextRun SCXW178503208 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW178503208 BCX0\">LinkedIn&#8217;s new AI slop flag for content is its clearest acknowledgment that platform trust is eroding, but no equivalent tool exists for job postings that would solve for the trust problem<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW53062054 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/enhancv.com\/blog\/rto-stealth-layoffs\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW53062054 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW53062054 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">72% of employees believe return-to-office mandates<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW53062054 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW53062054 BCX0\"> are being used as stealth layoffs, with an average trust score of just 59 out of 100 for employer RTO motives\u2014meanwhile, 46% of workers admit to coffee badging, coming in just to swipe a badge before leaving<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span class=\"TextRun SCXW114765706 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW114765706 BCX0\">Nick draws a clear distinction between employers who always communicated an in-office expectation and those who hired remotely and are now changing the terms (only the latter\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW114765706 BCX0\">represents<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW114765706 BCX0\"> a genuine breach of the employment social contract)<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"Hyperlink SCXW88531146 BCX0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdive.com\/news\/workers-considered-accepting-a-lower-offer-after-layoffs\/825775\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><span class=\"TextRun Underlined SCXW88531146 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW88531146 BCX0\" data-ccp-charstyle=\"Hyperlink\">57% of recently laid-off<\/span><\/span><\/a><span class=\"TextRun SCXW88531146 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW88531146 BCX0\">\u00a0workers are considering accepting lower salaries, and pay cuts are disproportionately affecting women, backtracking after three decades of progress on narrowing the gender pay gap in a relatively\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW88531146 BCX0\">short period<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-summary\"><strong>Episode Summary<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"linkedins-ghost-job-problem-and-what-to-do-about-it\"><strong>LinkedIn&#8217;s Ghost Job Problem and What to Do About It<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Texas has&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/small-business\/articles\/linkedin-being-investigated-texas-alleged-163336001.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed a lawsuit against LinkedIn<\/a>&nbsp;under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, alleging that a significant portion of the platform&#8217;s job listings are ghost jobs: postings that are not connected to active hiring, whether because the role was filled and never removed, was never a real opening to begin with, or was posted to give a false impression of company growth. Estimates cited in reporting around the lawsuit put the share of ghost jobs somewhere between one-fifth and one-third of all LinkedIn postings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick&#8217;s take is that the legal merits are hard to evaluate from the outside, partly because the line between a ghost job and an employer who simply forgot to close a posting is genuinely blurry. A company might post a role, hire someone within two weeks, and simply not update the listing. That is&nbsp;not the same as&nbsp;intentionally posting a fake job to inflate perceived market presence, but from a job seeker&#8217;s perspective the experience is identical: they apply, hear nothing, and lose time and confidence in the process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The more useful question, Nick argues, is what LinkedIn could do about it without waiting for a lawsuit to resolve. His proposal is a forced verification system: require employers to confirm every 15 to&nbsp;30 days&nbsp;that a posting is still active, automatically removing any listing that goes unconfirmed. At the point of closing a role, require employers to&nbsp;indicate&nbsp;whether the position was filled, cancelled, or is on hold. That data would both reduce ghost job volume and give the platform better signal for improving how listings are surfaced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Geoff notes that LinkedIn has already taken a step in this direction on the content side. The platform recently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/news\/linkedin-offers-the-option-to-report-ai-slop\/826781\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">added a feature allowing users to flag posts as potential AI-generated content<\/a>, a tacit acknowledgment that trust in platform content is eroding. Nick calls it the most relevant feature LinkedIn has added in years from a user experience perspective, particularly for anyone who has noticed the shift toward longer, lower-value AI-generated posts crowding out genuine professional content. The logic for applying something&nbsp;similar to&nbsp;job postings is straightforward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both Nick and Geoff make the point that employers and employees are\u00a0largely aligned\u00a0on\u00a0this issue. Employers do not\u00a0benefit\u00a0from ghost jobs diluting the quality of their own listings. They want real candidates to see and apply to genuine openings, not wade through noise. The only employers who\u00a0benefit\u00a0from ghost jobs are those intentionally posting them to signal growth or\u00a0maintain\u00a0market presence, and those\u00a0represent\u00a0a small and problematic subset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"return-to-office-stealth-layoffs-and-a-trust-score-of-59-out-of-100\">Return to Office, Stealth Layoffs, and a Trust Score of 59 Out of 100<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/enhancv.com\/blog\/rto-stealth-layoffs\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A new survey<\/a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;a thousand full-time workers produced several data points that, taken together, describe a workforce that has deeply low trust in employer motives around in-office work. Seventy-two percent of respondents believe that return-to-office mandates are being used, at least in part, as stealth layoffs: a mechanism for forcing out employees who will not or cannot comply, without the formal process, severance, and public optics of a traditional reduction in force. The average trust&nbsp;score&nbsp;employees assigned to RTO motives was 59 out of 100.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick is careful to distinguish between two&nbsp;different types&nbsp;of employers&nbsp;here. An employer who consistently communicated during the pandemic that in-office work would return, hired on that basis, and is now following through has not breached any social contract. The communication was clear, the expectation was set, and the policy is a delivery on what was&nbsp;stated. An employer who hired people into fully remote roles, made no&nbsp;indication&nbsp;that on-site work would be&nbsp;required, and is now changing the terms mid-employment is a different situation. That is where Nick sees a genuine breach&nbsp;of trust, and where he has more sympathy for employee frustration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even for employers acting in good faith, the survey data on coffee badging is a reminder that compliance and genuine engagement are not the same thing. Forty-six percent of workers surveyed admit to coffee badging: physically entering the office to register a badge swipe, then leaving without doing any meaningful in-office work. Geoff frames this as a signal of the limits of mandating presence without making the case for why presence matters. If the only metric is whether someone came in, employees will&nbsp;optimize for&nbsp;that metric rather than for the collaboration or mentorship&nbsp;benefits&nbsp;the policy was designed to create.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick&#8217;s broader point\u00a0is about\u00a0communication. Even in situations where an employer genuinely believes in-person work drives development and innovation, the way that case is made to employees\u00a0determines\u00a0whether the policy builds trust or destroys it. Announcing a sudden RTO requirement without explanation will land badly regardless of the underlying intent. Rolling it out transparently, explaining the reasoning, and giving employees time to adjust is not a guarantee of goodwill, but it is meaningfully better than the alternative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"lower-pay-and-a-widening-gender-gap\"><strong>Lower Pay\u00a0and\u00a0a Widening Gender Gap<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Glassdoor poll&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrdive.com\/news\/workers-considered-accepting-a-lower-offer-after-layoffs\/825775\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">found that 57% of recently laid-off US workers are accepting new jobs at lower salaries<\/a>&nbsp;than they held previously. For workers who may have already experienced a gap in income during a period of unemployment, often only partially covered by severance or unemployment benefits, taking a pay cut to re-enter the workforce compounds the financial damage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nick notes that this pattern is not happening in isolation. It is arriving at the same time as ghost jobs that waste job seekers&#8217; time and erode their confidence, return-to-office mandates that many workers distrust, and a labor market that has shifted decisively toward employer leverage. The cumulative effect is a job market where employees at\u00a0almost every\u00a0stage, searching, interviewing, accepting, or staying, have less bargaining power than they did even two or three years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lower-Pay-and-a-Widening-Gender-Gap-1024x540.jpg\" alt=\"A cartoon illustration of five figures standing on varying heights of coin stacks, with a man triumphantly positioned on the tallest stack while women stand on progressively shorter stacks or sit at ground level, representing the gender pay gap and wage inequality in the workplace.\" class=\"wp-image-35175\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8963893249607535;width:524px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lower-Pay-and-a-Widening-Gender-Gap-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lower-Pay-and-a-Widening-Gender-Gap-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lower-Pay-and-a-Widening-Gender-Gap-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lower-Pay-and-a-Widening-Gender-Gap-1536x809.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wellable.co\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Lower-Pay-and-a-Widening-Gender-Gap-2048x1079.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The detail that Nick finds most troubling is the gender dimension. The Glassdoor data&nbsp;indicates&nbsp;that pay cuts are disproportionately affecting women, reversing ground that had been gained over the past three decades in narrowing the gender pay gap. Progress on pay equity has historically been slow and uneven, and the current reversal is happening quickly enough that it is&nbsp;showing up&nbsp;clearly in survey data. Nick frames it as one of several areas where the current economic moment is not just challenging but genuinely regressive, with gains that took years to achieve being unwound in a much shorter period.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Geoff closes with the through line across all three stories: trust. Ghost jobs erode trust in platforms. Stealth layoff theories reflect eroded trust in employer motives. Pay cuts and pay equity reversals reflect eroded trust in the promise that the labor market rewards people fairly over time. The practical implication for HR leaders is that rebuilding that trust requires more than a policy change or a communication memo. It requires consistent behavior over time on all three dimensions simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n    <section class=\"faq-section\">\n      <div class=\"faq-accordion\">\n\n        \n        <div class=\"faq-item card card-faq\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"faq_1\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            What are ghost jobs and why are they a problem?            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"faq_1\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW162840753 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW162840753 BCX0\">Ghost jobs are job postings that are not connected to active hiring, either because the role was already filled and the listing was never removed, the role was never a genuine opening, or the posting was created to give a false impression of company growth. They waste job seekers&#8217; time, inflate application numbers without producing genuine opportunities, and erode trust in job platforms. Texas&#8217;s lawsuit against LinkedIn alleges that between one-fifth and one-third of LinkedIn&#8217;s job postings fall into this category.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        <div class=\"faq-item card card-faq\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"faq_2\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            What is LinkedIn doing about ghost jobs and AI-generated content?            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"faq_2\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW49702885 BCX0\">LinkedIn recently added a feature allowing users to flag posts as potentially AI-generated, acknowledging that platform trust is being eroded by low-quality content. No equivalent feature exists yet for job postings. Nick proposes a forced verification system: require employers to confirm every 15 to\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW49702885 BCX0\">30 days<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW49702885 BCX0\">\u00a0that a listing is still active, automatically remove unconfirmed postings, and require employers to report whether the role was filled or closed at the end of a listing&#8217;s lifecycle.<\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        <div class=\"faq-item card card-faq\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"faq_3\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            What is the stealth layoff theory and how widespread is the belief?            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"faq_3\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW149532076 BCX0\">The stealth layoff theory holds that some employers are using return-to-office mandates as an indirect way to reduce headcount, forcing out employees who will not or cannot comply without incurring the formal costs and public optics of a traditional layoff. A survey of a thousand full-time workers found that 72% believe RTO mandates are being used this way, at least in part. The average trust\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW149532076 BCX0\">score<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW149532076 BCX0\">\u00a0employees assigned to employer motives around RTO wa<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW149532076 BCX0\">s 5<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW149532076 BCX0\">9 out of 100.<\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        <div class=\"faq-item card card-faq\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"faq_4\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            What is coffee badging and what does it signal?            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"faq_4\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW34973222 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW34973222 BCX0\">Coffee badging refers to employees physically entering the office to register a badge swipe, then leaving without doing any meaningful in-office work. Forty-six percent of workers surveyed admit to this behavior. It signals a disconnect between mandated presence and genuine engagement, and reflects what happens when employers measure compliance with an in-office policy rather than the outcomes the policy was designed to produce.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        <div class=\"faq-item card card-faq\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"faq_5\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            Are return-to-office mandates ever legitimate?            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"faq_5\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170192098 BCX0\">Nick&#8217;s position is that they can be, and that context matters significantly. An employer who consistently communicated that in-office work would return and hired on that basis has not changed the terms of the employment relationship. An employer who hired people into fully remote roles without\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170192098 BCX0\">indicating<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170192098 BCX0\">\u00a0an in-office expectation and is now requiring it has a different and harder case to make. In either situation, how the policy is communicated, how much lead time is given, and whether the reasoning is explained transparently\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170192098 BCX0\">determines<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW170192098 BCX0\">\u00a0whether the mandate builds or damages trust.<\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n        <div class=\"faq-item card card-faq\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"faq_6\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            What is happening to pay equity in the current job market?            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"faq_6\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW65913775 BCX0\">Glassdoor data\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW65913775 BCX0\">indicates<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW65913775 BCX0\">\u00a0that 57% of recently laid-off workers are accepting new jobs at lower salaries. The data further shows that pay cuts are disproportionately affecting women, reversing progress made over the past 30 years in narrowing the gender pay gap. Nick frames this as one of several areas where the current labor market is not just challenging but genuinely regressive, with gains that took decades to accumulate being reversed\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW65913775 BCX0\">relatively quickly<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW65913775 BCX0\">.<\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    \n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"full-episode-transcript\"><strong style=\"color: transparent; visibility: hidden; opacity: 0;\">Full Episode Transcript<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n    <section class=\"faq-section toc-helper-accordion\">\n      <div class=\"faq-accordion\">\n\n        \n        <div class=\"custom-accordion-item\">\n          <button \n            class=\"faq-question\" \n            data-target=\"transcript_1\"\n            type=\"button\"\n          >\n            <h2><span class=\"TextRun SCXW145257824 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW145257824 BCX0\" data-ccp-parastyle=\"heading 2\">Full Episode Transcript<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n            <span class=\"icon\"><\/span>\n          <\/button>\n\n          <div id=\"transcript_1\" class=\"faq-answer\">\n            <p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0Wellable\u00a0Weekly Podcast, where we talk about key topics and trends at the intersection of wellbeing, technology, and HR.\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0Nick, along with my good friend Geoff. Geoff,\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0a special episode today. I think\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0the first time in weeks, if not months, that we\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0have an AI topic.\u00a0It&#8217;s\u00a0not because AI\u00a0wasn&#8217;t\u00a0generating news this week.\u00a0It&#8217;s\u00a0just because\u00a0we&#8217;re\u00a0a little AI-tired and want to focus on something else.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Geoff:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Let&#8217;s\u00a0give the people what they want.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0At least give us what we want. First topic: LinkedIn.\u00a0They&#8217;re\u00a0getting sued by the state of Texas for a high volume of ghost jobs. The allegations are that\u00a0a significant portion\u00a0of job postings shared on LinkedIn were fake or not\u00a0valid\u00a0hiring opportunities, and that this violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The argument is that many people, especially those paying for a LinkedIn premium account for access to recruitment tools and job postings, are paying for a service that promises access to real job opportunities, and the fact that many of those postings may not exist is a problem. I know nothing about the law, but my general sense is that this is hard to\u00a0validate.\u00a0Maybe LinkedIn\u00a0can verify these are real companies, but a company could post two jobs\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0not serious about filling to signal to the market that\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0growing. I\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0know how LinkedIn can verify whether\u00a0a job\u00a0posting is genuine.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Geoff:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0The article cited that between one-third and one-fifth of LinkedIn job postings are estimated to be ghost jobs. Call it a quarter if you want to pick an average. LinkedIn would\u00a0likely have\u00a0a different perspective\u00a0on that number.\u00a0What&#8217;s\u00a0probably drawing\u00a0attention in a lawsuit like this is the perceived volume. LinkedIn is a marketplace providing the ability for employers to post jobs and for candidates to apply. The volume of listings and applications is so high that when people feel like\u00a0they&#8217;re\u00a0not getting responses, that experience of sending applications into a\u00a0void compounds\u00a0and erodes trust in the system. And it is not the only area where LinkedIn is trying to clean up content that\u00a0isn&#8217;t\u00a0fully genuine. The most recent thing I noticed was that they now have\u00a0an option\u00a0to flag posts as potentially AI-generated, what some are calling AI slop. LinkedIn is clearly aware that trust in key parts of its platform is being eroded and is taking proactive steps on the content side.\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0not sure how\u00a0they&#8217;ll\u00a0respond to the ghost jobs lawsuit, but a similar feature \u2014 something like a\u00a0flag\u00a0this as a ghost job\u00a0option\u00a0\u2014 might be a direction they explore.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0The AI slop flag is honestly the biggest\u00a0feature\u00a0or most relevant addition LinkedIn has made in years for me as someone who\u00a0scrolls\u00a0the platform regularly. Have I flagged anything yet? No,\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0a bad member of the community. But the quality of content\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0getting from LinkedIn has dropped significantly in the last 12 to\u00a024 months. It is so easy for people to generate content now, and a lot of it is AI slop. These posts tend to be longer and deliver less utility. When you write something yourself, time is of the\u00a0essence\u00a0and you tend to be more concise.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">On the ghost jobs lawsuit specifically, I think a practical and reasonable measure for LinkedIn to pursue would be a forced verification system. If you post a job listing, LinkedIn verifies every 15 to\u00a030 days\u00a0that the posting is still active. Listings that go unconfirmed get automatically removed. When the position is closed, the employer\u00a0is required to\u00a0report whether they hired someone, decided not to hire, or put the role on hold. That would clean up the roster\u00a0significantly, because\u00a0some ghost jobs are just accidents where a company hires and forgets to update LinkedIn. Once you clear those out, you have a much cleaner picture of intentional ghost posting.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Both employers and employees are\u00a0largely aligned\u00a0here. Employers\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0benefit\u00a0from ghost jobs diluting their own listings and making it harder to find real candidates. The only employers who\u00a0benefit\u00a0from ghost jobs are the ones intentionally posting to overstate their growth or market presence, which is just the wrong thing to do.\u00a0So\u00a0I\u00a0get the frustration\u00a0on the employee side, and I think\u00a0there&#8217;s\u00a0a lot of alignment on solutions. But as it exists today, ghost jobs are prevalent, and that is one of the many things making this an extremely difficult job market.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Geoff:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0And\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0just a whole different market than it was even 12 to\u00a024 months\u00a0ago. The pendulum has really swung and\u00a0seemingly stabilized\u00a0in a more employer-friendly position. The screws are just getting tightened on all\u00a0facets\u00a0of the job seeker ecosystem.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Another thing that came up was new data from a survey of a thousand full-time workers, built around return-to-office mandates.\u00a0A lot of employees believe \u2014 and I don&#8217;t think they&#8217;re wrong \u2014 that some employers are using RTO mandates as a way to lay off people.\u00a0The term used in the article is the stealth layoff theory, and 72% of employees believe it.\u00a0I&#8217;m\u00a0not\u00a0sure\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0always true, but\u00a0it&#8217;s\u00a0certainly part of the narrative. So now imagine\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0in a job you\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0love, you\u00a0don&#8217;t\u00a0see advancement, and now your employer is asking you to come in. You know tons of jobs are ghost jobs,\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0likely to accept lower pay.\u00a0It&#8217;s just a really challenging environment.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Geoff:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0That stat genuinely surprised me.\u00a0Nearly three-quarters\u00a0of people\u00a0thinking\u00a0RTO is primarily driven by stealth layoff motives. I always assumed there was some\u00a0portion\u00a0of the workforce that held that cynical view, but the vast majority thinking that way really shows how low trust has gotten in at least some organizations. The other thing that surprised me in this study was how little value the youngest generation in the workforce assigns to being in office for mentorship purposes.\u00a0There&#8217;s\u00a0a quote in there: the idea that we need to be present is asinine. Many just come in to socialize and then go home. No more work\u00a0gets\u00a0done here than at home. I understand the focus on output, but if\u00a0that&#8217;s\u00a0all\u00a0we&#8217;re\u00a0thinking about,\u00a0we&#8217;re\u00a0being very short-term as an organization. That mindset\u00a0doesn&#8217;t\u00a0allow for\u00a0innovation, creativity, or expanding beyond what\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0already doing.\u00a0It&#8217;s\u00a0a true punch-the-clock mentality.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nick:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0To put numbers behind it, 46% of workers admit to coffee badging, which we talked about a couple of months ago. You come in, swipe your badge, get coffee, and leave. If\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0going through the effort of getting dressed and commuting but not staying, you clearly see no value in being there beyond satisfying the badge swipe metric. At some point\u00a0that&#8217;s\u00a0on the employer to make the case for why being in person matters. The average trust score for RTO motives in this survey was 59 out of 100. Not good. There are also stats about the number of employees using in-office time to look for other jobs, which is high.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The overall theme of this survey is that\u00a0there&#8217;s\u00a0a belief in a social contract between employers and employees, and that many employees feel the employer is breaching that contract by forcing them back into the office. I would come to the defense of employers in some cases. If\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0an employer who consistently communicated during COVID that you would be back in the office,\u00a0there&#8217;s\u00a0no breach of contract. You\u00a0delivered on\u00a0what you said. But if you hired someone without any\u00a0indication\u00a0that in-office work would be\u00a0required\u00a0and are now suddenly requiring it, that is a breach. That said, even for employers acting in good faith, the way this gets communicated matters enormously. Roll it out over time, explain the reasoning, address\u00a0the concerns. Even if you communicate it perfectly, you will have disgruntled employees. But I hope the trust score\u00a0would\u00a0be higher and there\u00a0would\u00a0be more genuine willingness to make the most of being there.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Geoff:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0Agreed. And the big takeaway from today is how many opportunities exist to improve trust across so many different facets of the world we operate in \u2014 from the micro level of how companies manage their people, to the macro level of rebuilding trust in the application, hiring, and recruiting workflow that HR professionals rely on. With that,\u00a0let&#8217;s\u00a0wrap up today&#8217;s episode. As always, you can subscribe\u00a0on\u00a0Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to subscribe to the\u00a0Wellable\u00a0Weekly newsletter for all the latest insights. Thank you.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:240,&quot;335559739&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n        \n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wellable Weekly breaks down Texas&#8217;s lawsuit against LinkedIn over ghost job postings, new data on why 72% of employees believe return-to-office mandates are stealth layoffs, and what a Glassdoor poll reveals about pay cuts and the widening gender pay 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