Written for the leaders, owners and professionals of the 11 million businesses with between $50,000 and $50 million in revenue.

First, there were phone screens for applicants, in which a recruiter asks each candidate preliminary questions. Then, there were pre-recorded video interviews, which let recruiters skip the call and watch responses later.

Now, the recruiter might not even be necessary, because AI can evaluate candidates’ responses in real time. The company micro1, which claims to have conducted 100,000 such screenings, even gives its digital interviewer a friendly cartoon face, then delivers a paragraph-long “AI Assessment” on soft skills and technical skills, along with an overall “trust score.”

Even weirder? The company’s founder predicts that job candidates will use their own AI likenesses to answer the AI recruiter’s questions. “And then the company and the candidate can spend their actual time on a Zoom call or in-person interview,” he told Wired.

Until that day arrives, read business.com’s 10 HR Interview Questions for Employers.

Your own worst critic: Go easier on yourself at work

COOmedy: Bosses need to choose their jokes carefully

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Self-criticism is like salt: While a sprinkle is healthy and necessary, too much will raise your blood pressure and leave a bad taste in your mouth. 

One of self-criticism’s most fertile breeding grounds is workspaces, which can come in any form: a botched deal, a missed deadline, or an embarrassing Zoom call. There’s value in admitting fault and learning from mistakes, but an overabundance of negative self-talk has a highly studied correlation with depression and anxiety and even addiction.

So, what do psychologists recommend? Beyond a trite non-answer like “the power of positive thinking,” is there an effective way to quiet harmful chronic thoughts?

Speaking with a mental health professional will provide you with the most individualized and effective advice, but research indicates that — since self-criticism is a habit — the solution could be developing a new habit of self-compassion. The concept is different than self-esteem; by cultivating an awareness of default behavior without harsh judgment, we might be able to change it.

A University of Texas study found that self-compassion cultivates a growth mindset, while a similar study from UC Berkeley found that people who complete self-compassion exercises — for example, flipping negative “what-if” narratives to positive ones like “what if they actually loved my pitch?” — are more motivated and committed to avoiding repeat mistakes.

With a little distance between you and your self-criticism, UC Berkeley psychology professor Serena Chen suggests treating your inevitable fumbles the way you would treat those of a friend: with patience, kindness, and encouragement.

“Convincing ourselves that we are better than we are leads to complacency, and thinking we’re worse than we are leads to defeatism,” Chen writes in Harvard Business Review. “When people treat themselves with compassion, they are better able to arrive at realistic self-appraisals, which is the foundation for improvement.”

Think of it this way: Self-compassion might turn self-criticism into self-improvement.

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Dr. Steven Rogelberg is a chancellor’s professor at UNC Charlotte, former president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and author of Glad We Met: The Art and Science of 1:1 Meetings.

When not done in a mean-spirited way, workplace humor from leaders is generally associated with positive outcomes for employee well-being and enjoyment. However, leader humor also has potential risks and downsides, according to studies involving over 400 participants.

That’s because direct reports feel pressure to react positively to a joke even if they don’t find it funny. Employees will typically engage in “surface acting,” responding in a way that the leader hopes and desires. This takes cognitive work, is mentally draining, and can negatively affect satisfaction at work.

Surface acting emerges given the power differential between the two parties; if an employee doesn’t laugh, it might insult the leader, so faking it seems safer. Even when the humor was high quality and actually funny, the direct reports felt surface-acting pressure to some extent, given that it was coming from someone with power over them.

Here are key takeaways for leaders:

• Pick your moments to be humorous. Focus on fewer but really enjoyable expressions of humor — less is more.
• Create a culture on your team where employees feel safe and can bring their authentic selves to work.
• Keep your humor clean and be sure it does not come at the expense of others. If you are not sure whether it’s going to be received well and is truly funny, let it go.

Written by Dan Ketchum. Comic by John McNamee.