I don't claim to be the smartest guy in the room. And when it comes to work, I certainly don't have all the answers. But I think I've spent enough time crawling through the mud to recognize 'speakity-speak.' There seems to be a whole lot of it out there these days. Are the workplace pundits really just waking up to the fact that employees are actually human beings? Are employers desperate enough to think someone somewhere has a secret recipe for fixing their workplace woes? Really?

Here's some of the crap I've come across lately.

• Five Simple Ways to Demonstrate Deep Commitment to Employee Success: "3)[Rename] your Human Resources department "People & Culture."

Oh lord. Sure, let's call our HR function something different and our boo boos will go bye bye.

• Workplace wellbeing: Six ways to motivate your employees: "Businesses are beginning to invest budgets into employee engagement programmes in order to empower staff and ensure they remain productive - with statistics proving ‘happiness’ plays a leading role."

No shit. Happy employees are more productive? Wow, who knew?

Aside from feeling so much of this is the same-old-same-old regurgitated, is any of it really insight? If you find this hooey news-worthy, then you're extremely late to the party...like everyone else is already passed-out. There's a bunch more of it out there. I won't bother you with it. Try not to confuse instinct with insight, though. Because the workplace just needs a little more of the former.