Happy Friday! ‘This week in CX’ brings you the latest roundup of industry news.
This week, we’ve been diving into exciting topics like the future of AI in 2025, the potential of a 4-day work week, and US workers’ plans for the upcoming Super Bowl.
We’re also discussing new updates from Gartner, the European Commission, and more.
Key news
- The European Commission has proposed stricter customs checks and a new handling fee to regulate low-cost Chinese parcels entering Europe. As a result, e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, Shein and Temu could face higher costs and stricter regulations. The EU plans to remove the tax exemption for parcels worth less than €150, which could generate an additional €1bn annually for customs authorities. The US is also taking action against Chinese imports as part of its global tariffs and postal suspensions.
- Demand for obesity drugs such as Wegovy underpinned Novo Nordisk’s 26% increase in net sales to DKr290bn (€39bn; £32bn) last year. Sales of the Danish pharmaceutical firm’s obesity treatments rose 56%, in part because they are now covered by insurance in the US. The company has been expanding its manufacturing output to meet rising demand, though it warned that sales growth is bound to slow down this year.
- Bans on smartphones in schools do not lead to better academic grades or child wellbeing, a study has found. While researchers found a link between extended phone and social media use and lower grades, poor sleep, lack of exercise and disruptive behaviour, there was no difference between pupils of schools that banned smartphones and those that didn’t. The study, published in the Lancet’s Regional Health Europe journal, looked at 1,227 pupils at 30 schools in the UK, and found that school phone bans did not reduce the amount of time children spent using them.
CXM news stories
Here’s the full news stories that CXM have reported on in the past week. Learn all about the latest news about shopping habits, the role of AI in 2025 and possibilities of a 4-day work week.
Overworked and under pressure: why CxOs are leaving at alarming rates
A recent Gartner survey reveals a concerning trend among senior executives: 56% of CxOs—C-suite leaders reporting to the CEO, excluding CHROs—are likely to leave their roles within the next two years. Even more alarming, 27% are considering leaving within the next six months. The primary reasons? increased workloads, higher organizational demands, and rising stress levels.
The survey found that 67% of executives feel they are being asked to do more than before, 58% say their function is now more critical to the organization, and 44% report higher stress levels.
This turnover could significantly impact business performance, as companies with executive teams averaging five or more years of tenure outperform those with shorter-tenured leadership on revenue, customer experience, and other key metrics.
“Heightened executive turnover is a challenge for organizations as a less-tenured executive team typically means lower enterprise growth, which is the most important metric organizations rely on to track enterprise performance. Compounding the issue, more tenured executives are more likely to leave within the next two years than executives who are newer in their roles,” said Alexander Kirss, Senior Principal in the Gartner HR practice.
Despite their critical role in leadership stability, CHROs are struggling to support their peers. Only 23% of CxOs believe their CHRO is effective at fostering collaboration among the executive team, and the same percentage say their CHRO is successful at managing tensions within the C-suite. However, CHROs can take proactive steps to address executive burnout and attrition.
How to prevent it?
To improve CxO retention, CHROs should act as executive career coaches, collaborating with CEOs to create leadership pathways and succession plans while connecting executives with valuable development resources. Building trust between CxOs and the CEO is essential for leadership stability, and CHROs can facilitate open conversations to ensure alignment.
In addition, prioritising mental health and work-life balance is crucial, as stress and burnout drive turnover. By focusing on career growth, trust, and well-being, CHROs can foster a stable, high-performing leadership team.