Today's Human Resources Pulse
Lateral Associates Now Dominate Biglaw Hiring
In 2025, lateral‑hired attorneys accounted for roughly 48% of associate hires, overtaking new law‑school graduates for the first time. The shift reflects firms’ growing appetite for experienced talent amid heightened client demand and billing pressures, tightening the market for recent graduates.
SoundHound AI and Associated Carrier Group Partner to Bring Agentic AI to Telecom Customer Service and Employee Experience
SoundHound AI announced a strategic partnership with the Associated Carrier Group (ACG) to deliver its next‑generation agentic AI platform to ACG’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 telecom members. The solution enables end‑to‑end issue resolution across voice and digital channels, cutting call volume and average handle time. By combining generative AI, multi‑agent orchestration and human‑in‑the‑loop workflows, the platform promises faster, more natural customer interactions. SoundHound becomes the exclusive provider of this agentic AI technology for the ACG network.
Gunzilla Games Under Fire From Employees Who Allege Delay N Salaries Over “Many Months”
Blockchain game developer Gunzilla Games is facing employee allegations of prolonged salary delays, with some payments reportedly overdue since October 2025. Former VFX animator Paul Creamer publicly claimed the studio failed to honor his invoices and continues to demand work...
Agape Care Group Named USA Today’s Top Workplace for 3rd Consecutive Year
Agape Care Group was named a USA TODAY Top Workplace for the third straight year, based on third‑party employee engagement data from Energage. The hospice provider also earned Top Workplace Culture Excellence Awards across categories such as purpose, wellbeing and...
‘I Hate Working 5 Days’: Zoom CEO Says Traditional Work Schedules Are Becoming Obsolete—And Predicts a 3-Day Workweek by 2031
Zoom’s CEO Eric Yuan says five‑day schedules are becoming obsolete, predicting a three‑day workweek by 2031 as AI agents take over routine tasks. He cites historical productivity gains like Ford’s assembly line and points to his own AI avatar joining...
Rolls-Royce Boss ‘Turbo Tufan’ Gets Backing for £18m Pay Packet
Rolls‑Royce’s chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic is set to receive a £18 million remuneration package, the highest among FTSE 100 firms. The plan raises his annual bonus to three times his base salary and doubles his long‑term incentive award to 750 percent of salary....
Cardiff’s St David’s Centre Becomes Platform for National Conversation on Equality Ahead of Major 2026 Conference
St David’s Centre in Cardiff hosted a public‑engagement activation that recorded real‑time opinions on equality, inclusion and belonging across Wales. Organized by Mastering Diversity CIC with Cardiff Life Magazine and WCS Agency, the event gathered athletes, professionals and everyday citizens ahead...
Remote And Hybrid Employees: Navigating The Legal Challenges
The pandemic cemented remote and hybrid work as a norm for nonprofits, offering cost savings and talent‑access benefits. However, employing staff across state lines now obliges charities to navigate a patchwork of registration, tax, wage, leave, and classification rules that...
UK Vacancies up 7.6% Year-on-Year as March Growth Slows, CV-Library Report Finds
CV‑Library’s Q1 2026 labour market report shows UK job vacancies up 7.6% year‑on‑year, driven by strong early‑year hiring confidence. After double‑digit gains in January (9%) and February (11%), March’s vacancy growth stalled at just 0.8% amid uncertainty from the Iran...
Julia Sand & The Art of Inspiration
Anthony Guerra argues that inspiration, more than strategy or coaching, is the key driver of high‑functioning teams. He illustrates this with the historical case of President Chester A. Arthur, whose unexpected moral shift followed a series of letters from Julia Sand urging him...
'The System's Broken': Minn. EMS Faces Staffing Gaps as Calls Surge
Hennepin County’s EMS is operating below minimum staffing levels even as 911 call volume climbs 26% to nearly 100,000 annually. Union records show shifts with fewer than nine paramedics on duty when over two dozen are required, and a February...
Finding Qualified Candidates Tops Recruitment Challenges for UK Employers
A YouGov survey for HireRight reveals that 38% of large UK employers view finding qualified candidates as their biggest hiring hurdle in 2026. Rising salary expectations (30%) and remote‑work preferences (26%) further complicate recruitment, while 30% of firms report roles...
Why Your Talent System Isn’t Keeping Pace with AI and How to Fix It, with Indeed’s Jessica Hardeman
Indeed’s global head of attraction, Jessica Hardeman warns that talent systems are lagging behind the rapid evolution of AI‑driven skills. She notes that 87% of hiring managers view speed as a differentiator, while 93% consider AI screening essential, yet speed...
AI Filtering Is Making Every Candidate Look the Same. Here’s What Cuts Through.
AI-driven resume optimization is making candidate applications virtually indistinguishable, prompting hiring managers to lose clear signals of ability. A recent study shows high‑ability workers are hired 19% less often because AI‑polished résumés mask performance differences. Meanwhile, 90% of employers now...
Virginia Advances Heat Illness Legislation While Other States Are Poised to Follow Suit
Virginia’s legislature has passed companion bills HB 1092 and SB 288 that would obligate the state Safety and Health Codes Board to adopt heat‑illness protection standards by May 1 2028. The measures require water, shade, acclimatization, training and emergency procedures for indoor and outdoor...
Halfpricesoft.com Enhances ezPaycheck with Built-In Payroll Accuracy Tools and E941 eFile Add-On
Halfpricesoft.com has upgraded its ezPaycheck payroll platform with built‑in tools for tip and qualified overtime calculations and an optional e941 eFile add‑on that lets users submit quarterly Form 941 directly to the IRS. The enhancements aim to eliminate manual errors, streamline...
Oregon Court Clarifies That Asking for a Raise Is Protected by Wage Transparency Law
The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the state’s wage‑transparency statute, ORS 659A.355, protects employees who request a raise from retaliation, even when no pay‑equity or discrimination claim is raised. The decision overturns a trial‑court summary‑judgment in Mirkovic v. Tenasys Corp,...
Customer‑First Success Starts With Employee Ownership Culture
Customer-first isn’t a slogan—it’s a system. 🛻 Listen to employees 📊 Share the numbers 💰 Share the upside ⚡ Move faster than competitors Sam Walton built it. Few replicate it. Read more: https://michaelwmchugh.com/sam-walton-employee-ownership-culture/
Public-Private Workforce Training Takes Flight in Oklahoma
Oklahoma launched the Talent Accelerator in February, a performance‑based, employer‑led training program funded with a $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Industry‑Driven Skills Training Fund. The initiative targets high‑growth sectors such as aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing and AI,...
Helport AI and QuickCEP Forge Strategic Alliance, Aiming to Accelerate AI Workforce Infrastructure for Global Brands
Helport AI Limited has partnered with QuickCEP to integrate its AI Labor System with QuickCEP’s omni‑channel AI customer‑service SaaS platform, creating a fully managed, outcome‑based AI agent solution for global brands. The joint offering combines Helport’s industrial‑scale AI workforce engine...
Marriott’s Indian AI Push Is About Enhancing Staff, Not Replacing Them
Marriott International is deploying artificial intelligence across its Indian operations to streamline recruitment, human‑capital planning and routine tasks. The technology is positioned to boost staff productivity and retention rather than replace frontline employees. By automating transactional work, associates can devote...
Your AI Budget Is About to Exceed Payroll 🤖
The post warns that corporate AI token spend is outpacing traditional payroll growth, turning large language models into a de‑facto employee. CEOs still view AI as a simple tool, but the author argues it functions as a variable‑cost workforce multiplier....
Disney to Cut 1,000 Jobs in Marketing Overhaul as New CEO Prepares to Take Helm
Disney announced a plan to eliminate about 1,000 marketing roles, representing under 1% of its 231,000‑strong workforce. The cuts are part of a broader cost‑reduction drive called Project Imagine, led by the incoming chief marketing officer, and come as the...
Meta Shuts Down Internal AI Token Leaderboard Amid Privacy Concerns
Meta eliminated the employee‑created "Claudeonomics" leaderboard that tracked AI token usage across its 85,000‑strong workforce. The tool had recorded more than 60 trillion tokens in a 30‑day span, prompting concerns over data privacy, cost control and internal governance.
Montague Town Set to Vote on 146‑Page Updated Personnel Policy Manual
The Town of Montague will present a 146‑page revised personnel policy manual to voters at its Annual Town Meeting on May 2. The overhaul consolidates hiring, compensation, conduct and safety rules into a single document, aiming to align town HR...
Show Grace: Appreciate and Support Struggling Co‑workers
You should appreciate your co-workers more. Most people are just out here doing their best despite all the insane real world things happening outside our windows (or inside our households). Most people want to be good at their jobs, maybe even...
Himachal Ends Job Extensions Policy, Keeps Limited Exceptions for Healthcare
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that, effective April 1, the state will cease all service extensions and re‑employment for government retirees. The halt applies to new extensions, while those already granted will run only until their approved end...
What Indeed Told the CXR Community
Indeed’s Chief Revenue Officer Maggie Hulce and VP of Product and Partnerships John Fox hosted a live community call on April 2, addressing more than 100 talent‑acquisition leaders. The session was a direct Q&A—no slides, no spin—focused on recent product and policy...
Exit Five Hires AI‑savvy Marketers for Growth & Content
Wanted: two AI-pilled marketers for @exitfivemedia. Timing: ASAP. We just opened two new jobs at Exit Five this morning: • Growth Marketer (this is ads, discovery, conversion, and a big focus on growing our email list) https://t.co/DnQOorUR3F • Content Engineer (manages our podcast/newsletters/webinars,...
Meta Ties Exec Bonuses to $9 Trillion Valuation Goal
"Under the program, Meta executives would only realize the full value of their options if the company hits a market capitalization of more than $9 trillion by 2031 - an increase of 500% from its current $1.5 trillion." https://www.wsj.com/tech/meta-targets-9-trillion-valuation-with-new-executive-incentive-program-64460862?msockid=1c302391d69563690da33083d70562fb
Opinion: How Child Care & Coffee Helped My Small Rural District Improve Staff Retention
Clyde‑Savannah Central School District, a rural New York district of 750 students, tackled chronic teacher turnover by focusing on culture rather than salary. In 2023 it launched a free, district‑run child‑care center serving 18 children daily, and converted a classroom...
Fake Perks in Job Ads Drive Candidate Ghosting
The ‘fake #perks’ problem: How misleading job ads are fuelling ghosting @HRZone https://t.co/drpXyt9pZn #HCM #HRM #HumanResources #HRTech #CHRO #FutureofHR
250 North Sea Workers to Reap Benefits From UK Union Recognition Deal
Unite, Britain’s largest offshore trade union, has secured a recognition agreement with Apache Corporation covering more than 250 workers across seven assets in the Forties and Beryl fields. The deal gives Unite the right to negotiate on pay, safety and...
What’s Stopping the 4-Day Workweek?
The authors of *Do More in Four* argue that a four‑day workweek can boost employee wellbeing while preserving, or even enhancing, productivity, especially as AI tools improve efficiency. OpenAI’s recent policy paper recommends piloting a four‑day week as an “efficiency...
On the Insufficiency of Current Gender Equality Policies in Academia and the Necessity of a Cultural Shift
Academic gender gaps remain stark: women occupy only 28% of professorships while representing 48% of PhD students across 900 EU and non‑EU institutions. The 2025 She Figures report shows a modest 7% rise in female board members since 2021, indicating...
Widening Access Is Key to Solving Accountancy’s Talent Shortage
The accounting profession faces a widening talent shortage as client demand grows and AI reshapes daily work. Margaret Laidlaw argues that solving the gap requires preserving diverse entry routes rather than streamlining them, emphasizing early‑career flexibility and broader skill development....
Fair Work Agency Urged to Act on ‘Exploitative Labour’ Report
The UK’s newly‑launched Fair Work Agency (FWA) has been urged to act on the 74‑page Decent Work report, which flags systemic labour exploitation across multiple sectors. Construction, social care and the gig economy are identified as high‑risk, with nearly 500...
The Equation Just Broke: What Block’s AI Restructuring Means for Every Company & Industry. Highlights From A16Z Podcast.
Block, the parent of Square, Cash App and Afterpay, announced a restructuring that eliminated more than 40% of its workforce despite being profitable and ranking in the top quintile for gross profit per employee. The cuts focused on engineering after...
Neill Blomkamp’s Blockchain Studio Gunzilla Games Hasn’t Paid some Staff ‘for Many Months’, Employees Allege
Gunzilla Games, the blockchain studio co‑founded by director Neill Blomkamp, is accused of withholding employee pay for several months. Animators and programmers say they have not been paid since October 2025, despite promises from CEO Vlad Korolev that the company was profitable and...
The Death of the CV
DY/DX warns that AI‑generated résumés are stripping the CV of its signalling power, prompting firms to rethink hiring. While South African recruiters are adopting AI for bulk screening, the consultancy argues that keyword‑driven tools can miss high‑potential candidates with non‑linear...
Bicycle Company Settlement: Workplace Retaliation Claim Leads to HR Overhaul
Specialized Bicycle Components settled a California civil rights investigation after a former employee alleged retaliation for reporting harassment. The settlement requires the company to hire an external expert, revamp its complaint‑handling policies, upgrade HR technology, train managers, and pay $40,000...
To Be What You Can See: Why Queer Mentorship Still Matters in Advertising
Queer representation remains scarce at the senior levels of advertising, with only a small fraction of executives openly identifying as LGBTQ+. Industry leaders argue that mentorship is the most effective lever to change this imbalance, citing early‑career programs that pair...
Ask Smart Questions, Skip the Interview Mistakes
The best and worst questions to ask at the end of a job interview. https://t.co/t0WwO1NBjd #jobs #jobseekers #work #jobinterview #JobOpening
‘AI Isn’t Replacing Human Talent’: UK Tech Workers Are Insulated From Automation – at Least for Now
Hays’ new study finds UK tech workers are largely insulated from AI, with most roles scoring around 50 out of 100 on an AI impact scale. Cloud engineers sit at 45, software engineers at 56, while test analysts register the...
Millions Lose Track of Their Retirement Savings. This Plan Wants to Change That
Retirement Clearinghouse proposes an automated clearinghouse to make 401(k) accounts portable across job changes. The system would automatically locate, verify, and transfer retirement balances, eliminating the need for employee‑initiated rollovers. By preventing cash‑outs, the model could preserve up to $2 trillion...
12 Top HR Software and Tool Options to Consider in 2025
The article surveys twelve leading HR software suites slated for 2025, highlighting that each delivers a cloud‑based SaaS platform with generative‑AI digital assistants. It breaks down core HR, talent management, payroll and benefits modules, noting which vendors focus on global...
How To Get Your Team To Care
Leaders who obsess over incentives often miss the root cause of disengagement: a lack of genuine care. The article argues that trust operates like a bank account—every act of integrity, recognition, or personal support makes a deposit, while opacity, credit‑stealing,...
UK.gov's Top Tech Jobs Pay More than Prime Minister Earns
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is hiring three directors general whose salaries of £200,000‑£260,000 (about $250,000‑$325,000) exceed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s £170,000 (~$212,500) pay. The DG for Digital Products will lead a 650‑person team with a...
UK.gov's Top Tech Jobs Pay More than Prime Minister Earns
The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is hiring three directors‑general for its digital agenda, each earning between £200,000 and £260,000 (about $254k‑$330k), which exceeds the prime minister’s £170,000 salary (~$216k). The roles cover digital products, digital transformation, and...
Ministers Launch Call for Evidence over Future of TUPE
The UK government has opened a call for evidence to shape reforms to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) – TUPE – regulations as part of its Plan to Make Work Pay and the upcoming Employment Rights Act 2025....
We're Hiring a Head of Audience
Transformer, a niche AI policy publication, is hiring a Head of Audience to accelerate its subscriber base from 11,000 to over 20,000 by year‑end. The senior role will own cross‑platform growth, analytics, paid acquisition and content packaging, reporting to Editor‑in‑Chief...