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.
Oklahoma Spent Big on Newbie Firm for Search Landing AD Denny
The University of Oklahoma hired former NFL executive Jake Rosenberg’s firm, The Athlete Group (TAG), to run its athletic director search, paying a $250,000 fee that tops the typical $150,000 market rate. After a six‑month process, OU appointed Roger Denny, a former Illinois athletics administrator, marking TAG’s first high‑profile collegiate client. Rosenberg touts his “norm‑breaking” approach as a scalable alternative to established firms like Korn Ferry and TurnkeyZRG. The contract’s redacted process details and data‑ownership clauses raise questions about transparency in public‑record requests.
Ownership "Grey Zone" Stalls AI Adoption; HR Leaders Report Roadblocks
A new ELMO benchmark report reveals that only 12% of Australian HR leaders view their teams as responsible for AI adoption, while 39% say IT should own it entirely. The survey of over 900 HR professionals shows a clear ownership...
Pam Bondi’s DOJ Lowers Hiring Standards After Driving Away Lawyers With Actual Experience
The Justice Department announced it will suspend the longstanding one‑year attorney experience requirement for U.S. attorney hiring. The memo, effective until Feb 28 2027, allows districts to recruit recent law graduates to fill vacancies created by a wave of resignations under Attorney...
How AI Is Redefining the Future of Work with Sharon Gai
In this episode Brandon Laws talks with Sharon Guy, author of *How to Do More with Less*, about how AI is reshaping work and why professionals should shift from being "busy bees" to "beekeepers"—orchestrating AI tools rather than doing every...
Class Action Accuses Danaher of Turning DEI Into Hiring Quotas
A class‑action lawsuit filed in March alleges Danaher Corporation turned its DEI hiring program into a quota system, requiring 50% of interview slates to be women or people of color. The complaint says the centralized talent‑acquisition team delayed or escalated...
Tyson Workers Sue Alleging HR Ignored Racial Threats, Fired Them
Two maintenance workers at Tyson's Ringgold, Virginia plant filed federal lawsuits alleging severe racial harassment, threats—including a noose, a loaded gun, and knives—and retaliation after reporting to HR. Both claim HR ignored repeated complaints, suspended them, and terminated them despite...
Don’t Be a René Redzepi — a Demanding Work Culture Is No Defence for Mistreating Employees
René Redzepi’s Noma faced intense scrutiny after former staff alleged physical violence, intimidation and unpaid overtime, prompting protests, sponsor withdrawals and Redzepi’s resignation. The New York Times investigation described the kitchen as a war‑like environment where abuse was routine. Canadian legal experts warn...
Court Revives Pension Claims Against Kellogg and FedEx over Outdated Data
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit revived class‑action lawsuits against Kellogg (now Kellanova) and FedEx, alleging their pension plans used mortality tables from the 1960s‑70s to calculate joint‑and‑survivor annuities. The outdated tables underestimate retirees’ life expectancy, reducing...
Top Tech, HR Executives Gain in Pay, Prominence: Conference Board
Corporate boards are elevating technology and human‑resource leaders, with chief technology officers and chief human resource officers surging onto the Russell 3000’s highest‑paid executive lists by 61% and 55% respectively between 2021 and 2025. The Conference Board attributes this shift to...
Workable Launches Agentic AI Features
Workable unveiled Workable Agent, an AI‑driven recruiting teammate built directly into its applicant tracking system. The feature is offered as a free upgrade on all plans, guiding teams through a structured intake to define must‑haves before a job description is...
Littler’s Stephan Swinkels Talks US Policy Impact on European Employers
Stephan Swinkels of Littler uses the firm’s European Employer Survey to highlight how recent U.S. policy volatility has shifted from a political footnote to a strategic employment risk for European companies. He explains that unpredictable tax, trade and labor regulations...
Specialists Warn Against Excessive Use of Overtime with the Reduction of Working Hours
Specialists caution Mexican firms that relying on overtime to offset the shift toward a 40‑hour workweek could backfire. They argue that permanent overtime inflates labor costs and exposes companies to legal liabilities under Mexico's labor code. The warning follows recent...
Trump DEI Stance Being Felt By Employers, Survey Finds
The 2026 WPI Survey Report reveals that 71% of employers say their businesses felt the effects of President Trump’s IE&D policy shifts during the first year of his second term. The administration’s rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion mandates forced...
Deregulation Can Solve Labor Market Woes
Alexander MacDonald argues that deregulating the labor sector could alleviate persistent workforce shortages and rigid hiring practices. He cites excessive compliance costs and inflexible rules as primary obstacles to matching workers with jobs. The piece suggests targeted rollbacks—such as simplifying...
From Coffee Shops to Culture Building — 5 Tips for Founders Creating Their First Workplace
Founders moving from coffee‑shop setups to a dedicated office must treat the space as a strategic asset. Five key lessons emerge: design for hybrid collaboration, prioritize feel and comfort, ensure reliable tech infrastructure, locate near other innovators, and balance cost...
California Employment News: Navigating AI Compliance: Employer Best Practices Pt. 2
In a recent episode of California Employment News, Weintraub Tobin partners Meagan D. Bainbridge and Jackie Simonovich outline how California employers can responsibly adopt artificial intelligence in hiring, performance management, and other workplace decisions. They stress the need for clear...
Edward Jones Misses Advisor Diversity Goals, Reports Slow Progress in Top Ranks
Edward Jones reported that its advisor workforce remained largely unchanged in 2025, with only 10% of advisors identifying as people of color and 24% as women, falling short of its 2025 diversity targets. The firm met its general partner goal...
Hire Humans for Judgment, AI for Execution
The hiring manager's dilemma: Claude Max costs $200/month A junior analyst costs $60K/year Both can write reports, analyze data, and respond to emails. Only one complains about work-life balance. The real question every founder should ask: "What am I paying humans to do that only...
From Listening to Leverage: Turning Employee Voice Into Business Advantage in the Age of AI
The 2026 State of Employee Listening Report shows AI‑driven listening programs accelerating, with a 27 % rise in AI‑augmented platforms. Leaders must shift from merely analyzing feedback to enabling rapid action, governed by transparency and clear governance. Speed of insight‑to‑action and...
Welcoming Our New Team Member to Zendesk
Today we've onboarded our latest team member to Zendesk.
Costa Mesa Adopts Self-Checkout Staffing Ordinance
On February 17, 2026 Costa Mesa adopted an ordinance mandating staffing for self‑service checkout stations in drug and food retail establishments. The rule becomes effective April 28, 2026 and requires at least one employee for every three self‑checkout units, who...
Key Phrases to Use when You Talk to Your Boss
The article outlines seven practical phrases employees can use to improve conversations with their managers. By proposing solutions, flagging potential issues, seeking clarification, and requesting prioritization, workers demonstrate proactive problem‑solving and clear communication. Expressing gratitude for feedback and asking how...
Will LLMs Replace Coders? Not Entirely
Former Dropbox CTO Aditya Agarwal warned that hand‑written code will become obsolete as generative AI matures. A new working paper by Wharton professor Neha Sharma and Tulane’s Simin Li shows that after ChatGPT’s launch, routine coding questions on Stack Overflow fell...
Why Women Belong at the Heart of Retail Logistics: ‘You Learn How a Business Really Works’
Louise Cartner, general manager of Sportsshoes.com, argues that women are essential to retail logistics, citing her own warehousing stint as a catalyst for deeper business insight. She highlights how hands‑on logistics work teaches end‑to‑end operations, decision‑making speed, and cost awareness....
Michigan Joins Majority of States in Enacting Anti-SLAPP Law (US)
On March 24, 2026 Michigan enacted its version of an Anti‑SLAPP statute, becoming the 39th state to adopt such protections for speech on matters of public concern. The law allows employees sued for exercising First Amendment rights to move for...
Avoiding Tough Talks Costs $7,500 and Days
Every tough conversation you avoid costs your company $7,500 and 8 lost work days. That's not my opinion. That's VitalSmarts research across thousands of organizations. Now multiply that by how many conversations your leadership team dodged this month. The most successful companies I...
Illinois Commercial Bakery Cited for Worker Safety Violations
The U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA has cited Chicago‑based Alpha Baking Co. Inc. for multiple safety violations after a worker broke his arm clearing dough from a machine. The citations include repeat lockout‑tagout failures, unguarded equipment, and lack of electrical...
Automating Entry Tasks Risks Losing Essential Skill Training
I have been thinking about the impact of AI on junior roles. If AI can handle the entry-level work, the obvious question is where people learn the craft. In a lot of careers, the “boring” tasks are also the training ground. You...
AI’s ‘Boys’ Club’ Could Widen the Wealth Gap for Women, Says Rana El Kaliouby
Rana el Kaliouby warned at SXSW that AI is shaping up as a new "boys' club," with women underrepresented among founders and investors. She highlighted that three‑quarters of Blue Tulip Ventures’ deals involve women CEOs, yet most AI startups still feature...
How to Lead Analyst Personalities Across Every Generation
The latest 16Personalities blog series examines how Analyst personality types—INTJ, INTP, ENTJ, and ENTP—behave across four generations. It outlines shared traits such as a demand for competence, a preference for logic over harmony, and low tolerance for inefficiency. The post...
Employee Won’t Stop Hugging People
A nonprofit manager is dealing with a gregarious employee who habitually initiates full‑body hugs with visitors and volunteers, creating discomfort among staff and guests. The advice emphasizes addressing the behavior directly rather than drafting new policies, stressing immediate, clear feedback...
How to Conduct an Effective Job Interview (With 7 Proven Steps)
The article outlines a seven‑step framework for conducting effective job interviews, emphasizing a role‑centric structure over interviewer intuition. It highlights the need for clear success criteria, consistent, evidence‑based questions, and standardized evaluation rubrics. Survey data shows half of managers consider...
KMJR.World Is Seeking Summer 2026 Fashion PR Interns In New York, NY
KMJR.World announced its Summer 2026 Fashion PR Internship in New York, beginning early June. The program requires a 2‑3 day per week, 9:30 AM‑6:30 PM in‑person commitment for a full semester or 3‑4 months. Interns will handle media clipping, industry research, sample logistics, and...
Don't Confuse Hard Work with High Potential
The Contrarian HR argues that hard work should not be equated with high potential, warning that conflating the two can mislead promotion decisions. He stresses that true potential is better gauged by learning agility, strategic impact, and the ability to...
Accessibility in Zoho People: Our Commitment to an Inclusive HR Experience
Zoho People announced that its HR platform now conforms to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, the global benchmark for digital accessibility. The update adds customizable visual settings, auditory screen‑readers, extensive keyboard shortcuts, and support for over 20 languages. By embedding these features, Zoho...
Azilen Technologies Becomes Merge Service Partner to Accelerate HRTech and HRIS Integrations
Azilen Technologies has been named an official Merge Service Partner, linking its HR integration expertise with Merge’s unified API platform. The collaboration will help HRTech SaaS providers design, launch, and scale HRIS integrations across North America and Europe more quickly....
SignalHire Data Reveals 30% of B2B Contact Records Go Stale Every Year: Database Decay Costs About 546 Hours Annually
SignalHire’s latest research shows that roughly 30% of B2B contact records become stale within a year, translating into an average loss of 546 productive hours per sales team annually. The decay is most acute for job titles, followed by direct...
Business Insurance Health Introduces Six Open Access Benefits Modeling Tools for Small and Mid-Size Employers
Boston‑based Business Insurance Health launched the Benefits Intelligence Platform, a suite of six open‑access tools that let small and mid‑size employers model health‑benefits costs, ROI, and funding options without broker assistance. The tools include a Business Valuation Tool, Benefits ROI...
Extreme HR: People Management in the Antarctic
British Antarctic Survey’s head of HR, Mariella Giancola, oversees people management for three Antarctic and two sub‑Antarctic stations, where crews live and work in confined, isolated environments. The HR function recruits a wide mix of roles—from scientists to chefs—focusing on...
AI Deepfakes Threaten Hiring: Detecting Candidate Fraud
Interviewing a Ghost: When AI, Deepfakes, and Fake Identities Enter the Hiring Process AI is transforming hiring—but it’s also enabling a new wave of candidate fraud. In this episode of The Jim Stroud Podcast, Jim speaks with Maryam Mahdaviani, founder...
Redesign Entry Roles, Pair Talent with AI for Apprenticeships
RT If genAI handles the grunt work, how can leaders develop an apprenticeship model? Leaders must: (1) Redesign Level-1 roles, (2) Pair talent with AI agents, (3) Make learning and reflection explicit, not accidental. #AI #Hiring #CIO #CHRO @Star_CIO https://t.co/W7YbwP6jrL
HR Tech Bytes: Cangrade, G-P
Cangrade introduced automated video interview scoring and built-in response summaries to its Jules AI Video Interview Copilot. The system creates a soft‑skill rubric from job descriptions, lets recruiters edit criteria, and then scores candidate answers against it. G‑P’s AI‑driven platform...
Practical Frameworks to Boost Employee Experience and Performance
EMPLOYEE UNDERSTANDING - CX Journey™ https://t.co/v5jjZIjGrK This #book gives you practical frameworks and real-world guidance to transform your #employeeexperience in ways that actually impact performance, retention, and customer success. https://t.co/bzntWiCx5O
GStack Automates Role‑specific Review Tracking for Startups
New innovation: Just as at a well-run startup, there are CEO, engineering manager and design reviews, GStack now helps you keep track of what reviews are run, figures out what is appropriate (e.g. CEO doesn't have to look at infra...
The Link Between Employee Recognition and Retention
Employee recognition is emerging as a core retention lever, shaping daily work experiences far beyond salary considerations. When praise is specific, timely, and aligned with individual preferences, it reinforces belonging, performance momentum, and career visibility. Companies that pair consistent recognition...
Grievance Processes May Be Fueling Workplace Conflict
Are your grievance procedures escalating workplace conflict? @HRZone https://t.co/wBFYIYUrlB #HCM #HRM #HumanResources #HRTech #CHRO #FutureofHR
Hiring LA Narrative Lead to Shape Global Money Story
Later today we will be posting a new LA-based role to lead @Lightspark narrative distribution on socials. I’ll be working closely with that leader to tell our story about changing the way money moves globally. If you think you’re the...
Gallagher Insurance Exec Shannon Gallagher: ‘Give Your Employees Life’
Gallagher Insurance executive Shannon Gallagher urged leaders to "give your employees life," emphasizing a shift from traditional compensation to holistic wellbeing. She highlighted new flexible‑work policies, expanded mental‑health support, and personalized life‑insurance options for staff. Gallagher argues that engaged employees...
Sweden Mandates Permanent Hires After Two Years
Incredibly, Sweden passed a staffing law that went into effect--I'm not making this up--Oct 2022. It requires temp/staffing firms to offer permanent positions after 24 months, & there's legal speculation there it might apply to consulting firms too. 1/2 https://t.co/xwN37kW7ne
How HR Can Better Support Millennial Workers
Millennials now comprise the largest share of the U.S. workforce and hold the biggest slice of management roles, yet their engagement has slipped to roughly 30% across age brackets. The decline is tied to the “sandwich generation” pressure of caring...