The Business of Benefits: ‘Recharge Fridays’ at Staffbase
Staffbase, the employee‑experience platform, has made “Recharge Fridays” a permanent perk for its 600‑person global workforce, giving non‑essential staff every Friday in August off to disconnect. The policy, first piloted in 2021, treats these days as internal public holidays rather than vacation, allowing the majority of the company to be offline simultaneously. By focusing on high‑impact work Monday through Thursday, Staffbase reports sustained productivity without hiring additional staff. Employee engagement surveys and recruitment feedback indicate the benefit strengthens culture and attracts top talent.
Popular YouTuber MrBeast Hit with Employment Lawsuit Alleging FMLA Violations and ‘Toxic’ Workplace
Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, faces a lawsuit from former head of Instagram Lorrayne Mavromatis alleging FMLA violations, wrongful termination, gender discrimination and a toxic workplace culture. The complaint details pressure to work during labor, a 10‑hour shift three weeks...
Some Employers Rethink 401(k) Matches Amid Financial Uncertainty
Technology services firm TTEC announced a nine‑month pause on its 3% 401(k) match for U.S. employees, citing uncertain business performance. The decision affects roughly 16,000 U.S. staff and mirrors a broader pattern of employers scaling back retirement contributions during economic...
Colorado Corrections Officer’s Lawsuit over Racial Sensitivity Training Tossed Out (Again)
A Colorado corrections officer's lawsuit alleging that mandatory DEI training created a hostile work environment was dismissed for the second time by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The court found that a single training session and the officer's resignation...
Employees Want Better Benefits From Their Employers
A new isolved report shows that while 59% of employees who applied for a new job cite higher salary, 45% prioritize better benefits, making benefits a key talent magnet. Companies such as Zoom, Deloitte and TTEC have recently trimmed parental...
Why Employee-Led Groups Are ‘Crucial’ for Recruitment and Retention at Indeed
Indeed’s parent and caregiver employee resource group (IBRG) has grown to 2,000 members, representing a sizable share of its 11,000‑strong workforce. The group helped push a non‑gendered parental‑leave policy and extend leave from four to six months, while providing virtual...
ServiceNow’s Head of TA on HR’s AI Opportunity
ServiceNow’s senior talent‑acquisition leader Sarah Tilley explained how the company leverages generative AI to automate repetitive recruiting tasks while preserving the human element of hiring. She highlighted tools such as AI‑driven interview‑question generation and candidate rediscovery that free recruiters to...
Tom Brady Is Pitching a GLP-1 Benefit for Healthcare Workers
Tom Brady, now an investor and chief wellness officer at eMed, has launched a GLP-1 benefit aimed at healthcare workers. The program offers FDA‑approved GLP‑1 medications for $99 a month per eligible employee, with employers paying $25 per covered life...
AI Might Address Recruiting Bias, but HR Pros Aren’t Leveraging It that Way Just Yet
Artificial intelligence holds promise for reducing hiring bias, yet adoption remains minimal. A December HR Brew survey of nearly 400 professionals found only 7% use AI to identify and address bias, while 78% do not employ such tools. Executives like...
Rising Healthcare Costs Are Prompting HR to Rethink Benefits Strategies
Rising medical expenses are reshaping employee benefits, with 71% of workers reporting at least a 5% cost increase and 22% seeing hikes of 15% or more. The surge is driving financial stress for 32% of staff and mental‑health and physical‑health...
April Job Gains Suggest Labor Market Is Stabilizing, for Now
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that April added 115,000 jobs, far surpassing the 55,000 economists expected, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.3%. Revised figures show March’s gains rose to 185,000 and February’s losses were trimmed to 156,000,...
88% of Companies Globally Still Include Diversity and Inclusion in Workforce Reports
A Thomson Reuters Workforce Disclosure Initiative study of roughly 3,000 global firms finds that 88.5% still reference diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in board oversight documents. However, core policies are eroding: public anti‑discrimination rules fell from 94% in 2020 to...
World of HR: One-Third of HR Leaders in the UK Faced DEI Pushback in the Last Year
A recent Working Chance and YouGov survey of 565 UK HR leaders found that roughly one‑third encountered resistance to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives over the past year. The backlash mirrors a broader anti‑DEI wave originating in the United...
How Delta’s Employee-Listening Revamp Led Its HR to Rethink Two Major Benefits Offerings
Delta Air Lines overhauled its employee‑listening program to reach frontline staff more effectively, adding pop‑up prompts on its internal site and expanding feedback channels beyond surveys. The changes lifted the annual engagement survey response rate to a record 53%, up...
Legislative Lowdown: Florida Enacts Anti-Union Law for Public Sector Employers
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that raises the union‑election threshold for public‑sector workers to a 50% participation rate and requires a majority vote for certification. The measure also forces unions to recertify if more than 60% of members...
Why Most Employers Are Sticking with Big 3 PBMs over Alternatives
Employers are reevaluating pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as the FTC’s antitrust actions and bipartisan legislation spotlight the Big 3—CVS Caremark, Cigna Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Optum Rx. A 2025 National Alliance survey found 61% of 324 employers have switched or...
Menstrual Health Continues to Be a Taboo Topic at Work. HR Can Help Change That.
Menstrual health remains a workplace taboo despite growing awareness, with 1.8 million people menstruating each month and 10% experiencing pain that can sideline them for days. A recent RM Compass report finds 63% of firms do not provide free period products and...
Professional and Business Services Sector Led on Hirings, Firings in March
Job openings slipped to 6.9 million in March, while hires jumped to 5.6 million, a gain of 655,000 from February. The professional and business services sector recorded the steepest drop in openings (down 318,000) and the largest layoffs (527,000), yet it led...
Greenhouse Sets Sights on AI Interviewing as Next TA Game Changer
Greenhouse announced it will acquire Ezra AI Labs, a startup that provides conversational, voice‑based AI interviewing technology. The move comes as Greenhouse reports a 412% rise in applications per recruiter since 2023, while fewer than 7% of applicants secure an...
The Business of Benefits: Financial Education at Alloy
Alloy, a 300‑person identity and fraud‑prevention firm, has partnered with Addition Wealth since 2023 to provide financial‑education benefits, including seminars and one‑on‑one advisor sessions. The program complements its 401(k) and equity grants, aiming to help employees navigate life events and...
Can a $300 Baby Sleep Device Get Parents Back Into the Office? Owlet Hopes So.
Owlet, the Utah‑based maker of the $299 Dream Sock baby monitor, is rolling out an employer‑benefits program that lets companies subsidize the device for new‑parent staff. The company argues that sleep‑deprived parents are less productive, so offering the monitor can...
New York and Maryland Become Latest States to Ban Public Workers From Using Prediction Markets
New York and Maryland issued executive orders this month barring state employees from using prediction‑market platforms or sharing insider information for bets. The orders add to existing ethics codes and direct violations to the attorney general for possible disciplinary action....
Employers Should Expect Future Labor Headaches as US Birth Rate Falls Again
The U.S. recorded 3.6 million live births in 2025, a 1 percent decline that lowered the general fertility rate to 53.1 per 1,000 women aged 15‑44. The drop continues an 18‑year downward trend since the 2007 peak, meaning fewer workers will replace...
Workday Bets on Recognition Retaining Employees in an AI-Driven Market
Workday announced a partnership with Achievers to power a new employee‑recognition product, replacing traditional cash bonuses with a points‑based rewards system. The platform lets staff earn points for peer‑recognition and redeem them for travel, merchandise, or experiences. Workday’s SVP of...
World of HR: The Netherlands Is Slowly Adopting a Four-Day Workweek
Workers in the Netherlands now average a 32‑hour week, effectively a four‑day schedule, though it is not yet codified into law. The shift originated in the 1980s when tax incentives encouraged one parent—typically the mother—to work part‑time, expanding female labor...
Starbucks Will Switch to Weekly Pay as Workers Want More Frequent Compensation
Starbucks announced that beginning in August it will shift its hourly partners from a bi‑weekly to a weekly pay schedule. The change is part of a broader compensation overhaul that adds merit bonuses of up to $1,200 per year and...
Let’s Talk About How We Talk About AI
Howard Pyle, founder of XF, introduced a personal AI toolkit at HR Brew’s Talent 2030 event, aiming to move AI training from technical instruction to self‑knowledge. The tool asks users to articulate values and current AI use, then translates those...
Target Doubles Down on Inclusion and Women’s Advancement in Rare Public Remarks
Target, under new CEO Michael Fiddelke, sent Vice President Alisa Dalton to open Catalyst’s Convene conference, marking a public re‑engagement with diversity and inclusion after a year‑long rollback. Dalton admitted past missteps that eroded trust with Black shoppers and pledged...
AI Requires Recruitment Teams to Rethink Skills and Their Value in the Hiring Process
AI is reshaping talent acquisition by moving hiring away from static résumé keywords toward dynamic skill assessments. CodeSignal’s CEO Tigran Sloyan argues that AI can reverse‑engineer roles from actual work tasks, creating a three‑tier skill model of essential, foundational and...
CEOs of JetBlue, Warby Parker, IBM, and More Share Their Vision for the Future Workplace
At the Semafor World Economy summit, CEOs from JetBlue, Warby Parker, IBM, US Steel and others outlined how they are reshaping recruitment, AI adoption and workplace culture. They stressed hiring for values, proactive attitudes and behavioral traits rather than traditional...
Meta Is Deploying an AI Mark Zuckerberg to Communicate with Employees. Here Are the Risks for HR.
Meta is rolling out AI‑powered 3D avatars that mimic CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s voice, mannerisms and personality to communicate with employees. The Financial Times reports the pilot will let staff interact with a virtual Mark for updates and Q&A. HR experts...
Office Spaces Are Accommodating for AI Experimentation, Gensler Co-Chair Says
Gensler’s global co‑chair Diane Hoskins and WeWork CEO John Santora said AI is reshaping office design, prompting firms to remodel for collaborative and quiet zones. Their research shows a three‑day‑a‑week office schedule is the sweet spot for U.S. workers returning...
Some Workers Are Bonding over Botox. HR Says that Could Be Good.
Botox injections are evolving from a private cosmetic procedure into a novel coworker bonding activity, with groups scheduling appointments during lunch breaks or as quarterly socials. The aesthetic market, driven by injectables, is projected to add $830 billion to the global...
Gov. Kathy Hochul Challenges Businesses to Deepen Investments in Childcare
Governor Kathy Hochul urged New York’s business community to deepen childcare investments, citing Moms First and McKinsey research that quantifies a $70 billion annual loss from childcare disruptions. She highlighted Micron’s on‑site daycare at its Clay, NY semiconductor plant and referenced...
Housing Benefits Gain Ground as Employers Like BNY Pledge Down Payment Assistance
Employers are increasingly turning to employer‑assisted housing (EAH) to help workers afford homeownership. In April, Bank of New York Mellon announced a $6,500 down‑payment assistance program for U.S. employees earning $100,000 or less. Major mortgage firms such as Fannie Mae...
Legislative Lowdown: Virginia’s Minimum Wage Is Set to Increase to $15 an Hour
Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger signed legislation that will raise the state minimum wage from $12.77 to $15 per hour by 2028, with an interim step to $13.75 in 2027. The same bill extends the state minimum wage to farm workers...
The Business of Benefits: Enhanced Maternity Benefits at Koch Industries
Koch Industries, employing 60,000 U.S. workers, rolled out a virtual maternity‑care benefit with Pomelo for all medical‑plan members in 2022. Over 3,000 employees and families have enrolled, driving an 8% drop in NICU admissions, a 31% reduction in NICU stay...
Labor Department Facing EEO Complaint of Its Own
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a complaint alleging that Labor Secretary Lori Chavez‑DeRemer created a hostile workplace and retaliated against female employees who reported her husband’s alleged sexual touching. The complaint also claims staff were forced to perform...
AI Readiness Gap Is Slowing Productivity Gains
A new study.com report based on two surveys of 1,000 U.S. workers each reveals that AI tools have become mainstream, with nine‑in‑ten employees using them at least occasionally. However, only one in six feels fully prepared to leverage AI, and...
When DEI Training Doesn’t Work, the Approach, Not the Concepts, May Need a Shift
DEI training has long struggled to move beyond compliance, with many one‑off sessions failing to change behavior and sometimes sparking backlash. Recent rollbacks at firms such as AT&T, Meta and Molson Coors highlight political pressure, but practitioners argue the problem...
Microsoft Announces Significant HR Changes, Focused on AI
Microsoft’s chief people officer Amy Coleman announced a sweeping HR reorganization aimed at embedding artificial intelligence across the function. The memo details the departure of chief diversity officer Lindsay‑Rae McIntyre and the consolidation of engineering‑focused HR under CVP Melanie Simpson....
World of HR: Employee Engagement Drops Globally for the Second Year in a Row
Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report shows employee engagement slipping to a post‑COVID low of 20%, marking the second consecutive year of decline after a 2022 peak of 23%. While overall engagement has risen since 2009’s 12% baseline,...
Slower Wage Growth, Inflation Could Spell Trouble for Employee Earnings
Employers added 178,000 jobs in March, reversing a 133,000‑job loss in February. However, average hourly earnings rose only 0.2% month‑over‑month, the weakest pace in nearly five years. Rising oil prices have lifted inflation expectations to about 3% this year, threatening...
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...
Will Employing AI Instead of Humans Really Help Companies’ Bottom Lines?
Tech CEOs are touting AI as a labor‑saving miracle, but the economics remain uncertain. While AI developers have spent billions on research and companies have invested roughly $37 billion in AI stacks in 2025, pricing is still low compared with human...
AI Literacy Is Popular at the DOL
The U.S. Department of Labor is accelerating AI literacy initiatives to prepare the workforce for an AI‑driven economy. Recent actions include a text‑message‑based AI literacy course, a partnership with the National Science Foundation’s TechAccess: AI‑Ready America program, and the integration...
AI Governance Really Matters Amid Evolving Compliance Landscape
AI governance is becoming a critical concern as organizations embed AI tools into daily operations while legislation trails behind. State and federal rules remain fragmented, and enforcement—exemplified by New York City’s Local Law 144—has been minimal, leaving companies uncertain about...
Legislative Lowdown: Maine Opens Applications for Paid Leave Program
Maine’s Department of Labor opened applications on March 30 for its Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program, with benefits slated to begin on May 1. The state law, effective Jan. 1, provides eligible workers up to 12 weeks of paid...
Overwhelmed by Applications, Recruiters Turn to AI Pre-Screening Tools to Winnow Down Applications
Recruiters are drowning in applications as hiring slows, with 72% of global firms still reporting a talent shortage. Two‑thirds of talent‑acquisition professionals say they received more candidates per role last year, yet 46% say candidate quality has declined. In response,...
Employers that Want an Agile Workforce Must Address Problems with Gig Work
Employers are rapidly adopting agile workforce models—gig, contract, and fractional roles—to gain flexibility, speed, and cost savings amid skills shortages and AI‑driven change. An Indeed survey of 10,000 respondents shows 53% of employers already use such models, with 67% planning...