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 inputs into a “mini manifesto” that can guide large language models. Pyle argues that effective AI adoption depends on workers expressing tacit knowledge rather than learning new technology. The resource, part of XF’s Intentional Technology program, also defines “AI constants” to help HR and L&D set guardrails.
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...
A Year After Mass Layoffs, Former Federal Employees Are Helping Each Other Find Work
In the year following the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) layoffs, more than 300,000 federal employees have departed the civil service. Former workers have organized department‑specific alumni networks that provide job leads, mentorship, and mental‑health support, with the...
Job Openings Decline in February as Employers Hit Pause on Hiring
Job openings slipped to 6.9 million in February, down from 7.2 million in January, while total hires fell to 4.8 million, pushing the hiring rate to a low 3.1 %—the weakest since April 2020. Quits edged lower to 3.1 million and layoffs held steady at 1.7 million,...
CHROs Are Increasingly Among the Highest-Paid Executives at Their Firms
Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) are increasingly joining the ranks of the five highest‑paid executives at U.S. public companies. The number of CHROs listed as named executive officers (NEOs) grew from 148 in 2021 to a peak of 265 in...
To Counter Rising Gas Prices, Employers Revisit Subsidies and Work-From-Home Arrangements
Rising gas prices linked to the US‑Israeli conflict have pushed average U.S. employee commuting costs up 9% since February, reaching $16.93 per day and potentially nearing $19. A Gartner analysis shows financial stress growing, with 26% of workers already seeking...
How to Get the Most Out of Your Internship Program
Internship programs are increasingly viewed as strategic talent pipelines rather than simple learning experiences. Handshake’s chief education strategy officer Christine Cruzvergara emphasized that paid internships attract the best early talent, while HR and hiring managers must jointly secure senior‑leader buy‑in...
Carolynn Johnson Joins SHRM to Lead CEO Action for Inclusion and Diversity
Carolynn Johnson, who grew Fair360’s revenue 49% before the pandemic, has joined SHRM to head its CEO Action for Inclusion and Diversity. She will shift the program from a coalition model to a research‑driven think‑tank that offers advisory services to...
World of HR: New McDonald’s UK and Ireland Campaign Aims to Dismantle Young Worker Stereotypes
McDonald’s UK and Ireland has launched a new advertising campaign spotlighting its young workforce, which includes more than 100,000 employees under 25 and one‑third of its managers. The four‑part video series follows real staff members, emphasizing the communication, confidence, resilience...
Westgate Resorts Modernized Its L&D System to Be Optimized for Frontline Workers
Westgate Resorts, after acquiring VI Resorts’ portfolio and nearly tripling its footprint, replaced its home‑grown learning management system with Schoox, an AI‑driven LMS built for frontline staff. The new platform shifted training from paper and a fragmented system to a...
Why Firms Like Abbott and Land O’Lakes Let Workers Retire Gradually
Phased retirement programs, dubbed “flextirement,” are gaining traction as firms like HireClix, Abbott and Land O’Lakes let senior staff scale back hours while retaining full benefits. Only 7% of employers offered such options in 2025, but participants report smoother knowledge...
Hybrid Work Isn’t Working. Here’s How HR Can Help.
Hybrid work remains popular, with 72% of employees viewing it positively, yet only 7% of job listings now offer a hybrid option. Employers often label roles as in‑person to retain flexibility, creating ambiguity around hybrid definitions. HR leaders cite enforcement,...
How One People Leader Oversaw HR While Struggling with Addiction
Jessica Winder, chief people officer at Winder Law Firm, disclosed how she led HR while battling addiction, illustrating the hidden pressures many people leaders face. Research shows 54% of HR professionals experience moderate or severe burnout, higher than the broader...
New ‘Yardstick’ Aims to Help HR Teams Understand the Quality of Jobs Inside Their Companies
HR leaders now have a new benchmarking tool called the Where You Work Matters List, created by the American Opportunity Index, the Schultz Family Foundation, Burning Glass Institute, and Harvard Business School. The dataset analyzes career progression, compensation, and stability...
This Recruiter Prioritizes Meeting Candidates Where They’re at, Provides Five-Star Service Along the Way
Senior corporate recruiter John Geaney at Dollar Tree has overhauled the company’s hiring approach, moving from a reactive "post and pray" model to a proactive, data‑driven pipeline built on LinkedIn Recruiter projects. He introduced structured screening notes tied to job...
How Employers Can Make Workers Happier
Gallup’s 14th World Happiness Report, released March 19, shows Nordic nations retaining the top spots while the United States and Canada slipped slightly. The study adds social‑media usage as a new happiness factor and highlights the workplace as a major influence...
World of HR: Irish Woman Wins Suit Against Boss Who Regularly Shouted ‘Potato’ at Her
An Irish bookkeeper in Leeds successfully sued her manager for repeatedly calling her “potato” and “stupid paddy,” remarks the tribunal deemed racial harassment. The Leeds Employment Tribunal awarded her £25,000 (about $31,000) after finding the language eroded her self‑esteem and...
Trump Administration Policies on Immigration Have Impacted 65% of Businesses
A Littler survey shows 65% of U.S. businesses say recent Trump administration immigration rules have affected operations, with 24% reporting moderate staffing challenges. The Census Bureau estimates the domestic workforce shed roughly 1.2 million immigrant workers in the first half of...
Office Attendance Hits New Post-Pandemic High in February
A recent Placer.ai report shows February 2026 recorded the highest post‑pandemic office attendance, though still 31.9% below pre‑COVID 2019 levels. This marks an improvement from February 2025’s 35.7% shortfall and continues a gradual upward trend since the 2022‑2023 rebound. The...
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...
Stagnant Job Turnover Shows Employers, Workers Cautious Amid Uncertainty
The January 2026 JOLTS report shows labor turnover stalled despite job openings rising to 6.9 million. Total hires held steady at 5.3 million and quits slipped to 3.1 million, while layoffs edged down, reinforcing a “no‑hire, no‑fire” environment. This follows a 2025 slowdown...
EEOC Issues Decision Allowing Federal Agencies to Restrict Bathroom Use for Trans Workers
The EEOC issued a 2‑1 decision overturning the 2015 Lusardi ruling, limiting transgender federal employees to bathrooms that correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Chair Andrea Lucas justified the move under Title VII, while Democrat member Kalpana Kotagal dissented,...
McDonald’s CEO Went Viral for Taking a ‘Big Bite’ of a Burger. Here’s Why It Matters for HR.
McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski posted an Instagram video taking a tiny bite of a new burger, which quickly went viral and attracted criticism for appearing staged. Communication experts argue the clip felt inauthentic, eroding trust among consumers and employees. The...
The Trump Administration Is Loosening Gig Worker Rules. What Does that Mean for HR?
The Department of Labor has announced a proposed rule that would rescind the Biden‑era “multifactor economic reality” test and return to a narrower test focused on control and profit opportunity. The change would give employers greater leeway to classify workers...
These HR Leaders Messed up Delivering Bad News to Employees. Here Are the Lessons They Learned.
HR leaders RC Whitehouse and Colin H. Mincy recount painful missteps when delivering layoffs and terminations, highlighting how excessive empathy and unclear delivery turned sensitive conversations into grievance sessions. Both realized that overly emotional or rambling communication confuses employees and...
February’s Job Losses Continue ‘Whiplash’ Effect for Employers
February’s employment report showed a net loss of 92,000 jobs, nudging the unemployment rate to 4.4% and pushing labor‑force participation down to 62%, its lowest level since late 2021. The decline was led by a 28,000‑job drop in healthcare, driven...
EEOC Publishes Guidance on Using Social Media in Reasonable Accommodation Process
The EEOC issued new guidance allowing federal agencies to consider an employee’s social‑media activity when evaluating telework as a reasonable accommodation under the Rehabilitation Act. The agency stresses that such evidence cannot replace medical documentation or the interactive process, but...
The Business of Benefits: Onsite Therapy at AT&T
AT&T has rolled out onsite therapy clinics across its U.S. offices, now operating ten locations and targeting twenty by year‑end. The Dallas hub, the program’s first site, logged more than 2,100 visits in 2025, averaging over 11 appointments per day....