🪑 AI Has a Seat in the Boardroom — Does HR?

Hey HR Pros!

HR leaders know the conversation about AI is no longer theoretical.

CFOs and CMOs are already turning algorithms into decisions that move markets, while HR risks being sidelined.

The question is no longer if AI will shape culture, trust, and leadership — it’s whether HR will step up and shape it, too.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 👥 When AI Sits at the Table Without HR

• 🖥️ 5 Tech Imperatives Every HR Leader Needs to Watch

• 💡 New Report | The Hidden Edge of High-Performing HR Teams 

• 🪃 Boomerangs Are Back: Why HR Can’t Ignore Returning Talent

Need A New HRIS / ATS System? Help Is On The Way!

 📰 Latest in HR News

• Amazon introduces affordable $5 weekly health plan

• Starbucks to close stores, cut 900 non-retail jobs across US, Canada, and Europe

• High-Income Workers Over 50 Hit by 401(k) Catch-Up Rule Changes

• White House Pushes Agencies to Ready Mass Layoffs in Case of Shutdown

👥 When AI Sits at the Table Without HR

AI is no longer coming, it’s here, already pulling levers in the boardroom — but only 3% of organizations use it in HR.

HR must move beyond automation to meaning-making, designing human experiences, interpreting signals, and embedding judgment where algorithms fall short.

Key Insights:

• 🧠 Only 3% of firms use generative AI in HR: despite 44% saying AI is being integrated elsewhere — a stunning implementation gap.

• ⚖️ AI often replicates past biases: like resume screening that filters out diverse candidates — and HR notices only after damage is done.

• 📉 HR lags in AI fluency: with leaders strong in engagement surveys but weak in analytics literacy, ethics, or scenario modeling.

• 🔥 Leadership isn’t grown by AI: but by real-world challenges — HR’s role is to design those crucible experiences, not outsource them.

read the full 1,747-word article here

🖥️ 5 Tech Imperatives Every HR Leader Needs to Watch

Between shifting employee expectations, accelerating AI adoption, and the pressure to prove HR’s business impact, technology choices are no longer optional add-ons—they’re core to whether your workforce thrives or falls behind.

At the 2025 HR Tech Conference in Las Vegas, five clear priorities emerged for HR leaders who want to future-proof their organizations. These aren’t abstract trends. They’re practical imperatives designed to help HR teams modernize processes, build resilience, and drive measurable outcomes.

Key Insights:

• 🚫 No more “digital lipstick”: AI won’t fix broken processes—HR must lead true transformation, not just automate inefficiencies.

• 🤝 Trust as currency: Payroll precision, cultural alignment, and seamless tech experiences determine whether employees see HR as credible and strategic.

• 🧑‍💻 AI as an intern, not a boss: Effective adoption requires human oversight, literacy-building, and gradual scaling—success lies in augmentation, not replacement.

• 📊 Data as a unifier: Integrated ecosystems and strategy-led implementation prevent costly silos, hidden expenses, and quick fixes that derail progress.

read the full 1,986-word article here

😄 Comic Relief (HR Edition)

💡 New Report | The Hidden Edge of High-Performing HR Teams 

Most HR leaders know the pressure of balancing shifting priorities, but here’s a surprising truth: the most successful teams aren’t cutting back.

Instead, they’re doubling down on what many organizations are pulling away from—building workplaces rooted in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Key Insights:

• 🌍 Global shift in DEIB: Once a top 30% priority in 2023, now just 16% of HR teams worldwide list DEIB as a focus.

• 🚀 High-performers lead with inclusion: HR teams exceeding goals are five times more likely to prioritize DEIB compared to low-performing teams.

• 📊 Regional differences matter: European HR teams are twice as likely as U.S. peers to prioritize DEIB, though both value engagement equally.

• 💻 Tech plus people-first wins: Top HR teams leverage specialized software for insights while weaving inclusion into their talent and culture strategies.

read the full 547-word article here

🪃 Boomerangs Are Back: Why HR Can’t Ignore Returning Talent

The 2025 job market may look calm, but a quiet shift is reshaping retention. Employees are coming back in droves — and it’s not by accident.

Boomerang hires, once a rarity, now account for over a third of all new hires. For HR professionals, this trend signals a new frontier in retention strategy.

Key Insights

• 📊 Boomerang hiring surges: 35% of March 2025 new hires were returnees, nearly double in the information sector compared to last year.

• 💡 Offboarding is retention: strategic alumni engagement, from exit interviews to newsletters, that turns past employees into future assets.

• ⚡ Faster ramp-up time: boomerangs onboard quicker, boost morale, and bring fresh perspective alongside institutional knowledge and relationships.

• 🚩 Not all returns are wins: rehires with unresolved conflicts or poor past performance can harm team morale and disrupt culture.

read the full 1,786-word article here