Is That New Hire Real? 🤯

Hey there, HR trailblazers! 🌟

The workplace is changing fast, and staying informed is essential. 

This issue explores the risks of deepfake in hiring, EY’s AI-driven hiring, CBRE’s innovative employer branding, and SMART Work Design to prevent burnout. 

Each story offers actionable insights to help HR and business leaders adapt and thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

📰 Upcoming in this issue

• Deepfake Job Candidates: A High-Stakes Game of Trust 🤖

• Inside EY's Recruitment Engine: 5.1 Million Applications, 100k Hires Annually 🚀 

• How CBRE Redefined Employer Branding for the B2B World 🌟 

• Preventing Burnout with SMART Work Design 🔧

📈 Trending news

• U.S. Hiring Surge: Over 60% of Companies Plan to Add New Positions in Early 2025

• Tokyo Introduces Four-Day Work Week to Encourage Higher Birth Rates

• BI Study Reveals the Economic Benefits of Hiring Women

• Is the Labor Market Rebounding? Key Insights from the November Jobs Report

Is Your HR Tech Stack Ready for 2025? 🚀

Gartner's 2025 HR Priorities report reveals that 55% of HR leaders say their current tech solutions fail to meet business needs.

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Deepfake Job Candidates: A High-Stakes Game of Trust 🤖 read the full 1,292-word article here

HR Executive's article, "Could that new hire be a deepfake?" highlights the alarming rise of deepfake scams targeting HR. These attacks exploit video interviews and sensitive data, as seen in a North Korean operative's infiltration. With only 25% able to spot deepfakes, experts urge enhanced identity verification, cybersecurity, and hiring safeguards.

Key Takeaways

• 🕵️‍♂️ Deepfakes fool most of us: Only 1 in 4 people can detect high-quality deepfakes, despite most feeling confident they can.

• 💼 HR as a target: Deepfake scams now exploit HR’s sensitive employee data, often for dark web sales or corporate system breaches.

• 🎯 Real-life incidents: KnowBe4 caught a North Korean spy posing as a hire via deepfake—an alarming glimpse of synthetic ID risks.

• 🚨 Financial stakes: A UK firm lost $25 million to a deepfake scam. Cybersecurity must catch up with AI’s growing sophistication.

Inside EY's Recruitment Engine: 5.1 Million Applications, 100,000 Hires Annually 🚀 read the full 1,053-word article here

Irmgard Naudin ten Cate leads EY’s global talent team, hiring 100,000 people yearly from 5.1 million applications. A former law student turned recruiter, she drives smarter, inclusive hiring using AI and diverse talent pipelines. Her innovations, like a joiner survey, improve candidate experience, urging companies to upskill and embrace non-traditional talent.

Key Takeaways

• 🧠 AI-powered recruitment is here: EY Candidate Assistant uses AI to suggest jobs candidates might never have considered, opening new career pathways.

• 🌎 "Returners" are a hidden gem: EY targets professionals re-entering the workforce, like veterans or parents, for their diverse, valuable perspectives.

• 📊 Data-driven insights matter: Naudin ten Cate's "new joiner survey" tracks the entire candidate journey, revolutionizing EY's recruitment experience.

• 🌟 Youth inspire the future: Younger generations' adaptability and growth mindset give Naudin ten Cate hope for the leaders of tomorrow.

How CBRE Redefined Employer Branding for the B2B World 🌟 read the full 947-word article here

CBRE, led by Debbie Celado, Global Head of Talent Marketing, has crafted a standout employer brand to attract talent beyond real estate. Combining data-driven strategies like the Employer Brand Index with human-centric storytelling, CBRE balances analytics and authenticity, showcasing employees and driving leadership buy-in to become a talent magnet.

Key Takeaways

• 💼 Your people are your brand: In B2B, employees define the services—and the reputation—you deliver to clients.

• 🎯 SMART goals are essential: CBRE prioritized measurable outcomes like 1st-year retention rates, engagement scores, and external brand awareness to fuel success.

• 📊 Data-driven decisions drive ROI: CBRE tracks metrics like sign-ups, site traffic, and vacancy costs to demonstrate the value of employer branding.

• 📣 Leaders love stories with data: Celado’s storytelling approach turns dry numbers into actionable insights, securing leadership buy-in for branding initiatives.

Preventing Burnout with SMART Work Design 🔧 read the full 3,875-word article here

Burnout solutions like yoga and mindfulness miss the mark, says MIT Sloan Management Review. The real fix? SMART Work Design: Stimulating work, Mastery, Autonomy, Relational work, and Tolerable demands. This research-backed model reshapes jobs to boost engagement, productivity, and morale, proving it’s not about fixing workers—it’s about fixing the work.

Key Takeaways

• 🧠 Stimulating work fosters creativity and growth. Repetitive, skill-stagnating jobs tank engagement. Give employees challenges to keep satisfaction and innovation high.

• 📈 Mastery eliminates role confusion. Workers need clear feedback and context to succeed. Without it, stress rises, and performance plummets.

• 🤝 Relational work combats loneliness. Connections with peers and purpose are crucial. A lack of support breeds disengagement and emotional exhaustion.

• ⚖️ Tolerable demands prevent burnout. Excessive workloads and conflicting priorities are toxic. Balance is key to sustaining motivation and health.

Why It Matters

Innovation and adaptability are key to building better workplaces. From leveraging AI to protecting against cyber threats and rethinking work design, these stories highlight the steps we can take today to shape the future. 

Stay inspired, and join us next time for more strategies and insights.

Sophia Bennett
Editor-in-Chief
HR Insights Today

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