🎯 The Right Way to Upskill Your Employees According to Research

Hey HR Pros!

Organizations are under pressure to not only upskill but to do it with precision developing the exact capabilities needed to stay competitive.

That’s where right-skilling comes in: a targeted approach that aligns learning with real business demands, future-proofing talent while delivering measurable impact.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 👩‍💼 So It’s Just You Running HR? We’ll Help You Figure It Out

• 🎙️ Today’s Featured Podcast: Performance Powered by AI

• 🎯 The Right Way to Upskill Your Employees According to Research

• 🔄 New Data | HR’s Tipping Point: Emotional Strain vs. AI Optimism

• 🛑 Stop Skipping the 50+ Crowd: They Might Be Your Best Hires

So It’s Just You Running HR? Let’s Figure It Out Together

Being the first (and only) HR person at a company is exciting — but it also means you’re expected to set up everything from scratch. Policies, processes… and yes, the right tools to actually run them.

Usually, that means starting with these basics:

• An HRIS to keep employee data in one place

• An ATS to manage recruiting without spreadsheets

• Payroll that actually runs smoothly every month

Here’s how SSR’s free HR software matching service helps:

1. Learn more about your needs

2. Recommend tools that fit your budget and priorities

3. Get a clear, confident starting point without drowning in research and vendor calls

Think of them as a (free!) GPS for your HR software journey — minus the rerouting.

 📰 Latest in HR News

• How China’s Robot-to-Worker Density Is Lowering Costs and Raising HR Questions

• The number of workers seeking employer help with finances doubled in two years, BofA reports

• World of HR: Shared parental leave isn’t working in the UK

• Workday goes deeper into AI and recruiting with acquisition of Paradox

🎙️ Today’s Featured Podcast: Performance Powered by AI

☕️ Grab a cup of coffee and plug in to today’s featured podcast:

🎯The Right Way to Upskill Your Employees According to Research

Right-skilling—a more precise and strategic approach to learning—has emerged as a powerful tool to bridge that gap.

🔍 Key Insights

• 💡 Right-skilling turns L&D into a business driver
  A Fortune 500 firm trained 25 high-potential workers; 84% are now on track for critical promotions in key operational roles.

• 👥 Cohort-based learning improves performance
  Programs using cohort models saw exam pass rates 23% higher than national averages, thanks to peer support and practitioner teaching.

• 💼 Integrated learning saves millions
  Two health systems blended theory with practice, saving over $10M and slashing reliance on costly temporary surgical tech staff.

• 📈 Personalized learning accelerates internal mobility
  Employees like “David,” an IT tech, used education portals to pivot careers—mapping old skills to new, higher-impact roles.

read the full 743-word article here

😄 Comic Relief (HR Edition)

🔄 New Data | HR’s Tipping Point: Emotional Strain vs. AI Optimism

Source: Lattice

You can feel it across industries: HR leaders are carrying the emotional weight of today’s workplace evolution.

It’s a paradox—emotional strain alongside technological excitement—and it’s defining the next chapter of people strategy.

🔍 Key Insights

• 📉 41% of HR pros have considered quitting
  Despite the emotional toll, 32% of those who considered leaving found renewed purpose and chose to stay in HR.

• 🤖 AI enthusiasm strongest in high-performing teams
  52% of top HR teams are “really excited” about agentic AI, and 50% are already using it regularly to enhance their work.

• 🌍 Europe leads in AI adoption and HR engagement
  European HR teams are using agentic AI at higher rates (45%) and report stronger engagement (85%) than their U.S. peers.

• 🧩 DEI focus is fading—but still critical
  Only 16% of teams prioritize DEIB now (down from 30%), yet top-performing teams are five times more likely to invest in it.

read the full 811-word article here

🛑 Stop Skipping the 50+ Crowd: They Might Be Your Best Hires

We talk a lot about AI and the future of work, but we rarely talk about who’s being left out of that future.

While younger talent dominates hiring pipelines, a seismic demographic shift is quietly reshaping the workforce—one that demands a serious rethinking of how we value older employees.

The numbers don’t lie: declining birth rates and rising life expectancy are creating a massive labor gap, and older workers may be the key to closing it.

But they’re often overlooked, undervalued, or pushed aside—despite the fact that they bring unmatched experience, stability, and insight.

🧠 Strategic Takeaways

• 👴🏼 Employers undervalue what older workers offer
  Subject matter expertise is undervalued 8x by employers, along with institutional knowledge (4x) and dependability (3x).

• 📉 Only 29% of companies recruit older talent
  Less than one-third target Baby Boomers or re-engage retirees—despite most being open to new roles or returning to work.

• ⏰ Older workers want flexibility, not promotions
  Top motivators include flexible hours (49%), remote work (41%), and predictable schedules—not leadership programs or career ladders.

• ⚖️ Age inclusion is a business imperative
  Failing to engage older workers risks skill loss, brand damage, and legal exposure—while inclusive orgs future-proof through knowledge transfer.

read the full 1,178-word article here