🤫 Topic Employees Don't Want to Talk about at Work

Hey HR Pros!

This edition kicks off with new data showing how employees really feel about politics in the workplace — and what HR needs to do to protect psychological safety without silencing voices.

Plus, we’re rounding up insights on responsible AI in hiring, character fit in recruiting, and the latest in ADA compliance. Let’s dive in.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 🤫 Topic employees don't want to talk about at work

• ⚖️ HR Learnings | $26M Reasons to Rethink Return-to-Work Policies

• 🤖 New Findings | The Rise of Responsible AI in Talent Acquisition

• 🎙️ Featured HR Podcast | Should We Hire for Character and Fit? with Mike Lyons

How this HR Pro Found the Right HR Vendor Match

When Maegan needed new HR software, she didn’t have to waste weeks comparing different HR tools. SSR’s HR Software Advisor matched her with vendors that fit her budget and company needs - saving her time, money and resources!

 📰 Latest in HR News

• Feds launch site for employers to pay controversial H-1B fee, clarify exemptions

• More companies offer security to CEOs in wake of United Healthcare CEO shooting

• Digital health spending stalls as employers’ cost concerns rise

• Meta cutting 600 AI jobs even as it continues to hire more for its superintelligence lab

🤫 Topic Employees Don't Want to Talk about at Work  

According to Monster's new Politics in the Workplace Report, nearly 7 in 10 U.S. employees don’t feel safe discussing politics on the job.

The report pushes for something radical: neutrality. This is about making space for people to not speak if they don’t want to.

Key Insights:

• 😬 47% feel political pressure at work
  Nearly half of employees said they felt pressured to disclose political beliefs—most often in casual chats (40%).

• 🚪 51% would quit over politics
  More than half would consider leaving their job if their employer shared political views they didn’t align with.

• 📉 59% fear career damage
  A majority think political talk could hurt their career—yet 67% admit they've discussed it with coworkers anyway.

• 🧠 33% judge coworkers' beliefs
  One in three employees have judged colleagues negatively for their politics—despite 65% saying they still respect them.

read the full 503-word article here

⚖️ HR Learnings | $26M Reasons to Rethink Return-to-Work Policies

This case serves as a powerful reminder for HR leaders: policies that seem risk-averse on the surface can create much larger legal risks underneath.

When Union Pacific barred an employee from returning to work — despite medical clearance — due to a broad “1% rule,” the result was a $26.9 million jury award.

Here are the biggest learnings HR pros can take from this case:

🧠 Key Learnings for HR

• 📝 Individual assessments are non-negotiable
  Blanket medical restrictions — without case-by-case review — may violate ADA protections and trigger significant legal liability.

• ⚠️ Intent is enough for punitive damages
  Courts don’t need to find egregious conduct; knowing a policy discriminates is sufficient to uphold massive penalties.

• 📊 Statutory caps don’t always protect employers
  Damages exceeding ADA caps can be preserved through state-level claims, meaning the full award — in this case $26.9M — still stands.

• 💰 Profitability may influence penalty size
  The company’s $18.5M daily profit was used to justify the $25M punitive damages award as proportionate, not excessive.

read the full 1,095-word article here

HR LOLs

🤖 New Findings | The Rise of Responsible AI in Talent Acquisition

read the full 1,012-word article here

The findings from a report by Employ, reveal where recruiters are placing their bets: AI is gaining traction, candidate volume is overtaking quality as a top priority, and tech stack replacements are on the horizon for most teams.

Here are the most important new data points to track:

Key Insights:

• 📈 Hiring is back in full swing
  70% of recruiters report increased hiring this year — and most expect that growth to continue through 2026.

• 🔁 Volume beats precision—for now
  52% of talent teams now prioritize more candidates per role over higher quality — a flip from the last two years.

• 💡 AI is in — but not without guardrails
  65% of recruiters are using AI tools, but they're also prioritizing data privacy, human oversight, and explainability in the process.

• 🔧 Big changes ahead for recruiting tech
  Despite 82% satisfaction with current systems, 76% of teams plan to switch platforms within two years — in favor of more flexible, AI-powered tools.

🎙️ Featured HR Podcast | Should We Hire for Character and Fit? with Mike Lyons