📉 Why HR should buckle up for 2026

Hey HR Pros!

If 2025 felt like a year of whiplash—from layoffs and AI disruption to the quiet retreat of DEI, you're not alone.

From talent shortages to workplace culture cracks, here's what HR leaders need to keep top of mind as we step into a year that promises more change, not less.

Upcoming In This Issue:

• 📉 What 2025 taught us about work, and why HR should buckle up for 2026

• 💼 48% of users earning over $200K say they’ve used dating apps for job networking

• 🤖 OpenAI’s Head of Preparedness is tasked with end-to-end AI risk oversight

• 💻️ Meet the startups reshaping AI in 2026

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 📰 Latest in HR News

• The H-1B visa overhaul introduces new considerations for U.S. business

• Medical cannabis reimbursement moves from fringe to workplace benefit

• 10 California employment law changes on tap for 2026

• New research from Gartner, Phenom and others reveals AI’s ROI problem.

📉 What 2025 taught us about work, and why HR should buckle up for 2026

This year has been a pressure cooker for the workforce, and HR has been squarely in the hot seat.

Between policy shifts, sweeping layoffs, and the chaotic collision of AI and employee expectations, 2025 was less about adapting and more about surviving.

Understanding what defined this past year isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

Key Insights 💡

• 🤖 AI redefined the HR/IT boundary, with digital workers, hallucinated reports, and automated hiring creating risks HR will need to actively manage.

• 📉 Layoffs across sectors—including government roles—fueled mass insecurity, compliance fatigue, and a steep drop in employee engagement.

• ⚖️ DEI saw a dramatic reversal, as companies scaled back initiatives under regulatory pressure, fueling new fears of discrimination and legal exposure.

• 🏢 RTO mandates sparked resistance, but businesses offering flexibility still struggle with declining workplace connection and need new engagement strategies.

read the full 1,112-word article here

💼 48% of users earning over $200K say they’ve used dating apps for job networking

The job market’s still tight, automation is clogging up recruiting pipelines, and qualified candidates are turning to unconventional methods. Some are even swiping right for referrals.

From Gen Z interns to six-figure professionals, job seekers are repurposing dating apps. Yes, dating apps, as networking tools to bypass broken online systems and get closer to hiring managers.

It’s not just a fringe tactic: it’s growing, it’s data-backed, and it’s changing how networking happens.

Key Insights

• 📈 33% of dating app users surveyed admitted they’ve sought job-related connections through matches, prioritizing where people work over romantic potential.

• 💼 48% of users earning over $200K say they’ve used dating apps for job networking, showing it’s not just a Gen Z side hustle move.

• 📊 Tinder tops the networking list, with 72.7% of those job-hunting via dating apps favoring it over Bumble, Hinge, or OkCupid.

• 🧠 Experts say it's a smart adaptation, as job seekers creatively repurpose platforms amid an increasingly impersonal and AI-driven hiring ecosystem.

read the full 820-word article here

HR LOLs

🤖 OpenAI’s Head of Preparedness is tasked with end-to-end AI risk oversight

As AI evolves, so do the risks: from burnout induced by hyper-productivity tools to misinformation creeping into communication channels, the line between innovation and harm is thinning.

And with OpenAI creating an executive role focused solely on preparedness, it may be time for HR teams to consider a similar move, before AI ethics becomes a reactive problem instead of a proactive strategy.

Key Insights

• 🧠 OpenAI’s Head of Preparedness is tasked with end-to-end AI risk oversight, including threat modeling, mitigation, and safety scalability company-wide.

• 📉 Risks extend beyond cybersecurity, with growing concerns around mental health, misinformation, and a decline in workplace skill development due to AI overuse.

• 💼 The role commands $555,000/year, reflecting the high stakes, technical expertise, and leadership demands required to manage AI at this scale.

• 📊 Non-tech companies also need safeguards, with oversight committees and internal policies to track and regulate AI usage across teams and functions.

read the full 798-word article here

💻️ Meet the startups reshaping AI in 2026

In 2026, HR professionals are navigating AI-powered tools that are transforming how healthcare and employee development are delivered. Startups are leading this shift by addressing root problems in billing, burnout, and personal growth.

While traditional systems rely on slow processes and generic support, these next-gen solutions are adding a layer of intelligence that puts both cost savings and employee experience at the center.

Key Insights 💡

• 💸 Arrow's AI co-pilot for billing teams flags claim errors early, speeding up healthcare payments and improving revenue for medical practices.

• 🤖 AI is leveling the field, as providers use tech to push back on insurer control, creating a dynamic “cat-and-mouse” scenario in claims.

• 🧘 Baryons gives every employee a private AI coach for daily leadership guidance, decision-making support, and mental clarity tracking.

• 📊 Baryons also helps employers, offering anonymous, real-time insight into workforce needs by analyzing patterns from aggregated coaching data.

read the full 665-word article here