Talent tussle

Anna Kim

As new AI tools become more sophisticated and as technologists better tune them to the needs of their organizations, HR and business leaders are grappling with new considerations about who or what is doing that work.

AI tools can already tackle really simple tasks well, and they are getting more complex, according to Bryan Ackermann, head of AI strategy and transformation at Korn Ferry. What’s now considered “talent” in the world of work is (again) evolving as organizations look to leverage more agentic AI solutions to increase efficiencies and productivity.

Then there are HR tech systems, such as Workday’s new AI agent system of record, which recognize this shift and are building governance tools inside their HCMs. Last December, AI developers also built Job For Agents, a job board-type website aimed at connecting AI engineers who “didn't know where to deploy their agents” and for companies that “didn't know what AI could actually achieve.” (No, no robots are applying to positions…yet).

For more on the changing roles within HR amid AI’s meteoric rise, keep reading here.—AD

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RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Going in on gig work

an illustration of independent contractor paperwork

Amelia Kinsinger

When our ancestors dreamed of the future, complete with flying cars and robot maids, did they also imagine a shift from traditional employment?

Either way, alternative forms of employment are booming, even as workers’ primary jobs. And it’s creating big challenges for HR teams.

Understanding the current scope of gig work is…tricky. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates around 14.5% of the US workforce had contingent or alternative employment as their primary job in 2023, while 5.5% held multiple jobs. But economists and former Labor Department (DOL) officials have criticized BLS data for not accurately capturing the gig economy.

Non-government research suggests a higher prevalence of gig work. A 2023 Upwork study found that 38% of US professionals did freelance work that year. And a 2024 LinkedIn survey found that 31% of US employees were balancing a side hustle or project in addition to their primary job, with remote and self-employed or freelance workers being more likely to do so.

For more on the growth of gig work, and the challenges it creates, keep reading here.—PM

DEI

The broken rung

Emily Parsons

Women have faced many workplace challenges over the years, like getting paid less than men for doing the same work, balancing caregiving responsibilities, and having less representation in leadership, just to name a few examples.

Lareina Yee, Kweilin Ellingrud, and María del Mar Martínez have each faced their own challenges as working mothers, but have climbed the corporate ladder to become senior partners at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Because they’ve seen how hard it can be for women to succeed in male-dominated industries, they wanted to share the research and real-life stories of how women can succeed in their book, The Broken Rung: When the Career Ladder Breaks for Women—and How They Can Succeed in Spite of It.

HR Brew chatted with Yee about what people leaders can learn from the book.

For more on ways to repair the corporate ladder and help women succeed at work, keep reading here.—MC

Together With Noom

Skip the weight-list. The truth is, weight loss doesn’t always arrive via diet and exercise. If you’re an HR benefits admin, you’ve probably heard about GLP-1s from your employees. We’ve teamed up with Noom to organize all the data and details about GLP-1s and Noom’s incorporation of GLP-1s in its program into one comprehensive explainer.

WORK PERKS

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Workplace well-being improvements could grow the global economy by $11..7 trillion. (the World Economic Forum)

Quote: “It makes it harder to work as a team. Even if you’re not at each other’s throats, when you’re under so much stress, you’re just focused on surviving.”—Christopher Sege, clinical psychologist at the Medical University of South Carolina, on how stress can impact teamwork and collaboration (Greenville Business Magazine)

Read: Decluttering your workspace can reduce stress and improve productivity. (the Associated Press)

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