HR Brew // Morning Brew // Update

May 12, 2025

Welcome back! It’s Bike to Work Week, so pump up your tires, fill your water bottle, throw on some moisture-wicking shorts, and pack deodorant. You’ll get a workout…and feel morally superior. If you’re lucky enough to work from home, making time for a bike-riding break can energize you for what awaits upon your return!

In today’s edition:

Caregiving benefits 2.0

World of HR

Winning pitch

—Courtney Vinopal, Kristen Parisi, Adam DeRose

TOTAL REWARDS

The cost of caregiving

Illustration of a person with two children looking at a calendar, with hand holding money in background.

Getty Images

It’s been 32 years since the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) was signed into law, and some three-quarters of employers believe the program is “outdated and should be updated,” according to a recent survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Efforts to modernize the FMLA with the passage of a paid leave program didn’t materialize in Congress last year, and it appears unlikely that lawmakers will prioritize such a policy in 2025. While SHRM has been lobbying for changes to the FMLA, its head of government affairs, Emily Dickens, contended that “you can’t always think the federal government can solve everything.”

Absent a sudden expansion of the FMLA, Dickens said SHRM is encouraging employers to consider offering benefits that will meet the needs of a wide range of caregivers. If paid leave isn’t possible, HR can consider offering benefits with a lower barrier to entry, such as mental or financial health resources, she suggested.

For more ways employers can get creative with the caregiving benefits they offer, keep reading here.—CV

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COMPLIANCE

Cutting hours

Morning Brew

There’s nothing quite like a Spanish siesta, and workers in Spain may soon have time to enjoy them more.

Earlier this month, lawmakers in Spain approved a bill that would reduce the average workweek from 40 hours to 37.5 hours, Euroenews reported.

The reduced schedule already applies to civil servants and certain sectors in the country including education, but the new bill would expand the policy to retail, manufacturing, and hospitality, impacting roughly 12.5 million workers.

The bill will have to make its way through Parliament where it faces an uncertain future, and potential amendments to appease smaller political parties. While labor unions and the country’s socialist prime minister support the measure, business leaders and more conservative politicians oppose the bill.

For more on this latest attempt abroad to shorten the workweek, keep reading here.—KP

TECH

Pitch perfect

Hirebrain with Unleash founder receiving a novelty check

Adam DeRose

The fastball, the curveball, the changeup are all excellent pitches. But the best pitch is the one that wins.

At the UNLEASH America Conference and Expo in Las Vegas last week, the best pitch in HR Tech belonged to talent acquisition start-up HireBrain.

The hiring enablement platform competed in Las Vegas in a start-up competition at the HR technology show. The start-up, founded in late 2019, beat out four competitors in a fast, but high-stakes, pitch competition. Hirebrain works alongside an organization’s ATS platform to engage all stakeholders in the hiring process for a more efficient hire.

For more on how Hirebrain’s hiring solution aims for the highest likelihood of success, keep reading here.—AD

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Curious about comp averages? According to a report by Specialized Recruiting Group, 63% of US hiring decision-makers plan to increase headcount in the first half of the year. Check out their insights to see compensation averages for in-demand positions, key drivers for hiring, and the most sought-after skills.

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WORK PERKS

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: 15%. That’s the percentage of people in the US seeking mental healthcare due primarily to “work-related pressures”—worth noting during Mental Health Awareness Month. (Rula)

Quote: “People in Stockholm and Sweden are surprised and upset that President Trump, through the US Embassy, is trying to oppose diversity, equality and inclusion in Sweden. On the contrary, these are values that we strive for and stand up for in Stockholm.”—Jan Valeskog, vice mayor of Stockholm, on the Trump administration’s demand that the city end its DEI initiatives for contractors working with the US embassy (Newsweek)

Read: AI job search start-ups are trying to dethrone LinkedIn. (Business Insider)

Listen: Worried about how AI is going to affect the future of work? Listen to the latest episode of Per My Last Email for a compelling debate about AI’s problems, its potential, and its impact on the workforce.

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