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HR STRATEGY

Newcomers

Francis Scialabba

Change is in the air, causing 50 mph winds and knocking CHROs out of their seats.

CEO turnover is on the rise: In 2025, 12.5% of CEOs departed S&P 500 companies, up from a low of 9.8% in 2024. And, when a new CEO steps in, it’s likely that new C-suite leadership will follow. That includes the CHRO: 84 new CHROs were appointed to S&P 500 companies between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025, accounting for 18% of all companies in the stock market index, an analysis from Spencer Stuart found.

Companies have been through a lot in recent years—the Covid-19 pandemic, the Great Resignation, and AI, just to name a few—and chief executives might, understandably, want a seasoned HR executive to help lead their company through never-ending challenges. Unfortunately, given the recent exodus of experienced HR leaders, that may be unlikely: Two-thirds of CHROs appointed during this period were first-timers, according to Steve Patscot, who leads Spencer Stuart’s North American HR practice.

“While the CEO may say, I want somebody who’s been there done that, the reality of it is, they’re probably going to get someone who hasn’t been there and hasn’t done that,” Patscot told HR Brew.

For more on what’s driving this trend, keep reading here.—PM

Presented By Paycor

HR is so on trend

This has nothing to do with hashtags. However, the top HR trends in the new year represent a major shift toward technology, skills-based hiring, and a personalized employee experience.

Paycor rounded up the biggest trends to embrace in 2026 in their latest guide. Once you fully grasp what to look for, you can better manage people.

Some of the trends you can look for include:

flexible work models
employee well-being and mental health
skills-based hiring
AI use
and more

Chances are that many of these trends seem familiar, and that’s because they’re, well, big trends. Just being aware of them isn’t enough. Read the full report and see how you can navigate what’s totally trending alongside your employees. Get it here.

HR STRATEGY

Reading more

Master1305/Getty Images

From DEI rollbacks to leadership challenges, HR pros face new obstacles seemingly every day.

HR Brew has spoken with several authors over the past year whose books aim to help people people navigate these and other pressing issues. Here, we’ve rounded up a few that might be worth adding to the stack on your bedside table.

For more on HR Brew’s book club picks, keep reading here.—MC

HR STRATEGY

Meet me halfway

Mikaela Cohen

HR is not for the faint of heart. Not only are the professionals who perform this function tasked with tackling some of the toughest workplace topics, but to keep pace with the wants and needs of the ever-evolving workforce, they also have to reimagine their strategies for doing so every few years—if they’re lucky.

Consider, for example, that many organizations that currently employ four generations of workers. Members of the youngest cohort, Gen Z, account for 18% of the workforce, according to 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and are expected to comprise 30% by 2030. HR professionals hoping to support Gen Zers as they have those who came before them needed to start reevaluating their practices and policies…yesterday.

Lucky for you, HR Brew is on the case. Mikaela Cohen, a reporter covering workplace strategy, has dug deep into the generational challenges facing people professionals. She discussed some of her reporting—on what Gen Z wants from the workplace, and how HR can adapt to the up and coming generation of leaders—with Kate Noel, SVP and head of people operations at Morning Brew, during a recent episode of HR Brew’s People Person podcast.

“The social, political, economic environment, when you’re born within 15 years of other people, and you share those experiences and they cultivate your identity and what you bring to the workforce,” Cohen said.

Together With Virta

GLP-1s are everywhere. From headlines to benefits budgets, real-world data is revealing a far more complicated reality. HR and benefits leaders need clarity on what actually works. This is one of the critical conversations at Moonshots, a free virtual event hosted by Virta Health. Cut through the noise and approach your GLP-1 strategy with confidence.

WORK PERKS

A desktop computer plugged into a green couch.

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: At one 200-year-old stationery company that’s heavily dependent on highly specialized human skills, only half of all apprentices for its engravers—who often work with antique machinery—make it through their training. (the Wall Street Journal)

Quote: “The takeaway is that you don’t need grand, expensive programs to make a real difference. Sometimes the most impactful benefits come from listening closely to employees and removing friction from their lives.”—Eric Stark, cofounder and president at Slate, which added home cleaning services as an employee benefit after one worker requested it on LinkedIn (Fortune)

Read: Oracle announced in 2024 that it would open a “world headquarters” in Nashville, with plans to create 8,500 jobs in the area by 2031. There’s one big problem though: workers aren’t buying it. (Bloomberg)

Better management is trending: Paycor rounded up the biggest trends to embrace in 2026 for their latest guide. Once you fully grasp what to look for, you can better manage people. Get it here.*

^{*A message from our sponsor.}

JOBS

More focus, less fluff. CollabWORK filters out the noise and delivers jobs that actually match what HR Brew readers are looking for. Click here to see the full board of curated roles.

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Written by Paige McGlauflin, Mikaela Cohen, and Vicky Valet

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