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Last week, New York and Maryland became the latest states to ban employees from using prediction betting sites as more public and private employers become concerned about insider trading.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on April 22 prohibiting state employees from betting on real-life events through prediction market platforms. It also prohibits employees from helping others use prediction betting to profit off events. The rule is being added to the existing code of ethics materials for state employees, according to the order.

Days later, on April 24, Maryland Governor Wes Moore signed a similar order, stating employees cannot use “nonpublic government information for prediction market bets,” CBS News reported. Workers who violate the order will be reported to the attorney general’s office and could receive disciplinary action.

New York and Maryland aren’t the only states taking steps to limit prediction market betting. Illinois and California also built similar ethics provisions into employee conduct rules this year, Business Insider reported. Some lawmakers want the industry to be more regulated, like other forms gambling.

For more on how prediction markets may be putting private and public employers at risk, keep reading here.—KP

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HR STRATEGY

Hot in…hot in here

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Morning Brew

It’s hot in East Asia right now. The region is experiencing an intense spring heat wave, worsening the region’s already worrisome energy crisis.

Where in the world? Countries in Asia have been trying to conserve energy as the US-Israeli war with Iran enters its third month. Now, as temperatures heat up, employers need even more tactics to keep energy consumption as low as possible.

Thailand has been among the countries hit hardest by the heatwave, which has reached temperatures of 104 degrees fahrenheit in recent weeks as the El Niño weather system has taken hold, leaving office workers sweating, Bloomberg reported. Several countries, including Australia, Japan, and the Philippines, have already limited the number of days employees can work in the office, who can drive to work, and when they can use the elevator.

Satellite view. For the most part, it does not appear that employers in the US have made many, if any, changes in the midst of the worsening energy crisis.

For more on how employers around the world are responding to the energy crisis, keep reading here.—KP

TOTAL REWARDS

Standing firm on salaries

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Nice bonus, but no salary increase this year? You’re not alone.

Companies are increasing bonuses but standing firm on salaries, according to Korn Ferry’s most recent pulse survey on salary increase forecasts and AI’s impact on compensation, which covered responses from more than 4,250 organizations across 133 countries.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of organizations expect to pay bonuses “at or above target” this year, but salary growth isn’t unfolding in the same way.

For more on how companies are approaching compensation this year, keep reading on CFO Brew.—NP

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WORK PERKS

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Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Nearly half (45%) of companies say they don’t have “a formal AI governance framework.” (iCIMS)

Quote: “Sometimes, you know, managers, leaders, if they don’t see employees, they don’t know what they’re doing. There’s generally a tendency for organizations to focus too much on measuring or tracking input or activity, as opposed to output.”—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, chief science officer at Russell Reynolds Associates, on why employers are so eager to bring workers back to the office (CBS News)

Read: Some companies are restricting employees’ cell phone use while they’re at work. (the Independent)

Reservation for insights: Paradox’s upcoming webinar on May 6 unveils a brand-new report, sponsored by Workday, that quantifies the massive financial drain of understaffing and the ROI of modern HR technology. Register here.*

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Written by Kristen Parisi and Natasha Piñon

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☕️ Governors ban public workers from using prediction markets