Current Features
The most up-to-date coverage of HR news and information from across the globe.
The End of Discretionary Compensation
New regulations have the potential to expose decades of inconsistent salary decisions, leaving companies with weak compensation frameworks vulnerable to legal risks and workforce backlash. By Simon Kent Standard practice for attracting and recruiting candidates has generally involved understanding how much money they currently make, but not having to be specific about what positions paid if they were the final selection. Starting June 7, 2026, the EU is effectively turning this around. From this time forward, the EU Directive on Pay Transparency (Directive (EU) 2023/970) will be enforced. Under this directive, employers will have to disclose salary ranges for advertised positions. Employers will not be able to ask candidates about their pay history. Alongside this, companies will have to report gender pay gaps—the percentage difference between the average male and female gross earnings. For companies with more than 250 employees, they are expected to report this annually; companies with between 150 and 249 employees report it every three years; and those with between 100 and 149 employees report it every three years from 2031. Pay gaps of 5% or more which cannot be justified by objective, gender-neutral criteria will trigger a pay assessment process, held with the involvement of employee
CHRO Corner: Moving Past Generic Leadership Training
High-impact leadership requires stepping away from universal training modules and addressing real workplace friction with transparency. HR leaders fill this role, but have to avoid burning themselves out in the process. In this Q&A, Stephanie Navasu, SVP of HR at Bay Cities, shares how she achieves that balance. By Gillian Manning Given your decades of leadership experience, how have the expectations placed on new managers shifted, and how must leadership development programs evolve to meet those changes? Twenty-plus years across IT, engineering, and manufacturing will show you a lot of change, and the expectations on new managers are no exception. From my experience and time in three different industries, leadership used to be heavily focused on operational execution, authority, and results, essentially, “get the job done because I said so.” Today, employees expect leaders to provide context, purpose, coaching, and emotional awareness. Leadership is now much more people-centered while still driving accountability. One of the biggest shifts I’ve observed is the increased expectations around emotional intelligence. Employees today want leaders who can communicate with empathy, actively listen, provide meaningful instant feedback, and understand how their leadership style impacts morale, engagement, and retention. Managers are expected to build trust and psychological safety, not just manage tasks. Employees perform better when they understand why their
Humans Transforming AI Transformation
When employees understand how work will change through AI and that human judgment still matters, AI adoption will increase while AI anxiety will decrease. By Stephanie Larson “AI transformation will move at the speed of trust.” That observation from Seramount President Subha Barry captures what many AI strategies still miss and the tension facing CHROs and senior HR leaders right now. AI is moving quickly through the enterprise, but the human strategy around it is still catching up. Without that foundation, AI becomes a change that employees are asked to absorb, not one they are equipped to shape. When organizations undergo transformation, change must be built with people. Employees don’t need another reminder that AI is here to stay or another promise that it will catalyze productivity. They need to understand how work will change, where human judgment still matters, and how responsible use will be shaped with their participation. When AI feels pushed onto employees rather than built with them, skepticism is the result. The Productivity Paradox Has a Trust Problem Many leaders may be underestimating that skepticism. According to a recent BCG survey, 76% of executives said employees feel enthusiastic and optimistic about AI adoption in their organization. And yet, when surveyed, only 31% of individual contributors expressed that same sentiment. That perception gap matters because enterprise investment in AI continues to accelerate. Global AI spending is estimated to top $2.5 trillion this year; however, many organizations
Case Study: Remote-First Culture
Mindr’s core value of putting people first drives supporting the realities of the modern workforce while building a more resilient company. By Amanda Sedars While many companies are focused on bringing employees back to the office with the expectation that attendance equates to ambition, there is an unexpected risk, not only to their future growth, but to the long-term stability of the economy. Currently, there is a socioeconomic “caregiving crisis,” where rising costs and the rigid in-office model will be rendered not simply outdated, but mathematically impossible for the majority of American families. Last year, the average U.S. household spent nearly 20% of its income on childcare, often exceeding $13,000 annually per child. At the same time, there’s a large aging population that also requires care, equating to around $33 per hour on average for assistance. Often, these financial burdens are simultaneously placed upon those aged 35-55, who make up the majority of the American workforce. The burden is further compounded by the rising cost of housing and healthcare, supporting both children and the aging. When a company mandates a return to the office, they are not only asking for collaboration, they are also imposing an “employment surcharge” of time, money, and stress. The premium comes at a high price to employees, not the company, and it is pricing talented Americans out of the workforce. The “employment surcharge” costs have particularly hit women, especially Black and Latino women, and those with disabilities unfairly, in some cases, squeezing them out of the workforce entirely. The Century Foundation reported that employment for people with disabilities reached a historic high of 22.5% in 2023, largely credited to
Small Investments, Big Impacts
Director of HR Jane O’Neal shares how Arizona Liver Health is addressing talent challenges in the competitive healthcare market. By Maggie Mancini HRO Today: How, if at all, have you leveraged AI tools to support HR or other talent needs across your organization and what results did you see? Jane O’Neal: AI has been a useful tool for us to start new job descriptions and ensure accuracy in its content when it comes to talent acquisition; we have also deployed useful scheduling tools using built-in AI upgrades within our ATS to streamline interview scheduling. Some of the AI tools we use in HR are through our built-in Microsoft Office AI tool which has enhanced our ability to provide insights from engagement survey data, exit interviews, and attrition reports. HROT: How is your organization addressing talent acquisition and retention challenges in the competitive healthcare market? O’Neal: We’re always looking at job posts on LinkedIn or Indeed to see what market trends are at for our location for similar positions that we would want to hire for to remain competitive with our job openings. Additionally, keeping up with best practices/HR trends within our team by investing in continuing education activities has also been helpful so that we can implement realistic benefits
Working Parents are at a Breaking Point
As workers feel forced to choose between their family and their career, unmet caregiving needs are an increasing risk to organizational stability. By Priya Krishnan For millions of working parents, the pursuit of career success increasingly comes at the cost of family well-being. The latest findings from the Bright Horizons’ Modern Family Index (MFI) survey conducted by The Harris Poll revealed a troubling reality: 79% of working parents feel forced to choose between making sacrifices at home or in the workplace. This isn’t just a personal dilemma; it’s a systemic issue with far-reaching implications for workforce stability and economic growth. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, both parents are employed in 67% of married couples with children under 18. Yet, according to the MFI, despite this prevalence, 80% of working parents say the workforce still hasn’t adapted to reflect the caregiving needs of modern families. The unintended consequence of this is a growing number of parents are quietly struggling, often hiding their family responsibilities to avoid professional judgment. In fact, 62% admit they’re cautious about discussing their children at work, up sharply from 45% in early 2024. Employees are reporting unprecedented levels of stress, and the clash between caregiving responsibilities and career demands is taking a measurable toll, from missed deadlines and absenteeism to elevated turnover rates. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public
