Current Features
The most up-to-date coverage of HR news and information from across the globe.
Cutting Through the Noise
Three AI adoption myths that are costing organizations the most and ways to debunk them. By Alana Brandes Seventy percent of leaders are now using AI tools daily, according to Guild’s monthly Workforce Signal data. It’s a significant milestone, and yet, a critical factor is constantly overlooked: workplace culture. As companies work to increase AI adoption, the human experience of working—what makes people feel valued, challenged, and engaged—is becoming an afterthought. The problem isn’t technology. It’s the question being asked. Most leaders are defaulting to: What workflows and processes can be automated? But that framing leads down the wrong path. The more powerful (and culturally generative) question is much more human at heart: Where does human critical thinking and judgment create the most value for the organization, and how can AI help drive that value? Reframing shifts the conversation around AI from a cost-cutting or efficiency mechanism to an enabler of human potential. And it puts culture back at the center of the conversation where it belongs. Leaders also must take action to debunk the following myths to be successful. Myth #1: Always Automate the Automatable When an organization invests in and distributes AI tools across its company, the instinct is often to scan for highly
Navigating USCIS’s New Green Card Discretion Rules
A policy change targets temporary visa holders seeking permanent residency and could result in a gap in work. By Allison Ahern Fillo Navigating the increasing changes to U.S. immigration policy and practices has become an exercise in agility for U.S. employers, particularly HR leaders responsible for overseeing U.S. work authorization for foreign talent and coordinating global mobility. When U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) releases a major change in policy, U.S. employers should ask experienced immigration counsel the following three questions. Who does this impact? How and when will the change be implemented? How do organizations prepare for and mitigate potential gaps in U.S.-based work? The Policy Memorandum USCIS released on May 21, 2026, is an example of a major change in immigration policy prompting these questions. The Policy Memorandum directs USCIS Officers to limit issuance of green cards within the U.S. Emphasizing USCIS’ discretionary authority, the Policy Memorandum explains that USCIS Officers should “weigh all positive and negative factors, including family ties, immigration status and history, the applicant’s moral character, and any other relevant factor that bears on determining whether the alien warrants a favorable exercise of discretion.” The vaguely defined “positive and negative factors” support broad USCIS discretion in deciding to issue an applicant a green card within the U.S. Obtaining a green
CHRO Corner: Fueling Flexibility
Chief People Officer Fabienne Lopez shares how Xponential Fitness’ approach to work generates real outcomes and resonates across generations. By Debbie Bolla HRO Today: How do you approach return-to-office policies? Fabienne Lopez: At Xponential Fitness, our philosophy is simple: in-office by default, flexible by design. We don’t lead with a rigid policy; we lead with the role and the business need first. HROT: How do you thoughtfully tie them to business outcomes, culture, and talent needs? Lopez: The best person for a job doesn’t always live near headquarters, so we factor talent into the equation. Flexibility is a tool we use intentionally, not a blanket policy, and when it’s tied to real outcomes, people actually respect it more. HROT: What has the response been? Lopez: Genuinely positive. Our flex schedule, including the “done by 1 on Fridays” perk when you’ve had a productive week, has become something people actually brag about. It sounds small, but it signals trust, and that goes a long way. Not to mention the not-so-cliché work/life balance “trend.” HROT: What do you think Gen Z employees expect from employers? Lopez: Every generation gets a label, and honestly, Gen Z is just reminding us of something we should have never forgotten. You can be passionate, committed, and hardworking and still have a full life outside of work. Previous generations lived to work and we are long overdue for that
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
