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Source: https://hr-trends.co.uk/feed/

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<title>Glassdoor and Indeed announce layoffs, reportedly due to AI</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/glassdoor-and-indeed-announce-layoffs-reportedly-due-to-ai/</link>
<comments>https://hr-trends.co.uk/glassdoor-and-indeed-announce-layoffs-reportedly-due-to-ai/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:51:37 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Talent]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/glassdoor-and-indeed-announce-layoffs-reportedly-due-to-ai/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Dive Brief: Recruit Holdings, parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor, announced layoffs Thursday affecting 1,300 employees in its HR technology segment, or about 6% of that segment’s total workforce. The move is in part an effort to adapt to artificial intelligence’s effects on the company’s products, CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba said in an internal memo […]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://hr-trends.co.uk/glassdoor-and-indeed-announce-layoffs-reportedly-due-to-ai/">Glassdoor and Indeed announce layoffs, reportedly due to AI</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://hr-trends.co.uk">HR Trends</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
<h3 class="standard-heading">Dive Brief:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Recruit Holdings, parent company of Indeed and Glassdoor, announced layoffs Thursday affecting 1,300 employees in its HR technology segment, or about 6% of that segment’s total workforce.</li>
<li>The move is in part an effort to adapt to artificial intelligence’s effects on the company’s products, CEO Hisayuki “Deko” Idekoba said in an internal memo to employees cited by multiple media outlets.</li>
<li>Recruit Holdings did not immediately respond to a request for comment submitted via the company’s online form.</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="standard-heading">Dive Insight:</h3>
The announcement marks another year of job losses for Indeed, where executives slashed 15% of the company’s workforce in 2023 and an additional 8% in 2024. Indeed attributed both rounds of layoffs at least in part to hiring slowdowns in the broader global economy; in the 2024 announcement, former Indeed CEO Chris Hyams said the company maintained stable profitability amid a decline in job postings but needed to “reignite growth” moving forward.
Hyams stepped down last month to be replaced by Idekoba, who previously served as Indeed’s CEO and president and led Recruit Holdings’ acquisition of the company in 2019. In a press release announcing his appointment, Idekoba said the company would leverage AI to “deliver even greater value and innovation to job seekers and employers globally,” while acknowledging the headwinds facing the business.
“We’re in a once-in-a-generation moment when technology can really change lives,” Idekoba said in the June release. “Hiring is still too slow and too hard, and we’re using AI to make it simpler and more personal — for both job seekers and employers.”
The 2025 layoffs come during a broader moment of uncertainty in the recruiting market, with Recruit Holdings rival CareerBuilder + Monster filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 24, just one year after the companies merged. CareerBuilder + Monster CEO Jeff Furman attributed that decision to a “challenging and uncertain macroeconomic environment.”
AI’s influence “can be felt in just about every facet of the online job advertising market,” researchers at Staffing Industry Analysts said in a May report shared with HR Dive. SIA noted that industry is “undergoing a significant realignment” amid technological disruption, shifting client expectations and investor pressure.
AI adoption has always led to job losses in a way that may be underreported, according to a recent report by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The firm said that at least 20,000 job cuts in the first half of 2025 were attributed to technology-related factors such as automation but that companies may categorize those layoffs broadly rather than attributing them specifically to AI.
</div>
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<title>Getting personal, rising above and avoiding lawsuits: 8 stories from SHRM25</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/getting-personal-rising-above-and-avoiding-lawsuits-8-stories-from-shrm25/</link>
<comments>https://hr-trends.co.uk/getting-personal-rising-above-and-avoiding-lawsuits-8-stories-from-shrm25/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 21:08:21 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Legal]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/getting-personal-rising-above-and-avoiding-lawsuits-8-stories-from-shrm25/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Set in sunny San Diego, SHRM25 established an optimistic tone at a time of turmoil for the industry. Beset by widespread AI adoption and uncertainty, federal antagonism toward DEI and plummeting employee confidence, HR professionals were invited to rise to the challenge by SHRM president Johnny C. Taylor in an address on June 30. Another […]
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://hr-trends.co.uk/getting-personal-rising-above-and-avoiding-lawsuits-8-stories-from-shrm25/">Getting personal, rising above and avoiding lawsuits: 8 stories from SHRM25</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://hr-trends.co.uk">HR Trends</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
Set in sunny San Diego, SHRM25 established an optimistic tone at a time of turmoil for the industry. Beset by widespread AI adoption and uncertainty, federal antagonism toward DEI and plummeting employee confidence, HR professionals were invited to rise to the challenge by SHRM president Johnny C. Taylor in an address on June 30. 
Another president — former U.S. President Joe Biden — took the stage Wednesday, emphasizing the importance of empathy and personal connection when it comes to leadership.
Other speakers hit familiar notes throughout the conference, including how to avoid common legal pitfalls, how to keep employees engaged and which benefits for workers may have the biggest payoff.
Read on below for our full coverage.
</div>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://hr-trends.co.uk/getting-personal-rising-above-and-avoiding-lawsuits-8-stories-from-shrm25/">Getting personal, rising above and avoiding lawsuits: 8 stories from SHRM25</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://hr-trends.co.uk">HR Trends</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Top 5 stories from HR Dive: Talent</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/top-5-stories-from-hr-dive-talent/</link>
<comments>https://hr-trends.co.uk/top-5-stories-from-hr-dive-talent/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:36:04 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Talent]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/top-5-stories-from-hr-dive-talent/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Caroline Colvin • Published May 21, 2025 As economic headwinds force business leaders to rethink strategy, talent acquisition has not escaped unscathed. HR professionals confirmed as much in the 2025 Identity of HR survey. In the survey, 37% of HR professionals named budgetary constraints as a key challenge in 2024; similarly, 36% of HR […]
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>

By: Caroline Colvin
 • Published May 21, 2025
As economic headwinds force business leaders to rethink strategy, talent acquisition has not escaped unscathed. HR professionals confirmed as much in the 2025 Identity of HR survey.
In the survey, 37% of HR professionals named budgetary constraints as a key challenge in 2024; similarly, 36% of HR professionals also named hiring as one of the biggest challenges faced in 2024. 
Budgetary restraints included salary cuts, headcount reduction, hiring freezes and overall fewer resources. Hiring challenges encompassed issues like I-9 documentation, onboarding and recruiting. 
Both metrics increased year over year.
In last year’s report, only 21% of HR professionals reported budgetary challenges as a top concern the year before. Likewise, only 22% of respondents reported hiring as a key challenge from the previous year.
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<h4>What are HR’s top challenges?</h4>
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The state of the economy seems to be an undeniable factor in the shift in this Identity of HR findings, experts told HR Dive.
“Over the past year, macro-economic volatility has led companies to scrutinize their spending, and that includes what they’re spending on headcount,” Liv Anderman, vice president of marketing and research at AI hiring platform Findem, said via email. “Many organizations that ramped up hiring post-pandemic are now looking hard at efficiency, which means tighter budgets and more cautious growth plans.”
Business owners need to be “smart and savvy and resourceful” during such times, Audrey Gorman, director of business development and marketing at International Staff Augmentation, said.
“People, especially business owners at smaller companies, are always going to be more aware of what they’re spending on anything in times of economic uncertainty,” Gorman said. 
<h3>The ‘white-collar recession’</h3>
Economic challenges may affect knowledge workers differently than other kinds of workforces: 82% of respondents recently surveyed by Employ Inc. said they anticipate a “white-collar recession.” 
While the demand for white-collar workers seems to be slowing, demand for blue-collar workers remains, the report found.
“We’re seeing two very different job markets emerge — one overwhelmed with applications, and another starved for talent,” Employ CHRO Stephanie Manzelli said in a statement. 
“Businesses need to reassess and refine hiring processes to ensure they are meeting the needs of today’s dynamic candidate market, especially as we continue to see certain sectors being significantly impacted by layoffs or new college grads getting ready to graduate,” Manzelli added.
On compounded budget and hiring concerns, Anderman said, “There’s also a greater pressure these days for HR leaders to prove [return on investment] across all of their initiatives. Budget constraints aren’t just about spending less: They’re about demanding more accountability and measurable impact. This recalibration is making many companies more hesitant about hiring — even for critical roles.”
<h3>New talent pools</h3>
<figure class="image-right inside_story">
<div class="figure_content">
<div></div>
</div><figcaption class="inside_story_caption">
Audrey Gorman, director of business development and marketing at International Staff Augmentation
Courtesy of ISA
 
</figcaption></figure>
Hiring challenges have pushed some employers to consider global talent pools. That path can have numerous obstacles, but Gorman, who works at an international staffing company, highlighted the benefits of hiring staff abroad as a way to balance both budget and hiring concerns.
“One thing that we help is reducing overhead. You’re able to find highly skilled talent [where] you don’t have to necessarily pay for their office space, because they’re not here locally in your office — or they’re coming from areas with lower salaries,” Gorman said.
Regarding what HR should keep in mind when hiring international talent, Gorman suggested that businesses provide strong mentorship and onboarding — a tip she said can apply to hiring all kinds of talent.
<h3>Recruiting during a hiring freeze</h3>
As a labor professional in the tech sphere, Anderman said, “HR leaders need to become more strategic and data-driven than ever.” This ties directly into her best practice for HR professionals who do want to hire more, despite budget constraints: “Build and nurture pipelines in advance of roles being posted.”
Doing so allows HR professionals to stay ahead of hiring needs without having to start from scratch each time a role needs filled, Anderman said. Instead, they have a pool of talent that can include past and current applicants, as well as alumni.
Part of Anderman’s best practices approach is to prioritize internal mobility. 
<figure class="image-right inside_story">
<div class="figure_content">
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Liv Anderman, vice president of marketing and research at Findem
Courtesy of Findem
 
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“Investing in internal talent visibility lets HR tap existing employees for open roles, which is typically faster and more cost-effective than recruiting externally,” she said. “Hiring internally also means faster onboarding, plus you already know the person is a good cultural fit.”
Despite economic tensions, Anderman called this moment “pivotal” for HR departments.
“Instead of chasing talent when the need arises, forward-looking HR organizations are always engaging, always nurturing and always ready,” she said.
“Even during a slowdown, the most successful and strategic companies continue to invest in their employer brand and candidate experience. These investments pay dividends when the hiring engine ramps up again — and the organizations that have done the prep work will be best positioned to win the war for top talent,” she continued.
<h3>No matter what, think long-term</h3>
Retention is key when balancing budget and hiring concerns, and Gorman stressed the benefit of providing compensation beyond pay. 
Apart from paying salaries higher than the market average, ISA created “emotional salaries,” Gorman explained.
“Outside the pay, we do things like pay home Wi-Fi bills; we give lunch and grocery stipends. We offer scholarships to family members. We do personal professional development, like a seminar on how to manage stress and anxiety, or how to dress professionally,” Gorman said.
“We had a 96.4% retention rate last year, which I think speaks to how important it is to offer things besides your pay,” she said.
When faced with budget issues, continuing to hire new talent may seem counterintuitive. But Gorman encouraged HR professionals to think in the long term. Having to replace a worker is “going to cost time and money,” she said, “and I think your time is usually even more valuable than the money you’re losing.”
  
<figcaption class="inside_story_caption">
 
Article top image credit: Adeline Kon/HR Dive 
 
</figcaption></div>
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]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Top 5 stories from HR Dive</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/top-5-stories-from-hr-dive/</link>
<comments>https://hr-trends.co.uk/top-5-stories-from-hr-dive/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:19:11 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HR Management]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/top-5-stories-from-hr-dive/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Ginger Christ and Ryan Golden • Published March 11, 2025 Five years. Five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, known then as the novel coronavirus, a global pandemic. Five years since states and municipalities issued stay-at-home orders, and citizens were told to shelter in place. Businesses around the country — and world […]
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>

By: Ginger Christ and Ryan Golden
 • Published March 11, 2025
Five years. 
Five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19, known then as the novel coronavirus, a global pandemic. 
Five years since states and municipalities issued stay-at-home orders, and citizens were told to shelter in place.
Businesses around the country — and world — shut down. In the early days, movement was limited to essential workers — healthcare professionals, emergency responders and postal workers, among others. Companies scrambled to react. 
Overnight, entire workforces went remote. Schools closed, and parents struggled to juggle working from home and caregiving. The unemployment rate skyrocketed as businesses scaled back or closed. 
Work, as the world knew it, changed. 
While the pace of change in human resources now certainly isn’t as furious as it was when the pandemic hit, dealing with disruption has always been a part of the profession, said Megan Berki, global people leader at Rocket Lawyer, a legal platform. 
“I view it as the nature of HR,” she said. “There’s always going to be change that HR and organizations have to react to based on just the climate of the market and all kinds of different factors” — from the evolution of technology to skills training to responding to new legislation. 
<h3 class="standard-heading">Remote work crawled, so flexibility could fly</h3>
Pew Research Center estimates about 40% of workers have jobs that can be done remotely, and huge swaths of these individuals did so during the onset of the pandemic. Zoom calls replaced in-person meetings; sweat pants replaced trousers; and commutes became a walk from the bedroom to the dining room table. 
The huge shift to remote work fundamentally changed how companies managed employees, experts told HR Dive. 
“Pre-COVID, in the office, there was a lot more in-person interaction, and a manager could observe much more directly how a person works and give feedback in real time. It was a much more fluid and engaging relationship,” Berki said. 
With a suddenly remote workforce, employers had to reinvent how they coached, trained and engaged employees, she said. 
“HR has had to get a lot more proactive, consistent and engaging,” Berki said. 
Talent acquisition in a remote world also took on a new life. Companies were able to hire workers in locations where they didn’t have offices, opening up a larger talent pool. 
“We expanded into markets that we probably otherwise wouldn’t have, outside of COVID and post-pandemic, because we were an office organization,” Berki said. “We had offices in very targeted locations, and when we moved to remote, it opened up other markets for us that I think [have] really benefited our workforce.”
Remote and flexible work opened up access for underrepresented employees. A recent report by Flexa found that record numbers of Black workers and employees with disabilities were looking for positions with flexible schedules last year.
As more employers announce return-to-office mandates, it is unlikely that the workplace of the pre-COVID era will return, experts say. 
“I don’t think anybody has figured it out. I think there’s a number of people trying different things to see what sticks,” Berki said. “There’s always going to continue to be some degree of flexibility.”
From increased productivity to a more diverse workforce to a better work-life balance, the pros of remote work are evident, said Jessica Hardeman, Indeed’s global head of DEIB+ and talent attraction.
“We are in an era where we’re going to have to focus on flexibility, because we have seen the need [and] demand for it now,” Hardeman said. “The future is about continuing to be intentional and thoughtful about the flexibility that we’re preserving, because I think we lose out on really, really good talent when we choose to not be flexible.” 
Now and in the hybrid future, ensuring there’s a good workplace dynamic and culture among dispersed teams will remain a top priority, Hardeman said. 
“I trust that they’ll get their work done. I’m really focused on how I can make sure that they’re having a good experience as an employee,” she said. 
<h3 class="standard-heading">Enter virtual Form I-9 review</h3>
With workforces spread across the country came a need to effectively document those workers. 
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Form I-9s, the documents used to verify that an employee is eligible to work in the U.S., had to be reviewed in person. But on March 20, 2020, the federal government temporarily permitted companies that were working completely remotely to review those documents virtually. 
“Some of the changes we’ve seen relating to the I-9 process for COVID really were actually monumental,” said John Fay, director of product strategy at Equifax Workforce Solutions. “It’s always been an in-person affair… Obviously, COVID came along, and that became, in many instances, a virtual impossibility.” 
After several extensions and relaxed rules on the definition of a remote worker, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a final rule in July 2023 that created permanent remote I-9 verification. 
“It’s been a huge shift, and a lot of organizations are using it,” Fay said. 
The documentation required by an employer remained the same, said Jorge Lopez, a Littler shareholder and chair of the law firm’s immigration and global mobility practice.
“It’s the mechanisms that’ve been put in place to meet the requirements that have been tweaked,” Lopez said. 
But with any change come growing pains. 
The virtual option allows companies to centralize the I-9 completion process, Fay said, but that benefit “can also be a potential weakness.” For companies with HR professionals across the country, shifting I-9 verification to the centralized team can burden what are usually small teams, he said. 
That burden is amplified by the Trump administration’s plans to prioritize immigration enforcement, Fay said. Likewise, Lopez said to expect “a more robust enforcement environment in Trump world phase two.” 
“When we think about immigration enforcement, some employers don’t necessarily equate it to I-9, but the I-9 is, in essence, an immigration form; it’s all about ensuring that employers hire a legal workforce,” Fay said. “Historically, when we have seen increases in immigration enforcement, we typically see an increase in the number of I-9 inspections.” 
Some companies are opting to get out of the I-9 business altogether and are choosing to outsource the process, Fay said. 
<h3 class="standard-heading">Religious accommodations claims rise</h3>
Few topics received as much public scrutiny over the course of the pandemic as vaccination requirements. As COVID-19 vaccines became more widely accessible, so too did the push from institutions — employers included — to mandate people receive them.
Federal authorities, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, generally signed off on policies requiring employees to submit proof of vaccination with some exceptions, including situations in which the employee would be unable to receive a vaccine due to a sincerely held religious practice or belief.
One of the downstream effects of such requirements, however, was an increased awareness among employees of their right to religious accommodations. HR Dive covered several lawsuits in which employees alleged that they had been illegally fired for requesting religious accommodation in lieu of receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
In 2023, law firm Seyfarth Shaw found that religious discrimination claims filed with EEOC increased by over 600% year-over-year between the agency’s 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. Seyfarth Shaw said the increase appeared “almost entirely attributable” to the pandemic and accompanying vaccine mandates.
The link between COVID-19 vaccine mandates and religious accommodation requests is a real one, said Jonathan Segal, partner at Duane Morris. He noted that several websites and organizations began to offer education to people about their right to a religious accommodation, even in cases where an employee does not have a formal religion or where the employee’s particular religious belief is inconsistent with the religious organizations to which the employee belongs.
“There’s been an undeniable increase in the number of religious accommodation claims,” Segal said. “Vaccine mandates brought to the fore the idea of religious accommodations where people hadn’t thought about it before all that often,” Segal said.
The litigation that occurred as a result of this trend resulted in varying outcomes for employees filing lawsuits, some of whom had their cases dismissed and some of whom received favorable jury decisions requiring employers to compensate them for damages. But religious accommodations received even broader attention in the years since COVID-19, thanks in part to a landmark 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision which made it harder for employers to deny an employee’s proposed religious accommodation due to undue hardship.
Segal said he still sees employers that neglect to focus on religion in the context of their anti-discrimination training. That presents a risk for employers, he added, particularly because it implies the lack of both a potential deterrent for bad conduct as well as a potential legal defense in the event of a lawsuit.
“There are myriad ways in which employers can discriminate without realizing that they’re doing it,” Segal said. “This is an opportunity for employers to take a look at their training practices, employment policies and complaint procedures and ensure that religious issues are covered.”
  
<figcaption class="inside_story_caption">
 
Article top image credit: Mark Makela via Getty Images 
 
</figcaption></div>
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<title>TikTokers promote the construction trades to young workers</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/tiktokers-promote-the-construction-trades-to-young-workers/</link>
<comments>https://hr-trends.co.uk/tiktokers-promote-the-construction-trades-to-young-workers/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:29:26 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Talent]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/tiktokers-promote-the-construction-trades-to-young-workers/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[TikTok may be best associated with the latest dance crazes and viral challenges, but the social media platform with more than 1.5 billion monthly users could be a boon in helping the construction industry find its next generation of skilled laborers. In fact, many in construction are using the platform to provide younger generations with […]
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
TikTok may be best associated with the latest dance crazes and viral challenges, but the social media platform with more than 1.5 billion monthly users could be a boon in helping the construction industry find its next generation of skilled laborers. 
In fact, many in construction are using the platform to provide younger generations with an informative perspective on careers in the industry and using influencers to help with recruiting. This movement has become a significant influence on Generation Z’s career choices, inspiring many to consider construction as a viable and rewarding profession, those in the industry say.
Chelsea Fenton (@thatunionlaborer), a Massachusetts-based TikToker who has worked with The Laborers’ International Union of North America doing concrete, underground utilities and demolition work for more than 13 years, posted her first TikTok after seeing a Facebook reel of a female electrician and noticing the hundreds of comments underneath the post.
“A light bulb went off in my head that I could do this for my trade and I started posting online about construction and being a woman in the trade and it caught the attention of a lot of women,” she said. “I put myself out there and told them if they needed help finding an apprenticeship or some opportunity in their area, message me.” 

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Chelsea Fenton, member of The Laborers’ International Union of North America and construction TikToker.
Permission granted by Chelsea Fenton
 
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Today, Fenton has more than 26,500 followers and believes that social media is the best free tool to advertise about the pros of the construction industry, especially for women who might not realize these job options are available. 
“The algorithm is easy to push content to a certain demographic of people,” she said. “I have built my community around women — 70% are women — and people hype each other up. TikTok is one of the easiest ways to get a message across to a lot of people.” 
Fenton’s posts talk about her growing up in the trades and her experiences throughout her career, and tries to offer an emotional connection, such as when she worked on the job site while pregnant. 
“If you can make yourself relatable, you will attract people,” she said. “A lot of people don’t really know these are careers that you can do without being $100,000 in debt. My most successful video was me just talking about how much I made, how I bought a house at 27 and showing them the positives.” 
Eddy Lopez (@ez_home) owns his own construction business in Washington state and has more than 2.6 million followers checking in to his account to see his latest DIY projects and viral construction videos. 
“It was during the pandemic when I started posting, at first just for fun, and there were a lot of people who loved the tips and DIY posts, and five years later, the platform is used to run our business,” he said. “Anything you can use to teach people is really good content; people love the before-and-after posts.” 
Lopez has had lots of conversations through his posts with those interested in getting into the trade and believes that his TikTok library has helped recruit thousands to the industry. 
“You need to hook people right away, and keep things short and simple,” he said about the posts. “If you stay consistent and keep posting, sooner or later, the algorithm is going to reward you.” 
<h3 class="standard-heading">A different path </h3>
New York-based Andrew Brown (@andrewbrowntrades), founder of ToolFetch, a portal for the trades, has 31,000 followers and uses TikTok to inspire the next generation to consider careers in construction. 
“My platform is about impact, storytelling and shifting culture in a way that actually helps people,” he said. “TikTok has given me the reach, but more importantly, it’s given this message a real home.”
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<div><img decoding="async" alt="Headshot of Andrew Brown." data-imagemodel="182463" src="https://imgproxy.divecdn.com/ptJixkjLNUCZI17CSGY4GXjIsYlFj22C7a8bOOypYiw/g:ce/rs:fit:1600:0/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9BbmRyZXdfQnJvd24uanBlZw==.webp"></div>
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Andrew Brown, founder of ToolFetch and construction TikToker.
Permission granted by Andrew Brown
 
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His posts reach those who feel college might not be the right choice, so content that resonates most involves young men and women on the path to a six-figure career, which includes learning about apprenticeship, union jobs and information on climbing the career ladder. This could include a day-in-the-life post of a welder or electrician or showing job sites with young people succeeding. 
“If people feel they are mechanically driven, have a technical spark or want to work with their hands, they can see that they can get into a career that’s in high demand and not have the debt follow them vs. going into a four-year college,” Brown said. 
<h3 class="standard-heading">Savvy team-up</h3>
A new strategic collaboration between TikTok, the Skilled Careers Coalition and SkillsUSA is looking to boost interest in skilled trades among Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — by tapping into the influence of creators on the popular platform. 
At the heart of the collaboration is Skills Jam, SCC’s youth-led content platform that showcases skilled careers through short- and long-form videos. 
“TikTok is great at storytelling; it’s visual with short soundbites in some cases, and it’s a platform that a lot of young individuals are engaging in,” said Mark Hedstrom, executive director of the SCC. “A lot of approach with this collaboration is to meet young students where they’re at, so it’s a great platform to engage them in an authentic way.” 
Content that he feels entices younger people to the construction trade are posts by people who look like a student, talk like a student and demonstrate why they are passionate about their skilled career.
“This helps engage the students in exploring the opportunity further,” Hedstrom said. “It’s not just about raising awareness but trying to find opportunities to bring students through to taking action, helping them find those opportunities for them to pursue those careers.”
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<title>The supervisor crisis — and why companies should be worried</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/the-supervisor-crisis-and-why-companies-should-be-worried/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:10:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HR Management]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Supervisors are quitting, yet nobody wants to step up to take their place, which is leading to burnout, poor workplace culture and empty leadership pipelines, according to a July 9 report from Express Employment Professionals. More than half of job seekers who are or were supervisors said they’ve quit or plan to quit a supervisory […]
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Supervisors are quitting, yet nobody wants to step up to take their place, which is leading to burnout, poor workplace culture and empty leadership pipelines, according to a July 9 report from Express Employment Professionals.
More than half of job seekers who are or were supervisors said they’ve quit or plan to quit a supervisory position. They pointed to a lack of fulfillment or advancement in their career, not feeling adequately compensated, mental health issues tied to being a supervisor, a desire for more time off, a desire for more flexible hours or a desire to leave a people management role.
“Supervisors are saying, ‘No more.’ Future leaders are saying, ‘No, thanks,’” Bob Funk, Jr., CEO, president and chairman of Express Employment International, said in a news release. “The result? A vicious cycle that decreases effectiveness, breeds toxicity and weakens the workplace. The companies that come to terms with the situation and start implementing solutions will be the ones that succeed in this reshaped economy.”
In surveys of more than 1,000 U.S. adults and 1,000 U.S. hiring decision-makers, 86% of hiring managers said they believe supervisors have the tools they need. However, only a third said they offer training on critical skills such as conflict resolution or employee feedback. In addition, 72% said their companies should do more to better support supervisors.
Beyond that, nearly 3 in 4 Generation Z workers said they would prefer to develop individual expertise rather than manage people. Without a pipeline of future supervisors, companies may experience a leadership vacuum in coming years, the report found.
Notably, neglecting supervisor development can lead to several consequences, such as disengagement, lost revenue, weak culture, burnout and turnover. Instead, companies can reverse the trend by building leadership training programs, developing peer and mentor networks, investing in mental health initiatives and promoting work-life balance, the report found.
As supervisors struggle, C-suite executives are also experiencing a “crisis of confidence” as they face higher levels of stress, burnout and turnover, according to an LHH report. Senior leaders said they feel unprepared for today’s business environment and need more support.
</div>
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<title>Widening AI training gap ushers in ‘birth of a new digital divide,’ BambooHR says</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/widening-ai-training-gap-ushers-in-birth-of-a-new-digital-divide-bamboohr-says/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Jul 2025 15:09:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Tech & Analysis]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[While 77% of companies allow artificial intelligence tools at work, only 32% offer training, according to a July 1 report from BambooHR. A gap is growing across organizational hierarchies, with 72% of C-suite and vice president-level executives using AI daily, compared to only 18% of individual contributors, the report found. This “birth of a new […]
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While 77% of companies allow artificial intelligence tools at work, only 32% offer training, according to a July 1 report from BambooHR. 
A gap is growing across organizational hierarchies, with 72% of C-suite and vice president-level executives using AI daily, compared to only 18% of individual contributors, the report found. This “birth of a new digital divide” could shift workplace power dynamics and widen gender gaps, BambooHR warned.
“Leaders need to develop clear and comprehensive AI policies that not only outline what’s acceptable but also address the elephant in the room — the fear that using AI is somehow ‘cheating,’” said Alan Whitaker, head of AI at BambooHR. “When we communicate these policies clearly and transparently to all employees, we can help alleviate concerns, promote a culture of openness and empower our teams to harness the full potential of AI.”
The survey of more than 1,500 full-time U.S. employees who work a desk job, including 500 HR professionals, found that half of managers and senior leaders receive AI training, compared to 23% of individual contributors.
Compared to individual contributors, more than twice as many executives said they’re creating efficiencies at work by using AI to write emails, develop presentations and complete other tasks. In addition, 80% of senior leaders viewed AI-assisted work as high quality, compared to 69% of managers and 28% of independent contributors.
Although 72% of employees said they want to improve their AI skills, only about a third have received formal AI training from their employer, the report found. Even so, 61% of executives said they value employees who use AI more.
Job seekers say there’s a training gap, rather than a skills gap, when it comes to hiring — and that employers are passing over competent candidates because they aren’t willing to train them, according to an Express Employment Professionals report. Most candidates said companies should increase investments in learning and development.
Without additional training, 9 in 10 companies lack “future-ready” talent strategies related to AI capabilities, according to a report from The Adecco Group. To better prepare, employers can implement structured plans to build skills, support employees and lead the workplace through AI-related disruption, the firm said.
</div>
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<title>Congressional Dems blast EEOC acting chair for alleged coercion leading to $1B in pro bono law services</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/congressional-dems-blast-eeoc-acting-chair-for-alleged-coercion-leading-to-1b-in-pro-bono-law-services/</link>
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<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:52:37 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Talent]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Congressional Democrats released a letter on July 9 taking the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to task, and singling out Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, for allegedly coercing law firms into providing nearly $1 billion in pro bono work for causes approved by President Donald Trump. The lawmakers claimed that Lucas used her position at EEOC […]
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]]></description>
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Congressional Democrats released a letter on July 9 taking the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to task, and singling out Acting Chair Andrea Lucas, for allegedly coercing law firms into providing nearly $1 billion in pro bono work for causes approved by President Donald Trump.
The lawmakers claimed that Lucas used her position at EEOC “to facilitate a shakedown of prominent law firms that represented causes or employed individuals whom the President dislikes.” The Democrats’ letter cited a March 2025 executive order targeting Perkins Coie, along with letters EEOC sent to Perkins Coie and 19 other firms requesting information related to their diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Congressional Dems further claimed that under Lucas, EEOC has become instrumental in Trump using the “investigative and prosecutorial powers” of the government to “punish and suppress” law firms — while violating equal employment laws and the Constitution.
The letter was authored by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee; Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; and Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., ranking member of the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
<h3 class="standard-heading">A pattern established</h3>
Trump has been thorough in ensuring EEOC appointments fit his campaign promises and presidential agenda. On Jan. 20, Trump named then-Commissioner Lucas, a Republican, EEOC acting chair. About a week later, Trump fired EEOC Democratic Commissioners Charlotte Burrows and Jocelyn Samuels, along with General Counsel Karla Gilbride.
Likewise, Lucas has been vocal in aligning herself with the president. Shortly after Trump fired the commissioners, Lucas said the EEOC should rescind parts of its April 2024 anti-harassment guidance, particularly aspects related to gender and gender identity — in keeping with Trump’s executive order on sex and gender identity.
On Feb. 19, Lucas also vowed that the EEOC would focus on protecting American workers from anti-American bias, pointing to those allegedly creating a “pipeline contributing to our immigration crisis or abusing our legal immigration system.” On the first day of his presidency, Trump issued an immigration-related executive order to “protect the American people against invasion,” and his administration has continually cracked down on immigrants.
In April, Lucas named Shannon Royce, former president of the Christian Employers Alliance, as her chief of staff. Earlier in the year, Trump had also issued an executive order intended to eradicate anti-Christian bias.
Lucas continues to make good on Trump’s executive orders — this time, ones targeting alleged unlawful DEI programs — by conducting investigations into law firms with DEI programs.
<h3 class="standard-heading">Looking ahead: What the Dems want</h3>
No later than July 25, at 5 p.m., the administration is to turn over “all records, including calendar entries, meeting transcripts, memoranda, messages, and other correspondence between the Acting Chair, the Acting General Counsel, or other EEOC employees, and representatives of the White House or the Executive Office of the President” since the inauguration, per the letter.
The lawmakers also asked for similar EEOC correspondence with 12 Republican state attorney general offices that sent similar requests to the 20 law firms.
If the agency did wield its power as alleged, Congressional Dems said, “this is a perversion of the EEOC’s mission and makes a mockery of due process guaranteed under the Constitution, to which you swore an oath.”
“The American people deserve to know the truth,” they wrote.
</div>
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<title>Caregiving benefits will take center stage as the ‘sandwich generation’ expands, expert says</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/caregiving-benefits-will-take-center-stage-as-the-sandwich-generation-expands-expert-says/</link>
<comments>https://hr-trends.co.uk/caregiving-benefits-will-take-center-stage-as-the-sandwich-generation-expands-expert-says/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 18:26:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Benefits]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/caregiving-benefits-will-take-center-stage-as-the-sandwich-generation-expands-expert-says/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[SAN DIEGO — As the U.S. population ages and more workers find themselves in the “sandwich generation” — those who care for both their parents and young or dependent children — companies need to start thinking about how to juggle meeting those employees’ needs with business ones, Deborah Hanus, CEO of leave management provider Sparrow, […]
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]]></description>
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SAN DIEGO — As the U.S. population ages and more workers find themselves in the “sandwich generation” — those who care for both their parents and young or dependent children — companies need to start thinking about how to juggle meeting those employees’ needs with business ones, Deborah Hanus, CEO of leave management provider Sparrow, told HR Dive during SHRM’s annual conference.
If not now, soon.
“I think we’re still very much on the leading edge. A lot of companies are not thinking about it yet. They don’t even acknowledge it,” Hanus said. “But five years from now, it’s going to be everyone; it’s going to be like half your workforce.”
Pew Research Center found that already about a quarter of U.S. adults are part of the sandwich generation, according to a survey conducted in late 2021. Among those in their 40s, more than half have a parent aged 65 or older and have either a young child or an adult child they assisted financially in the past year.
“Employers do really need to be thinking about how to retain that part of their workforce,” including what investments they can make in doing so, Hanus said.
Without action, companies risk losing these workers, a May report from Motherly and the University of Phoenix Career Institute found. Half of the 1,000 mothers in the sandwich generation surveyed said they’ve left a position because of their caregiving responsibilities. And more than two-thirds said the benefits offered by their employers weren’t sufficient enough to meet their caregiving needs.
A June report by Prudential Financial also warned of the risks of underestimating workers’ caregiving demands; employees identify caregiving leave as a top benefit, yet only half of employers provide this type of paid leave, the survey of nearly 3,000 full-time employees and 750 employers found.
To that end, an absence and leave expert previously told HR Dive that, as companies make inroads in parental leave benefits, caregiving leave stands to get more attention.
Companies traditionally think having a leave policy covers their bases, but that’s not necessarily true, Hanus said. 
“In a lot of caregiving situations, it’s not one and done. You might be caring for someone for 10-plus years,” meaning there needs to be a more flexible, long-term solution, Hanus said.
Companies need to consider the options and decide how, as a team, they want to manage this and develop a philosophy toward caregiving needs, she said. That can involve educating managers and employees and considering flexible work options.
Successful caregiving leave involves a tight communication and partnership loop between the executive team and HR, Hanus said.
Managing caregiving leave is almost like looking at an accommodation, she explained, and requires going through an interactive process to understand the right way to be flexible and have the most impact.
Some workers may have a caregiver with their parents in the morning and just need to take over by mid-afternoon, while others may need to check in every 30 minutes and may not be able to be reasonably accommodated, she said.
“From a company perspective, you also can’t be infinitely flexible,” Hanus said.
Apart from understanding workers’ caregiving needs, employers also should not shy away from continuing performance reviews, she said. “It’s possible that they hired someone with a lot of family needs who also isn’t good at their job.”
</div>
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<title>Flexible work is ‘non-negotiable’ for gender equality, UN Women report says</title>
<link>https://hr-trends.co.uk/flexible-work-is-non-negotiable-for-gender-equality-un-women-report-says/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[News Room]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:39:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Talent]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://hr-trends.co.uk/flexible-work-is-non-negotiable-for-gender-equality-un-women-report-says/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Flexible work arrangements are “non-negotiable” for reaching gender equality in the workplace, according to a June 30 report from UN Women. According to UN Women surveys about time use, women do three times more unpaid care and domestic work than men, averaging 4.2 hours per day, as compared to 1.7 hours for men. Flexible work […]
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div>
Flexible work arrangements are “non-negotiable” for reaching gender equality in the workplace, according to a June 30 report from UN Women.
According to UN Women surveys about time use, women do three times more unpaid care and domestic work than men, averaging 4.2 hours per day, as compared to 1.7 hours for men. Flexible work could better accommodate household, child care and caregiving responsibilities, the report found. 
“For the first time, gender equality ranks alongside healthcare and climate change as a top global concern,” according to the report, which was based on data from the Team Lewis Foundation and HeForShe, a UN Women solidarity movement for gender equality.
Half of women said flexible work would make it easier for them to remain in the labor market. Among women reconsidering their jobs in 2025, 45% pointed to a lack of flexibility as a top concern, and 40% cited poor work-life balance. To boost equal care responsibilities at work and at home, companies can prioritize flexible hours, offer remote options and update their leave policies, UN Women said.
In addition, employers can support gender equality in the workplace through active listening, allyship and leadership development. In Team Lewis surveys, more than 40% of employees said their company’s efforts to support women could “go further,” and 47% said they wanted their employer to prioritize pay transparency. Companies can also audit their discrimination and harassment policies and create transparent promotion pathways, the report found.
Looking ahead, employers can tackle gender bias when integrating artificial intelligence tools into the workplace, UN Women said. In Team Lewis surveys, 28% of respondents said they were aware of gender bias in AI, and 24% said they believe AI frequently portrays women in misogynistic ways. In response, leaders can invest in diverse tech teams, audit tools for gender bias and consider gender equality during AI development and implementation, the report found.
For instance, a gender gap persists in AI-related skills, training, job access and pay, which could worsen labor shortages if not addressed, according to a Randstad report. Equitable access to skilling, resources and opportunities needs to be a fundamental part of addressing AI talent scarcity, Randstad’s CEO said.
Women in the “sandwich generation” — who support both children and adult dependents — could benefit from flexible work arrangements, caregiver leave and educational support, according to a report from Motherly and the University of Phoenix Career Institute. Two-thirds of women surveyed said their employer’s benefits aren’t enough to meet their caregiving needs, and half said they’ve left a job due to caregiving responsibilities.
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