CEOs appear to be losing patience with disgruntled workers, calling for them to focus more on their work and less on complaining and making demands. Emma Grede of Good American, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase and Dara Khosrowshahi of Uber are among executives taking a harder line with their teams. During an internal meeting, Dimon had sharp words for employees grumbling about the return-to-office mandate. “I’ve had it with this kind of stuff. I’ve been working seven days a week since Covid, and I come in, and—where is everybody else?” Dimon said. The message shift comes as organizations navigate a tricky economic environment and look for ways to cut costs, including hiring freezes, combining jobs and allocating more tasks to artificial intelligence. Full Story: The Wall Street Journal (5/11),MSN (5/12),TheStreet (5/7)
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Recruiting & Retention
The critical role of secure background checks in hiring Background checks are crucial in the hiring process to prevent insider threats and ensure security. However, it is essential to handle these checks securely to protect candidates' privacy. Organizations should limit the collection of personal data, use encryption, enforce data retention policies and conduct regular security audits to safeguard sensitive information. Full Story: Security Magazine (5/12)
HR and managers should be trained to recognize anxiety among employees, who often struggle with the issue, says Keren Maldonado, director of total rewards at the Society for Human Resource Management. "Remind managers not to assume the worst but to start with open communications and coaching to identify personal challenges versus performance issues," Maldonado says. Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (5/6)
Benefits & Compensation
Student loan borrowers face garnishment The Department of Education will resume collections on defaulted federal student loans, affecting 5.3 million borrowers who could face wage garnishment and benefit offsets. The Department of Education has increased customer service capacity to assist borrowers with repayment options, including loan rehabilitation and income-driven repayment plans. Full Story: BenefitsPRO (free registration) (5/8)
The HR Leader
How to transform talent to meet business demands Talent management is a top priority for CEOs and boards, but HR leaders face challenges such as inconsistent manager capability and limited budgets, according to Spencer Stuart. HR can overcome these barriers and drive business growth by aligning company culture with the employee experience, transforming existing talent, developing future-ready leaders, embracing diversity and leveraging analytics, Spencer Stuart consultants write. Full Story: Spencer Stuart (5/2025)
The days of employers jumping through hoops to appease employees and retain talent might be winding down, according to our top story today. CEOs are done listening to people gripe about work-life balance and returning to the office. They are trying to navigate an uncertain economy and have to hit certain financial goals. They need employees who understand this and will get on board. But that’s a harsh message, especially on the heels of 2-3 years of companies bending over backwards to attract talent and keep employees happy. Workers got used to flexible schedules, working from home and spending time on pet projects. Now, they’re having to report to offices, add tasks to their plate and invest time learning new AI skills. One could argue it’s not fair, but that seems a waste of time. If the folks in charge are moving down this road, it seems prudent to join the caravan. If one is unhappy with the road or the caravan, one should explore new options. Demanding change (when you're not in the driver's seat) seems a fruitless effort. What do you think? Will this behavior come back to bite companies and executives? Is this the normal cycle of business? Let me know! I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you enjoy this brief? Share it with others. Want different stories? Something about it bug you? Tell me. In the words of Frasier Crane, “I’m listening.”
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