Recently fired employees, education advocates and supporters rally against several mass firings at the United States Department of Education in Washington, DC in March. (The Washington Post/Getty Images)
A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump's executive order to dismantle the Education Department, ordering the reinstatement of employees affected by mass layoffs. The injunction came in response to a lawsuit by Massachusetts school districts and the American Federation of Teachers, who argued that the layoffs constituted an illegal shutdown. The Trump administration maintains that the layoffs were meant for efficiency, not to close the department. Full Story: The Associated Press (5/22),ABC News (5/22)
The rise of AI in coaching has sparked a debate about the roles of human versus AI-driven coaching. Human coaches excel in empathy, active listening and tailored guidance, while AI offers scalability, real-time feedback and cost-effectiveness. A synergistic approach can enhance personal and professional development, combining the emotional intelligence of human coaches with the data-driven insights of AI. Full Story: Association for Talent Development (5/2025)
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The executive order signed by President Trump aims to lower drug prices by matching U.S. costs with the lowest available internationally. However, the directive has sparked concerns that pharmaceutical companies might raise prices globally and does not tackle the issue of inflated prices by pharmacy benefit managers. Critics also highlight that the order's impact may be limited to Medicare and Medicaid, leaving private employers and their employees potentially facing higher costs. Full Story: HR Executive (5/21)
The surge in job applications -- up 31% last year according to a Workday analysis -- is partly attributed to the rise of AI job bots that allow candidates to apply at scale. This increase contrasts with only a 7% rise in job openings, highlighting the competition in the job market, where employers and applicants alike are locked in an "AI arms race" to stand out. Full Story: Straight Arrow News (5/19)
The HR Leader
Exec: AI reshaping employee recognition AI is transforming employee recognition programs by personalizing and using data to study performance metrics, employee preferences and communication patterns, according to Workhuman President Tom Libretto. "There's an almost limitless runway in use cases where the recognition data itself is mined for rich, authentic, peer-based insider knowledge around who is doing what work in the organization, what skills are being invoked to do that work, and what they are being recognized for relative to the impact that work is having on the broader company," Libretto said. Full Story: Society for Human Resource Management (tiered subscription model) (5/21)
SmartBreak: Question of the Day
Pac-Man was released on May 22 to testers to play on the arcade cabinet format, and it endures to this day. What company created it?
