CAHRS Top 10 May 2025
- Leadership Enablement
Talent Strategy Benchmarking Report
CAHRS
To build future-ready talent strategies, companies are doubling down on leadership development and embedding structured accountability at all levels. Benchmarking across CAHRS partners reveals increasing investment in in-person programs, CEO/ELT sponsorship, and segmented development paths for front-line to senior leaders.
- Workplace Civility
The Effect of Return-to-Office Mandates
SHRM
Return-to-office (RTO) mandates may be reigniting workplace tension. SHRM’s Q1 2025 Civility Index reveals that employees at companies enforcing RTO policies reported significantly more daily acts of incivility, 63% higher than those in remote-first environments. The findings suggest that stress from routine changes, increased face-to-face interactions, and political polarization are fueling interpersonal friction.
- HR Leaders Thriving in a Complicated Job Market
Navigating the Evolving Labor Landscape
Workday
In today’s complex labor market, HR leaders must prioritize retention of high-potential talent, foster internal mobility, and communicate strategy with greater clarity. Workday’s data-driven analysis reveals that while job applications continue to outpace openings, internal candidates are five times more likely to be hired, highlighting the value of growing talent from within.
- COVID-19, Five Years Later
CAHRS Partner Companies Reflect on Why HR is ‘Still Recovering’
Human Resource Executive
Five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, human resource leaders continue to navigate its long-lasting impact on the workforce. This article explores how challenges such as burnout, shifting employee expectations, and persistent talent gaps are reshaping the HR function. It highlights how HR must adapt its strategies to build resilience, enhance well-being, and lead organizations through ongoing transformation.
- How AI and Workforce Will Intersect
Navigating Risks and Opportunities
AON
Rapid artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is transforming human resources from a support function into a strategic capability hub. Aon’s latest insights highlight how HR teams are integrating AI across hiring, onboarding, skills development, and workforce planning — while balancing ethical risks and regulatory requirements. HR professionals are expected to play dual roles: guiding AI deployment with human oversight and redesigning jobs in a hybrid human-AI environment.
To go deeper into this subject, take a look at this keynote featuring the ILR School and CAHRS partner company Merck, which focuses on practical applications of cutting-edge analytical tools to assist in talent management and leadership decision making.
- People Leadership Benchmarking
Common Challenges and Ways to Overcome Them
CAHRS
This CAHRS benchmarking summary highlights how its partner companies are redefining and strengthening "people leadership" in response to evolving workplace demands. Key insights include growing efforts to clarify leadership roles, embed behavioral expectations into talent processes, and improve accountability for people leaders. The report underscores the need for clearer expectations, cultural role-modeling from the top, and integrated development strategies across organizations.
- Tariff Turbulence
Ways to Retain Top Talent
Korn Ferry
New waves of global tariffs are tightening employee wallets and corporate budgets alike — leading to lower raises, bonus reductions, and potential job cuts. Korn Ferry warns that while most workers may stay put in a volatile market, high performers are increasingly likely to leave for better-paid roles, risking long-term performance erosion. Leaders must recalibrate value propositions, prioritize retention over reaction, and offer compelling reasons, beyond compensation, for top talent to stay amid rising financial stress.
For more specific information about talent when it comes to things like talent segmentation, succession planning and executive development, have a look at what CAHRS partner companies are doing in this realm in this benchmarking report.
- LGBTQ+ workers
Discrimination and Barriers to Workplace Advancement
HR Brew
Despite legal progress, LGBTQ+ professionals continue to face widespread discrimination that undermines their productivity, safety, and mental health. Coqual’s “Pride Under Pressure” report highlights microaggressions, identity covering, and exclusionary behaviors that push many LGBTQ+ employees to hide who they are, signaling an urgent call to strengthen inclusive practices, ensure psychological safety, and reaffirm organizational commitment to equity.
- Data Literacy Skills
What it Means for HR Professionals
My HR Future
Data literacy has become a mission-critical skill for human resources, yet only half of organizations report that their HR teams are actively building this capability. Insight222’s latest research shows that HR professionals who can interpret data and tell compelling stories are better positioned to influence strategic decisions. Practical applications include workforce planning, ROI analysis, and employee engagement strategies.
- HR Strategy
Embracing HR Innovation
ILR School
Anchored in purpose and continuous evolution, CAHRS partner company MassMutual’s HR function exemplifies how legacy organizations can remain at the forefront of innovation. Cindy Ryan, newly appointed head of HR, shares how the company balances tradition with transformation through personalized benefits, multigenerational engagement, and strategic alignment with business goals. Her leadership philosophy emphasizes investing in people, building cross-functional capabilities, and paying it forward to develop the next generation of HR leaders.