Hello, HR Pros!

As fireworks fizzle out from the July 4th holiday, HR leaders are lighting new sparks inside their organizations. From cracking down on AI bias to overhauling succession plans and embedding GenAI into performance management—this week’s newsletter is a tactical deep dive into the decisions shaping the future of people leadership.

This isn’t theory. It’s how real orgs are rebuilding foundations, sometimes under pressure, often with bold bets. Time to roll up your sleeves for this insightful edition.

📰 Upcoming in This Issue

• 🧠 State of AI Bias in Talent Acquisition 2025

• 🚨 10 Ways CEO Succession Goes Sideways—and What CHROs Can Do About It

• 🤖 How Zapier Hit 89% AI Adoption—Without Burning Out the Org

• 🚀 GenAI in Performance Reviews: Upgrade or Overload?

📣 Trending HR News

• Amazon deploys its 1 millionth robot (Tech Crunch)

• Gartner projects 40% of AI agent projects will be canceled by 2027 (Forbes)

• Demand for MBA graduates remains strong (Yahoo)

• US economy added a stronger-than-expected 147,000 jobs in June (CNN)

🧠 State of AI Bias in Talent Acquisition 2025

Warden AI’s latest report brings much-needed clarity to the murky waters of AI in recruiting. Spoiler: bias is real, but more measurable—and often less severe than human bias. While 75% of HR leaders cite bias as a top AI concern, the real threat might be what we don't audit.

This report dives into real-world audits of over 150 AI systems, showing where vendors are falling short—and where HR teams must take charge.

Key Takeaways:

• 📉 Audit vendors before adoption: 15% of AI systems still fail basic fairness tests, and bias scores between vendors can vary by up to 40%.

• 📊 Benchmark AI vs. human bias: AI systems show 39–45% fairer treatment for gender and race compared to human-led hiring decisions.

• 🔐 Check compliance readiness: 60%+ of vendors haven’t yet aligned with standards like NYC 144 or EU AI Act—push for bias audits before signing.

• 🗂️ Look beyond sex and race: Only 5% of audits evaluate age or disability bias—broaden audit scope for truly inclusive hiring.

🔍 read the full 11,437-word report here

📌 Payroll Quietly Causing You Stress? How Some HR Teams Are Quietly Solving It

Payroll doesn't usually make headlines—until something breaks. Recently, some HR teams quietly shared how they addressed their payroll headaches.

• Smaller teams mentioned OnPay helps them quickly handle payroll, taxes, and compliance in one intuitive place, especially if resources are tight or headcount is growing fast. It streamlines tedious payroll tasks without the usual hassle.

• Larger teams highlighted Paychex for its reliable handling of complex payroll and tax scenarios at scale. It frees HR teams from compliance worries and time-consuming manual processes, especially when complexity multiplies.

• Patriot Payroll stands out for its ease of use and affordability. HR teams like its user-friendly interface and quick setup—ideal when payroll just needs to be straightforward, affordable, and reliable.

If payroll quietly causes stress, these options might be worth checking out.

🚨 10 Ways CEO Succession Goes Sideways—and What CHROs Can Do About It

Most CEO successions don’t implode overnight—but quietly unravel when boards hesitate, play favorites, or let outgoing CEOs dominate the narrative.

This 26-page deep dive is packed with boardroom wisdom, brutal truths, and CHRO moves that turn succession into strategy—not roulette. And yes, the biggest risk isn’t a bad pick—it’s a good process mismanaged.

Key Takeaways:

• 🧠 Start early and plan backwards: Boards that begin succession 3–5 years out create stronger internal pipelines and broader candidate readiness.

• 🔍 Separate legacy from leadership: CEO profiles must reflect the future strategy, not the outgoing leader’s playbook or past success metrics.

• 🤝 Trust fuels CHRO effectiveness: The CHRO’s influence depends on credibility, discretion, and the trust of both CEO and board—not org charts.

• ⚖️ Avoid the “chosen one” trap: Boards that fixate early on one successor skew evaluation criteria and underinvest in broader talent development.

🔗 Read the full 2,981-word article here: CEO Succession: 10 Pitfalls Boards Must Avoid— and the CHRO Practices That Help

⏰ Still spending too much time scheduling shifts?

If scheduling shifts is taking too many hours (and still causing headaches), you're not alone.

Some HR teams rely on employee scheduling tools like When I Work to cut labor costs, reduce overtime, and improve shift attendance—with much less effort.

🤖 How Zapier Hit 89% AI Adoption—Without Burning Out the Org

Zapier didn’t just adopt AI—they rebuilt their operating model around it. In under two years, AI evolved from a side project to a core cultural pillar, with 89% team-wide usage. It began not with a major rollout, but with curiosity, grassroots experimentation, and a pivotal “Code Red” moment declaring AI essential.

Zapier then built real infrastructure: legal guardrails, streamlined procurement, internal champions, and AI hubs. They held hackathons, documented use cases, launched Slack learning channels, and embedded AI into workflows across all departments.

The result? A true transformation—where AI became central to productivity, creativity, and reinvention.

Key Takeaways:

• ⚠️ Drive urgency to cut through noise: Kickstart AI adoption by framing it as a critical transformation moment—not an optional pilot—backed by executive alignment.

• 🏗️ Build legal, technical, and enablement foundations: Partner with legal, security, and procurement early so teams have safe, fast access to approved AI tools.

• 🚀 Make hands-on learning the norm: Run recurring AI hackathons and workshops that get every employee building, testing, and sharing real AI-powered workflows.

• 🔁 Reward iteration over polish: Encourage small experiments, tolerate redundancy, and use learnings from failed pilots to guide future scaling efforts.

🔍 Read the full 3,028-word article here

🚀 GenAI in Performance Reviews: Upgrade or Overload?

Managers are burned out on performance reviews—and AI might be the unexpected lifeline. This insightful Gartner article outlines a practical roadmap to integrate GenAI into performance management without overwhelming your systems or your people. But before you leap, assess your process maturity and employee trust.

It’s not about replacing human judgment—it’s about supporting it, smartly.

Key Takeaways:

• 📊 Evaluate embedded tools before chasing new tech: Most PM systems now offer GenAI for drafting goals and reviews—leverage them before exploring add-ons.

• 🧠 Build process maturity before GenAI use: If performance reviews happen only twice a year, GenAI lacks data to deliver helpful insights.

• 🎯 Use GenAI to solve real pain points: Don’t force AI into every corner. Use it where it improves bias detection, goal clarity, or feedback quality.

• 📚 Train managers for AI-human partnership: Thrivent’s “real work” training built confidence in using AI outputs with human nuance. Copy their playbook.

🔍 Read the full 2,932-word article here

The bottomline

We’re entering a phase where tech doesn’t just enhance HR—it reshapes it. From CEO transitions to system-wide AI rollouts, the rules are being rewritten. But success isn’t just about tools; it’s about trust, transparency, and thoughtful leadership.

The future belongs to those who can scale systems and culture—simultaneously. Until next edition, keep leading the evolution ✨