💼 Why Boards Want HR Now

Inside: 2 in 3 employees are stealing at work!

Author

The HR Takeaways
May 13, 2025

Hello HR Pros,

AI isn’t coming for the workplace—it’s already here, reshaping how we work, lead, and hire. From Duolingo’s quiet layoffs to the CHRO’s rising boardroom influence, change is sweeping through HR and leadership. Add burnout and time theft to the mix, and the need to adapt is clear.

In this edition, we cover key trends, emerging tools, and growing challenges—giving you the insights to navigate what’s next. Let’s dive in!

📰 Upcoming in This Issue

  • 🏛️ From CHRO to Boardroom Power Player

  • 🤖 Is This What an AI-Driven Recession Looks Like?

  • 🕵️ 2 in 3 Employees Are Stealing at Work

  • 🧠 RPO's AI Renaissance Is Already Underway

  • Google settles Black employees' racial bias lawsuit for $50 million (Reuters)

  • Tesla fired employee who created website criticizing Elon Musk (Yahoo)

  • Nearly half of C-suite execs weigh team budget cuts (Gartner)

  • Judge orders temporary halt to Trump’s mass layoffs of federal workers (Washington Post)

#1 Greenhouse: Hiring based on gut feel? Greenhouse’s ATS delivers structured feedback, smart nudges, and DEI tools that help teams hire with confidence.
→ Learn more about Greenhouse

#2 BambooHR: BambooHR keeps HR simple for growing teams—with drag-and-drop workflows, self-service tools, and add-ons like payroll, performance, and ATS when you’re ready to scale.
→ Learn more about BambooHR

#3 HiBob: HiBob is your all-in-one, culture-first HRIS platform—think org charts, performance reviews, and engagement that actually feels human.
→ Learn more about HiBob

#4 Rippling: Juggling HR, payroll, and IT across tools? Rippling brings it all together—automating onboarding, benefits, and even device management in one HRIS platform.
→ Learn more about Rippling

Harvard Business School’s “The Evolving Role of the CHRO in the Boardroom” confirms what many HR leaders already feel: your seat at the executive table isn’t just earned—it’s essential.

No longer confined to hiring and compliance, today’s CHRO is expected to influence corporate strategy, lead succession planning, and advise on M&A, AI, and workforce risk—with financial fluency and boardroom credibility.

This isn’t about evolution—it’s a transformation. And those who master it will help define the future of work from the top.

Key Takeaways:

  • 📈 CHROs are now strategic architects: Boards expect CHROs to drive talent planning, business transformation, and AI oversight—not just manage payroll and hiring.

  • 📊 Financial fluency is a must: CHROs gain credibility when they speak the language of ROI, P&L, and capital allocation with ease.

  • ⚖️ Influence requires balance: Navigating board access, CEO alignment, and succession politics is critical to CHRO effectiveness and neutrality.

  • 📊 HR is central to transformation: From AI disruption to generational change, boards now look to CHROs to steer through complexity and uncertainty.

In “The AI jobs crisis is here, now” by Brian Merchant, we don’t get a warning—we get a wake-up call. Duolingo quietly laid off 100 writers and translators months ago, replacing them with AI that, insiders say, still can’t write usable lessons.

This is the new normal: artists, designers, even recent grads are being pushed out—not because AI is better, but because it’s cheaper. And the tech? Often wrong, boring, or both.

The jobs crisis isn’t some looming threat—it’s already here, disguised as progress and efficiency. And it’s spreading fast.

  • 📉 Duolingo already cut 100 contractors:Writers and translators were let go months ago, contradicting the CEO’s public AI rollout timeline.

  • 🎨 Creative fields are hardest hit first: Freelance artists, illustrators, and game designers are losing gigs to cheaper, lower-quality AI-generated alternatives.

  • 📊 Gen Z is bearing the brunt: Recent grads face the highest unemployment gap in 40 years, as AI replaces white-collar entry-level work.

  • 🚨 AI often under delivers in practice: 61% of enterprise buyers report no meaningful ROI from AI investments, according to a Salesforce-backed survey.

I just read “Two in three employees admit to workplace 'theft': survey” by Business.com, and the numbers are wild. A whopping 67% of U.S. workers admit to some form of workplace theft—and it's not just about office supplies.

The most common crime? Doing laundry, errands, or booking haircuts on company time. Even sleeping on the job made the list. And shockingly, managers are twice as likely to steal money as regular employees.

It’s less about sticky fingers and more about frayed trust, poor culture, and, yes—bad bosses. Turns out theft might be more of a symptom than a sin.

Key Takeaways:

  • 🧹 Most theft is “time theft”: 54% of workers admit to doing chores or errands while on the clock at work.

  • 📎 Office supplies are prime targets: Pens, printer paper, even kitchen utensils are among the most frequently stolen items from U.S. workplaces.

  • 💰 Managers steal more money: Survey found managers are twice as likely as non-managers to commit financial theft or misuse company funds.

  • 🧠 Theft is often psychological: Employees cite poor leadership, job insecurity, and unfair treatment as root causes of their on-the-job misconduct.

In this YouTube podcast by Jason Roberts, he lays out a bold vision for the AI-powered future of recruitment—and HR pros should take notes.

Automation isn’t just replacing tasks; it’s reducing ghosting, personalizing candidate experiences, and potentially reviving RPO as the strategic engine behind hiring transformation.

Even more intriguing? Jason hints at a near future where AI agents could replicate human voices and behavior—blurring the line between digital assistant and emotional presence.

Key Takeaways:

  • 📉 40% ghosting drop through automation (10:45): Jason shares that tailored automation—like timely reminders and personalized follow-ups—has cut ghosting rates by as much as 40% in some hiring pipelines.

  • 🧠 AI tools free up 30–40% recruiter capacity (6:30): By automating repeatable tasks, AI enables recruiters to focus on strategy and candidate care—boosting efficiency without increasing headcount.

  • ⚙️ RPO leads tech adoption (16:20): RPO firms outpace in-house teams in implementing AI, setting the pace for recruitment transformation.

  • 🧬 Digital doubles raise ethical questions (22:30): AI agents may someday mimic loved ones—highlighting deep ethical implications for HR and beyond.

The bottomline

This matters because people policies are now power moves. AI is rewriting job descriptions, managers are undermining trust, and HR leaders are stepping into strategy roles once reserved for the CFO. If we miss the signs, we risk being sidelined in decisions that define the workplace. But if we lean in, we don’t just react—we shape the future ✨

How was today's edition?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.