HR professionals are often at the forefront of corporate efforts to narrow the gender pay gap. New survey data suggests these HR pros may also be intimately familiar with pay inequities, as they’re likely to see them in their own careers.

Despite the fact that women represent more than two-thirds of US adults employed in the HR profession, men in the industry are more likely to command higher titles and salaries, according to a recent poll conducted by the Harris Poll in partnership with HR Brew.

This adds to similar findings from a separate poll of HR professionals that Qualtrics conducted for HR Brew last year. Gender and racial pay gaps in the profession may, in turn, be affecting morale, as employees with lower titles and compensation are less likely to see room for career advancement at their organizations.

Keep reading here.—CV

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The girlies have spoken, and they no longer want to do it all.

Some women are ditching the corporate grind and endless workdays to prioritize personal happiness and work-life boundaries. The movement, dubbed the “snail girl era,” took off on TikTok, where videos show women shedding their #girlboss personas and embracing R&R.

Employees participating in the “snail girl era” aren’t putting in less effort at work, Hannah Yardley, chief people and culture officer at software company Achievers, told us. They’re just prioritizing themselves over their work—and it’s making them more productive at work, and leading to a better sense of connection in the workplace.

Keep reading here.—MC

Welcome to HR 101. Class is now in session. Today’s discussion will focus on the history of caregiver benefits.

The history. The second most significant factor keeping people out of the workforce is caregiving, according to the Washington Post. Although caregiving often brings to mind childcare, it isn’t just parents who are forced to quit their jobs when someone they love needs care.

Employer-provided caregiver benefits are a fairly recent phenomenon, despite legislation dating back to the late 1970s that provided caregivers with services including education, legal council, emotional support, and respite care, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.

But it wouldn’t be until 2019 that employers started to recognize their employees were struggling with these responsibilities after noticing greater absenteeism and lower productivity, both of which were negatively impacting their bottom line, according to SHRM. That year, 28% of employer respondents to a survey by AARP and Northeast Business Group on Health said they offered paid leave benefits either exclusively for or able to be used by caregivers, 8% said they have leave policies for caregiving for someone other than their immediate family, and 17% provide employees with the ability to donate leave to a caregiver colleague.

Keep reading here.—AS

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Nearly 75% of jobs with a salary above $35,000 require a bachelor’s degree, something only 38% of Americans have earned. (CNBC Make It)

Quote: “When people talk about compensation, they focus on pay and wages, which are still growing more than 4% a year…But that doesn’t capture the full extent of the total compensation package including benefits, which has grown much more slowly.”—Aaron Terrazas, chief economist at Glassdoor, on the growing trend of employers cutting benefits to afford wage increases (USA Today)

Read: In response to the childcare crisis, the Biden administration has proposed a rule that would give teachers in Alaska’s Head Start program a $10,000 raise, as well as improved benefits and access to mental health resources. (Alaska Beacon)

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