Earlier this summer, CoinDesk had a problem on its hands. The crypto-focused media outlet was targeted by a criminal outfit deploying a phishing scam that has become more common in the age of remote work—luring job applicants to fake careers websites, convincing them to share their financial information, and stealing their money.

CoinDesk’s VP of HR, Talie Schwager, previously told HR Brew she was made aware of the scheme by applicants who messaged her on LinkedIn about fake job offers for positions that weren’t actually open. The fraudsters masqueraded as Schwager to create a veneer of authenticity, an email seen by HR Brew showed, and eventually lured victims to two fake CoinDesk careers pages. Later, during what seemed like onboarding, the scammers asked the would-be applicants for their banking details for the purposes of depositing their first paychecks.

Luckily, CoinDesk promptly pounced on the issue. Its head of security engineering, Christian Galvan, was able to target both phony job sites, and through a range of measures, have them taken offline in less than a week, he explained to HR Brew. Efficiently scrubbing the fake careers pages required a direct line of communication between HR and IT, so that information could be relayed as quickly and clearly as possible, Galvan and Schwager agreed.

CoinDesk faced an issue that can pose daunting challenges for companies that lack robust technical resources, KC O’Carroll, head of security engineering at cloud email security platform Tessian, told HR Brew. “If you are an HR person with no security team, which is not unheard of, and you find out a scam, what do you do? Do you have the technical acuity to even identify the scam to begin with?”

How CoinDesk took down two fake job sites. When the scam became apparent to Schwager, she immediately contacted her IT department. Keep reading here.—SB

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @SammBlum on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Sam for his number on Signal.

For those who pay attention to workplace trends, a scourge is sweeping the internet, and it may or may not mean anything at all. The conversation surrounding “quiet quitting”—a TikTok-spawned trend characterized by the idea that workers are increasingly rejecting a culture that values overachieving in favor of doing the bare minimum to keep their jobs—has created two online camps. One side argues quiet quitting is an old chestnut with a new name, while the other is raising the alarm about dwindling engagement.

But what do those in and around HR—the legion of folks tasked with keeping workforces engaged and motivated—have to say about the loud conversation surrounding quiet quitting?

The pandemic was long, and people are tired—give them a break. “It speaks to the tired and frustrated feeling that many are experiencing on the tail end of the pandemic...People are reassessing their priorities, and social disconnection can be part of this shift.”—Michelle Hay, global chief people officer at workplace technology provider Sedgwick, told the Washington Post.

Engage, actively. “In my opinion, you should always think about whether a conversation with the right person might solve an issue you have—it could be pay, development opportunities, flexibility, and could be easily dealt with via open comms. Obviously, this doesn’t always solve the problem, therefore looking elsewhere for an opportunity that suits you better would be a solid alternative.”—Lindsey Wroe, a recruiter for HR professionals in the UK, wrote on LinkedIn. Keep reading here.—SB

Do you work in HR or have information about your HR department we should know? Email [email protected] or DM @SammBlum on Twitter. For completely confidential conversations, ask Sam for his number on Signal.

On Wednesdays, we schedule our weekly 1:1 with HR Brew’s readers. Want to be featured in an upcoming edition? Click here to introduce yourself.

Kendyl Skinner is the director of employee experience and development at dog supplies subscription company BARK. She started working at BARK seven years ago, at first in customer service and then in internal communications. At the time, the company had less than a dozen employees. As it grew, Skinner decided to make the leap to HR. She recently told HR Brew what it’s like to work for with dogs.

How would you describe your specific job to someone who doesn’t work in HR? I work for a company whose mission is to “make all dogs happy.” That puts our people team in a unique position. We’re making dogs happy indirectly by fostering an environment that allows all of our BARK team members to operate at the highest level. We do this by ensuring employees feel safe, included, and engaged.

What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked? My team recently launched our first in-house leadership development program, called BarkLeads, which focuses on fundamental leadership skills including coaching, delivering feedback, effective meetings and one-on-ones, etc. All leaders in the company are invited to participate in the learning method that best suits them, including mini-lessons, live workshops, book and reading recommendations, podcasts, and more. We’ve received great feedback on the program so far, and have seen managers throughout the organization putting these skills into practice!

What considerations have you made when building a dog-focused workplace? Keep reading here.—KP

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Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: 71% of Americans approve of labor unions—the most since 1965. (Gallup)

Quote: “In California, especially in northern California, as much as inflation is going up, it’s even more difficult to match the labor market.”—Sebastian Chilco, employment lawyer with Littler Mendelson, on how employers, especially small businesses, have struggled to pay workers amid inflation (Bloomberg Law)

Read: Gone are the days of quietly searching for jobs after being laid off. Now, workers take to social media. Here’s what recruiters need to know. (SHRM)

Team building: Need top tech talent (say that 5 times fast!) for your biz? Millions of global technology pros use Built In to connect with companies remotely and on location. Great tech talent is everywhere—find yours here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}