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In vitro fertilization (IVF) is widely popular among Americans, and an increasingly coveted workplace benefit.

Nevertheless, legislation threatening access to these family-building procedures has picked up in the years since the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. One major threat to IVF occurred in 2024 when the Alabama Supreme Court ruled embryos should be considered children, prompting many clinics to temporarily pause services.

While Alabama legislators ultimately passed a law to shield IVF clinics from legal liability, other states have since considered bills that would grant personhood to embryos. Such bills have been introduced repeatedly in South Carolina, though they haven’t passed.

US lawmakers introduced 181 bills related to fertility during the 2026 legislative session, 30 of which posed a potential risk to IVF access, according to a recent report from RESOLVE, the national infertility and family-building association. While this is lower than the 2025 legislative session—when lawmakers considered 258 fertility-related bills, 58 of which were deemed to potentially threaten IVF access—it nevertheless highlights a still-present challenge for patients seeking to build their families this way.

For more on the bills seeking to expand IVF access, rather than limit it, and their implications for employers, keep reading here.—CV

      

Sponsored By Sana

If you took a look at what fills your L&D team’s week, you’d see a whole lot of admin.

Enrollments to assign, sessions to schedule, reminders to chase, completion data to move from one place to another…all important work, but not the reason anyone joins L&D, and definitely not what moves an organization forward.

Sana Learn hands that work to AI. Set the rules once for enrollments, certifications, and reminders, and watch them run on their own. Ask how a program’s performing, and the dashboard builds itself in seconds.

The routine takes care of itself so your team can spend their days on the work that only people can do.

Repetitive work: automated. Your people: freed to do more. You: Book an intro.

HR STRATEGY

Emily Parsons

AI could be pushing employees past the point of healthy efficiency and productivity.

That’s one concept Liane Davey, co-founder of Toronto-based consulting firm 3COze, explored in her book, Thoughtload: Manage the Madness and Free Your Team to Do Great Work, published earlier this year.

“AI is making productivity frictionless…and this is why we’ve all had some colleagues send us a 70-page thing of AI slop,” Davey told HR Brew. “Yeah, it’s easy to produce. That doesn’t mean that it is the output that’s going to make us effective.”

Davey shared more about her book, and the effect AI is having on employees, with HR Brew.

For more from our conversation with Davey, keep reading here.—MC

      

Sponsored By Paradox, a Workday Company

Is hiring miring you? Paradox, a Workday Company, partnered with industry veteran John Vlastelica for Try Harder Is Not a Strategy, a podcast dedicated to bringing real strategy and cutting-edge tools to high-volume hiring. In the premiere episode, Marriott’s VP of People Technology explains why quality of hire is a shared outcome heavily influenced by the manager, team trust, and onboarding.

TECH

Morning Brew Design

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software system that helps manage the entire hiring process, from when a job is posted to when an offer is sent.

When did the ATS originate? It may be hard to imagine a time when computers weren’t used in hiring—but ancestors of the modern ATS are actually younger than most Gen Xers. The hiring process started becoming digitized in the late 1960s, with the introduction of computerized “job banks.” These primarily government-operated lists streamlined the process by compiling participating employers’ open positions and sending them to employment agencies that would respond with interested candidates’ information. Much of the matching process was still manual, though some experimental programs attempted referring applicants to openings via computer. With the rise of personal computers in the 1980s, the ability to post (and apply) to jobs digitally became more accessible. Employers could post job listings online, and job seekers could apply, or input their information into a company’s database for future openings. Both parties had to pay fees, though.

How has the ATS evolved? The ATS as we know it today first emerged in the 1990s and 2000s, as the internet became more commonplace and employers and job seekers could more easily post or find open roles. These systems also started incorporating more sophisticated tools, including algorithmic job matching, candidate assessments, and automated communications. With the emergence of cloud technology came the rise of companies offering SaaS ATS products—including Greenhouse, Workday, and ADP—allowing employers to use more technology without building it in-house.

For more on applicant tracking systems, and their downsides, keep reading here.—PM

Sponsored By ezCater

Coworkers who lunch. Everyone could use a little midday pick-me-up. ezCater makes that easier, with options from over 100,000 restaurants nationwide for a wide range of diets and budgets. Plus, their platform lets you see, track, and manage every order and dollar. So raise a glass and eat up.

work perks

Francis Scialabba

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: The majority of US workers (59%) would turn down a promotion if it required them to be on the clock outside of normal business hours. (Fast Company)

Quote: “Companies are looking at these new grads to be their future leaders, and they want a pipeline for the future.”—Shawn VanDerziel, president and CEO of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, on the push for early career workers to develop AI skills (CNBC Make It)

Read: Healthcare costs have been on the rise, and they may only worsen for employers and their employees. (the Wall Street Journal)

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Quiz

Amelia Kinsinger

The week’s biggest HR stories, now in quiz form. Test yourself on the latest headlines in DEI, hiring trends, workplace strategy, and more in a quick, competitive challenge built for HR pros. Challenge your coworkers and see how your score stacks up!