Chobani is the latest company to add childcare to its suite of benefits to better support working parents.

The yogurt maker, which has manufacturing facilities in South Edmeston, New York, and Twin Falls, Idaho, announced on June 21 it will partner with WeeCare, a childcare network focused on affordable options. Full-time, regular employees will be eligible to receive up to 10 days of prepaid childcare within the WeeCare network, as well as an annual stipend of $1,200, according to Shari Eaton, Chobani’s chief people officer.

The decision follows similar moves by companies such as JCPenney and Mazda Toyota, which both announced last year they would chip in for employees’ childcare amid a historic shortage of providers. Though President Biden’s administration aimed to tackle the childcare crisis through federal legislation, these policies didn’t receive enough support in Congress—leaving states, and in some cases, HR departments, to fill in gaps.

Making it easier to come to work. Eaton said the company decided to partner with WeeCare after picking up on a need for childcare through employee listening sessions. About two-thirds of Chobani’s employees are hourly workers, and childcare access in the towns where the company has plants can be challenging, Eaton told HR Brew.

Keep reading here.—CV

Life happens, and sometimes employees have to put work on pause. When they do, they’ll turn to your company’s paid leave policy. Cocoon’s 2023 Paid Leave Policy Benchmark Report explores the latest data on this crucial employee benefit.

In their benchmark report, Cocoon analyzed the parental, caregiver, and medical leave policies of 224 companies. Here are a few illuminating stats:

• Birthing parental leave averaged 16 weeks.
• Non-birthing parental leave averaged 12 weeks.
• Caregiver leave averaged 6 weeks.
• Medical leave averaged 4 weeks.

When you’re ready to give your paid leave policy a boost, Cocoon’s leave management software can help. It automates the complexities of claims, payroll, and compliance, letting people teams get back to caring for their employees—in and out of the office.

Get the full data set in the report.

Governments and tech executives around the globe have voiced concerns about the negative impacts of generative AI on everyday life. And yet, 83% of employers use automated technology during the hiring process, NPR reported in January.

No robot bosses! On July 20, Sens. Bob Casey and Brian Schatz introduced a bill that would regulate the use of AI in hiring, disciplinary actions, and firing. Called the No Robot Bosses Act (seriously—that’s the name of the legislation), it would require employers to disclose when AI is being used to influence or make talent decisions, according to Casey’s website.

While software is already influencing hiring, thanks to automated tracking systems (ATS) and features that analyze video job interviews, the legislation would bring transparency to the process.

The bill would also prevent employers from making employment decisions based on technology alone, a regulation that a majority of Americans would welcome. Companies would need to task humans with monitoring any technology responsible for making such decisions and conduct regular testing to avoid potential discrimination or bias.

How HR feels. Some HR leaders believe using AI can help reduce hiring discrimination and identify candidates’ soft skills.

But some experts worry that AI can introduce more bias into the hiring and firing processes.

Keep reading here.—KP

Qualtrics announced new changes to its experience management platform, the latest in a wave of corporate investments into generative AI technology at work.

The new features on the Qualtrics platform, named XM/os2, will rely on generative AI to summarize employee feedback and behaviors for managers and HR teams and make predictions based on the data that the platform collects.

Qualtrics plans to invest $500 million on developing the AI tools in the next four years.

For HR teams, Qualtrics announced its Manager Assist tool, an AI-powered coach to help managers interpret and use pulse surveying responses. The tool can interpret data and produce summaries “in plain language, including key takeaways, topics to brainstorm, and even actions to consider,” according to Paul Mayfield, chief product officer in employee experience.

The company also announced new predictive AI capabilities for its XM for People Teams product. The tools will be capable of analyzing behavior data to help address attrition and identify likely reasons employees might leave the organization.

Zoom out. Companies abound that are working on new solutions and uses for generative AI to sharpen productivity at work, remove mundane tasks from employees’ to-do lists, and help employees do their jobs.

Keep reading here.—AD

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: The US GDP had a strong second quarter, growing at a rate of 2.4%. (CNN)

Quote: “People who are less exposed to AI at the moment, they feel more uncertainty…People in sectors where AI may already be working to help them in their jobs, they are seeing more beneficial effects at the moment.”—Rakesh Kochhar, senior researcher at Pew, on whether workers view AI as a threat to their jobs (the Washington Post)

Read: Local governments are using unions to recruit new workers to public sector jobs across the country. (the New York Times)

Paid leave: Cocoon’s 2023 Paid Leave Policy Benchmark Report explores how forward-thinking companies support employees with paid leave. Get the report to see how your policy stacks up.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}