From recruiting and retention to company culture and the latest in HR tech, HR Brew delivers up-to-date industry news and tips to help HR pros stay nimble in today’s fast-changing business environment.

HR Brew

Coworkers

An illustration of a photo of HR Brew reporter Paige McGlauflin.

Paige McGlauflin

hr-brew.com

 and companies pull back on external hiring, more are considering how to best develop and leverage their existing workforce.

Caroline Bethune, manager of internal mobility at the conglomerate Cox Enterprises, says most companies take one of two routes when developing existing talent: They either dedicate part of their talent acquisition team to internal mobility and requisitions, or create a team focused on developing strategy around and creating (but not overseeing) initiatives like a talent marketplace or mentoring program.

Her team is trying to strike a balance between the two—an approach, she says, she hasn’t seen at many other companies.

“Our team is sort of in the middle of both of those,” Bethune told HR Brew. “So we’re uniquely setting a trend, I feel like, for what internal mobility could be outside of those two predominant spaces.”

This approach was informed by employee feedback and a desire to ensure the company’s internal mobility program was based on workers’ needs. Bethune saw an opportunity for a team that employees could turn to for feedback on their applications, interviews, or thank-you letters.

“I think being able to solve [those issues] is probably most critical for an HR partner or a business that’s looking to deepen their exposure in the internal mobility space,” Bethune said. “They first have to really understand: Where are your people today at? What are the pain points today? What do they think about the experience? What are the challenges they have moving in the organization? Because if you don’t have a really good pulse there, then everything you’re building doesn’t resonate with actual employees.”

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What’s the best change you’ve made at a place you’ve worked?

We have four advisors that are on the team today. One of the things I felt where there was a gap was, there isn’t a centralized place for employees to go one-to-one to get career guidance. They can go to the HRBPs and they can give them some feedback, they certainly can go to their leader to help develop and build them. But there isn’t a team that actually sits closest to talent in the hiring practices giving them coaching and guidance and strategic advice, planning their career journey and having those conversations.

So my first thought was, well, let’s build one. If we’re going to focus on internal mobility, let’s have a team that is specifically there to empower and guide our employees through connecting to the right roles and opportunities. That’s the framing of where we created the team, and then we moved into: How do we actually build a scalable consult program? And so that’s what we do today. We meet employees where they are, but we offer one-to-one guidance for employees around coaching and development in their career journey.

What’s the biggest misconception people might have about your job?

That internal mobility advisors don’t participate in recruiting. Meaning that there is a distinction between traditional recruiters, and what our teams are doing from a talent delivery perspective, and then what we’re doing.

We’re still recruiting. Internal mobility is still an aspect of recruiting. It looks very different because, we don’t have specific

[requisitions] for you to then apply to, for us to go through the process with, and then for us to end up hiring someone. It’s not an end-to-end service. But what we are doing is we are helping to build awareness for our leaders around talent that otherwise they wouldn’t have known, which is a part of recruiting.

What’s the most fulfilling aspect of your job?

Helping people discover new possibilities within the company. Empowering them to grow, stay, and thrive. It’s incredibly rewarding to see someone go from feeling uncertain about their next step to landing a role that reenergizes their career, all while staying in a place they already know and value.

What trend in HR are you most optimistic about? Why?

Internal mobility—focusing on “build vs. buy” talent strategies—developing existing employees rather than constantly hiring externally.

What trend in HR are you least optimistic about? Why?

Erosion of trust in DEI efforts. Not because the work itself isn’t valuable, but because progress has stalled or even regressed in many organizations.

Cutout of a woman, Caroline Bethune, manager of internal mobility at Cox Enterprises, displayed on a templated background.

Want to build an internal mobility program? Start with this advice from one expert

It’s always good to stop and listen.

This internal mobility manager shares what employers should do first when developing their existing talent

When Jaylene Gonzalez joined online learning platform Skillshare as its people operations manager in November 2024, the company was in the midst of yet another reorganization.

So, while she was acclimating to her new role, Gonzalez embarked on a listening tour. Over the course of a few weeks, she scheduled 30-minute, one-on-one conversations with employees across different levels and functions. She asked about their roles, satisfaction, goals, priorities, and thoughts on what the company was and wasn’t doing well. From their feedback, she shared insights with Skillshare’s executive team and devised a strategy for improving the employee experience.

“With that listening tour, we were able to make some really positive changes for the employees and take their feedback and turn it into action,” she told HR Brew.

For other HR pros who may join a company during a similar period of change, Gonzalez recommends taking the time to listen to employees—all employees.

“Speak to people at all levels of the business. Don’t just start from the top or speak to middle management. Talk to any level of employee, because everyone has a different experience,” she said. “There’s so much information that you can get from the team, especially the team who has been there for a solid amount of time [and] understand the business through and through.”

One of the most impactful changes was reimagining our company-wide engagement strategy post-reorg. I led a full pulse survey and listening tour initiative that gave employees a real voice, then turned that feedback into actionable programming around transparency, well-being, and culture-building. It was a moment that really shifted how we think about engagement—less as an HR “check-the-box” and more as an ongoing, two-way conversation.

That it’s all policies, hiring/firing, and paperwork. People ops is just as much about strategy and storytelling as it is about compliance. There’s a real human side to this work—whether you’re coaching a manager through a tough conversation, building a program to recognize employee contributions, or rolling out change in a way that actually lands. Every system or policy we create touches someone’s day-to-day, and I take that seriously.

Knowing that the work I do has a direct impact on how people feel about coming to work. When someone feels seen, supported, or excited to be part of something—we’ve done our job. That, and I genuinely love creating experiences that bring some levity, creativity, or connection into the workplace. The little wins (like a great intern kickoff or a team shoutout in Slack) really add up.

I’m really excited about the shift toward employee experience being treated as a strategic function. It’s no longer just about engagement surveys—it’s about thoughtfully designing the full lifecycle experience with purpose, from onboarding to offboarding, and being more human-centered in how we lead. Especially in creative and mission-driven orgs like ours, there’s so much opportunity to build people strategies that energize teams and reflect the culture we want to nurture.

I’m a little wary of the overreliance on AI in people decisions. Don’t get me wrong—tech should absolutely make our jobs easier (and it does!), but I think we have to be careful about where we automate versus where we need that human nuance. People ops work is deeply relational, and we can’t afford to let efficiency override empathy or context.

A portrait of Jaylene Gonzalez, people operations manager at the online learning platform SkillShare.

One HR leader’s advice for joining a company during a big transition

“Speak to people at all levels of the business.”

One HR leader shares her advice for joining a company undergoing big changes

Want to attract candidates to your company? Set up your HQ in a TV-famous office, like iCIMS.

The HR software company is based at Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ—aka, Lumon Industries, the mysterious biotech company at the center of sci-fi thriller 

 a spike in visits, and interest, in the complex and its businesses.

“It’s been interesting to see sort of the uptick in interest in Bell Works, knowing now that this is a hot spot due to the tie back to the show,” Stephanie Sansone, director of talent acquisition at iCIMS, tells HR Brew. (No, iCIMS’ employees aren’t severed. Yes, Sansone is asked that often.)

The exposure has helped attract NYC-area talent to iCIMS, which, prepandemic, touted itself as a tech employer for workers looking to ditch the commute into the Big Apple. But that’s shifted as iCIMS has expanded globally.

“Our footprint internationally has expanded, so we’ve had to work differently, when you think about the structure of your team and what makes sense, so that we’re all marching in the same direction,” she said.

Making sure we’re best in class, and using our internal tools right, and leveraging AI, so we can maximize the usage of our internal ATS and all of the products in the iCIMS product suite, and enabling managers to go in and use the system. We’re relying on the system a little bit more heavily to give these status updates, so leaders have visibility to the recruitment funnel, and that will free up time for recruiters to focus on more strategic responsibilities. I’d rather them have conversations with candidates, and source, and try to find the right people for our positions, than filling out Excel spreadsheets and working on mundane tasks.

Folks think recruitment is easy, and it’s not. It’s very challenging. It’s important for us to…balance what the business needs versus what candidates need. Recruitment is truly an art and a science, and the really good recruiter has to have strength in both. When I think about the science, it’s the process, compensation discussions, navigating some more of the tactical responsibilities. The art and the flare for being a good recruiter is being able to make that human connection.

Seeing my recruiters flourish and being able to have open conversations around what they’re doing, or what they’re not doing, to be more strategic advisors.

The role AI can play in transforming our industry. When we look at some of the data that comes out of our 2024 talent experience report…64% of TA professionals want more automation [AI] in the TA process, because it's saving them time. If we can save an average of two-ish hours per week, that gives the recruiter time to switch into that strategic leader. Last year, 90% of HR leaders saw their role morphing into the strategic advisor position. We’re seeing now, if we compare the results to last year and today, leaders are agreeing that this year, they are driving more strategic change within their organization, even though it’s early on in 2025. AI’s true value for TA pros goes beyond that, and I think that's what gets me excited about how AI can amplify that human experience in recruitment.

Seeing that the labor market is a little bit more on ice. In our iCIMS March talent Insights report, we’re seeing application activity is up 12% since last year, but we’re seeing hiring slow down. We need to stay focused on talent acquisition and not let some of the noise happening in the labor market deter us from focusing on finding the right candidates and [understanding]: Are we hiring people with the right critical skills?

And we have to keep the human in talent acquisition, particularly when more…candidates are looking because they were impacted by a layoff. We have to be empathetic to that. Treat candidates with respect, and give them timely updates and feedback. Whether someone is not selected for an opportunity, that’s going to stick with them, and how we treat those candidates will tell us if they are likely to apply to a job at iCIMS.

HR brew coworking series featuring Stephanie Sansone. (Credit: Stephanie Sansone)

 Meet the head of TA who works at the office featured in ‘Severance’

Stephanie Sansone leads talent acquisition at HR tech company iCIMS.

iCIMS head of TA talks turning recruiters into strategic advisors, and working at the ‘Severance’ office

“Strategy” has been a big HR buzzword over the last few years. (We even have a 

 of our website dedicated to the topic.) But is it possible to be 

If you ask Rocki Howard, chief people and equity officer at Textio, HR heads at small and midsize businesses must find the right balance between being strategic and involved in operations.

“You can’t be too strategic and lean only on those skills, and you can’t be too operational, and lean only on those skills,” she told HR Brew. “There has to be a balance to get the outcomes that you need for people and for the business.”

Howard, who stepped into her role in February, after serving as a senior HR advisor, is excited about several initiatives, including ensuring Textio’s people and DEI strategy is aligned with business imperatives, in part by hosting one-on-one meetings with the company’s roughly 65 employees. This has required her to balance strategy and operations.

“We do a lot of talk about engagement and how we interact with employees as people, but we sometimes get so focused on this strategic HR business piece of our job, that we forget that real people need to know their people leader,” she said.

“Part of it, for me, is about setting the expectations of anyone that comes into our organization, part of your job is to actually talk to people,” she added. “And I would expect that you’re having real-time, touch-base conversations with people. Not when they’re having a PIP, not when they’re going on leave, not when there’s an employee relations problem, but real-time.”

The most impactful change I’ve made is rolling out our performance management process, LEAP. We simplified the process to make equitable feedback the norm and removed the dread associated with performance reviews. Our goal is simple: to eliminate PIPs and create a process where feedback is consistent, fair, and actionable, fostering growth and driving results. One of our managers shared that having a simple and clear development plan in place made all the difference. By keeping conversations relevant and feedback on track, it ensured that employees felt guided and empowered. Creating an environment where people thrive professionally and personally is what drives me. When employees feel empowered, the entire organization benefits.

A common misconception about HR is that anyone can do the job. In reality, HR is deeply strategic and multi-faceted. It involves designing systems and processes that help the business thrive while ensuring people feel supported, engaged, and empowered. HR requires business acumen, emotional intelligence, change management and so many other skills alongside a commitment to driving both organizational and personal success.

Helping people tap into their strengths and lead from that place of empowerment. One of my favorite exercises is our building for strengths program, where we help leaders identify their core strengths and use them to better collaborate and guide their teams. Watching leaders have those “aha” moments—when they see how their unique abilities can elevate their teams—is incredibly rewarding. It’s not just about improving individual performance; it’s about creating stronger, more cohesive leadership across the organization.

I’m most optimistic about Generative AI and the potential it has, with responsible and ethical use. When used thoughtfully, AI can optimize workflows, automate repetitive tasks and allow HR teams to focus on more strategic, human-centered work. For example, AI in hiring allows us to reduce bias in job descriptions. This technology gives us more time to focus on cultivating culture and supporting employees at a deeper level. I’m excited by how AI can help us scale impact while maintaining our focus on inclusion and personal growth.

I’m concerned about the deprioritization of DEI initiatives. Recently, some companies have started pulling back on their diversity efforts, often treating DEI as a short-term initiative rather than a long-term strategy. This is worrying because DEI is fundamental to building resilient, high-performing teams. I’ve seen firsthand how diverse perspectives drive innovation and success, and neglecting DEI now could have serious consequences in the future. For companies to truly thrive, DEI needs to be a central, sustained effort, not something we fall back on when socio-political norms say it’s required.

HR Brew Coworking series featuring Rocki Howard

Why HR should balance strategy and operations

“You can’t be too strategic and lean only on those skills, and you can’t be too operational, and lean only on those skills.”

Textio’s new chief people and equity officer talks balancing strategy and operations

Overseeing a company’s DEI strategy these days is no walk in the park. But imagine overseeing your company’s DEI strategy, as well as that of your clients’ temp or contract workforces.

That’s just part of Rebecca Perrault’s job at contingent workforce management platform Magnit. As global VP of culture, diversity, and sustainability, Perrault handles culture, diversity, and sustainability initiatives for Magnit’s hundreds of clients’ one million contingent workers. It’s a responsibility other HR execs are often 

“In the past, it’s been kind of left off. Those workers have not been included as a part of those journeys,” Perrault told HR Brew. “It’s been very exciting over the past five years to bring them along, to be an advocate for them, and to make sure that we’re thinking about the culture for them [and] enabling them to thrive and contribute fully to an organization.”

Much of the DEI work she does with clients includes analyzing companies’ processes and raising awareness around the strategies they’re deploying, as well as examining and identifying gaps in diversity among the temporary workers who convert into full-time roles.

I came into an environment where diversity and inclusion were already viewed as a business imperative, which set the foundation for me to implement new policies, programs, educational resources, and technologies that promote DEI internally. Specifically, I spearheaded the launch of Magnit’s VMS-agnostic self-identification campaign, which helps organizations understand where they have made progress toward DEI goals and where there is more work to be done. Leveraging these insights, we created an internal culture of data-driven decision-making that serves as a valuable proof point for our clients.

That a successful DEI strategy is developed for the group instead of the individual—it should be the opposite. The role of DEI is to uplift the small voices. It’s incredibly important to think about the individual first as every worker is unique in what they need to thrive at work, and those needs can vary based on background, ethnicity, or experiences. Reaching those individuals and magnifying their voices fosters a better workplace for everyone…In my role, I have a responsibility to ensure every worker feels welcome and primed for success.

The long-lasting and positive impact I can have on the people around me. I do this work because I want to make a real difference in people’s lives…Being a voice that’s influential to other leaders and working to change or open minds, that’s the definition of a great diversity, equity, and inclusion leader and a culture leader in my opinion. There’s no silver bullet for DEI challenges, but if I can be someone who empowers other people and creates an open exchange of new perspectives, that’s what real success is for me.

The increasing emphasis on holistic employee well-being and belonging. Over the past few years, companies have begun to recognize that true inclusivity goes beyond representation; it involves creating an environment where every employee feels seen, heard, and valued for who they are, not just what they contribute to the bottom line. This shift toward belonging integrates aspects of psychological safety, mental health, and the recognition of diverse backgrounds into everyday workplace culture.

I’m optimistic because this trend is reshaping the narrative from traditional diversity metrics to more meaningful outcomes, like how people feel at work, how they engage, and how they grow. When employees feel they belong, they are more creative, more engaged, and better positioned to thrive, which ultimately drives not just individual success, but the overall sustainability of the organization.

The superficial approach to diversity metrics, often referred to as “diversity washing.” Many organizations have been quick to set diversity targets, publicize commitments, or make performative statements without deeply embedding these commitments into their culture and systems. The focus on achieving numerical diversity goals without the foundational work to create an inclusive environment can lead to frustration, tokenism, and a lack of genuine progress.

I believe HR needs to move away from measuring diversity by the numbers and focus on building cultures of inclusion and belonging. Only then can organizations ensure that diverse talent not only enters, but thrives within the company. Until companies are ready to do the hard work of addressing systemic barriers, investing in inclusive leadership, and truly valuing diversity as a driver of innovation and resilience, I remain cautious about the current trajectory of this trend.

HR Brew Coworking series featuring Rebecca Perrault. Credit: Rebecca Perrault

This leader oversees diversity and culture for 1 million temp workers

It’s a responsibility HR leaders are often hesitant to take on.

This leader is crafting diversity and culture strategies for more than 1 million contingent workers

Most recruiters are familiar with the arduous process of finding the perfect candidate for a role. But how many have turned down a frontrunner?

Before leading talent acquisition at video conference tech company Neat, Talia Hamilton worked as a recruiter in several sectors, including staffing and tech, at companies such as Google. In staffing, she found herself in that scenario.

“I have told people to not take roles before if I don’t think it’s going to be right for them,” Hamilton told HR Brew, later adding, “We’re not selling space here. This is somebody’s life and well-being.”

She recalled one such situation, when it was down to the top two candidates. One had a stable job, family to care for, and more to lose if the company failed, while the other was more “free-spirited.”

“I was honest with both candidates, and whereas with one it was like, ‘Well, either way, it’s going to be fun and it’s a party.’ For the other candidate, it was not that mindset at all,” she said. She told the client the same.

“I think it was the right thing to do,” she added. “It’s trying to do right by all parties, and being a bit diplomatic in that respect.”

Centralizing all of Neat’s recruitment efforts, eliminating hiring silos, and ensuring a direct recruitment model.

At the end of this year, we did use an agent, but we used an agency for [six] hires…So out of 125 hires [last year], we [had a] 97% direct hiring model, which I think by anyone on standards is really good. All that means is that we are trying to avoid using agencies wherever we possibly can. I worked on the agency side for many years. I have a huge amount of respect for people that work that side. However, when you are undertaking your own recruitment efforts, you build out a network every time you hire a role. There’s [candidates] not interested right now, but they might be in the future when you’re head hunting, and that’s how you start to build out those niche networks in certain regions and certain disciplines. Every time you go out to an agency, you’re not going to be able to attain any of that information.

That recruitment is easy. Having started my career in advertising sales, I will never forget moving to recruitment and the first time a candidate rejected an offer. In my mind, the hire was already complete, and it was a lesson in how many more variables there are when dealing with people rather than products or services. The reality of the logistics of relocating for a new position, the emotions that come with someone leaving a role for something new—you have to become much more attuned to the potential risks and get to know the candidate well enough to understand their motivations. I recently completed my MSc in organizational psychology, which I wanted to study to better understand what makes people tick when it comes to their work.

The focus on widening talent networks, and opening the scope to hiring different types of people. My son has additional needs and seeing how the workforce continues to expand in inclusivity gives me hope that there will be a bright future for him. I think the conversations that have opened up in recent years about privilege and bias are extremely important to appreciate where people’s starting points may be and how we can better facilitate support. Questioning our own opinions on things and calling ourselves out on potential bias, which is essentially operating with empathy, is essential.

As someone with invisible disabilities, which I need to carefully manage, I have felt disappointed with the enforced return to office policies implemented by some companies. Speaking with members of the disabled community, this is a wide-felt frustration and honestly was not expected to be seen as such a strong 180 in some cases. I feel incredibly fortunate to work for a company like Neat, that enables us to work wherever and however to do our best. This setup is completely different for each individual regardless of circumstance and the requirements of each role also greatly vary. Prescribing a rigid timetable to people’s schedules is not always the best way to optimize productivity. Neat’s products enable an in-person feeling regardless of physical setup, and being part of that movement is something I am proud of.

HR Brew's Coworking series featuring Talia Hamilton. Credit: Talia Hamilton

Recruitment leader on telling candidates to turn down roles

“We’re not selling space here. This is somebody’s life and well-being.”

This recruiting leader has recommended top candidates turn down roles

If you’re active in HR spaces on social media, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Bonnie Dilber’s posts.

Dilber, a recruiting leader at workflow automation company Zapier, has amassed over 440,0000 LinkedIn, 86,000 TikTok, and 16,000 Instagram followers. Some of her popular posts discuss 

 that are okay for candidates to tell in interviews, and how job seekers can 

Dilber first started posting on LinkedIn after joining Zapier in 2021.

“I was new to tech. I was coming from the education nonprofit space, so I started posting on LinkedIn to say, ‘Hey, I’m at this new company. It’s awesome, I love working here. If anyone’s looking for a job, you should apply here,’” she told HR Brew. “Then I started sharing some thoughts on recruiting, and that kind of took off.”

, “HR for Good,” and offers job seekers a 

As hiring at Zapier has picked up recently, she’s had to “pick and choose” the projects she prioritizes. But the key motivator behind her recruiting career—the impact of successfully matching a candidate to a role—still extends beyond her day job.

“There’s something really cool about getting to help people land jobs,” she said. “There’s not much more rewarding work than that, in my opinion.”

Getting hiring managers to see their role as getting to know someone and winning them over instead of grilling them. A previous employer had the orientation that we should make the interview process uncomfortable to see how folks stand up to pressure and I’m proud of shifting that!

If that’s your style as a leader, I guess it’s good to be transparent, but you can just explain that to someone, versus trying to create an environment that feels almost hostile. […] If you want to win the best people, they have options, and if you make them feel crappy in the interview process, there's a decent chance they’re not going to stick around or choose you. What you’re going to get is the people who can't get anything else.

Landing a great job is one of the biggest things to happen to people and getting to play a role in that is really fun. I’ve seen people cry during offers as they receive a salary that’s lifechanging for them and their family. I love getting to be a part of that.

I think HR in many places is getting less process-y and rigid, and more people centered. That will shift perceptions of HR over time.

There’s this narrative that HR is just there to protect the business. Well, one of the ways that we can protect the business is by actually taking care of employees and making sure they have a good experience, and making sure candidates have a good experience.

A lot of like processes that have emerged are not actually [tied to] anything. …Sometimes it is an overly-rigid interpretation of some law or some extreme level of risk mitigation. Like companies have a “no feedback” policy. […] There’s really no great legal reason for that, but they’re so afraid of the one chance that someone gives feedback improperly [and] someone sues them or claims discrimination. […] The reality is the risks of that are so low, a little bit of training can address that, and then you can actually create a much better experience for all parties involved.

I think sometimes people just need to stop and [ask] “Wait, why? Why did we do this?”…If you can’t [find the rationale], then stop doing it.

Over-reliance on AI and automation in ways that lose the human touch.

I do think that it’s turning into a cycle where applicants are using AI, and companies are using AI to try to keep up with that volume. Everyone’s frustrated with the interactions.

I just think top talent doesn’t want to interact with an AI chatbot. They don’t want to feel like the emails they're getting are all templates that some AI tool is generating. If companies go down that path too aggressively, I think that they’re going to start pushing away really great talent.

Companies need to kind of think about: What are our priorities? And maybe it is speed and efficiency—be honest about it. Some of this can, you know, you can get around it with just transparency, like [saying], “We’re using AI at this stage for this reason,” or giving choices.

HR Brew Coworking series featuring Bonnie Dilber. Credit: Bonnie Dilber