SMPHR Weekly Brew — Monday, July 20

Happy Monday, SMPHR fam. It's a heavier news week — regulatory shifts, AI reality checks, and a sobering engagement stat — so grab your coffee and let's get into it. Plus fresh drops in the Learning Lab and a look at what's coming up on the SMPHR calendar.

This Week in HR

• In 2026, EEOC solidifies its lockstep with Trump's anti-DEI agenda (HR Dive) — The EEOC just made its DEI stance official policy, not just vibes. If your talent programs still use race/sex-based criteria, it's audit time, not someday-time.
• HR professionals can't rely totally on AI tools to evaluate employees (HR Dive) — New research shows AI nails the easy stuff (76-82% accurate on objective tasks) but tanks to 33% when it has to read between the lines on performance feedback. Keep a human in the loop for anything nuanced.
• HR is still 'experimenting at the margins' on AI, report says (HR Dive) — Most HR teams are bolting AI onto old workflows instead of rebuilding around it. The leaders who actually redesign the work — not just the tools — are about to lap everyone else.
• State of the Global Workplace 2026: The Human Side of the AI Revolution (Gallup) — Global engagement just hit a five-year low (20%), with manager engagement cratering hardest. That's a $10 trillion productivity hit no AI rollout will fix if you're not investing in your managers first.

New in the Learning Lab

• Why Do We Keep Our Salaries Secret? — David Burkus, TEDxUniversityofNevada
• The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers — Adam Grant, TED
• The (uncomfortable) truth of HR and leadership development — Patrick Vermeren, TEDxKMA
• The Pay Transparency Tipping Point: From Compliance to Competitive Advantage — SHRM
• Mentorship and Sponsorship: Core Tools for Talent Growth — SHRM

Coming Up

• October (date TBD) — Professional Development: SMPHR Employment Law Legal Update, featuring John Marino. Details
• Q4 (date TBD) — New Member Happy Hour. Details
• November (date TBD) — Community Outreach: No Hunger Holiday. Details

That's the Brew for this week. Stay sharp out there, and we'll see you at the next SMPHR gathering.