← All posts News ← Back to all posts
SMPHR Weekly Brew — Monday, September 7
Happy Monday, SMPHR fam. Fall is creeping in, the labor market keeps sending mixed signals, and there's a lot on the radar this week — from federal reporting rollbacks to a fresh crop of leadership reads. Here's your week ahead, brewed up and ready to go.
This Week in HR
- EEOC wants to end demographic reporting. Smart companies won't stop measuring. (HR Dive) — The feds may be shrugging off EEO-1 reporting, but if you ditch your demographic data too, you're flying blind on pay equity and representation. Smart HR teams keep measuring even when nobody's forcing them to.
- Another 'whiplash' month for the labor market as August beats expectations (HR Dive) — 162K jobs added, unemployment steady at 4.1%, but a quarter of hiring managers say roles now take a month-plus to fill. In a choppy market, your candidate experience is your competitive edge.
- Black CFO representation falls 25% from 2021 peak as diversity levels off (HR Dive) — Just 15 Black CFOs across the Fortune 500 and S&P 500, down from 20 in 2021. A sobering data point for anyone building a pipeline strategy — representation gains don't hold themselves without intentional sponsorship.
- Lowe's Foundation launches skilled trades coalition to train 1M workers by 2035 (HR Dive) — A 1M-worker trades pledge is a big bet that skills-based hiring beats degree requirements. Worth watching if you're trying to widen the funnel beyond the usual four-year-degree crowd.
New in the Learning Lab
- Why Managers Need Leadership Development Too (Gallup)
- What Mentorship Looks Like in the Disconnected Era (HR Dive)
- One in Four U.S. Employees Lack Advancement Opportunities (Gallup)
- Back to Basics: What Is HR's Role in Pay Transparency? (HR Dive)
- Are Diversity and Inclusion Programs Going Away? (Josh Bersin)
Coming Up
- SMPHR Employment Law Legal Update — October, featuring John Marino. Details on the calendar.
- No Hunger Holiday — November community outreach, Thanksgiving dinner distribution. Details on the calendar.
- Salvation Army Angel Tree — December community outreach, holiday toy drive. Details on the calendar.
That's the brew for this week — stay sharp out there, and see you at the next event.