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In the eponymous words of The Beatles: Christmas Time Is Here Again.
As much as it is a time for celebration, this festive time of year is also a great opportunity for reflection.
Many things stay the same each time. The debate about whether ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas film will play out; we’ll overindulge in chocolate and cookies before swearing it’ll never happen again; some people will enjoy themselves a little too much at their office Christmas celebrations and cause an HR scandal…
But this year is a little different for us, at HR Grapevine. It marks our first year of full US coverage, having launched our dedicated website for US-based HR professionals in December 2023.
And boy oh boy, has it been a year. The stream of American employers ditching diversity measures, prompting debate about DEI’s role in workplaces; the countless controversial return-to-office mandates; the endless discourse about the role of AI; the strikes, safety debacles, and layoffs…
With so much noise and complexity, we’ve tried to be with you every step of the way, through our news coverage, in-depth articles, interviews, podcasts, and events, making our content as relatable and as practical as possible.
Thank you to all those who joined us in our mission to bring the HR community together, whether by consuming our content or contributing to it with your insights and advice!
As a final gift for the year, we thought we’d make your life a little easier by putting together a quick round-up of our most-read stories, hottest topics, and the most useful interviews and articles to take with you into 2025.
So, have a relaxed read before you take a hard-earned break and disconnect from your email inbox over the holiday period – no, seriously, delete Teams, Zoom, Slack, Outlook, Gmail et al from your phone – and we’ll see you for more industry-leading HR journalism, content, and podcasts in 2025.
Editor’s picks
A hand-picked selection of HR Grapevine’s most valuable and downright fascinating pieces of content for 2024. Take a look!
The most insightful interview
CPO, Twilio: We won't 'swirl' on remote working
While the likes of Amazon, Starbucks, Dell, Salesforce, and many others have called staff back to the office – either full-time or with a greater frequency than previous expectations – SaaS giant Twilio is doubling down on the benefits of work-from-home for employees and the business alike.
Christy Lake, Chief People Officer at Twilio, says the company’s remote policy is here to stay, not least because it’s the “top reason” why candidates choose to join the team, and took us through the company’s ‘Open Work’ program in more detail in this truly fascinating conversation.
The unmissable feature
Lessons from EY, Microsoft & Mastercard: How to design an effective AI reskilling program
For all the tech bro excitement, in my experience most business leaders are anxious about the technology. They are equally fearful about encouraging safe, secure, unbiased AI usage (rightly so) as they are about falling behind the times.
To cut through the bluster, we put together this article drawing on guidance from leading employers about effective and engaging AI reskilling, including how to manage employee fears about layoffs or job cuts. If you want a full case study, dive into our in-depth interview with Thomson Reuters’ CPO about their AI reskilling journey, with over 11,000 employees having completed the company’s ‘AI Foundations’ course to date.
The ‘must-listen’ podcast
CHRO, Webster Bank: Quantifying culture, employee co-creation, & listening to Dua Lipa
In May, we launched our HR Grapevine US podcast. A huge thank you to all our guests who have spoken on the podcast. I could have picked any of those episodes, but I had to pick this one with Javier Evans, CHRO at Webster Bank. Culture remains a crucial investment for employers, but particularly in an industry where numbers are the name of the game, quantifying culture is easier said than done.
We cover how Evans protects core cultural values while embracing the new; the importance of fostering new connections across teams in the workplace; and his love for music as a great unifier of people. Stay tuned for his playlist recommendations.
The ‘must-read’ guest column
Lessons from F1, Pepsi, & Mondelēz: Four ways I make HR an impactful strategic driver
Each month we aim to bring you at least one column from a leading Chief People Officer or senior leader across HR, Talent, or L&D. There have been plenty of great reads across leadership development, strategic workforce planning, employment law, culture, AI and cybersecurity skills, and more.
But looking ahead to 2025, HR professionals must continue to find ways to tie their work to business goals and continue the profession’s rising strategic significance. To that end, look no further than ofi CHRO Usha Kakaria-Cayaux and her three-part series about how she has turned HR into a measurably impactful driver for the business.
The editor’s favorite
Chief Diversity Officer, Microsoft: Our commitment to D&I is 'stronger than ever'
Despite U-turns on diversity measures by the likes of Ford, Toyota, Harley-Davidson, Jack Daniels, Walmart, Molson-Coors, and others, research shows the vast majority of US employers plan to continue or increase their DEI work in 2025 and beyond.
As such, after covering a story in which a disgruntled DEI team leader at Microsoft claimed DEI was ‘no longer business critical,’ it was great to speak to Lindsay-Rae McIntyre’s Chief Diversity Officer, who reiterated the company’s unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.
This interview is a fantastic insight into how to sustain a commitment to diversity and inclusion over time, as we covered everything from data-driven approaches to gender and racial pay equity to securing boardroom buy-in.
The most-read HR Grapevine US articles in 2024
5. Longshoreman strike ends with record pay deal
We covered a huge range of strike action and union activity led by organized and disgruntled employees and their representatives in 2024. From Boeing to Amazon, American workers are increasingly willing to fight for better employment rights and improvements to pay—expect more of the same in 2025.
4. Harley-Davidson reviewing DEI policies amid activist backlash
One of the high-profile DEI U-turns that made the headlines in 2024. As evidenced by Microsoft above, HR and DEI professionals continue to tell HR Grapevine that while employers must be aware of the discourse around diversity measures, they should not become bogged down in culture wars.
Instead, focus maturing DEI beyond a ‘program’ or one-off training exercise to embed its principles into decision-making across the business, creating a more engaging workplace for the benefit of employees, customers, and the business alike.
3. California Panera restaurants to raise minimum wage to $20 per hour after scrutiny on law exemption
This story underscored the challenges many businesses are facing with pay, including legal requirements or media scrutiny to keep pace with changes in the minimum or living wage.
2. Publicis Media fires nearly 100 workers for 'egregious' non-compliance with RTO mandate
Ah, the return-to-office debate. Publicis, like other employers including Amazon, AT&T, and Starbucks, is taking a hard line on calling employees back to the office. While some have asserted RTO mandates are crucial for improving collaboration, creativity, and productivity, others have pointed to studies that show that the impact of shifting work back to the office is negligible and that cutting back on employee flexibility simply erodes trust, discriminates against groups including women and working parents, and can lead to best performers heading to the exit door.
Publicis’ drastic actions certainly show that all debate aside, the execution of return-to-office mandates can cause a major headache for HR teams.
1. Microsoft announces up to 1,500 layoffs, leaked memo blames 'AI wave’
The layoffs have come thick and fast once again this year, in some cases attributed to the introduction of AI. Looking to 2025, this HR editor would humbly suggest once again that more businesses invest in AI reskilling wherever possible, minimizing the need for job cuts.
HR professionals must ensure people are kept at the heart of business strategy and goals next year, remembering that how and where we do work is a fundamentally human experience.
Thank you once again if you have turned to HR Grapevine as a source of guidance or inspiration this year. Please do remember to sign up, subscribe, and get in touch if you’d like to share your insights in an article, interview, or podcast in 2025!
Have a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.
Benjamin
Head of Content, HR Grapevine
