Nov 5, 2025

<!doctypehtml>HR Brew // Morning Brew // Update body, table, tr, td, h1, h2, h3, h4, p, a, span{font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;}.stb-ref-count{background-color: issue.primary_color;}.link{color: issue.primary_color !important; text-decoration: underline !important;}.disclaimer{font-size:8px;} What recent workforce reductions mean for HR. <!- --> November 05, 2025View Online | Sign Up | Shop Presented By Greetings, friends! If social media influencer Laura Loomer and the MyPillow guy can get press credentials to cover the Pentagon, then what’s stopping you from exploring your next career move or doing exactly what you think you should be doing? Think big! Norms are changing. In today’s edition: Layoff lesson To infinity productivity and beyond From Teams to Zoom —Mikaela Cohen, Paige McGlauflin, Jesse Klein <! -- --><! -- -->HR STRATEGY A grim situation Hannah Minn This year will be remembered for many things…and layoffs will, unfortunately, likely be one of them. UPS is cutting 48,000 workers. Amazon is laying off 30,000. Paramount and Target are each eliminating 1,000. US companies conducted 13.8 million layoffs and discharges in 2025 as of August, up from 3.5 million in May, and a 4.6% jump from August 2024. Some of these companies are replacing workers with AI, while others are responding to the economic volatility caused by the government shutdown, interest rates, and tariffs. Economists shared with HR Brew what recent layoffs might signal about the state of the labor market and economy. What is going on? These RIFs may not be a sign that a recession is around the corner, but rather a “weird mishmash of factors,” said Elizabeth Renter, senior economist at NerdWallet. “When layoffs signal an economic downturn…they’re broad based and they’re across industries, and according to the data that we have—which is lacking, admittedly—there wasn’t red flags that they were heading northward and broad based across industries,” Renter said. Is AI a red herring? When companies cite AI as a reason behind layoffs, it doesn’t necessarily mean the tech is currently changing the way they conduct business, according to Zhao. For more on what recent layoff announcements mean for HR, keep reading here.—MC     Presented By QuickBooks Get your business in sync --> Paying employees, staying compliant, managing your books…It takes a lot to ensure your business runs smoothly, but that doesn’t mean you need a million different platforms, too. Not if you have Intuit QuickBooks Payroll. Their all-in-one platform combines payroll, time tracking, HR, and more to help you see all your people and dollars in one place. With QuickBooks Payroll, you’ll get a platform that: lets you predict and track project and labor costs more accurately through integrated job costs and customized reportsgives you back nearly four hours per week to focus on what matters, like people, growth, and leadershipdoes the heavy lifting for you with AI-powered, done-for-you experiences and 24/7 expert support Stop wrestling with your scattered HR and accounting tech stack. Get your organization on QuickBooks Payroll to connect all your payroll and team data to your business data. Pay your team in minutes.RECRUITMENT & RETENTION Power users Illustration: Anna Kim, Photos: Adobe Stock Talent acquisition has become HR’s poster child for AI disruption. Recruiters now have a wealth of AI-powered tools at their fingertips to help streamline their job, from sourcing candidates to scheduling interviews and screening candidates. But, according to a new LinkedIn survey, many recruiters aren’t taking full advantage of all that AI can do for their jobs—beyond productivity gains. “Power users” wanted. Just 34% of the more than 1,000 recruiters based in the US and UK surveyed by LinkedIn described the majority of their colleagues as “AI power users,” meaning they’re using the technology to restructure their workflows and help them better deliver on business goals. Another 47% said their recruiter colleagues are “practitioners,” solely using AI to boost their productivity. Focus on the human. Recruiters who want to increase their AI use should focus on enhancing the human elements of their jobs. For more on how recruiters can become AI power users, keep reading here.—PM     HR STRATEGY Make it (remote) work Michelle Chang Michelle Chang saw the start and end of the pandemic at two of the companies most associated with remote work. During 2020, she was the CFO of Microsoft Teams. In 2024, as masks became a rarer sight and return to office mandates ticked up, she became the CFO of Zoom. CFO Brew spoke with her about her career. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. As we’re seeing more return to office mandates, how are you thinking about that trend for Zoom? We’re a company that is deeply rooted in, believes in hybrid. I think you see some companies swinging the pendulum, especially in the Seattle area—it’s a hot topic right now with Amazon and Microsoft. But from a Zoom perspective and a personal belief perspective, I think there’s a healthy balance in that. Sometimes you are at your most effective when you’re at home, in the groove, getting that deep work done. And then there are times where the interactions with your coworkers and the face-to-face meetings and the feeling part of something is also deeply important. And so Zoom and I [are] deeply aligned with, “let’s find the balance between the two dialogues.” For more from this conversation with Chang, keep reading on CFO Brew.—JK     Together With Culture Amp Does scale equal sluggishness? Culture Amp experts analyzed the benchmark data of 3.1 million employees at 4,590 companies and found that as companies scale up, engagement goes down. Their latest report explores how companies can bridge the “enterprise engagement gap.” Read the full insights. WORK PERKS Francis Scialabba Today’s top HR reads.Stat: Two-thirds of job seekers would work in the office every day for a bigger paycheck, though 60% said they’d need a 10% bump to leave a remote gig. (Robert Half)Quote: “AI is no longer just an experimental technology. It’s become a strategic pillar for companies looking to stay competitive, no matter where they are around the world.”—Nat Natarajan, chief operating officer at employment firm Globalization Partners, on the role of AI in business (WorkLife)Read: Welcome to the fake news era, where AI tools can help fabricate video “evidence” and fool news pros (and some AI pros?!). (Business Insider) Master it: Time to level up, HR pros. Learn more about Georgetown’s online Master’s in Human Resources Management and the well-rounded expertise today’s market demands at Georgetown’s free Nov. 19 webinar.**A message from our sponsor. Revamp workplace wellness Francis Scialabba Wellness programs can sometimes miss the mark, impacting how employers can support mental, physical, and financial well-being. Explore strategies to align initiatives with employee needs and rebuild trust. Empower your workforce with meaningful, effective programs that truly make a difference. Check it outSHARE THE BREW Share HR Brew with your coworkers, acquire free Brew swag, and then make new friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We’re saying we’ll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. <img src="https://cdn.sanity.io/images/bl383u0v/production/e8c0d668fd2ce584105a14629f9409b29ddffc91-3840x2160.png?w=640&q=60" class="img-responsive" width="640" style="max-width: 640px; width: 100%;" alt="Click here to get free swag." /> --> Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others:hr-brew.com/r/?kid=12b4b9db           Written by Mikaela Cohen, Paige McGlauflin, Jesse Klein, and Adam DeRose Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. 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