Here is an abridged version of issue 286—The Best of February 2025 of Talent Edge Weekly. The abridged version:

• only includes links and brief descriptions of the 16 resources

• does not include my in-depth review

• does not include bonus resources

• is for those who just want easy access to the 16 resources

You can access the full version of issue 286 HERE at any time!

🚀 I’m looking forward to my Founding Member launch on March 13, 2025, of my new, invitation-only community for internal HR practitioners—Talent Edge Circle!

Brian

I. Talent Practices and Tools

Workforce planning, skills, internal mobility, succession planning, retaining talent during M&A, and performance management.

• The Critical Role of Strategic Workforce Planning in The Age of AI | McKinsey | Presents five best practices to help organizations prepare for the impact of AI and other technological advancements on strategic workforce planning.

• Four Resources on Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) | Brian Heger | I share four of my templates designed to support different aspects of SWP.

• Global Skills Taxonomy Adoption Toolkit: Defining a Common Skills Language for a Future-Ready Workforce | World Economic Forum | A new 47-page report with a roadmap for implementing skills-based practices.

• 2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report | LinkedIn | A new 37-page report on how organizations are implementing career development and internal mobility practices.

• Identifying Opportunities for Improving and Measuring Internal Mobility (IM): Two Resources | Brian Heger | Two of my templates to help an organization assess its current IM practices and metrics.

• Can AI Fix Succession Planning? | Forbes | Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic explores four ways AI can support human decision-making in succession planning.

• Succession Planning Cheat Sheet: Questions, Metrics, and Triggers | Brian Heger | My new cheat consolidates previous templates into one, offering SP metrics, questions, and trigger events for succession reevaluation.

• Retain, Integrate, Thrive: A Strategy for Managing Talent During M&A Transactions | McKinsey | Identifies four key employee segments to target retention strategies for during M&A transactions.

• 6 Signs that Performance Goals May be Off Track | Brian Heger | My one-page cheat sheet helps managers proactively identify 6 factors that may detract from a team's performance goals, enabling them to get back on track.

II. AI in HR and the Workplace

Insights on AI in recruiting, HR virtual assistants, and AI-enabled skills management; a meta-analysis of 106 experimental studies on human-AI collaboration; template for assessing AI’s impact on specific work tasks.

• AI in HR: Hits, Misses and Growing Pains | Gartner | Provides insights on three-high interest domains in AI in HR: AI in recruiting, HR virtual assistants, and AI-enabled skills management.

• When Humans and AI Work Best Together — and When Each Is Better Alone | MIT Sloan School of Management | Summarizes results from a meta-analysis of 106 experimental studies on human-AI collaboration. Full research paper and bonus resource included.

• Evaluating the Impact of AI on Work Activities | Brian Heger | My one-page worksheet helps you assess how AI could reshape specific critical work tasks and the extent of the required change.

III. Return-to-Office

Framework for making RTO decisions that support an organization’s unique business needs; RTO data and their implications.

• Does Returning to the Office Support Your Company’s Strategy? | Harvard Business Review | Shares a framework for making return-to-office decisions that support an organization’s unique business needs.

• Returning to The Office? Focus More on Practices and Less on The Policy | McKinsey Quarterly | A new article examines return-to-office data and its implications. I also share Nick Bloom’s LinkedIn response, which highlights gaps in the data presented.

IV. Chief HR Officer

A cheat sheet on nine CHROs hired or promoted into a new role between Jan and Feb 2025; a template for reevaluating HR priorities and initiatives as circumstances may shift throughout the year.

• 9 Chief HR Officers Hired or Promoted Between January and February 2025 | Brian Heger | My PDF highlights 9 Chief HR Officers appointed to a new CHRO role between Jan and Feb 2025. Includes links to LinkedIn profiles.

• HR Initiative Prioritization Template | Brian Heger | My one-page editable template for reevaluating HR priorities and initiatives as circumstances may shift throughout the year.

RESOURCE LINEUP

​​brianheger.com provides free access to +1,300 curated articles, research reports, podcasts, etc. that help practitioners drive better business results through strategic human resources and talent management.

CHROS on the Go is a subscription that provides the easiest and most convenient way to stay informed about Chief Human Resources Officer hires, promotions, and resignations in organizations of all sizes and industries.

​Talent Edge Weekly is a free weekly newsletter that brings together the best talent and strategic human resources insights from various sources. It is published every Sunday at 6 PM EST.

Talent Edge Circle. A new, exclusive, vetted, invitation-only digital community for internal HR practitioners launching on March 13, 2025. If you are an internal HR practitioner interested in this paid community, indicate your interest here to get on the waiting list.

Talent Edge Weekly is written by Brian Heger, a human resources practitioner. You can connect with Brian on Linkedin, X, and brianheger.com.