Here is an abridged version of issue 299—The Best of May 2025 of Talent Edge Weekly. The abridged version:

• only includes links and brief descriptions of the 18 resources

• does not include my in-depth review

• does not include bonus resources

• is for those who just want easy access to the 18 resources

You can access the full version of issue 299 HERE at any time!

Brian

I. AI in the Workplace

Focuses on how AI and digital agents are transforming work by restructuring tasks, redefining roles, and increasing productivity.

• Want AI-Driven Productivity? Redesign Work | MIT Sloan Management Review | An article by Ravin Jesuthasan outlines how organizations can unlock AI-driven productivity by deconstructing work tasks and redeploying them across humans and machines. I share my bonus template.

• AWS Study: Generative AI Adoption Index Perspectives from Global IT Decision Makers | AWS and Access Partnership | A new 19-page report on the state of AI integration in the workplace. I expand on the change management component of the discussion.

• How AI Agents Are Revolutionizing Administration for Businesses | World Economic Forum | Shares how AI agents are automating repetitive, behind-the-scenes administrative tasks to free up capacity for higher-value work.

• Agentic AI Is Already Changing the Workforce | Harvard Business Review | Explores how AI agents are becoming digital teammates, not just tools that support human work, presenting implications for workforce strategy.

II. Talent Practices and Tools 

Shares future-of-work reports and their implications for talent practices, followed by tools to support goal alignment, measure skills-based strategies, improve 1:1 discussions, strengthen talent reviews and succession planning, assess internal mobility, and surface overlooked talent segments.

• 5 Reports on the Future of Work Since the Start of 2025 | Curated by Brian Heger | Includes 5 reports from Deloitte, World Economic Forum, LinkedIn, and Oliver Wyman Forum on different aspects of the workplace, ranging from the future of recruiting to skills-based frameworks.

• Realigning Priorities, Goals, and Resources: Tips for Leaders, Managers, and Employees | Brian Heger | My one-page infographic with practical actions to help leaders, managers, and employees realign their goals for the next few months of the performance year.

• 8 Questions to Help Elevate the Impact of Manager and Direct Report 1:1 Discussions | Brian Heger | My cheat sheet with questions managers and direct reports can use to help get more value from their 1:1 discussions.

• Measuring the Impact of Skills-Based Talent Practices | Business Roundtable | A 28-page report on how talent practitioners can measure the impact of skills-based talent practices at their companies.

• Does Your Talent Review Process Need a Review of Its Own? | Brian Heger | My one-page worksheet to help practitioners evaluate opportunities to improve the impact of talent reviews. I reshare my infographic with 8 questions for talent reviews.

• Getting Ahead of the Looming C-Suite Succession Crisis | Harvard Law School Forum for Corporate Governance | A new article highlighting gaps in succession planning. I reshare two of my cheat sheets on succession.

• Internal Mobility: How Policies Could Potentially Hinder Talent Movement | Brian Heger | My cheat sheet with questions to help organizations more critically evaluate aspects of their internal mobility policies.

• Is Talent Hoarding Blocking Internal Mobility in Your Organization? A Self-Reflection for Managers | Brian Heger | My one-page diagnostic to help managers identify and address behaviors that may unintentionally limit internal mobility within the organization.

• Hidden Talent: Examples of Untapped Talent Segments | Brian Heger | My one-page infographic highlights eight segments of hidden workers, with descriptions and red flags that may signal your hiring process is unintentionally excluding these overlooked talent pools.

III. Workforce Needs and Expectations

Explores how evolving employee needs—such as caregiving responsibilities, wellbeing, and flexibility—are reshaping the psychological contract between employers and workers.

• Employers Recognize the Benefits of Detachment for Employee Well-Being and Performance, Yet Penalize It in Employee Evaluations | Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes | A new study shows that employees who disconnect from work, such as after normal work hours, are sometimes penalized in promotion decisions.

• The Workplace Psychological Contract Is Broken. Here’s How to Fix It | Harvard Business Review | A new article on how broken trust and expectations in the employer-employee relationship fuel return-to-office tensions.

• Moms in the Sandwich Generation: Career Optimism Special Report | University of Phoenix and Motherly | Shares research on the career cost of dual-caregiving for working mothers, underscoring the need for employers to integrate caregiving support into their workforce strategies.

IV. Chief HR Officers

Highlights the evolving CHRO role, boardroom engagement, and the strategic influence of HR in shaping future-ready organizations

• The Evolving Role of the CHRO in the Boardroom | Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance | A new article on how CHRO-board engagement is evolving at publicly traded companies in the US and Europe.

• The CHRO of The Future: How CHROs and Organizations Can Prepare for What’s Next | Russell Reynolds Associates | A new report explores how the CHRO role is evolving—and what it will take to succeed in the years ahead.

The full issue has many bonus resources not covered in this abridged version. Access the full version by clicking the button below.

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