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Welcome to this special Best of February issue of Talent Edge Weekly!

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THIS MONTH’S CONTENT

This special Best of February issue includes 16 of the most popular resources from the February issues of Talent Edge Weekly.

They are organized into four sections:

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

2. 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.

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

4. 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.

This issue has many bonus resources beyond the 16 featured resources!

Given the depth of content in this special Best Of the Month issue, you can decide to view this full issue with my complete insights or an abridged version, which just includes links.

WORKFORCE PLANNING

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.

AI continues to reshape how people work, the nature of their jobs, and the skills required—prompting organizations to rethink their strategic workforce planning (SWP). As practitioners help their organizations navigate AI’s implications, this new article outlines five best practices to prepare for the disruptions and opportunities AI and other technological advances bring to the workplace. One key practice is planning for multiple business scenarios. The article highlights how a North American software company sought to understand AI’s impact on its workforce—specifically, how it could free up resources to build new products. “To do this, it forecasts supply and demand across tech, product, and operations roles by incorporating expected AI impact, including developing the top AI use cases in those three areas. It also identified projects that could be stopped or frozen to help reallocate resources to critical products.” The company then modeled multiple scenarios to determine the pace and scale of adoption and adjusted workforce plans accordingly. While sophisticated tools and methodologies exist to assess AI’s impact on work, here is my simple one-page template (also featured in this issue in the AI section) to help teams evaluate AI’s potential effects on work tasks and the extent of change required.

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WORKFORCE PLANNING

Four Resources on Strategic Workforce Planning | Brian Heger

I share four of my templates designed to support different aspects of SWP.

Strategic workforce planning (SWP) remains the most requested topic among Talent Edge Weekly subscribers. To support practitioners, I’ve compiled four of my SWP templates to help drive more integrated actions. While I’ve shared these individually before, having them in one place may help practitioners determine which resource—or combination of resources—is most relevant to their needs. 1) Six common SWP challenges, potential solutions, and immediate next steps to implement them. 2) 22 questions to better align SWP with business strategy. 3) A 10-statement diagnostic to evaluate SWP effectiveness. 4) A one-page worksheet to assess the SWP implications of different business scenarios. If you find this content valuable and want more direct interaction (both synchronous and asynchronous) with me and a select group of hand-picked internal HR practitioners focused on accelerating talent practices with greater impact, I’m excited to share that in less than two weeks, I’ll be launching the Founding Members cohort of Talent Edge Circle—my new invitation only-community for internal HR practitioners.

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SKILLS

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. Bonus report included.

As organizations implement skills-based talent practices, this 47-page report outlines a three-step roadmap: 1) identify strategic priorities and talent challenges a skills-based approach can address, 2) assess and define the skills needed, and 3) sustain a skills-first culture with effective governance. Page 12 highlights the importance of securing buy-in from key stakeholders, such as business leaders, by linking a skills-first culture to business goals and demonstrating its value. This point reinforces the need to align skills-based efforts with business priorities and track return on investments—an aspect often overlooked in the rush to adopt skills-based practices. Page 17 covers skills-based hiring, including assessments, proficiency standards, and job description integration. While prioritizing skills over traditional credentials, such as academic degrees, is gaining traction, research shows its impact remains limited and that only a segment of leading organizations are tapping the potential of skills-based hiring. These findings underscore that effective skills-based practices require more than rhetoric and technology; they demand cultural and mindset shifts to drive meaningful impact. As a supplement to this report, here is the 2025 Future of Jobs report by the World Economic Forum, which includes a section on skills beginning on page 32.

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LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

2025 LinkedIn Workplace Learning Report | LinkedIn

A new 37-page report on how organizations are implementing career development and internal mobility practices. Bonus report included.

Internal mobility and career development are vital to an organization's talent strategy. Against this backdrop, LinkedIn’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report explores how organizations are prioritizing employee development and internal mobility. While the report offers many insights, real-world examples provide the most practical takeaways. For example, Walmart has implemented "pipeline programs," which help frontline associates transition into truck driver and technician roles—two roles facing talent shortages. This initiative promotes employee career growth while enabling Walmart to fill critical roles more efficiently. Visa, which has over 200 products, has been rolling out AI-powered training and coaching for its sales teams. This allows sales professionals to practice sales pitches in a judgment-free environment with automated feedback, boosting seller confidence by 78%. The report also highlights generative AI’s growing role in career development. As practitioners continue translating ideas for internal mobility into tangible actions and practices, I am resharing this 56-page playbook by the Business Roundtable Multiple Pathways Initiative.

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INTERNAL MOBILITY

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.

As I continue to receive requests for internal mobility (IM) resources, here are two of my templates on aspects of IM. The first is an IM Diagnostic, which includes 20 statements across 10 key IM areas. For example, in the Transparency and Communication category, statements include "Internal job opportunities are widely and proactively communicated to all employees" and "Jobs are advertised internally before external recruitment." Practitioners can review each of the 20 statements and insert a check mark where the statement accurately reflects their organization; unchecked boxes indicate potential improvement areas. The second resource is a one-pager with nine example metrics on IM. Each metric provides a definition, highlights its importance, and offers a sample practice. For example, the "Time-to-Fill for Internals" metric measures the average time to fill a position with an internal candidate compared to external hiring. This metric is important because faster internal hiring processes reduce productivity gaps, minimize disruption, and demonstrate an organization's ability to mobilize talent quickly. A recommended practice to enable this area is streamlining the internal application process by reducing approval requirements and shortening interview stages without compromising quality. While there are many other aspects to IM, these two resources provide useful insights into driving aspects of internal mobility.

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SUCCESSION PLANNING

Can AI Fix Succession Planning? | Forbes

Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic explores four ways AI can support human decision-making in succession planning.

Organizations are exploring new ways to enhance the effectiveness and impact of their succession planning (SP) practices. Like other talent strategies, AI shows promise in complementing both the science and human judgment involved in SP decisions. In a recent article, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic outlines four ways AI can add rigor and objectivity while enhancing its human aspects: 1) Evaluating Past Performance Beyond Politics – AI analyzes large datasets to identify real contributions and reduce bias from subjective evaluations. 2) Expanding the Talent Pool – AI-driven assessments help uncover high-potential leaders from diverse backgrounds rather than relying solely on traditional insider candidates. 3) Using Passive Data to Predict Leadership Success – AI analyzes communication patterns and behavioral insights to assess leadership potential more holistically. 4) Debiasing Leadership Selection – AI flags biases in promotion and hiring decisions, ensuring selections align with data rather than stereotypes. I believe AI is especially impactful in expanding succession talent pools by identifying “hidden talent”—employees with the skills to take on new opportunities but who may be overlooked in traditional SP practices. Organizations that integrate AI wisely into SP can make more informed decisions by combining AI-driven insights with human expertise, strengthening both the science and art of SP.

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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.

Succession planning (SP) continues to be a top priority for many organizations. In response to frequent requests for SP resources, I’ve created a one-page cheat sheet that consolidates elements from three of my templates into a single summary. It includes: 1) SP Questions – A set of 10 questions to help organizations clarify their approach, such as determining the scope of succession planning (what roles they will focus on) and how they will assess successor readiness to assume a targeted role; 2) SP Metrics – A list of 12 metrics, including the percentage of non-ready now successors with a development plan and the success rate of successors after assuming the role; and 3)Trigger Events for Reassessment – Nine examples of events that may warrant a reassessment of succession plans, such as shifts in business strategy, organizational transformation, or successor turnover. This cheat sheet is designed to help practitioners take a more deliberate approach to succession planning while ensuring plans remain relevant and actionable. Organizations can use this cheat sheet as a starting point and modify it to fit their unique needs. As a bonus, I am also sharing my worksheet to help leaders reevaluate their succession plans to ensure they remain current and aligned with evolving organizational needs. Here is also my infographic on 10 checkpoints for identifying opportunities for improving SP.

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TALENT RETENTION DURING M&A

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.

Managing talent retention during mergers and acquisitions (M&A) requires intentional planning to maximize value from deal transactions. This is particularly critical as departures of key talent can raise operational risks, weaken morale, and impair M&A integration. The article identifies four crucial employee groups that exist in both acquiring and target organizations: High Potentials (approximately 2% of employees who are future leaders, though in my experience this number is closer to 10%), Value Creators (those who own important business initiatives and deliver deal synergies), Influencers (employees with deep social capital who can drive change), and Mission-Critical Contributors (those who keep core operations running effectively, such as top salespeople or key technical managers). The article emphasizes that these talent segments can be found at all organizational levels and that titles or reporting relationships don't always indicate actual organizational value. Early identification and categorization of talent in both acquiring and target organizations is essential for developing targeted retention strategies. Whether you agree with these initial categories or not, you can use them as a starting point to develop a framework that better matches your philosophy and talent segments. The important thing is to ensure proactive talent management for critical employee segments.

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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

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.

I recently shared my infographic with 24 sample questions managers can use during 1:1 discussions with their direct reports throughout the year. With two months of the new year now completed, some goals will be on track, while others are not. Here is my cheat sheet to help managers and leaders identify six risk factors that may jeopardize those goals. By recognizing these risks, leaders can make faster course adjustments and set their teams up for success. For each risk, I've included two questions managers can ask and two indicators suggesting the presence of risks. For example, for goal misalignment, managers can ask: Are team members frequently asking for clarification on priorities or objectives? Are there inconsistencies between individual actions and stated organizational priorities? Two risk indicators are employees working on tasks unrelated to key objectives and confusion or disagreement about project priorities. If any risk factors exist for your team, you can click the box on the PDF to insert a checkmark and take action. Even if you're not a manager, these six factors can help you identify opportunities for getting performance goals back on track.

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AI IN HR

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.

This Gartner article offers insights for Chief HR officers and their teams evaluating AI in HR. It covers three key areas: AI in recruiting, HR virtual assistants (HRVAs), and AI-enabled skills management. The 9-page article summarizes each by highlighting a) hits (what’s working), b) misses (AI’s limitations), c) growing pains, and d) future evolution. For instance, for AI-enabled skills management, (Hits) – "When used well, skills data informs recommendation engines for internal mobility, candidate fit, learning content, project roles, and mentoring." (Misses) – AI struggles to connect structured job-based skills data (from HR systems) with unstructured skills data (from actual work tasks). (Growing Pains) – "Getting value from skills data is a long-term investment rather than a quick win; start with teams most ready to use it." (Evolution) – Gartner predicts that by 2028, 40% of large organizations will invest in two or more AI-enabled skills management solutions to drive business agility. For full insights across all three areas, explore the full paper. As a bonus, here’s my editable template to help evaluate AI in HR use cases for your organization.

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AI IN THE WORKPLACE

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.

This article summarizes findings from a recent Nature Human Behaviour paper on AI-human collaboration. Researchers analyzed 106 experimental studies on human-AI collaboration conducted between January 2020 and July 2023. A key finding: on average, AI-human combinations do not outperform the best AI-only or human-only systems—contrary to expectations. For example, one finding shows that AI alone had the highest accuracy in detecting fake hotel reviews (73%), compared to 69% for AI-human teams and 55% for humans. AI by itself also outperforms in demand forecasting and medical diagnosis. AI and human worker combinations are more likely to provide an advantage on tasks in which humans already outperform AI on their own, tasks involving creating content, and creation tasks involving generative AI. The detailed research paper and summary article provide additional examples. These insights highlight the need for strategic decisions on where AI adds the most value—and where it does not. With this in mind, I’m resharing a Deloitte AI Institute report that offers a framework for determining which tasks are best suited for AI, AI-assisted humans, or humans alone.

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AI AND WORKTASK PLANNING

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.

As AI continues to transform work and task execution, organizations are increasingly focused on understanding its impact on talent and workforce planning. While sophisticated tools and methodologies exist, a valuable first step can be simply taking the time to thoughtfully review critical tasks—those vital to delivering key organizational outcomes—and jot down ideas. To help teams navigate this process and assess AI’s potential impact, I’ve created a simple yet effective template. This tool provides space to 1) identify the task (e.g., answering customer service inquiries), 2) indicate how the task is currently executed (e.g., human agents respond via phone/chat), 3) assess future AI-driven execution (e.g., AI chatbots handle common questions while human agents address complex issues), and 4) gauge the extent of change between current and future states (e.g., significant change). The template includes text fields and drop-down menus for easy input. While this is just a starting point to a very complex topic, it can help organizations begin thinking through AI’s implications on work task execution.

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RETURN-TO- OFFICE

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.

Organizations are increasingly mandating a full return to the office (RTO). While this decision might be the right one for specific organizations, simply following this trend without careful consideration could be a strategic misstep for some organizations. As this new article points out, “instead of playing follow the leader” on RTO, organizations should be much more intentional and strategic about RTO decisions. This article provides a five-component framework for making RTO decisions: 1) Market and Innovation Goals examine how flexible work strategies can support business expansion and collaboration; 2) Governance considers how flexible work aligns with organizational values and ESG commitments; 3) Internal Data and Analytics focuses on using data to understand which jobs can be performed remotely and how teams coordinate; 4) Recruitment and Retention analyzes how workplace flexibility affects talent acquisition in competitive markets; and 5) Manager Training ensures leaders can effectively manage remote and hybrid teams. This approach can help leaders develop RTO strategies that serve their unique business needs rather than following trends. Also, I am resharing a Microsoft Work Lab article on setting "in-person" office expectations based on "moments that matter"—where in-person connections offer distinct advantages—instead of enforcing a minimum number of office days.

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RETURN-TO-OFFICE

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.

As leaders continue making return-to-office (RTO) decisions, they often turn to external data that provide helpful insights. McKinseyrecently published an article sharing RTO survey data, sparking debate on LinkedIn after Nick Bloom (a Stanford Economist who has been studying remote work for over two decades) questioned its findings due to recall and sample bias. Bloom explains: “The McKinsey survey has recall bias. It was run once, using recall to generate historic data rather than collecting data each month. When folks report their ‘WFH last year,’ many likely recall 2020 to 2022 when WFH was much higher.” On sampling bias, he adds: “They sampled 75% in-office employees. It’s like running a political survey and sampling 75% Republican voters—guess who would win that poll?” I am sharing both pieces so you can review them critically. One key takeaway is the importance of assessing survey and research data to understand their strengths and limitations. As leaders continue to evaluate their RTO decisions, I am resharing this web page of resources from the October 2024 Remote Work Conference, hosted by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and the Hoover Institution. It includes recorded presentations and slides from the conference, made available by organizers Nick Bloom and Steven Davis.

Read McKinsey article

CHIEF HR OFFICER

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.

The Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) role continues to grow in importance across many organizations. According to LinkedIn’s recent Economic Graph report, State of the C-Suite and Executive Report, CHRO is now among the top three fastest-growing C-suite roles, following Chief Data Officer and Chief Legal Officer. Reflecting this trend, we’ve seen numerous notable hires and promotions into the CHRO position across various companies. Over the past 60 days alone, I’ve tracked 150+ CHRO appointments on CHROs on the Go, my subscription-based platform offering insights into CHRO hires, promotions, and resignations. To provide an overview of recent moves, this PDF includes summaries of nine CHROs hired or promoted between Janaury and February 2025 at companies including: Ericsson, The Estée Lauder Companies, HP, Inc., International Paper, ITT Inc., Levi Strauss & Co., Mastercard, Prudential Financial, and Signet Jewelers. Each summary features a link to the CHRO’s LinkedIn profile. Congratulations to all nine Chief HR Officers on their appointments, as well as to the many others recently appointed.

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HR PRIORITIZATION

HR Initiative Prioritization Template | Brian Heger

My one-page editable template for reevaluating HR priorities and initiatives as circumstances may shift throughout the year.

HR teams are well into executing their 2025 goals. At the start of the year, I shared my goal-setting template to help teams establish objectives and track metrics, including sections for both what will be accomplished and what won’t be prioritized. Clearly defining what won’t be done is invaluable, as lingering tasks or outdated priorities can carry over from a previous year, diverting focus from what matters most. While it's still early to shift objectives, changing circumstances (e.g., layoffs, talent shortages, business shifts) often require organizations to reevaluate priorities. As HR leaders navigate these decisions, my one-page template can facilitate discussions on reprioritizing HR objectives. The editable template allows teams to list HR initiatives, evaluate their impact on stakeholder value, and assess complexity and investment levels. Leaders can then decide whether to stay the course, deprioritize, or further reevaluate. Tailor it to your needs and expand it by adding criteria for ‘business impact’ and ‘investment & complexity’ that fit your organization.

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JOB CUTS AND LAYOFF TRACKER

Here is my tracker, which includes announcements from a segment of organizations that have announced job cuts and layoffs since the start of 2023.

A few firms that announced job cuts in February include:

• Chevron (NYSE: CVX). The oil company plans to cut up to 20% of its workforce—potentially affecting 8,000 employees—as part of a cost-cutting effort to save up to $3 billion by the end of 2026.

• Redfin Corp. (NASDAQ: RDFN). The real estate platform disclosed that it will lay off approximately 450 employees as part of a restructuring of its rentals segment in connection with a partnership agreement with Zillow.

• Salesforce (NYSE: CRM). The cloud-based software company is laying off around 1,000 employees. This comes on the heels of a December announcement that the company plans to hire 2,000 salespeople for its new AI products. The changes are part of the company’s strategic shift toward AI innovation.

• Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV). The airline announced that it will cut about 1,750 leadership jobs - 15% of their corporate positions - reducing expenses to become a more agile company.

• Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY). The finance and human resources software company is laying off 1,750 employees, reducing its workforce by approximately 8.5% as it reallocates resources to expand globally and prioritize AI initiatives.

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CHIEF HR OFFICER MOVEMENT

67 Chief HR Officers were hired, promoted, and/or resigned in February. A few headlines include:

• The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.​ (NEW YORK, NEW YORK) [NYSE: EL]—one of the world's leading manufacturers, marketers, and sellers of quality skincare, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products—announced that​ Michael Bowes​ has been promoted to EVP, Chief People Officer, effective April 1, 2025. Bowes, who joined ELC in 2015, currently serves as the company's SVP, Global Talent. He succeeds​ Michael O’Hare​, who has announced his retirement.

• Mastercard (PURCHASE, NEW YORK) [NYSE: MA]— multinational payment card services—announced that Susan Muigai will join as Chief People Officer, effective April 7, 2025, succeeding Michael Fraccaro, who will serve as an advisor until his departure at year-end. Muigai joins Mastercard from TransUnion, where she served as EVP, Chief Human Resources Officer since October 2021.

• Prudential Financial, Inc.​ (NEWARK, NEW JERSEY) [NYSE: PRU]—a global financial services leader—announced that​ Vicki Walia​ has been promoted to Chief People Officer, effective March 31, 2025. She currently leads HR for Prudential's U.S. Businesses and PGIM. She succeeds​ Lucien Alziari​, who will retire after serving as CHRO for eight years. ​

Never miss another Chief HR Officer announcement. Subscribe to my CHROs on the Go subscription and gain immediate access to +4000 (and growing) CHRO announcements, including hires, promotions, resignations, and board appointments.

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