Talent Edge Weekly - Issue #297

Talent hoarding diagnostic, change management for AI adoption, identifying hidden talent, a study on enabling employee wellbeing, and freeing up capacity with AI agents.

Author

Brian Heger
May 18, 2025

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Welcome to this week’s issue of Talent Edge Weekly!

A shout-out to Stefan Hamache, Global Head of Talent Acquisition & HR Business Partners at Sudarshan Chemical Industries Ltd., for referring new subscribers to Talent Edge Weekly. Thank you, Stefan, for your support of this newsletter!

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THIS WEEK'S CONTENT

Below are links and descriptions of the topics covered in this issue. If you're interested in my deep dive, you can read the full newsletter.

Also, check out my job cuts tracker & Chief HR Officer move of the week.

And if you want to go deeper with me and other internal HR practitioners on topics like this, learn more about my new private community, Talent Edge Circle.

Let’s dive in! ⬇️

THIS WEEK'S EDGE 

INTERNAL MOBILITY

My one-page diagnostic to help managers identify and address behaviors that may unintentionally limit internal mobility within the organization.

Last week, I shared my cheat sheet to help organizations evaluate whether their internal mobility policies and guidelines support or hinder talent movement. While some policies are necessary, others may create unintended barriers by over-regulating how and when internal moves occur. For example, some organizations require employees to remain in a role for a set period before applying elsewhere or mandate manager approval for internal applications. Beyond policy, “talent hoarding” can also block movement—when managers discourage high performers from pursuing internal opportunities. Since many managers may not realize they’re exhibiting these behaviors, self-awareness is a critical first step. To support this, here’s my one-page diagnostic with 10 reflection statements to help managers assess their talent-sharing mindset. As many organizations are preparing for talent reviews this time of year—where talent movement is often discussed—this cheat sheet can be a timely reference to help managers self-assess whether they are enabling or hindering internal mobility. This awareness could help promote greater talent sharing, bringing shared benefits to both the organization and individual employees.

AI IN THE WORKPLACE

A new 19-page report on the state of AI integration in the workplace. I expand on the change management component of the discussion.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) recently released its Global Generative AI Adoption Index, based on a survey of 3,739 senior IT decision-makers across nine countries and multiple industries. While the 19-page report includes a range of insights—from AI deployment trends to evolving talent strategies—one point that stood out to me was around change management. Nearly half of the respondent organizations have moved beyond proof-of-concept and are transitioning to production or fully integrating generative AI into workflows. Yet only 14% currently have a change management strategy in place to support adoption—a figure expected to rise to 76% by 2026. As organizations face multiple overlapping changes—not just those related to AI—I believe HR leaders and their teams will need to play an increasingly critical role in addressing change fatigue: when the pace and volume of change exceed employees’ capacity to adapt, leading to performance risks. One suggestion I’d offer is to map all active and proposed change initiatives, identify the most disruptive ones, and assess employees’ ability to absorb the cumulative “change load.” These insights can guide leadership in adjusting the timing, sequencing, or scope of change efforts. Not looking at all changes collectively is like trying to manage a personal financial budget by focusing on just one or two expenses without seeing the full picture; this approach doesn’t reveal whether overall spending is sustainable. The same applies to change—taking a holistic view helps manage the total impact more effectively and increases the likelihood of achieving desired outcomes.

TALENT ACQUISITION

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.

Talent acquisition teams are constantly seeking ways to identify new sources of talent. One underutilized strategy is tapping into ‘hidden workers’—individuals with valuable skills who are often overlooked due to gaps in hiring practices, policies, or technology. Coined by researchers from Harvard Business School in their report Hidden Workers: Untapped Talent, the term includes talent segments ranging from caregivers to people with disabilities. While many groups fall into this category, my infographic highlights eight examples, each with a brief description. In addition to the descriptions, I include a “red flag” for each segment—signs that your hiring process might be excluding these candidates. For instance, the long-term unemployed—individuals out of work for an extended period—may be filtered out by algorithms that screen for employment gaps. Another group is career changers—professionals transitioning between industries or roles—who may be overlooked when hiring processes overemphasize industry-specific experience rather than transferable skills. This infographic can serve as a starting point to help organizations identify and address gaps in their talent acquisition strategies—unlocking opportunities to tap into overlooked talent pools and gain a competitive advantage.

CULTURE & EMPLOYEE WELLBEING

A new study shows that employees who disconnect from work, such as after normal work hours, are sometimes penalized in promotion decisions.

Employee health and well-being are top priorities for many organizations. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, employee well-being is now the leading strategy for attracting talent, rising from 9th place in 2023. While wellness programs and related initiatives support these efforts, organizations often overlook how elements of the work environment—especially the signals sent by managers—can influence well-being. A new study highlights a ‘detachment paradox’: although managers recognize that psychological detachment—mentally switching off during non-work hours through actions like setting out-of-office replies, taking vacation days, or turning off work devices—boosts well-being and performance, they often penalize employees who engage in these behaviors when evaluating them for promotions or new roles. Across 16 studies, employees who detached were seen as less committed, even when their performance matched or exceeded that of their peers. The penalty remained even when detachment was for virtuous reasons, like caregiving. However, the study found that formal policies—such as discouraging weekend emails—reduced this bias. One question for managers: Who am I rewarding—those who are ‘always on’ and constantly available, or those who are most effective? Reflecting on questions like this can help managers and leaders create a culture where well-being is supported and performance can thrive.

AI AGENTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Shares how AI agents are automating repetitive, behind-the-scenes administrative tasks to free up capacity for higher-value work.

As organizations aim to maximize the potential of their talent, there’s growing discussion around how AI agents can free up capacity for humans to perform higher-value work. This new article explores this opportunity through what it calls an “administrative revolution,” powered by AI agents—systems or programs that autonomously perform tasks on behalf of a user or another system. According to the research, nearly two-thirds (63.04%) of use cases fall into administrative, repetitive categories such as data collection, document verification, compliance support, internal reporting, and process documentation. For example, in finance, AI agents can match invoices to ledger entries and flag discrepancies. In HR, they can verify payroll data against contracts to reduce fraud and improve compliance. In audit, they can perform reconciliations and low-complexity reviews. To get started, the article recommends: 1) identifying 3–5 rule-based workflows, 2) testing AI agents in a sandbox environment, and 3) forming cross-functional teams to guide adoption and governance. As a bonus, I’m including two related reads: 1) a McKinsey article on AI agents, and 2) Microsoft’s AI at Work, which explores how AI agents can serve as digital collaborators within teams.

Want to explore talent management practices in-depth with me and other internal HR practitioners? Learn about my new Talent Edge Circle community! Please note that this is a paid community. Already a member? Login here

MOST POPULAR FROM LAST WEEK

SKILLS-BASED TALENT PRACTICES

A 28-page report on how talent practitioners can measure the impact of skills-based talent practices at their companies.

JOB CUTS AND LAYOFF TRACKER

Check out my tracker of announcements from a segment of organizations that have conducted job cuts and layoffs since the start of 2023.

A few job cuts announced this past week:

  • Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). The tech giant is cutting nearly 3% of its global workforce—about 6,000 employees—including roles at LinkedIn. The layoffs are part of broader efforts to streamline operations, reduce management layers, and boost agility amid major investments in AI infrastructure.

  • Nissan Motor Co. (OTCMKTS: NSANY). The Japanese automaker announced it will eliminate 11,000 additional jobs and scale back production as part of a broader cost-cutting effort. This brings the total planned workforce reduction to around 20,000 positions.

  • Universal International Studios. The global television production division of Universal Studios Group has implemented layoffs across its London headquarters and hubs in Los Angeles and Australia. While the exact number is unconfirmed, the cuts reportedly affect a single-digit percentage of the workforce.

 Click here to access all listed announcements.

CHIEF HR OFFICER MOVE OF THE WEEK

This past week, 9 new Chief HR Officer announcements were posted on CHROs on the Go, my subscription-based platform tracking movement in and out of the CHRO role. This week’s CHRO move of the week is:

  • Xerox (NORWALK, CONNECTICUT) [NASDAQ: XRX]—a leader in office and production print technology—announced that Kim Kleps has been named Chief People Officer, effective immediately. Kleps, who has been with Xerox for 11 years and most recently served as SVP, People, Talent, Culture, & Diversity, will join as a member of the Executive Committee as part of Xerox's $1.5 billion acquisition of Lexmark International, Inc. The acquisition is projected to close in the third quarter of 2025. ​​

Kim Kleps

CHROs on the Go has over 4,000 archived announcements in its database, with new announcements added daily!

If you are already a subscriber to CHROs on the Go, log in here.

FROM ME ON LINKEDIN

Catch up on what you may have missed from me on LinkedIn:

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THE BEST OF APRIL 2025

Did you miss the “Best of April ” issue of Talent Edge Weekly? If so, check out issue #294, which includes 15 of the most popular resources from the month.

Thank you to our sponsor, Draup, who sponsored the Best of April.

Download Draup’s report, AI-Driven Skills-Based Talent Architecture, and learn how organizations are unlocking the potential of their skills-based practices. 

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💡 WANT MORE?

Want to explore talent management practices in-depth with me and other internal HR practitioners? Learn about my new Talent Edge Circle community! Please note that this is a paid community. Already a member? Login here 

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