Talent Edge Weekly - Issue #300

Managing the cumulative impact of organizational change, Chief HR Officer discussions, building the business case for new HR teams, digital credentials for hiring, and compensation planning.

Author

Brian Heger
June 08, 2025

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

A shout-out to Eva Rykrsmith, VP Organization Effectiveness and Chief of Staff at Albemarle Corporation, for referring new subscribers to Talent Edge Weekly. Thank you, Eva, for your support of this newsletter!

🙌 This issue marks a significant milestone, as it is Issue 300 of the newsletter! Whether you are a new reader or have been with me since the first issue, I very much appreciate you making Talent Edge Weekly part of your trusted resources.

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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.

Let’s dive in! ⬇️

THIS WEEK'S EDGE 

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

My one-page template to help leaders assess current and proposed organizational changes to better manage change fatigue and ensure sustainable implementation.

As many organizations implement workplace changes, such as new technologies, AI, team restructuring, return-to-office policies, or updated processes, I’ve received multiple requests for change management resources. Behind these requests is a growing concern about change fatigue: a state of physical and mental exhaustion caused by the constant need to adapt to new initiatives. According to Prosci’s Best Practices in Change Management report (May 2023), the average organization manages five major change initiatives at any given time, with many overseeing 10 or more when including smaller projects and process changes. That number is likely even higher today. Leaders who focus solely on the business case for individual change initiatives often lack visibility into the overall volume of change occurring across the organization. This can lead to a cumulative toll on teams—driving disengagement, resistance, and burnout. To help leaders gain a clearer view and manage change in a more sustainable manner, my one-page template helps initiate a holistic review of all current and proposed changes, their timing, and their impact across various groups. This editable one-pager helps organizations better align the pace of change with employees’ capacity to adapt, serving as a starting point for developing more detailed change management plans.

CHIEF HR OFFICER

A 26-minute video featuring LinkedIn CPO Teuila Hanson and IBM CHRO Nickle LaMoreaux discussing evolving HR priorities and the future of work.

In this 26-minute video discussion, Teuila Hanson, Chief People Officer at LinkedIn, sits down with Nickle LaMoreaux, CHRO at IBM, in the latest episode of Conversations with CHROs. Teuila opens by asking Nickle: What are the top two challenges keeping her up at night? Her answer: 1) skills—understanding which skills matter, how to upskill and reskill, and how to anticipate shifting needs before employees fall behind; and 2) culture transformation—how to evolve the company while preserving critical aspects of the culture and bringing employees along for the journey. Nickle also shares why she believes HR is uniquely positioned to lead AI transformation. First, skills—a core part of any AI initiative, where HR has deep expertise. Second, culture—because adoption requires behavior and mindset shifts, another HR strength. Around the 8:29 mark, she explains how IBM is putting skills-based practices into action by evaluating employees across three dimensions: business results, skills, and behaviors—such as curiosity and adaptability—that reinforce their culture. Within the skills component, the focus is on ensuring employees develop the capabilities that matter most now and in the future—and that career growth is driven not only by performance, but also by evolving skills aligned with business needs. This conversation offers timely insights for HR and business leaders navigating the intersection of skills, AI, and organizational culture.

HR EFFECTIVENESS

My one-page cheat sheet with questions to help HR leaders think through their business case for building new HR functions or teams.

As organizations increasingly rely on HR to enable business capabilities and drive stakeholder value, I’ve heard from many Talent Edge Weekly subscribers who are building new HR functions or expanding their teams. As part of these efforts, they’re focused on developing a compelling business case. While business cases can vary in complexity, I’ve created a one-page cheat sheet with guiding questions to help HR leaders and their teams think through key components of their case. Whether you’re proposing a new people analytics team or an employee experience function, this streamlined, nine-section resource walks you through everything from identifying the core problem to articulating ROI and mapping out implementation timelines. It includes practical prompts—such as “What’s driving this need: a new strategy, growth, or compliance?” and “What happens if you don’t act?”—to ensure your case addresses the nuances that often influence approval outcomes. This cheat sheet helps transform an overwhelming process into a clear, actionable plan.

TALENT ACQUISITION

An example of how Siemens is using microcredentials with verifiable digital badges to make candidate skills more visible and actionable for hiring managers and recruiters.

Many organizations continue to prioritize skills-based hiring, where candidates’ skills are emphasized beyond traditional credentials, such as academic degrees. However, as I previously shared from a Harvard Business School and Burning Glass Institute study of 11,300 roles, even after removing degree requirements from select job postings, most firms saw only a 3.5 percentage point increase in hiring candidates without degrees, less than 1 in 700 hires. One approach being explored to close this gap is the use of digital credentials, which are verified, portable records of skills earned through coursework, training, or experience, often represented by a digital badge. I recently shared a 47-page report by Jobs for the Future (JFF), which provides a more in-depth exploration of these tools. Against this backdrop, Siemens recently demonstrated what this looks like in practice. The company launched Expedite – Skills for Industry, a four-course microcredential designed for engineering students, covering topics ranging from product lifecycle management to AI. It connects classroom theory to job-ready skills while also building collaboration, project management, and business process knowledge. Upon completion, learners earn a verifiable digital badge that can be displayed in portfolios or on social media to attract recruiters and inform hiring managers. As efforts like this gain traction, now may be a good time for organizations to review their hiring practices, upgrade recruiting technology, and enable systems to act on verified skills data.

COMPENSATION

Highlights four key trends: workforce supply and demand, merit process modernization, frontline workers, and pay transparency.

This paper highlights four key trends related to compensation: workforce supply and demand, merit process modernization, frontline workers, and pay transparency. To zoom in on two of these trends, a few data points include: 1) Merit Process Modernization: despite "peanut butter spread" approaches (equal budgets across the board) to merit award allocation being an outdated practice, only 6% of organizations differentiate merit budgets based on strategic factors. The authors recommend that companies adopt data-driven approaches that consider market positioning, pay equity gaps, and business criticality. Zero-based budgeting, guided by actual needs rather than historical patterns, is advised. 2) Pay Transparency Growth. Legislative requirements and rising employee expectations are driving the acceleration of pay transparency efforts. Notably, 46% of candidates won’t apply for jobs that lack compensation details. And many organizations are moving beyond minimum legal requirements, with 19% now including pay ranges in all job ads—up from just 8% in 2022. The paper offers additional data points and strategies to help HR leaders navigate evolving compensation challenges.

MOST POPULAR FROM LAST WEEK

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

My cheat sheet with questions managers and direct reports can use to help get more value from their 1:1 discussions.

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:

  • BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK). The multinational investment company plans to cut 300 jobs, affecting more than 1% of its workforce. The cuts are part of the firm's efforts to realign its resources with its strategy.

  • Procter & Gamble. (NYSE: PG). The multinational consumer goods giant has announced that it will lay off 7,000 workers over the company’s next two fiscal years. The job cuts are primarily from non-manufacturing roles, resulting in a 15% reduction in the company’s non-manufacturing workforce.

  • The Walt Disney Company. (NYSE: DIS). Disney began a new round of layoffs, letting go of several hundred employees and reducing staff in areas such as film and television marketing, publicity, casting, and development. Disney is positioning the cuts as a means to enhance its operational efficiency.

 Click here to access all listed announcements.

CHIEF HR OFFICER MOVE OF THE WEEK

This past week, 11 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:

  • Ardelyx, Inc. (WALTHAM, MASS) [NASDAQ: ARDX]—a biopharmaceutical company— announced that James P. Brady has joined the company as Chief Human Resources Officer. Most recently, Mr. Brady served as Chief Human Resources Officer at Spero Therapeutics. Prior to Spero, Mr. Brady held the role of CHRO at uniQure, as well as roles of increasing responsibility at Intarcia Therapeutics, Genzyme Corporation, and Thomson Financial. ​​

James P. Brady

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 MAY 2025

Did you miss the “Best of May ” issue of Talent Edge Weekly? If so, check out issue #299, which includes 18 of the most popular resources from the month.

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

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