Some HR leaders just haven’t been feeling the SHRM.

SHRM made waves last year when the organization announced that it was shifting its diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, by dropping “equity” and instead focusing solely on “I&D.”

The move at the time caused a stir in the HR community: Many criticized the move, with several practitioners vowing to let their certifications or SHRM membership lapse. More than 700 people signed a petition denouncing SHRM’s decision and calling on HR professionals to divest from the organization. Others contributed to a resource listing SHRM alternatives spanning conferences, peer networking groups, and knowledge resources.

One year later, tensions are still running high, with SHRM standing by its decision and many people pros telling HR Brew they remain disappointed.

Here’s what they had to say.—PM

We’ve entered the part of the AI hype cycle where we’re starting to more accurately understand the value and limitations of the tech—which spent much of the last two years basking in the lime light. Move over, Blu-ray disc.

While AI perhaps has longer staying power than Blu-ray, last month Gartner predicted more than 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027. The firm cited rising costs, unclear business value, and inadequate risk controls as potential hurdles for the tech.

“I’m not surprised,” said Sam Dorison, co-founder and CEO at ReflexAI, an AI-powered training and quality assurance platform that designs agentic solutions to support human workers rather than replace them. “Where you get impact in professional settings, particularly enterprise settings, is through clarity and clear goals, and if you’re implementing AI, because you think AI can address everything, you do not have clear goals.”

The Gartner report cautions against “misapplying agentic AI in business use cases” warning it can lead to a use case failure. Before procuring or deploying agentic AI in the workplace, it’s important to evaluate if agentic AI is the right solution for the intervention or if something else is more appropriate, according to the report.

Keep reading for more on how HR can help get value out of AI.—AD

Who doesn’t want to spend less time working and more time lounging poolside in the sweet, sweet summertime? According to one recent survey, it depends on who you ask—and maybe how old they are.

Some 49% of workers reported working less in the summer, according to a recent Glassdoor survey released in June. Gen Z is leading the pack, as 64% of employees aged 21–25 and 56% of employees aged 26–29 said they are taking it easier, compared to 39% of employees over 45 years old (Gen X) who reported doing the same.

“People actually tend to be more productive and task focused when there’s nothing else to do [recreationally],” said Adam Grant, organization psychologist, author, and Glassdoor’s chief worklife expert. “And it’s summer; there’s a lot more to do. The desire to relax is amplified. Sun’s out. It’s warm. People are excited to do activities.”

What if, Grant asks, productivity is seasonal?—MC